Rep. Cori Bush reintroduced the Helping Families Heal Act to provide mental health resources for families impacted by police violence. The bill proposes grants within the Department of Health and Human Services to fund mental health programs supporting victims, families, and students. Initially introduced in September 2022, it was revived on what would have been Michael Brown's 28th birthday.
“Police violence steals precious lives like Mike Brown and so many others,” Bush said in a statement. “The trauma and grief that it leaves in its wake contributes to mental health crises and disproportionately harms surviving family members, Black and brown communities, and young people.”
Brown's death in 2014 sparked the Black Lives Matter movement. The legislation, developed with input from Brown's mother, aims to hire and train mental health professionals to support those affected by police violence and address intergenerational trauma. Cosponsors include Reps. Jamaal Bowman, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, and Rashida Tlaib.
“Mike Brown should still be alive, and today, on his 28th birthday, we are honoring him by reintroducing this vitally needed legislation,” said Bush, who spent more than 400 days protesting on the Ferguson Frontlines as a nurse and clergy member prior to her time in Congress.
Link: The Hill
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