Under the name of Angelo Quinto, a new van-based team of mental health experts will respond to 911 calls in the city of Antioch that are not violent or life-threatening but do have a component
This past Monday, Antioch officials welcomed this first mental health crisis response team named after Angelo Quinto, a resident of that city in Contra Costa County, who died at the age of 30. at the hands of the police after being immobilized on December 23, 2020.
At a news conference, the city said the team will be the first from a city in the county to respond to mental health emergencies, which were always handled by police.
In collaboration with the Felton Institute, the team will respond to 911 calls that are not violent or life-threatening and will be named after Angelo Quinto, a 30-year-old Antioch resident who died after being restrained by Antioch police. Antioch on December 23, 2020.
Quinto was suffering from a mental health crisis and was having a dispute with his mother when the police arrived at the family home, at which point the officers grabbed him, knelt on his shoulder, secured his legs and handcuffed him, before call an ambulance. However, by the time paramedics arrived, Quinto's face was reportedly purple and he was unresponsive.
There was blood on his face and on the ground. Life-saving measures were carried out, but Quinto died later that day in hospital.
The Contra Costa District Attorney's Office refused last September to file charges against the police. And now that office and the FBI are investigating the Antioch Police Department for a series of alleged civil rights violations.
In this regard, the mayor of Antioch, Lamar Thorpe, apologized to the Quinto family, while noting that the incident changed the city, thus promoting efforts for police reform in recent years.
"There are no words that can heal the pain you are experiencing, but I hope this gesture here helps you understand that your city is listening to you, your city sees you, we value you and we respect you," Thorpe said.
At the time, Councilwoman Monica Wilson said that while other municipalities in the country have chosen to cut mental health services, the city wants to make it a priority.
“This investment in a mental health response team will ensure that we never lose a member of our community due to mental health needs. This will ensure that a mental health issue is treated like that: a mental health issue, not a crime that requires the full force of the police department."
The annual cost of the crisis response team is estimated to be between 1.8 and 2.2 million dollars.
With information from Telemundo 48 Bay Area.
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