Support for legislation like the BREATHE Act and People’s Response Act is growing. Essie Justice Group is raising awareness for policies that can address systemic problems, like the racial wealth gap, education inequities, and unaffordable housing. Founder and Executive Director Gina Clayton-Johnson, the architect for the BREATHE Act and co-author of the People’s Response Act, spoke with Yelena Dzhanova from Insider on the importance of funding community-led, health-based community safety programs.

“We know that community-based organizations — churches, houses of worship, your local underfunded community center — play huge roles in the maintenance of safe communities,” Gina Clayton-Johnson, the proposal’s main brain, told Insider. “They need support and dollars and this bill would provide that.”