NEW YORK — A newly-launched national campaign led by the Vera Institute of Justice and Dream.org is aiming to reshape public safety legislation and political conversations around crime, promoting evidence-based approaches while pushing back against what organizers describe as harmful “tough on crime” policies.
In a release issued Thursday, Vera Media announced the launch of the “Serious About Safety Majority” campaign, which seeks to advance evidence-based public safety solutions ahead of the midterm elections and oppose “tough on crime” legislation.
According to Vera Media’s release, the Vera Institute of Justice aims to end mass incarceration, protect immigrants’ rights, ensure dignity for people behind bars, and build safe, thriving communities. Its “Serious About Safety Majority” campaign is a Vera initiative focused on defeating harmful crime legislation and promoting a serious safety agenda.
In the release, Vera Media stated the campaign is a partnership with the Congressional Black Caucus. Vera Media described it as a “broad coalition of advocates, policymakers, and criminal justice reform groups urging Democratic leaders to set a proactive policy agenda to address public safety.”
Vera Media reported in its statement that “Republicans in Congress are making ‘tough on crime’ legislation a fear-mongering midterm strategy by pushing multiple bills,” going on to list the “package of DC crime bills, opioid legislation, and an expected carjacking bill that will dramatically increase incarceration.”
According to Vera Media, the campaign responded to these bills, which it said are being pushed at the direction of President Donald Trump, by recently launching an “initial effort to educate the public” about CORCA, or the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, which it described as the latest harmful piece of legislation that “funnels American data to the Department of Homeland Security.”
According to Vera Media, “Public pressure resulted in 10 House Democratic co-sponsors shifting their support away from CORCA during roll call, including Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Rep. Seth Moulton, as well as fierce backlash from several Democratic primary challengers such as Brad Lander in New York.”
With the bill on its way to the Senate, the campaign is organizing a “six-figure ad spend across social media, digital, and streaming.”
Vera Institute of Justice President and Director Insha Rahman said, “A clear majority of American’s—including independents—prefer leaders who are ‘serious about safety’ not ‘tough on crime’ by a 60-40 margin. This is why we are launching the Serious About Safety Majority.”
Rahman added, “Preventing crime before it happens and keeping communities safe means strong, accountable policing, ending the overdose crisis, supporting mental health treatment, tackling gun violence, and a fairer, more accountable justice system. Meanwhile, lawmakers in Congress continue to support bills that won’t prevent crime and break its cycle but only ratchet up incarceration. Enough is enough.”
Dream.org Chief Advocacy Officer Janos Marton also commented, saying, “Nobody is made safer by tearing apart families and locking up immigrant children. Meanwhile, this administration has made massive cuts to programs that prevent crime before it occurs.”
Marton continued, “This threatens the progress that has been made to public safety due to community violence intervention programs, addiction treatment, affordable housing, and access to other supportive services, largely led by mayors and local leaders.”
Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., said, “As a proud leader of the Community Safety Caucus, I’m committed to embracing approaches to safety that prevent violence and harm before it occurs, and to supporting culturally congruent care and equitable responses to behavioral and addiction crises.”
Lee added, “Congress’ current ‘tough on crime’ approach is failing families, our children, and communities across the county. It’s time we backed evidence-based solutions and rejected fear as a public safety policy.”
Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, said, “Donald Trump and his lawless administration have shown they don’t care about public safety, they care about cruelty, division, and grandstanding. And because of Trump’s cuts to health care, food assistance, and violence prevention programs, families across America are less safe and secure.”
Brown continued, “It’s time to have an honest conversation about what strengthens our communities—not ‘tough talk’ and scare tactics but more federal dollars going to local crime prevention programs, which we know deliver real safety.”
According to Vera Media, the “Serious About Safety Majority” campaign’s two core priorities through the end of the year will first focus on defeating dangerous crime legislation in Congress and, secondly, ensuring voters can clearly identify which candidates and elected leaders are truly “serious about safety.”
Vera Media reported in its statement that the campaign will use strategic coalition-building, aggressive grassroots organizing, targeted digital amplification, and high-impact earned media to “drive accountability, shape the national conversation, and elevate leaders who are serious about keeping communities safe.”
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