Breathable Streets

Breathable Streets is a research and media collective focused on reimagining public safety.

Breathable Streets partners with and amplifies communities who have long demanded new approaches to public safety that prioritize equity, transparency, accountability, and restorative justice.

mission and purpose

Breathable Streets has one central objective: to improve public safety for all communities.

In the short term, in recognition of the ongoing emergency of police violence, we are committed to increasing transparency in policing and improving accountability in methods of policing (and including youth in that accountability).

Our longer term goals include eliminating violent interactions between community members and social agencies, supporting the development of truly community-based institutions of public safety, and centering Restorative Justice throughout this work.

To meet these goals, we implement a two-pronged approach:

RESEARCH

Breathable Streets focuses on two kinds of research: community-based documentation of the history of policing and public safety in San Diego, and evidence-driven policy research on specific models for improving community-based public safety in San Diego.

INTERVENTION

Breathable Streets aims to increase the transparency and accountability of public safety in San Diego with innovations at two distinct stages: the current practice of policing (by increasing youth and community engagement in transparency and accountability), and the future of public safety (by building robust systems of community and youth engagement, and by developing evidence-backed policy proposals for future changes to existing practices).