Talk of the Bay host Len Beyea interviews journalist April M. Short and local activists Ariana Jones and Esabella Bonner about Alternatives to Policing.
April M. Short is an editor, journalist and documentary editor and producer. She is a writing fellow at Local Peace Economy, a project of the Independent Media Institute. Previously, she served as a managing editor at AlterNet as well as an award-winning senior staff writer for Santa Cruz, California’s weekly newspaper. Her work has been published with the San Francisco Chronicle, In These Times, Salon and many others.
Esabella [EEEE-suh-bella] (Bella) Bonner is a local activist in Santa Cruz County who graduated from Cabrillo College in Sociology and SJSU in Human Resource management. She has been active in making change in our community by increasing awareness, amplifying Black & Brown voices, exposing implicit bias, and working collaboratively with the community. Bella also co-owns a local community website , Blended Bridge, that holds the same values of bridging the gaps in the community.
Ariana Jones is a Santa Cruz local activist who focuses on the liberation of the Black and Brown communities and raising consciousness of systemic oppression and injustices that plague the BIPOC population. Ariana, along with Esabella Bonner, owns Blended Bridge, whose focal point is to prioritize the BIPOC perspective, create a safe space to discuss historical transgressions, and educate the collective.
The article by April Short is “What Can Safety Without Police Look Like?”
The Newark, New Jersey program discussed in the interview is the Newark Community Street Team.
The Eugene, Oregon program discussed in the interview is CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets).
Another article referenced in the interview: “Six Ideas for a Cop-Free World” by Jose Martin, from Rolling Stone.
