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Community-Based Safety

You believe communities can keep themselves safer through mutual aid, conflict resolution, and addressing root causes of harm.

Overview Issues Discuss

About

  • Community-Based Safety is a political ideology and approach to public safety that emphasizes the role of local communities in identifying, addressing, and preventing harm, rather than relying primarily on centralized or state-controlled policing and punitive systems. Rooted in principles of collective responsibility, mutual aid, and participatory decision-making, this ideology seeks to empower residents to take an active role in shaping the safety and well-being of their neighborhoods. It often involves the creation of local safety committees, restorative justice practices, conflict mediation, and the development of social support networks that address the root causes of crime and insecurity, such as poverty, inequality, and social isolation.

    The history of Community-Based Safety can be traced back to various grassroots movements around the world, particularly those led by marginalized groups who have experienced over-policing, discrimination, or neglect by formal law enforcement agencies. In the 20th century, civil rights and liberation movements in North America, Latin America, Africa, and Asia began to articulate alternatives to traditional policing, drawing on indigenous practices of communal justice and self-governance. During the 1960s and 1970s, organizations such as the Black Panther Party in the United States and community defense groups in Latin America implemented community patrols, free health clinics, and educational programs as part of broader efforts to protect and uplift their communities.

    Over time, the ideology of Community-Based Safety has evolved to include a wide range of practices, from neighborhood watch programs and violence interruption initiatives to transformative justice circles and participatory budgeting for public safety resources. It is often associated with calls to "defund the police" or reallocate funding from traditional law enforcement to social services, mental health care, and community development. While the specific forms and strategies vary across contexts, the core idea remains the same: safety is most effectively achieved when communities have the power, resources, and autonomy to define and address their own needs, rather than relying solely on external authorities. This approach continues to gain traction globally, especially in response to critiques of systemic racism, police violence, and the limitations of punitive justice systems.

Opposing ideologies

These ideologies are least similar to Community-Based Safety.

Conservative

You believe what we have is worth protecting, and the risks of major change outweigh the potential benefits.

Abolish the MonarchyImmigrationSchool Pronoun PolicyLGBT Adoption RightsBan on Replacement Workers

Wealth-Based Influence

You believe those who have built significant wealth have proven the judgment and capability needed to guide society’s direction.

Ban on Replacement WorkersCampaign FinanceNative FundingLNG Export ExpansionMinimum Wage

Objectivist

You believe rational pursuit of your own values and productivity is the moral foundation of a free and prosperous society.

Government SpendingBonus CapNative FundingHealthcare PrivatizationBan on Replacement Workers

Economic Right

You believe free markets, private enterprise, and limited government create the most prosperity and freedom for everyone.

Ban on Replacement WorkersNative FundingGovernment SpendingSingle-Payer HealthcareSchool Pronoun Policy

Restorationist

You believe society has taken wrong turns and should return to the proven values and structures that once made it stronger.

LGBT Adoption RightsSchool Pronoun PolicyNative FundingYouth Criminal JusticeImmigration

Traditionalist

You believe some degree of social hierarchy is natural, and structured leadership creates stability and order.

LGBT Adoption RightsFlag BurningMandatory Addiction TreatmentSchool Pronoun PolicyImmigration

How similar are your political beliefs to Community-Based Safety issues? Take the political quiz to find out.