Reimagining Justice This Month: March 2021
Reimagining Justice This Month highlights stories about effective responses to violence – responses that disrupt cycles of violence, heal trauma, and address structural racism.
Are Life Sentences a Merciful Alternative to the Death Penalty?, Mother Jones
Virginia’s recent repeal of the death penalty was both a reckoning with a racist history and a step toward a vision of justice that heals, builds equity and accountability, and creates safety for all. As our executive director, Shari Silberstein, says, how we move forward matters. That means recognizing that prisons perpetuate cycles of trauma, and broadening our imaginations beyond the idea that justice requires the suffering of others.
A Language for Healing, EJUSA
Al-Tariq Best, a member of our Trauma & Healing Network, founded The HUBB Arts and Trauma Center because he knows, from his own experience, how vital it is for young people to address their pain. In an interview, he talked about how he collaborated with youth in Newark, NJ, to create music and video projects as an outlet for the trauma they felt from the police murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
One Million Experiments, millionexperiments.com
The solutions to heal trauma and prevent violence already exist and are working in communities nationwide. Black and Brown communities that have borne the brunt of our nation’s failed criminal justice policies are also the communities that know best how to reduce violence more successfully than police and prisons. The launch of One Million Experiments offers a window into the creativity and possibility of collective action.
Georgia’s Asian American Leaders Call for Community-Centered Response After Six Asian Women Are Murdered, Asian Americans Advancing Justice
Asian American communities across the nation have seen surges of violence against them since the pandemic began, and this has produced substantial community trauma. The recent horrific shooting in Atlanta amplified that trauma. Leaders called for community-centered responses that can identify and address the root causes of the hate and violence and lead to healing and systemic change.
The Push to Pay Violence Interrupters a Living Wage, The Trace
Community-based approaches to violence prevention have been proven to be incredibly successful, reducing violence by up to 30-60% in some communities. We need to help these programs grow. The people putting their lives on the line to heal trauma, prevent violence, and create genuine accountability need not only to be seen for the success of their vital work, but also to be compensated.
Bonus: in breaking news, a new proposed bill out of the White House could provide up to $5 billion for community-based violence prevention programs.
Newark: In This Together, EJUSA
Retired Lt. Louis Forst of the Newark Police Department was quick to see the possibility behind our Trauma to Trust program when it was still a work in process. His personal essay recalls what the first training sessions were like and how sharing personal experiences of trauma helped the community and officers see each other as humans and begin to build trust.
