On October 26, 2020, Walter Wallace Jr, a 27-year-old Black man who was having a mental health crisis (Bipolar Disorder) was killed by police in Philadelphia. Wallace was holding a knife when police arrived, he was moving towards the officers, and then they shot him multiple times.

 According to the Treatment Advocacy Center, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating barriers to the timely and effective treatment of severe mental illness, people with untreated mental illness are 16 times likely to be killed during a police encounter. Individuals with untreated severe mental issues are involved in at least 1 in 4 as many as half of all fatal police shootings. 

David Miller is “The Founder of Dare To Be King, What if the Prince Lives ?”, a curriculum that helps young men not only survive but to thrive through the many challenges they face. He shares his thoughts on the killing of Walter Wallace Jr.

“There are on-going issues when you have men and women who have documented mental health issues, family members have called the police, imploring the police not to hurt their loved ones because their loved ones have a mental health issue”, said Miller. “What we see happening is the police move on the scene without the training, the understanding, and the compassion to figure out a way to detain a suspect without killing them.”  

Miller thinks if a Black young adult is confronted by police, it’s a case-by-case scenario where things happen depending on the situation and how officers and people react. He created the 10 rules of Survival, a set of rules that young people can do if stopped by the police. 

“Whether you have a mental health issue or not, when people are stopped by the police, they are so afraid, that they don’t begin to think about those 10 rules”, said Miller. “But I think our 10 rules of survival provide some good talking points.”

Listen to the Podcast Below: