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Vera Action

@veraaction.bsky.social
278 followers 134 following 308 posts

Fighting to end mass incarceration, protect immigrants’ rights, restore dignity to people behind bars, and build safe and thriving communities.

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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Vera Action Director Ellen Flenniken spoke on our 40+ rounds of polling and research that show how the conventional political wisdom on crime is out of sync with what voters want. In poll after poll, a majority of voters favor a "serious about safety" approach over a "tough-on-crime" one.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Since we began asking the question in 2022, a majority of voters have consistently favored a "serious about safety" approach that champions evidence-based solutions to address the root causes of crime over a "tough on crime" approach. Learn more: veraaction.org/serious-abou...
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Candidates for governor are becoming more confident talking about comprehensive strategies to reduce crime as part of strong safety platforms. In states with key gubernatorial races this fall, voters prefer a serious agenda over tough-on-crime:
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
New York City Public Advocate @jumaane.bsky.social on the creation of the Office of Community Safety: "We can't be focused, as leaders, on simply looking to be 'tough on crime.' We have to be serious about safety."
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Last week, @mayor.nyc.gov Zohran Mamdani announced the creation of the Office of Community Safety (OCS), a step toward his campaign promise to address real concerns about crime. Comprehensive investments—not "tough on crime" band-aids—will deliver real safety for New Yorkers.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Vera Action’s 40+ rounds of polling and research consistently show that a majority of Americans—including Independents—prefer leaders who are "serious about safety," not reflexively "tough-on-crime."
Pie chart from a May 2025 national survey commissioned by Vera Action that shows how a "serious about safety" approach beats a "tough on crime" approach by 20 points among voters.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Trump is now threatening to make an unprecedented move in Minneapolis: invoking the Insurrection Act to punish protesters using military force. In December, we explained how the Supreme Court opened the door for this to happen on @hesnotwrong.bsky.social:
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
Want to know how to tackle crime as a Democrat? Just look at mayors’ races. In Detroit, Cleveland, New York, and other cities, candidates who owned a proactive safety agenda won handily. Watch this ad from Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield’s campaign in Detroit (4/7):
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
The new paradigm on safety includes new solutions to prevent crime, respond to crisis, and stop violence. There is a majority view among voters about what works to break the cycle of crime. A "serious about safety" approach consistently beats a "tough-on-crime" one. (3/7)
Pie chart from a May 2025 national survey commissioned by Vera Action that shows how a "serious about safety" approach beats a "tough on crime" approach by 20 points among voters.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
As the Republican advantage on the economy evaporates and after convincing wins by Democrats last week, the GOP will likely use crime as a wedge issue to blunt Democrats’ momentum in the midterms. Trump has already declared that "crime will be a big subject of the midterms." (2/7)
CNN article headline: "Trump's crime crackdown is also his midterm sales pitch"
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
This plan is an effort by Cuomo to boost his mayoral campaign—but he is seriously missing the mark. Voters don’t want new buildings on Rikers Island. In fact, Vera Action research shows that New York voters favor the transition to borough-based jails.
Graphic showing that 54% of New York voters favor closing Rikers Island and the transition to four borough-based jails, whereas only 36% prefer keeping Rikers open, per a December 2024 poll by Vera Action and Lake Research Partners.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 25/08/2025
From Republicans and Democrats alike, voters are usually offered only one approach to public safety: "we need to get tough on crime." But time and time again, our polling has shown that voters prefer when candidates talk about investing in real solutions to prevent crime:
Pie chart: 60% of voters prefer a "serious about safety" approach to crime whereas only 40% prefer a "tough on crime" approach.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
Research from Vera Action and GSG (May 2025) shows: Virginia voters prefer an approach to crime that is "serious about safety"—not "tough on crime."
Pie chart: 64% of Virginia voters prefer a "serious about safety" approach to crime whereas only 35% prefer a "tough on crime" approach.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
Too many politicians have lost sight of what our communities actually want and need when it comes to safety. @replsimon.bsky.social sets the record straight: we should invest in things like mental health treatment, education, food security, and better policing. #NN25 @netrootsnation.bsky.social
