Janine
As debates around police reform intensify, a new event aims to offer community-driven alternatives to public safety.
The Community Safety Reimagined event will take place this Saturday, September 28th and aims to explore a new vision for public safety that moves beyond traditional policing.
Organised by the Racial Justice Network, Harehills Action, and StopWatch, the event will gather activists, community leaders, and local residents at the Thackray Museum of Medicine.
The goal of the forum is to rethink public safety by fostering community-driven approaches that challenge structural inequalities and harmful policing practices. Discussions will focus on empowering local residents and providing alternatives to current safety models.
Attendees will hear from speakers involved in grassroots justice work, including local organisations and campaigners dedicated to tackling issues like racial profiling, surveillance, and discrimination within the justice system.
In an online statement, the organisers behind the event shared their vision for the upcoming forum: “This gathering aims to shift the narrative around safety, focusing on care, resilience, and justice rooted in community rather than top-down enforcement.
“Many in our communities experience harm via services meant to care and protect, because of structural inequalities that prevent access, or where people receive further trauma from staff who do not know how to meet needs.
“Community Safety: Reimagined aims to establish a Community Safety Coalition, with a mission to seek repair for communities targeted by police and other public services.
“We do this by holding space for sharing experiences, organising to build resilience, nurturing the wisdom within our communities, sharing and celebrating examples of community care.”
By reimagining what safety could look like, the aim of the event is to inspire change at both local and systemic levels.
As public discussions on police reform and alternative justice models grow, events like “Community Safety Reimagined” are becoming crucial platforms for action. The hope is to spark a new vision for community safety that centers people and healing over punishment and control.
