BUFFALO, N.Y. — On Monday, Democratic nominee for Buffalo Mayor, India Walton, outlined her public safety platform, which she hopes will create a safer and healthier Buffalo.
The announcement on Monday made at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, detailed Walton's plans for neighborhoods, schools, housing, hospitals, and combating gender violence and sexual assault.
“For me, the issue of public safety is deeply felt, and deadly serious,” Walton said. “I grew up on the East Side. I have raised four Black boys in Buffalo. I know what it means to fear for the safety and well-being of my closest loved ones.”
Some of the aspects of Walton's public safety plan include the use of a mobile crisis team staffed by mental health professionals to respond to mental health crisis calls. Walton also intends to implement the LIFE Camp model, which builds relationships, create opportunities, and develops leaders in an effort to reduce community violence.
Walton would also like to implement smaller class sizes and invest more in school support staff like guidance counselors, therapists and school nurses.
To address housing, Walton's plans to foster Community Land Trusts for the creation of affordable housing and shifting homeless outreach to social workers.
Other aspects of the plan include medical social workers to de-escalate patients and protect nurses, invest in infrastructure improvements to reduce traffic accidents, and using other restorative justice practices instead of jail or prison to reform people who have committed domestic violence. Walton herself is a survivor of domestic violence.
