Safety Beyond Police: Alexandria
Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Northern Virginia
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Plain Text of the Flowchart
Steps to Ask Yourself Before Calling the Police
- Is this merely an inconvenience to me? Can I put up with this and be okay?
---> No, I need to respond.
---> Yes, I can deal.
- Can I handle this on my own, is this something I could try to talk-out with the person?
---> No, I need back-up.
---> Yes, I can talk it out.
- Is there a friend, neighbor, or someone whom I could call to help me?
---> No, I need a professional.
---> Yes, I can call someone I know to help.
- Can we use mediation to talk through what’s happening or is there an emergency response hotline I could call?
---> No.
---> Yes.
- If I call the police do I understand how involving the police could impact me and the other person?
‘Yes’ responses to questions 1-4 mean that you and your community handled the situation!
‘Yes’ responses to question 4 direct you to the following quick facts about several local professional resources:
Northern Virginia Mediation Service (M-F, 9-5) | 703-865-7272
Emergency Services (24/7) | 703-746-3401
Residential Treatment Center (24/7) | 703-746-3636
Community Shelter (24/7) | 703-746-3660
Virginia Victim Assistance Network Helpline (M-F, 9-5) | 1-888-887-3418
- Sexual & Domestic Violence
Sexual Assault Hotline (24/7) | 703-683-7273
Domestic Violence Hotline (24/7) | 703-746-4911
Second Story Hotline (24/7) | 1-800-SAY-TEEN or text “TEENHELP” to 855-11
Plain Text of the Resource Guide
Alternatives to Calling the Police
Alexandria, Virginia
Professional Resources
Mediation
- Northern Virginia Mediation Service is a nonprofit organization that facilitates people coming together to communicate - to really listen and be heard, to identify issues and work on them together, and to find common ground. Services are voluntary and available to the community on a sliding scale. Both parties must be willing to engage. Staff available to discuss services during normal business hours.
Mental Health
- Emergency Mental Health Services are available 24/7 through the City of Alexandria Government. Anyone working or living in the City of Alexandria is eligible for services when experiencing a mental health or substance-use crisis. Licensed clinicians assess and address needs over the phone, in person at their walk-in clinic during normal business hours, or in the community when needed.
- Children’s Regional Crisis Response (CR2) is a 24-hour rapid response service to all youth (17 and younger) facing a mental health and/or substance use crisis in Northern Virginia. Trained counselors of the nonprofit organization, National Counseling Group (NCG), provide phone screenings and face-to-face assessment, intervention, and support.
- VA REACH Program offers crisis prevention and response services for individuals with co-occurring mental health and developmental disabilities. VA Reach is able to serve individuals from infancy to geriatric age who may be at risk for hospitalization or other harms. Trained staff are available 24/7 at their hotline, and no qualifying individual is turned away due to inability to pay.
Substance Use
- Residential Treatment Center is a short-term residential substance abuse program funded by the City of Alexandria Government. Support is available to adults in need of trained staff and a supportive environment in which to stop using drugs and/or alcohol. Services provided regardless of ability to pay and are also available to individuals with co-occuring mental health concerns.
Runaway & Homeless Youth
- Second Story is a nonprofit emergency safe haven for Northern Virginia teens in crisis (age 13-17) who want to move beyond homelessness, abuse, trafficking, neglect, or other harmful situations. Rapid re-housing and transitional living services are also available for homeless young people (age 18-24), including homeless young women (age 16-24) who are pregnant or have young children. A hotline is available 24/7.
- 1-800-SAY-TEEN or text “TEENHELP” to 855-11
Domestic & Sexual Violence
- The Sexual Assault Center is a program that is funded and run by the City of Alexandria government to assist survivors of sexual assault. The center has a 24/7 hotline staffed by trained advocates who are available to accompany people to the hospital, or to the police station, if they choose to report the assault. The center also provides counseling and referrals in English and Spanish.
- Domestic Violence Program is funded and run by the City of Alexandria government to assist survivors of intimate partner violence. The program has a 24/7 hotline with trained staff who can connect people to resources, counseling, and/or a safe place to stay. Support with protective orders is also available.
Victim Support
- Virginia Victim Assistance Network is a nonprofit organization that helps people who have been harmed understand their rights and options, find information and connect with resources, access referrals and craft next steps to regain control over their lives. Services are available for free, and helpline is available during normal business hours.
Food & Shelter
- Alexandria Community Shelter is a 24/7 emergency shelter run by the nonprofit Volunteers of America (VOA) - Chesapeake and funded by the City of Alexandria Government. During their stay, men, women, and families are provided with housing-focused case management, education training, job training, referral services, and mental health treatment. For non-emergency or diversion related services, people can walk-in or call ahead the Homeless Services Assessment Center (HSAC) during normal business hours. During wintry or cold weather, those experiencing homelessness may access the emergency food and housing after 7 PM at Carpenter’s Shelter.
Community Examples
- Audre Lorde Project’s Safe Outside the System seeks to empower community members to be proactive in preventing anti-LGBTQ violence, intervene when violent situations arise, and build stronger relationships between LGBTQ people of color, our allies and the community as a whole.
Philly’s Pissed & Philly Stands Up, PP provides direct support to survivors of sexual assault and PSU works with folks who have committed sexual assault or partner abuse to take accountability.
- Incite! is a national activist organization of radical feminists of color advancing a movement to end violence against women of color and our communities through direct action, critical dialogue, and grassroots organizing. Check out the Stop Law Enforcement Toolkit and Community Accountability Best Practices.
- Buoy is a decentralized 9-1-1 alternative built for people who are not well served by existing emergency response services.
More Inspiration
By Aaron Rose
By Conor Friedersdorf
By Caroline Loomis
How to Start Building Alternative Structures to Police in VA
- Know your neighborhood: meet your neighbors; learn their names, who they are, and their contact information; say hello when you walk by.
- Follow, volunteer with, and support the work of LaColectiVA, Justice for Muslims Collective, & Sanctuary DMV.
- Learn skills that can help keep your community safe:
- Street Harassment, De-escalation, & Bystander Intervention Training | Collective Action for Safe Spaces
- Rapid Response & Accompaniment Training | Sanctuary DMV
- Conflict Resolution & Mediation Training | Northern Virginia Mediation Service
- Join Showing Up for Racial Justice Northern Virginia: SURJ Northern Virginia organizes white people around racial justice and police abuse. Learn more by following along on Facebook & Twitter.
Thank you for reading and learning along with us!
A big ‘thank you’ also goes to SURJ DC, who inspired us to research, compile, and create our own local resources.
Be sure to check out and share their flowchart and resource guide, too.
Disclaimer: Be mindful about sharing location, contact, and identifying information with any resources listed in this document, as it is always possible that resources will use their discretion to involve police in your matter anyway (e.g. with *reasonable* concern for someone’s safety, and awareness of their location, police can be contacted to perform a “wellness check”). Moreover, all social service providers are mandatory reporters, which means they are required by law to report *suspected* child or elder abuse or neglect to the local Child and/or Adult Protective Services agency -- agencies that, with *reasonable* concern about imminent harm posed by alleged behaviors, may also exercise their discretion to involve police. Depending on the information presented and the nature of the emergency, you may find that some resources will still direct you to call the police.
Last Updated October 2020