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
Join us alongside @replsimon.bsky.social, @anatosaurus.bsky.social, and @richardafowler.bsky.social for a #NN25 deep dive on how progressives can win (and have been!) by making safety and justice a core part of their platform without going "tough on crime." Thursday at 2:15pm CT in room 292!
Join us on Thursday, August 7 at 2:15pm CT in room 292 of the conference center for a panel conversation—Safety and Justice as a Winning Democratic Strategy: From Recent Electoral Victories Across the Country, What’s Actually Working. Moderated by Insha Rahman and joined by an incredible set of speakers and experts: Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (CA-12), principal of ASO Communications Anat Shenker-Osorio, and journalist Richard A. Fowler.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
We can do more than just react to crime when it happens. We can also work to prevent it. Vera Action director Insha Rahman joined the @democraticmayors.bsky.social Community Over Chaos Summit in Cleveland to discuss how cities are investing in strategies to address the root causes of crime.
Image of Insha Rahman, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, and Mayor Brandon Johnson speaking on a panel.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
During the race, we saw some candidates challenge others' support for the NYPD and accuse them of wanting to "defund the police." But voters supported Mamdani's proposal to take the burden off police to solve every social problem, allowing them to focus on serious crimes.
Bar chart showing that a plurality of New York voters support the proposal to take the burden off police officers to solve every social problem so they can focus on serious crimes.Quote from Zohran Mamdani: "Police have a critical role to play in public safety. But we also need to ask them to just focus on their job and not ask them to do every job . . . 65% of crimes from the first quarter if this year are unresolved. That's partially because we're asking the police to do everything."
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
In a race where crime was a top issue, the conventional political wisdom to go "tough" turned out to be wrong. Zohran Mamdani's winning campaign made investing in real solutions for public safety a core part of his broader message of an affordable, livable city for all.
Quote from Zohran Mamdani: “We need to actually deliver public safety. We need to aggressively pursue evidence-based solutions . . . because what New Yorkers want—they want accountability. They want safety. They also want justice. These are things we can deliver together if we have a mayor that is actually focused on them.”
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
NEW: Results from the New York City mayoral primary race indicate that voters want a serious, solutions-oriented approach to crime and safety. In a city where public safety remains a top concern for voters, "tough on crime" messaging fell flat, according to Vera Action exit polling. 🧵
Pie chart: 75% of New York voters prefer a "serious about safety" approach to crime whereas only 25% prefer a "tough on crime" approach.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
Candidates for elected office take note: recent voters back comprehensive solutions to safety over more incarceration.
72% of voters believe that increasing access to mental health care would help a lot to improve community safety. Only 38% think the same is true for having longer prison sentences.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
From Asm. Blake:
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
Asm. Zohran Mamdani and former Asm. Michael Blake addressed how police can’t serve as the one-size-fits-all solution for public safety. Investing in mental health support, for example, helps take the burden off of police so they can focus on the most serious crimes. From Asm. Mamdani:
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
In last night's debate, candidates for #NewYorkCity mayor were caught in the same trap: playing self-defense against "defund the police" accusations. Our polling shows that against those attacks, Democrats succeed when they focus on real solutions and don’t go "tough on crime."
Bar chart from our polling that shows how when responding to "defund the police" accusations from the right, Democrats win with a "serious about safety" message and lose with a "tough on crime" message.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
NEW: A strong majority of Americans (89%) support the federal funding of programs that work with survivors of crime. Trump’s attack on crucial safety and justice programs contradicts what our communities actually want and need.
Bar graph showing how 89% of voters are at least somewhat supportive of the federal government's role in investing in and supporting local programs and services that work with survivors of crime.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
Philadelphia's progressive District Attorney Larry Krasner has consistently won elections by embracing key reforms to make the city safer and more just and refusing to embrace "tough on crime" politics. From his campaign website:
But Larry needs your help to continue these critical reforms. In a third term, Larry will:

