Too often, Black, Latino and Asian crime survivors are not seen as victims, and ignored by the systems that are supposed to help us. We shouldn’t have to rely on GoFundMe in the aftermath of tragedy because systems fail to support victims from our communities. Survivor-led organizations in our neighborhoods have stepped up to fill the gap, assisting crime victims and our communities, often without receiving the necessary funding support.
The We Are Survivors initiative is investing to help us reclaim our identity as survivors, and support community-based safety and victims’ services providers.
Too many crime victims are never offered victims’ services or, worse, denied help after facing bureaucratic and legal barriers. The lack of real help from systems that our tax dollars fund leaves our communities with unaddressed trauma, keeping us unsafe by continuing cycles of harm and violence.