The People’s Response Campaign (PRC) is a major initiative launched by M4BL and M4BL Action to further our Vision for Black Lives, calling for innovative systems of community safety and care at the local, federal, and electoral levels. We’ve recruited 20 Black-led organizations, our PRC Fellows, from across the country committed to this vision to work, build, and grow Black political power together at all levels to get us closer to a safer and more free future.

The PRC campaign is comprised of 3 core components:

Fighting for Local Policy:

Launching and supporting local policy pushes in select cities nationwide for non-police community wellness first response systems

Building Power for the People’s Response Act (PRA):

Advocating for Congress to pass the PRA, which takes an inclusive, holistic, and health-centered approach to public safety by creating a public safety division within the Department of Health and Human Services

Activating Black Voters:

Engaging voters for the 2024 elections, especially at the state and local levels, to protect our rights from white-supremacist right-wing attacks and to further progress toward true community safety and liberation

The data is clear: Black people know we must invest in community-safety that works

There is strong, clear support among Black Americans for investing in evidence-informed community safety solutions, especially those that would center de-escalation, mental-health support, and approaches that do not rely on punishment or force.

of Black Americans support hiring mental-health professionals as non-police first responders to de-escalate mental-health crises

0 %

of Black Americans support investing in community organizations that address local safety needs

0 %

The People’s Response Act

The PRA looks to expand solutions to harm and safety that our communities have long been championing. Reintroduced by U.S. Representative Cori Bush, alongside Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Summer Lee, Morgan McGarvey, Ayanna Pressley and Jan Schakowsky, the People’s Response Act emphasizes and adopts an inclusive, holistic, and health-centered approach to public safety. This new approach will save lives and build systems of care that are rooted in improving the well-being of all communities.

The PRA would establish:

A federal body (“Division of Community Safety” at the Department of Health and Human Services) to oversee grantmaking, research coordination, and other support for non-carceral, non-punitive approaches to public safety
A grant program that funds and incentivizes state and local governments to invest in community-led, non-carceral, non-punitive approaches to public safety
A grant program that funds community-based organizations to implement non-carceral, non-punitive investments in community safety—investments in the programs and services that Black people actually need to be safe. These include mental health resources, violence interruption, housing, youth programs, treatmen, and so much more

Tell your representatives to support the PRA

Voter Engagement

The People’s Response Campaign voter engagement strategy will be led by our Fellows and partners, leveraging tactics such as educational campaigns, town halls, and voter registration drives to get out the Black vote in 2024. Major decisions are being made to take away our rights to vote, protest, and make decisions for our own bodies, especially at the state and local levels. We’re pushing for public referendums, candidates, and legislation that will enshrine our rights and further progress toward true public safety and liberation while also fighting off the emboldened white-supremacist right wing.

Local Policy

Through the People’s Response Fellowship, we’re turning our data into action as our fellows launch or expand campaigns in their cities for resolutions in support of a non-police community wellness first response system. Having people who are uniquely trained and qualified to respond in moments of trauma or mental health struggles could mean drastically better care, support, and outcomes. We’re laying the foundation for the adoption of non-punitive solutions for addressing harm in our communities because true safety does not come at the expense of our wellness or our lives.