We view neighborhoods with high rates of illegal behavior as dangerous or high crime. But what if we started to frame these communities as high need?
Every action is a reaction to something else. It doesn’t justify or excuse the action, but it allows us to better understand what people are reacting to, so we can address and prevent harm in the future.
We need to understand the conditions that are leading to these behaviors while identifying the needs of the community.
We need to have a discussion on why those needs are missing. Why aren’t those services there in the first place? This is the same with police officers who commit acts of murder or harm. What are the conditions that are developing this level of violence in this institution?