Five Years without daniel prude, five years demanding change

Five years ago today, Daniel Prude was killed by Rochester police while experiencing a mental health crisis. He was naked. He was unarmed. He was in need of care. And instead of receiving compassion and support, he was met with handcuffs, a spit hood, and lethal force.

His death wasn’t just a tragedy — it was a call to action. A reminder that our current system does not keep all of us safe, especially not Black men in crisis. A system that continues to send police to situations they are neither trained nor equipped to handle — and they shouldn’t have to. Their focus should be on the most serious crimes, while trained professionals respond to people in crisis with care, de-escalation, and support.

In the years since Daniel's death, our community has grieved, protested, organized. And we have taken important steps forward. The creation of the Person in Crisis (PIC) team was a direct response to that call. These trained mental health professionals are showing what’s possible when we invest in care, not criminalization. PIC has responded to thousands of calls, connecting people with support rather than pushing them deeper into the criminal legal system.

But PIC needs to be expanded, not just maintained. Every person in Rochester deserves a response that centers their dignity, humanity, and health — no matter where they live or what time of day they need help. And we can’t stop at the city level. We need New York State to pass Daniel’s Law — legislation that ensures mental health and behavioral health crises are met with skilled, civilian responders instead of police.

Accountability matters. It mattered in 2020, and it matters now. Real public safety means knowing that when someone is struggling, the system will send help — not harm. 

We remember Daniel Prude. 

We fight for the world he should have had. 

And we won’t stop until we’ve built it.