Hello Allies,
A year ago, we met for the Decriminalizing Neighborhoods Conference. At the conference, we held a plenary strategy session where we discussed building a national network. By the end of the session, we had decided to put together a committee of advocates from around the country to plan the creation of a network that would bring us together to strengthen our work and build on each other’s successes. That planning work is now done and we are ready to invite you to join.
The Decriminalizing Neighborhoods Network will be a place for advocates, community organizers, academics, practicing lawyers, community leaders, and others to discuss and take action on policing and the criminalization of our neighborhoods.
We invite you to attend a virtual summit where we will launch the network.
Decriminalizing Neighborhoods National Network Mission The Network brings together advocates, community organizers, academics, practicing lawyers, community leaders, and others to discuss and take action on the policing and criminalization of our neighborhoods. Guiding Principles |
1. We are committed to advancing public safety strategies that reduce violence and promote healing and restorative justice; 2. We oppose law enforcement practices that dehumanize neighborhoods and residents, normalize state violence, or produce racist inequalities; 3. We follow the leadership of impacted people and communities, consider scholarship and expert opinions, and contribute to system change. |
Goals |
1. Bring together impacted people and advocates from around the nation to build power to achieve goals and objectives; 2. Shift the dominant paradigm regarding neighborhoods, gangs, and gang members away from racist and dehumanizing tropes and towards a paradigm that values all people; 3. Support impacted people who lead neighborhood peace building efforts while embracing a critical consciousness; 4. Develop opportunities for impacted people and communities to participate in the courts and legislatures in roles other than defendant; 5. Identify and replace gang suppression strategies that are counterproductive or discriminatory with strategies that reduce both community and state violence; 6. Encourage investment by communities, government, universities, philanthropists, and others, that (1) prioritizes effective, non-punitive strategies that reduce violence and promote healing and restorative justice for the long term, and (2) supports communities’ autonomy |
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