Editor:
I want to start by commending the folks near and far working to establish the Blue Envelope program in our community; no doubt this is a huge comfort to many and truly may save lives.
However, I cannot help but dream of a police force that has an inherent culture of trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, people-first responses across all interactions. It is infuriating that populations feel the need to create a signal for police (and other first responders) to take extra care with them, rather than a society where that is the practice across the board.
That is such a backwards framework and puts the onus on those most at risk.
Julie Slater, Arcata
This article appears in Protecting the Night.