MORE Justice

During our first year as an organization, more than 500 people came together and voted to prioritize mental health and education for research and action. After several months of research and building the power of organized people, MORE Justice members turned out more than 1,300 people to our inaugural Nehemiah Action. There, we pressed local law enforcement to certify all officers in Crisis Intervention Training, or CIT, by April of 2021. In the face of such broad community support, both Columbia PD and Richland County Sheriff’s Department committed to do just that. Now, a year and a half later, Columbia PD has gone from only eight CIT certified officers, to more than 150 CIT certified officers (nearly 40% of the entire department)! Due to our continued and persistent follow-up, Richland County Sheriff’s Department has also certified another 90 deputies in CIT. Now, due to our power of people, our officers will be better prepared to safely and successfully interact with those in our community with mental illness and deescalate situations.

In the fall of 2018, hundreds of community members came together and prioritized Affordable Housing for research and action, and in November 2019, more than 550 MORE Justice members voted to add Gun Violence to our organizational priorities.