To our community:  

We are devastated to learn that Walter Wallace, Jr. was shot and killed by the police in Philadelphia on Monday, in yet another instance in which the use of lethal force by officers appears that it could have been avoided. While details are still emerging, we know that Mr. Wallace, Jr. was in the midst of a mental health crisis when police arrived at his family’s home. We also know the police visited the home three times that day, and not once were they accompanied by a mental or behavioral health professional.

As an organization that for 30 years has fought to empower and support people with physical and mental disabilities, we well recognize the adverse effects of systemic racism on mental and physical health in communities of color. Perversely, that same system has led to those same communities being deprived of the mental and behavioral health resources they need most.  

Today we affirm that Black Lives Matter. We stand in solidarity with movements across the country and the world for racial justice and equality. We stand in support of all those fighting for alternative approaches to community safety that center holistic community health through investment in resources, education, and social services, and the social service professionals whose intervention might have prevented the killing of Walter Wallace, Jr. We honor his life and his memory, and we grieve with his family, and with all those who knew and loved him. 

– Community Integrated Services