Reimagining Justice This Month is a monthly digest that highlights communities that are organizing for effective responses to violence – responses that disrupt cycles of violence, heal trauma, and address structural racism.
“Georgia police chief to apologize for department’s role in 1940 lynching,” CBS News
One of the recommendations to come out of EJUSA’s Police/Community Initiative in Newark, NJ is for the police department to publicly recognize its historical involvement in the oppression of communities of color. This type of accountability for historical trauma is a necessary step toward healing and building safer communities that can prevent violence. Here’s a video of a Police Chief who is accepting that accountability.
“The Walking One Stop: Door to Door Victim Services,” HealingWorks
This amazing group in Miami is taking to extreme the idea of “finding people where they are” – and it’s working! Once every couple of weeks, they take to the streets to provide healing services in the most marginalized areas of their community, addressing unmet needs, specifically in in neighborhoods of color. EJUSA’s Latrina Kelly-James and Christine Henderson are working with The Walking One Stop to amplify voices of those calling for change and supporting this important local work.
“How to curb violence, and mass incarceration, by focusing on crime victims,” The Washington Post
In this op-ed by Common Justice’s Danielle Sered, she refers to their new report on addressing violence and mass-incarceration by focusing on survivors, true accountability, racial equity, and safety. She highlights the need to place survivors at the center by asking, “what does it look like to build a criminal justice system in which the greatest possible portion of victims experience a sense of justice and safety when they’ve been hurt?” EJUSA’s Fatimah Loren Muhammad will be speaking at an upcoming event hosted by Common Justice on violence, incarceration, and crime survivors.
“Young Survivors: The Unspoken Trauma of Gun Violence,” WLRN
A radio and television station in south Florida has dedicated an entire website to their reporting on juvenile trauma survivors, including how programs are helping them rebuild their lives and prevent future violence.
“Ohio launches trauma recovery network for victims of violent crime,” The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio will become the second state to institute a statewide program of hospital-based violence intervention. “These centers address an overlooked and missing approach to victims of crime, and that’s addressing the emotional trauma that too many victims experience long after the incidence of crime has occurred.” See EJUSA’s article to learn more about this effective approach to violence.
“This Town Adopted Trauma-Informed Care—And Saw a Decrease in Crime and Suspension Rates,” Yes Magazine
In Walla, Walla, Washington, both crime and suspensions are down after adopting a trauma-informed care policy in schools. EJUSA has supported local initiatives to spread research on these effective approaches, including co-hosting an event in Camden, NJ that included a screening of Paper Tigers, a film about the trauma-informed programs in Walla Walla.
