“Trauma to Trust has been a game changer in the city in terms of not just looking at ways to train [people], but to shift the culture and be able to have the uncomfortable conversations,” says Keesha Eure, a clinical social worker and community activist who has participated in and facilitated Trauma to Trust trainings.
Trauma to Trust is an initiative of Equal Justice USA, a national organization working to break cycles of trauma and violence. Since 2016, Trauma to Trust has facilitated trauma-informed trainings that bring Newark police officers and community members together. The multi-session program aims to foster a mutual understanding of trauma on both the community and police sides of the community safety equation. Eure says that police who have gone through the 16-hour, two-day trainings understand the “need to be more empathetic, have more compassion, and not be so aggressive. [They’re] more understanding that although people commit acts of crime, they’re still people and need to be treated with humanity and decency.”
The capstone of the training is a visioning session where police officers and community members are teamed up to imagine what a trauma-informed city looks like, coming up with ideas like a central hub where community members can access a range of resources and social services all in one place. As a result of training sessions, in April 2019 the Newark Police Department established a new policyfor interacting with members of the LGBTQ+ community that outlines gender classification procedures and more while establishing the appointment of an LGBTQ+ Liaison, a position that was filled in Marchof this year.
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