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To: Massachusetts State Legislator
Medical Community against police violence Open letter
OPEN LETTER TO OUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES
We are medical professionals in the Pioneer Valley and wish to promote harm reduction to our community. That is part of our job.
Police violence against the people in the Springfield community is systemic, long stating and targets vulnerable populations such as the poor, homeless, people with mental illness and people with addiction disorders. This is evidenced by this recent Boston Globe report https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/07/25/metro/one-worst-police-departments-country/ and the US Department of Justice report https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-findings-investigation-narcotics-bureau-springfield.
As medical professionals we are required to report suspected abuse in the elderly, children, and disabled populations. We propose to expand these protections to injuries suspected to be the result of police violence. These injuries should be reported to an independent agency that is being proposed as new legislation in the Massachusetts legislature. We ask our legislators to propose additional new legislation that would mandate reporting by medical professionals of all injuries suspected of being caused by the police. The reports would go to the new proposed agency.
We ask our legislature to put forward such legislation.
We are medical professionals in the Pioneer Valley and wish to promote harm reduction to our community. That is part of our job.
Police violence against the people in the Springfield community is systemic, long stating and targets vulnerable populations such as the poor, homeless, people with mental illness and people with addiction disorders. This is evidenced by this recent Boston Globe report https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/07/25/metro/one-worst-police-departments-country/ and the US Department of Justice report https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-findings-investigation-narcotics-bureau-springfield.
As medical professionals we are required to report suspected abuse in the elderly, children, and disabled populations. We propose to expand these protections to injuries suspected to be the result of police violence. These injuries should be reported to an independent agency that is being proposed as new legislation in the Massachusetts legislature. We ask our legislators to propose additional new legislation that would mandate reporting by medical professionals of all injuries suspected of being caused by the police. The reports would go to the new proposed agency.
We ask our legislature to put forward such legislation.
Why is this important?
As medical professionals we are committed to our community’s health and welfare. Serious injuries caused by police violence will come to our attention especially in the emergency room. We need a mandatory reporting mechanism that will lead to prevention of these serious injuries and deaths.
How it will be delivered
In writing to all Massachusetts legislators delivered by email.