Expand Alternatives to Prosecution

End Overly Punitive Sentences

Continue the Effort to End Money Bail and Expand Pre-Trial Release

Push For Public Health Solutions to Gun Violence

Keep Holding Those with Power Accountable
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
Police cannot be the singular answer to every problem. By canceling millions of dollars in federal grants, the Trump administration is trying to dismantle programs that have been working for decades to make communities safer.
Demonstrators holding up signs that say "Say YES to: Jobs, Opportunity, Community Reinvestment" outside a town hall event.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Take it from a retired police lieutenant: “Law enforcement cannot do the job alone.” Our safety is threatened by Trump’s abrupt cuts to federal grants for community-based organizations working on violence prevention, victim services, reentry support, and youth development.
Los Angeles Daily News Opinion headline: Crime prevention means investing in more than just police departments
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Safety is the top priority for New Yorkers in this year’s mayoral election. But voters deserve better than more “tough on crime” rhetoric from candidates. They want real, comprehensive solutions to improve community safety. 🗽This ad from @vera.org gets it right:
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
Trump’s cuts to DOJ grants make us less safe. Federally funded community prevention programs have worked for decades to drive crime rates down since their peaks in the early 1990s. Taking them away could mean losing much of the progress we’ve made to improve community safety.
USA Today Opinion headline: "I worked for this office under the DOJ. Trump's cuts will make you less safe."
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
Police chiefs across Michigan are calling on the state legislature to continue investing in community violence intervention programs, which they say are a reason for historically low crime rates.
Headline from Michigan Advance: Police officials applaud lawmakers as they progress public safety and violence prevention package
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
Vera Action research has shown that voters want better, more accountable policing and greater trust between police and the community—not an "unleashed" police force that operates without oversight.
Bar chart depicting high voter support for policies aimed at increasing police accountability and trust between police and the communities they serve.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
Cutting $5 million in federal grants to @verainstitute puts survivors of crime and people in mental health crisis in danger. Trump’s #DOJ is focused on scoring political points, not on delivering justice.
“Vera might be the first organization to lose its federal funding, but I am certain we will not be the last in the criminal justice field . . . . It leads us to believe that the only reason our funding was cut is that we have been singularly vocal in our opposition to this administration’s actions.” -Insha Rahman, Vice President of Advocacy & Partnerships, Vera Institute of Justice
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
For decades, @vera.org has received federal funding—under Democratic and Republican administrations—to do the critical work of advancing safety and justice. Attorney General Bondi is putting politics before our safety. The #DOJ MUST reverse course and restore $5 million in grants.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Americans agree: the presidential pardon is an important check on the criminal justice system when it fails to deliver real justice and as a tool for undoing mass incarceration. Presidents don’t need to wait until the end of their term to use it as such. www.foxnews.com/opinion/i-sp...
Americans overwhelmingly agree: 80% support expanded presidential commutations, with near-identical backing from both political camps, including 84% of Harris supporters and 80% of Trump's backers. This consensus extends across criminal justice reform, where 81% of Americans favor reforms. Sentence reductions and eliminating mandatory minimums also share strong bipartisan support.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
Judge Susan Crawford was faced with a litany of "soft on crime" attacks from her opponent, backed by Elon Musk's millions. But it was her ownership of delivering safety, accountability, and justice that won over the voters of Wisconsin. From her campaign website:
As a former prosecutor and a judge, I know we need Supreme Court justices who understand what it takes to keep communities safe, who are impartial and fair, who will use common sense, and who won’t politicize the constitution to undermine our most basic rights. I also believe people in Wisconsin deserve to feel safe as they go about their lives - in their homes, driving down the road, or walking to the grocery store. My top priority in making decisions is always to make our communities safer.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
The Trump administration is threatening to cut transportation funding to cities over what they call "out of control" crime on subways. But cutting funding won't improve safety. It will only undermine progress.
