A Movement By Us, For Us
Platform for Change 2.0 is a community-driven vision for systemic change in Spokane…one that embraces a holistic approach to community safety and wellness. We believe Spokane deserves a just, compassionate, and effective safety and wellness network. So we’re building it together. Since 2020, people with lived experience, research-based knowledge, and systems expertise have come together to shape this vision.
Join the Movement
Our Platform at a Glance
Pillar 1
Police Accountability
Spokane deserves a system where police are held accountable to the communities they serve. We’re advocating for increased transparency, stronger oversight, and policies that promote justice, fairness, and respect for all. Police accountability isn’t just a goal, it’s a necessity for ensuring the safety of every Spokane resident.
Pillar 2
Invest in Our Community
Community safety and wellness starts with community investment. We must prioritize mental health services, affordable housing, youth programs, and resources that uplift and empower our community. By investing in Spokane’s people, we build a more resilient, supportive, and thriving community for everyone.
Pillar 3
Transform the Criminal Legal System
The criminal legal system is broken, and we need to transform it. We’re calling for restorative justice, decarceration, and a shift away from punitive measures, and toward healing, rehabilitation, and prevention. Everyone deserves a chance to rebuild their life, and we must address the root causes of incarceration like racism, poverty, addiction, and mental health issues with compassion and care.
Why It Matters
The Platform for Change is a community-led movement to build a safer, healthier Spokane by expanding how we think about community safety and looking beyond “crime” to the unmet needs and root causes of criminalized behavior.
The Platform for Change elevates the organizations, trusted messengers, and resources already doing the work, making them more visible, better connected, and easier for the community to access.
By centering community voices and building on existing resources, the Platform for Change strengthens what’s already working and positions our community to exercise the collective power needed to coordinate a more equitable and holistic path forward for everyone.
Our Purpose
Spokane’s criminal-legal and policing systems are systemically racist, and our current punitive approach to public safety and wellness does not work:
It Doesn’t Heal or Restore Communities.
It Doesn’t Provide Healing to Wronged Individuals.
It Offers Punishment Instead of Accountability.
The Platform for Change exists to change this.
It is a community-driven movement for systemic change in Spokane that embraces a holistic approach to community safety and wellness. We believe Spokane deserves a just, compassionate, and effective safety and wellness network. So we’re building it together. Since 2020, organizations, people with lived experience, research-based knowledge, and systems expertise have come together to shape this vision and realize the will of our community through collective, civic action.
How It Started
On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. A video taken at the time captured 8 minutes and 46 seconds and was viewed across the world. It sparked a movement now popularly referred to as the Racial Reckoning as protests against police violence erupted across the United States. Spokane rose up as well, and thousands of people flooded Downtown across multiple demonstrations to demand change in our local policing systems.
Why Now
In the summer of 2020, the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota gave national oxygen to the problem of systemic racism. This problem stretches across the nation, affecting small towns and big cities, including Spokane County, Washington. It is not an artifact of history, but pervasively and deeply embedded in systems, laws, written or unwritten policies, and entrenched practices and beliefs that produce, condone, and perpetuate the widespread oppression of Black people, Indigenous people, and People of Color here and now. We must address systemic racism in Spokane County, Washington, today.
Who We Are
S.C.A.R stands for Spokane Community Against Racism. S.C.A.R is a community based racial justice organization formed out of necessity to eradicate systemic racism in Spokane County.
- The Platform for Change Coalition includes dozens of organizations and hundreds of individuals who are dedicated to addressing racial disparities through direct services, education, advocacy, organizing, research, public policy, and boldly challenging racism in our community in our community.
- Most organizational members are from within Spokane County, but the Platform for Change also includes members from across the region and nation.
- SCAR has facilitated the Platform for Change coalition since it first launched in 2020.
- S.C.A.R was founded May 13th, 2017 in response to racial violence in Spokane.
- A Black man named William Poindexter was shot in the back by a white man from nearly 30 feet away. This was ruled “self defense” by an all white jury.
Our Mission is to fight systemic injustice by building a loving community where every person’s humanity is valued and collective liberation becomes reality.
Join the Movement
The Platform for Change is a community-driven movement for systemic change in Spokane. One that embraces a holistic approach to community safety and wellness. We believe Spokane deserves a just, compassionate, and effective safety and wellness network. So we’re building it together. Since 2020, organizations, people with lived experience, research-based knowledge, and systems expertise have come together to shape this vision.
Partner With Us
Are you an organization, business, or group aligned with our values? Let’s team up to build a safer, more just Spokane together.
Sign Up for Updates
Stay in the loop on campaign news, policy wins, and ways to get involved. We’ll keep it timely and worth your inbox space.
Volunteer Opportunities
From canvassing to community events, there’s a role for every skill set and schedule. Lend your time to a cause that needs you.
Facilitate a Town Hall
Help us bring this conversation to your neighborhood. We’ll provide the tools and support to host a town hall in your community.
Draft, Comment, or Review Policy
Have expertise or lived experience to share? Help shape the policies that will define this platform’s real-world impact.
Register for Events, Workshops & Trainings
Build skills, connect with neighbors, and deepen your understanding of the issues at upcoming sessions across Spokane.
Share the Platform
The more people who know about this work, the stronger it becomes. Help spread the word with your friends, family, and networks.
