Freddy Puza — “Reimagine Policing So Everyone Feels Safe” (Culver City Catalyst, archived 2020)
Archived Culver City Catalyst essay by Freddy Puza setting out his 2020 public-safety and policing positions. Puza wrote that he supported the Culver City Action Network demand to cut the police budget by 50 percent; discussed the withdrawal of an armored-vehicle purchase and creation of a Public Safety Review Task Force; cited Million Dollar Hoods arrest data; and advocated alternative first-response models, including CAHOOTS-style crisis response, non-police traffic enforcement, restorative justice, housing, mental-health services and community-based organizations.
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Source-grounded findings
Puza wrote that he had spoken at two June Culver City Council meetings in support of the Culver City Action Network demand to cut the police budget by 50 percent and that he stood by those comments.
He wrote that the planned armored-car purchase had been withdrawn and that the City Council had created a Public Safety Review Task Force to develop an alternative nonviolent public-safety program and a proposal to reduce the police budget by 50 percent.
He cited Million Dollar Hoods arrest data and argued that Black and Latinx people experienced disproportionate arrest burdens.
He advocated a CAHOOTS-style model in which medics, crisis workers, social workers, mental-health professionals or trained de-escalators could respond instead of police in many situations.
He argued that traffic enforcement was another area where non-police City staff could respond.
He advocated de-escalation, restorative justice, prevention, rehabilitation, housing, mental-health and social services, and community-based organizations.
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