Freedom to Thrive: Reimagining Safety & Security in Our Communities

Excessive government spending on policing and incarceration, at the expense of critical social services, perpetuates systemic inequities and fails to make communities safer. This report advocates for an invest/divest framework to reallocate funds from punitive systems to community-based resources like housing, education, mental health, and workforce development. Participatory budgeting is proposed as a democratic strategy to empower communities to influence financial decisions and ensure investments prioritize equity and long-term safety.