Militarization, Mental Health and the Berkeley Police, with Maria Moore

Militarization of Mental Health and the Berkeley Police
Case Study of the Death of Kayla Moore presented by Maria Moore (Sister to Kayla)

In February of 2013, BPD forcibly entered the home of Kayla Moore, an African American transgender woman with mental illness. In this all-too-familar story, a friend called police for help at 11:30pm when he thought Kayla was having a mental health crisis. Once police arrived, they attempted to forcibly take Kayla Moore into custody. Face down on a futon with five cops on top of her, Kayla died. Her case has amplified the calls for fundamental change in the way that we attend to the safety of our citizens who experience mental health crisis. Maria Moore will share her experience of what happened before and after Kayla’s passing and the lessons and reflections from her family’s struggle for justice and healing.