A KTVU crew rode along with four MACRO teams over the course of a month, witnessing this new approach to handling non-violent 911 calls that don't require a police prescence.
But on this day there would be help.
It's interactions like these that the Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland – or MACRO – engage in every day. The 16 employees fan out in the city's most challenged neighborhoods seven days a week to respond to behavioral health issues and crisis calls that were previously left up to police – or no one at all – to handle.
And the role is growing. What started as an 18-month pilot program with $5 million from the city is now budgeted for the next four years thanks to an additional $10 million grant from the state. Slowly, a hand reached out with a thumbs up before grabbing a bottle of water and disappearing back into the debris.
"When things get too unsafe or violent, we get out of the scene," Cedeno said. "We're not there to police anyone." Crews hit the streets before 8 a.m. and start checking up on people they've already established relationships with. It might start with an offer of water, and in the best-case scenarios end up with a person finding shelter and possibly services for drug addiction and mental illness.
Since the program began in April, they've reported 4,371 calls for service – most of which they've initiated. They hope to expand their hours, but there are still safety concerns for the employees, who need to undergo more training. Like when they were recently called to respond to a woman named Tasharra and her family, who were living in their battered van during the triple-digit heat in early September.
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