Reimagining Justice This Month highlights stories about effective responses to violence — responses that disrupt cycles of violence, heal trauma, and address structural racism.
Targeting Retaliation: Stopping the chain reaction of gun violence in Paterson, northjersey.com
In the aftermath of violence, individuals and communities need safety and healing. The Paterson Healing Collective shows up for all of it, providing wrap-around services and breaking cycles of trauma. Watch this short documentary about survivors and community members relentlessly building justice reimagined to get a deep look into what it looks like to create safety for all.
On the Other Side of Reparations, a New World Awaits, Yes Magazine
In order to move toward a future of our dreams, in which violence is rare and communities are safe and healthy, we must reckon with our country’s history of white supremacy. The movement for reparations is as old as American slavery, and the stories of the movement illuminate a vision of transformation rooted in repair. As we remember and honor the past and continue the work to make communities safer now, we can also both listen for the stories of repair and dream together the systems we need.
Voices from the Ground: The Stories of Three Violence Intervention Workers, Giffords.org
Community violence intervention (CVI) is an integral part of a community-centered safety ecosystem. We know that an effective public safety ecosystem requires a deep love of community, community-led coordination, open channels of communication between systems actors and community, and policy changes that are responsive to community needs. Each of the three stories highlighted in this piece show the importance of that deep, authentic community leadership and the need to resource programs that create access to safety for all.
Pushing back on false claims about crime, Prison Policy Initiative
After a month in which false messages about rising crime dominated election coverage, and dozens were killed on college campuses, parking lots, nightclubs, and neighborhoods, communities need real solutions to violence. Survivors of violence want healing and solutions that break cycles of trauma, not policing and incarceration. But their voices are so often used to advance harmful and racist misinformation. From the holiday dinner table to our social media feeds and beyond, each of us has a role to play in shifting narratives toward community, safety, and equity.
Plus: the Vera Institute’s recent report, The Social Cost of Policing, is full of vital information about the harm of the criminal legal system and the possibility of resourcing community-based solutions.
In Case You Missed It: Read and Share What’s On the EJUSA Blog
- Just What I Needed — Read and share Jami Hodge’s celebration and reflection on her first year at EJUSA.
- In Grief, She Took Action — Check out Mona Cadena’s heartfelt remembrance of friend and movement leader Bonnita Spikes, who recently passed away.
- Imagining the Possibility of Safety — In his review of the new book, No More Police, Jiva Manske asks us to listen to survivors and imagine safety for all.
- What is Trauma-Informed Policing? — Discover another side of the impact of Trauma to Trust, by Tracee Thomas.
Opportunities
- Peace Development Fund’s Community Organizing Grants Program – applications are open for groups organizing to shift power, build movements, dismantle oppression, and create new structures. Applications are due on January 6!
- Building Relationships with Journalists – For Activists and Organizers – join this free training on December 6 by Interrupting Criminalization to learn about how to shift media narratives through strong relationships between journalists and community members.
- In it Together — learn strategies and tools to transform conflict in this four-part training hosted by Interrupting Criminalization and Dragonfly Partners in February. Applications due on December 16.
- Unwavering: The Power of Black Innovation – sign up for updates about an upcoming fellowship opportunity, and check out the trailer for this important documentary celebrating the optimism and perseverance of Black innovators, and email capacitybuilding@ejusa.org if you’re interested in a screening.
