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Council delays vote on alternative‑response task force after hours of public testimony and debate
Summary
Hundreds of residents, service providers and council members debated a proposed task force to plan an alternative mental‑health response model; the council voted to postpone the resolution to allow more time for revisions and outreach.
The Knoxville City Council on a voice vote postponed consideration of a resolution to create and fund an "alternative response" task force that would plan a pilot program to dispatch non‑police teams for certain mental‑health, substance‑use and homelessness calls.
The resolution, introduced as Item 11c, drew three dozen public speakers and extended council debate. Supporters — including clinicians, formerly employed crisis workers and community organizers — urged the council to create a task force that would design a pilot to redirect nonviolent behavioral‑health calls away from law enforcement.
Amelia James, a licensed clinical social worker and member of Knoxville Heart, told council that the group had been pursuing alternative response for three years and urged passage of the task…
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