Chicago residents voted in support of an ordinance seeking to secure funding for non-police from crisis response teams and public mental health centers, Truthout reported Nov. 19.
The Treatment Not Trauma campaign, created by Rossana Rodriguez, alderman of the city's 33rd Ward, and community groups and stakeholders secured votes of approval from 98 percent, 96 percent and 93 percent of residents in the 6th, 20th and 33rd wards, respectively, according to the publication.
The referendum urges Chicago officials to invest in community mental health facilities and form a specialized mental health crisis response team trained in deescalation within the city's public health department, according to Truthout.
The campaign will move forward to Chicago's local elections in 2023, the publication said.