My brothers and sisters, let me begin with a simple truth: life is precious. Every life. Whether rich or poor, Black, brown, or white, housed or unhoused, life is sacred because it is God-given. And if we truly believe that, then we must act like it. We must build systems that protect life, respect life, and respond to life—especially in its most vulnerable moments.
Right now, in Los Angeles, we are relying on an emergency response system that was built before cell phones, before GPS, before texting—established nearly 50 years ago. And while it served its time, it cannot serve this moment. It cannot locate a child in distress. It cannot receive a photo from someone who has witnessed violence. It cannot take a text from a woman hiding from her abuser, too afraid to speak.
That is not just outdated. That is unjust.
This is why California’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) has begun a historic effort called Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG911) to meet today’s needs. This is a chance to do better. It will allow people to send texts, images, and live videos to 9-1-1 dispatchers. It will help first responders locate people faster and more accurately.
It gives us the tools to save lives more quickly. But more than that, it gives us the opportunity to build a system that works for all of us—not just those in well-funded ZIP codes, but for families in South LA, in Watts, in Pacoima, in every community that has too often been left behind.
Our neighborhoods are not asking for special treatment. We’re asking for equal protection. For the basic safety that every person deserves. For far too long, our neighborhoods have been told to wait, to make do, to suffer in silence while others get served.
That’s why I’m supporting the state’s efforts to deploy Next Generation 9-1-1, or NG911. For too long, technological advancements have skipped over neighborhoods like mine. Communities of color are asked to wait longer for ambulances, receive fewer resources, and bear the consequences of a system that was never built with us in mind. This is something we can fix.
The rollout of NG911 is an opportunity to rewrite that story. But beyond the technology, this is about equity. For too long, communities of color have been asked to wait longer for help, to live with fewer resources, and to survive within systems that were never built with us in mind.
I know what it means to feel overlooked. To call for help and wait, and wait, and wait. NG911 is an opportunity to change that story—to build a system that works for everyone, no matter their ZIP code or income.
And the urgency couldn’t be clearer. In just a few years, Los Angeles will welcome the world for the 2028 Olympic Games. Millions of visitors will flood our streets. Our emergency services will be put to the test. And we cannot—we must not—rely on a broken system to carry us through that moment.
But this isn’t just about the Olympics. It’s about what kind of city we want to be long after the Games are over. Do we want to be known for our stadiums, or for how we treat our most vulnerable neighbors? Do we want to shine for two weeks, or build safety that lasts for generations?
As a pastor, I often remind my congregation that we are stewards of the gifts God has given us—including the gift of life itself. Stewardship demands action. Stewardship demands preparation. Stewardship demands that we care for the most vulnerable among us. Next Generation 9-1-1 is not simply a technological or infrastructure improvement—it is an act of service to our community and reflects our belief that every cry for help deserves an answer, and that every life matters.
Pastor William J. Smart, Jr., is the President & CEO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Southern California.
