The second week of this new White House administration brings another crushing wave of executive orders and federal directives. This week, they are attempting to freeze $3 trillion of taxpayer money — lawfully approved and allocated by Congress — that funds critical life-saving work in neighborhoods, cities, and states across this country. The potential harm… Continue reading The Threat to Safety
Tag: safety
Building on Love
As you’re reading this blog, I am in South Africa, celebrating something deeply special to me while keeping the inspiring life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King firmly in my heart. Fifteen years ago, my mother began a quest to build a church building here in Reiger Park, South Africa, for a wonderful community… Continue reading Building on Love
What Lies Ahead
I hope that the new year has so far brought you peace, health, and excitement for what lays ahead. I speak for all of us at EJUSA when I tell you how eager I am for the opportunities to build community safety in cities and neighborhoods across the country. There’s so much happening: The Restorative… Continue reading What Lies Ahead
Healing for Network Members
Have you ever thought about your relationship with your breath? To your body? For Black, brown, indigenous, queer, and trans people working on the frontlines of violence intervention, the relationship to the body and breath can be simultaneously sacred, tenuous, and uncertain. BlPOC communities have experienced generations of surveillance from police, forced labor, and bodily… Continue reading Healing for Network Members
The Momentum is Real
I recently got a text message from one of the most prominent district attorneys in the country. He thanked me for writing this op-ed on what survivors of violence need — and why meeting those needs, especially in the communities most impacted, builds community safety. He told me that his attorneys were talking about it. … Continue reading The Momentum is Real
One Part of Transformation
After the dust settled on the 2022 elections, we spent the dark weeks of winter getting grips on the balance of political power across the country. And here we are. February. The plunge into legislative sessions is squarely upon us. Some states are already nearly done for the year, but the buzz is still loud… Continue reading One Part of Transformation
The Death of Tyre Nichols
We remain shaken by the murder of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man and father of a 4-year-old son, at the hands of Memphis police in a horrifying display of brutality. The pain we all feel is the too familiar, relentless trauma that policing inflicts. We have been here so many times before. After Minneapolis… Continue reading The Death of Tyre Nichols
The EJUSA Difference
Happy new year! I hope you had a peaceful and joyous holiday season. Personally, I appreciated the break after a thrilling but fast-paced year. We accomplished so much together thanks to your support, but I want to share one specific highlight of 2022. When I started at EJUSA, I knew that one of my highest… Continue reading The EJUSA Difference
Stopping the chain reaction of violence
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… Continue reading Stopping the chain reaction of violence
Imagining the Possibility of Safety
At the beginning of the summer, our executive director, Jamila Hodge, sat on a panel in a crowded gymnasium in Newark talking about transforming the justice system. “The system is going to do what it’s going to do,” she said. “It is a machine, and it was built for a purpose, and that was to… Continue reading Imagining the Possibility of Safety