Vera Action and We Make the Future Action collaborated to create this social media toolkit to help activists and organizers tell a comprehensive, solutions-oriented story that rejects racialized “tough-on-crime” rhetoric and drives us forward to the vision of safety, accountability, and justice our families and communities need. 

Over the last few decades, public opinion about how to deal with crime has shifted away from an overreliance on incarceration and policing and toward embracing comprehensive solutions for safety. However, too many politicians continue to lean hard into the “tough” playbook, instead of offering real solutions that challenge the status quo and deliver real safety and justice for our communities.

To move the conversation to be rooted in both good policy and good politics, we must ask not who is “tougher” on crime, but who is truly serious about advancing safety.

Check out our Messaging Guide: Winning the Narrative on Safety, Accountability, and Justice for additional advice.