Don't fall for the "subway crime" bogeyman.Crime in the New York City subway system dropped by 36% in January 2025 compared tot he same month last year.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
"It is so beyond the pale of anything contemplated by the Constitution or due process or the criminal courts." -Insha Rahman, Vera Action Director Trump’s idea of putting Americans in foreign prisons shows a clear lack of interest in actually keeping people safe.
POLITICO headline: Trump floats sending Americans to foreign prisons. Civil rights groups say that would be illegal.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
Most voters agree that increasing access to treatment for mental health and addiction is an effective way to improve safety conditions. Trump’s Medicaid cuts make us less safe—and voters know it.
90% of voters believe that increasing access to mental health care would help increase safety in communities.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
"The impact of cuts to federal funding would be felt most acutely by the most vulnerable—those who rely on our services for safety, support, and healing." -Liz Roberts, CEO of @safehorizon.bsky.social for @couriernewsroom.bsky.social
COURIER headline: Liz Roberts: Congress and the President Must Not Cut Funding for Victims and Survivors of Violence
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
Spot on, @jumaane.bsky.social. 🎯 "Tough on crime" doesn’t work — it’s time to let it go.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu gets it: if you want to make America’s cities safer, continue to fund the things proven to deliver safety, stability and security for all.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
At yesterday’s House Oversight Committee hearing, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston offered a compelling alternative to the Republicans’ fear-based approach to crime and immigration: one based on real solutions to deliver safety and justice to all Denverites.
Quote from Denver Mayor Mike Johnston: “There is no tradeoff between welcoming immigrants and maintaining public safety for all members of the Denver community. We take seriously the safety of all who call Denver home.”
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
Guess what? Criminal justice reform is a nonpartisan issue. Vera Action was at CPAC (yes, that CPAC) last week talking with advocates from the left, right, and center about real investments happening in red and blue states to help all communities thrive. 🎥 via @newsnation.bsky.social:
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
"Trump’s advisers have said they intend to penalize sanctuary cities by cutting off what could amount to billions of dollars in federal grants to them." Ripping resources away from communities to carry out an extremist mass deportation agenda is the opposite of investing in safety and justice.
WSJ headline: Trump to begin large-scale deportations Tuesday.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
Q: what will help the U.S. continue the downward trend of violent crime and property crime into 2025? A: a holistic approach to safety that includes investments in jobs, housing, health care, and community violence intervention.
Collage of positive news headlines about declining crime rates with the caption: "Investing in our communities is working to advance safety. We won't stop now."
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
By commuting the sentences of ~1,500 people, President Biden used the pardon power as it should be used: as a check on the criminal legal system when it fails to deliver real justice and as a tool for undoing mass incarceration. Via @vox.com:
Vox article: The president’s pardon power is a double-edged sword. Here’s how to reform it for good. Presidents routinely abuse the pardon, but Biden’s record-setting commutations underscore why reforms should be narrow.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
By ending cash bail, Illinois is working to create a system where public safety, not wealth, determines who is released before trial—all while saving millions for taxpayers.
Reform delivers both safety and justice. Since Illinois eliminated cash bail in 2023, Chicago violent crime stayed the same, people in Cook County Jail dropped 12%, and families saved $46 million in bail.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
Vera Action director Insha Rahman joined @newsnation.bsky.social to share why Democrats lost ground on crime and safety. Dems should adopt their own message centered on safety, accountability, and justice, instead of copying the GOP's "tough on crime" rhetoric, our research shows.
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Unlike many candidates, Sen. @tammybaldwin.bsky.social made safety a central theme in her campaign. When pressed about fentanyl, she emphasized her personal connection to the issue and talked about the work her office has done to prevent overdoses. Ad via Majority Forward:
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Vera Action @veraaction.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
Democrats missed an opportunity to close the volume and trust gaps around crime. Our exit poll shows that a big tent of voters prefer an approach that is serious about fully funding programs that prevent crime in the first place over a “tough on crime" message.
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