One of the big ideas of the "Defund the Police" movement of 2020 was to replace police officers with social workers to deal with things like domestic violence cases. It looks like Boston followed through with that idea and recently sent out a mental health clinician to deal with a violent criminal swinging a sword. She was injured, and police shot and killed the man.
Democrats in Massachusetts replaced cops with social workers
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 6, 2026
One of them was just stabbed while responding to a call after spending 45 minutes talking with the suspecthttps://t.co/KC0iLxuBh0
Mass Daily News reports:
The suspect, who has not been publicly identified, had called 911 that morning claiming four armed people were coming to kill him, a threat that didn't exist. Officers arrived at 212 Hemenway Street and found nobody in the hallway. Just a locked door and a man behind it.
They called in a worker from Boston's BEST program, a co-responder model where master's-level mental health professionals ride alongside officers to de-escalate crisis calls. This isn't some half-baked experiment. The program has been running since 2011, nine years before George Floyd, and handled 4,230 encounters in 2023 alone with twelve clinicians working the streets seven days a week.
The clinician talked to the man through the door for the better part of an hour. Then he opened it and attacked, striking both the clinician and an officer with what Police Commissioner Michael Cox described as "some sort of sword." Officers fired a Taser and their weapons. The man was rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead. Several other officers and two EMS workers were also hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
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Boston sent a mental health clinician to deal with sword-wielding violent criminal. The worker was injured before the suspect was shot dead by cops.
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) April 6, 2026
Not sure what’s more insane, the sword wielding criminal or thinking a clinician could stop him.https://t.co/bhRPXEP1Za
So she sent a social worker who got hurt then the suspect still ended up dead. What a raging success this policy is.
— Jeff (@Jeff_mortensen) April 6, 2026
Well, obviously, clinicians need sword training.
— P.A. Wrighter (@Michael40710737) April 6, 2026
As a clinician who has worked in crisis intervention, we are not appropriate for law enforcement emergencies. That clinician who intervened should have his/her head examined.
— Elisa Sperduto, MSW (@eduto60) April 6, 2026
Police are necessary after all.🙄Mental health clinicians have a purpose, but by the time someone is directly threatening other people's lives, it's gone beyond that. Clinicians are meant to prevent that type of situation, they're not the best option after the fact.
— Barbēlō (@AlexisP64491389) April 6, 2026
Police are trained to deal with armed suspects.. regardless of mental health status. Let the police do their job and disarm/cuff the individual (descalate them from hurting others and themselves).. and then have a social worker talk with them..
— kStarr (@starr11063) April 6, 2026
don't endanger the social worker
Worked out exactly as we said it would!
— Rick Denu (@rick_denu) April 6, 2026
Gee, who would have thought that woudl happen? Can someone in her inner circle please tell these morons just how naive and ignorant they are? These social workers are going to get killed and they’ll say “ oh, it’s just so terrible”. Meanwhile, we all know it will happen.
— KRyan (@KRyanHR) April 6, 2026
But Boston's leaders can still feel morally superior in their policies, and that's what really matters.
— One Eyed Queen (@Burrito_Queen7) April 6, 2026
The irony of the situation is that you know that this social worker voted for these idiotic policies.
— Colorado Julie (@Roja_Sekari) April 6, 2026
As a former LEO I say always send the clinician, never send the cops.
— TheGorillaBob (@TheGorillaBob) April 6, 2026
Once the clinician realizes the the cops will come ANYWAY, the clinicians will always show up AFTER the police drive and cast judgements when the taser or gun comes out.
I'm sorry to say it will take a large number of this type of incident before the progressives realise sending a "mental health clinician" to a violent incident, especially where the perpetrator is armed, is not the best idea.
— DH 🏴 🇬🇧 (@dh333rd) April 6, 2026
Are we going to arm the mental health counselor and train them or train the cops to deescalate a situation. It’s ridiculous thinking you can reason with the insane.
— FactsnotFiction (@factsnotficti10) April 6, 2026
The Mamdani plan https://t.co/zBGxlQQkyp
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) April 6, 2026
Coming soon to New York City.
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