Darik Schaaf is a young Black man with no prior criminal record who was arrested after a mental health crisis in the Spring of 2019 in Riverside County, California. While in custody, Darik has not received necessary mental health care and has been exposed to COVID and ongoing violence. Instead of allowing Darik to enter a mental health diversion program as he has requested and has been recommended to the court, District Attorney Mike Hestrin is pursuing a lengthy prison sentence for him. Darik has been diagnosed with mental needs since he was a young child. His condition had escalated in early 2019 and his mother could not find any resources for him unless he walked in and said he wanted help. He was stuck in a manic suicidal state, threatened suicide, and had access to firearms. His mother was too terrified to call 911, fearing they would show up and kill Darik. So she drove straight to the local ER frantically begging for help. They didn’t place him on a 5150 (involuntary psychological evaluation) or do anything until 4 days later when they arrested him.   His mother was so concerned she had almost no sleep for a week ahead of the incident. The police interrogated her for hours before they arrested Darik, while she was still traumatized without and help. Call on District Attorney Mike Hestrin to release Darik into a mental health diversion program.