In a previous blog post, https://www.stic-cil.org/blog/our-blog-1/protect-mental-health-rights-and-expand-voluntary-supports-in-new-york-4, we discussed our opposition to New York Governor Hochul's initiative to make it easier for authorities to round up homeless people as mentally ill and lock them away. Regrettably, the proposal became law.
Now President Trump has issued an executive order, "Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets," which similarly conflates mental illness and homelessness with criminality and antisocial behavior, and promotes "civil commitment" as a means of promoting public safety.
One of Benjamin Franklin's famous quotes comes to mind, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." In this case, though, no one is voluntarily giving up liberty; it's being stripped from them, in a frankly un-American fashion, because they're deemed out of compliance with society's expectations. This order makes those people deemed "undesirable" both unfree and unsafe.
Having a mental health diagnosis is not a crime; people need access to treatment, not incarceration. Similarly, it isn't illegal to be homeless, despite some local ordinances making it difficult; the homeless need affordable housing, not institutionalization.
The President, in his executive order, also cited substance use as an issue; that is unlawful in some cases such as possession, but civil commitment without due process is a dangerous overreach of government power and echoes some of the darkest misuses of institutionalization in modern history. Charge substance users with a crime if appropriate, but regardless, give them community-based treatment rather than locking them up; voluntary outpatient treatment has been proven to be more effective and less costly in kicking the habit for good than involuntary institutionalization.
This executive order, combined with severe Medicaid cuts, which threaten access to mental health care, and aggressive immigration enforcement tactics, represents a deeply troubling pattern of targeting marginalized populations under the guise of public safety.
We encourage advocates to oppose these policies through peaceful and lawful means, including organized advocacy, public education, and nonviolent protest, when necessary.