Responders or Fixers? The Sustainability of Crisis Response in Minneapolis and Beyond

When the police aren’t the answer…who do you call? Minneapolis has an unarmed response team dispatched by 911 for mental health crises—it’s called behavioral crisis response (BCR) and it’s run by Canopy Roots. In 2023, Canopy Roots asked us at the Minnesota Justice Research Center to evaluate their growing BCR service. We analyzed 11,000 call logs, over 500 community survey responses, and conducted interviews and ridealongs to understand their process and their impact, and make recommendations.In this episode, MNJRC Research Director Dr. Katie Remington Cunningham hosts experts Cherie Hanson with perspective from the ground in Minneapolis, and Tahir Duckett as a national expert, for a discussion of BCR and crisis response teams, including real examples of their impact, our evaluation and the value of research, and the steps necessary to sustain these models long-term.About our guests: Cherie Hanson is a licensed clinical counselor and supervisor, currently serving as the Program Manager at both the Minneapolis BCR and the Brooklyn Center Expanded Response Team at Canopy Roots. Her background includes extensive experience supporting high-needs students and leading mental health programs and initiatives.Tahir Duckett serves as the Executive Director of the Center for Innovations in Community Safety at Georgetown Law. Tahir has a background as a labor organizer, civil rights attorney, writer, nonprofit founder and leader, namely of Rethink and Law for Black Lives-DC.Resources:Learn more about MNJRC’s evaluation findings and recommendations of BCRGeorgetown’s Alternative Response Research Collective (See the white paper mentioned in the episode here when published)Video about BCR: She Made the Right Call – A Mother’s Bold Move That Changed EverythingCanopy Roots websiteAbout the podcast:Transformation Blueprint: Reimagining Criminal Justice in Minnesota translates MNJRC’s work on the criminal legal system into an accessible podcast that bridges research and community action. This podcast connects our audience to timely developments in the criminal legal system by featuring researchers, advocates, people who work in the system, and people who are impacted by it. We strive to translate research into actionable tools for change with and by community, provide plain-language education on complex legal concepts, and spotlight innovative justice initiatives making real impact.About MNJRC:The Minnesota Justice Research Center (MNJRC) is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to driving meaningful change to Minnesota’s criminal legal system through rigorous and community-centered research, education, and policy development.Visit our website and join us in this work: ⁠⁠⁠mnjrc.org⁠⁠Keep up with MNJRC on social media:⁠Instagram⁠ @MinnJRC⁠Facebook⁠ @MNJRC⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠ @MNJRCMusic: Borough by Blue Dot SessionsThis podcast is made possible by support from listeners like you. If you want to help us continue doing this work, visit mnjrc.org/donate. Thank you.