Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice Applauds San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin for Ensuring Victims of Police Violence Have Access to Needed Support
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2020
CONTACT:
Will Matthews, Californians for Safety and Justice, (909) 261-1398; [email protected]
SAN FRANCISCO – The nation’s largest network of survivors of crime, Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, lauded a new policy announced Tuesday by San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin that will make victims of police violence immediately eligible for victims’ compensation and other supports key to addressing trauma.
The policy will ensure people impacted by police violence will have immediate access to resources like medical an mental health care, funeral and burial expenses and resources for relocation. Boudin also announced an expansion of services for victims of police violence through the Trauma Recovery Center at the University of California, San Francisco.
Expanded resources will be made available through the district attorney’s office’s Victims Services Division, which will grant compensation for direct victims of police violence as well as witness and the families of victims.
The following can be attributed to Tinisch Hollins, California state director for Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice:
“It is imperative the justice system provide accountability for and prioritize the needs of all victims of violence by ensuring they have immediate access to the care and support they need to address their trauma, regardless of who exacted that harm. For victims of police violence who suffer particularly acute trauma, the need is especially great and the urgency especially crucial. Survivors from those communities most impacted by crime and violence every day have been advocating for years for new safety approaches that remove barriers to trauma recovery services presented by contact with law enforcement and the justice system. District Attorney Boudin is to be commended for demonstrating bold leadership by prioritizing the needs of all survivors of violence in this moment when the public is becoming ever more aware of just how widespread police violence is in America.”