Justice Journey Alliance, Leadership Foundation of Chicago (JJALFC)
Chicago, IL
In partnership with Heal America, JJALFC hosted JustBRUNCH Conversations focused on changing the negative narrative between community residents and law enforcement. With the Summer of Healing grant, JJALFC provided assistive resources to attendees, sway gear, and appropriate compensation to selected guest facilitators who represent Street Outreach Professionals (formerly incarcerated and returning citizens).
Founder and CEO of JJALFC Rev. Alvin C. Bibbs, Sr. shares, “Within our conversational designed events, you have strangers walking into a room developing new friendships, new relationships, realizing that we have more in common than we do apart and the level of vulnerability, and transparency on display within a short timeframe is breath-taking.”
The event brought together diverse intergenerational groups from street outreach workers to members of law enforcement. Rev. Bibbs expressed the impact of one JustBRUNCH Conversation, saying, “Participants were in tears in the room after hearing personal testimonies from parents, students and the street outreach professionals. Hearing these heart-breaking stories about distrust of the police and the abuse that has taken place on the streets of Chicago was just overwhelming! Furthermore, hearing a returning citizen share a personal storing about of how street violence penetrated his home upon returning home from prison and losing his three sons to street violence was enough to bring anyone to tears. The Heal America grant, and support helped make these events possible and we’re grateful for it.”
BARRIER
Despite recent reforms in Chicago to increase security and establish trust between police officers and community members, police-community relations have not overcome historic inequalities in policing tactics. In 2021, the Chicago Police Department was five times more likely to stop a Black driver than a white driver; in total, two out of three people pulled over by CPD were Black despite only one-third of Chicago drivers being Black. Continued disproportionate policing of Black neighborhoods has strained police-community relations for generations. However, JJALFC believes healing racial divisions begins with open, honest conversations with individuals from diverse backgrounds. To accomplish this, JJALFC hosts local and national JustUS Conversations, facilitating constructive discussions oriented toward overcoming barriers and bridging divides.
SOLUTION
JJALFC’s JustUS Conversations Series provides individuals from various backgrounds the opportunity to focus on similarities rather than differences while discussing contentious issues. To ensure conversations are rooted in dignity and openness, JJALFC educates, equips, and empowers attendees through their engagement guidelines. Participants are prohibited from blaming, criticizing, politicizing, or shaming their peers, establishing set proceedings for authentic conversations and allowing individuals to ask questions without fear of retaliation. Rev. Bibbs describes the value of the guidelines, saying, “We also want you to feel free to be as ignorant as you desire during a JustUS Conversations event. Any question you ever wanted to ask about the issues that are dividing us – you’re in the right place.”
JustUS Conversations begins with a detailed overview of the subject matter, whether discussing racialized trauma or police-community relations, presented by an expert to ensure all participants have a working understanding of the discussion topic. In-person events are restricted to 50 participants to ensure the conversations are intimate and authentic. After the presentation by an invited subject matter expert (SME), skilled small group facilitators called Igniters, partner with groups of four attendees to discuss their questions, comments, and concerns. JJALFC uses the term “Igniter” to describe facilitators because, as defined by Rev. Bibbs, “we encourage them to ignite the conversation, not dominate the conversation.” Igniters are trained to ensure participants treat each other with dignity and openness, enabling conversations concerning subjects entrenched in stigma and hate to be held without compromising kindness and care.
JustBRUNCH Conversations, one of JJALFC’s JustUS Conversation series, focuses specifically on creating space for at-risk youth, their families, formerly incarcerated individuals, and community leaders to interact regularly with members of the Chicago Police Department in an objective, open-minded setting. JustBRUNCH Conversations include panel discussions with local police officers and story exchanges between youth and law enforcement to empower young people and their families to share their negative experiences with police officers directly. During JustBRUNCH Conversations, teens and officers are partnered into Story Exchange pairs, creating a connection point between one youth and one officer. Story Exchange pairs share their personal experiences with each other, and, to ensure long-term impact, the pair take a picture together holding a sign that reads, “I listened. I learned. I empathized.” Both partners commit to putting up the picture in a visible location for three months, reminding each individual of the importance of communication and openness.
JJALFC believes addressing the traumatization of police mistreatment accumulates unless experiences are shared and validated, allowing for the peacemaking and healing process to begin. Simultaneously, JJALFC aims to humanize law enforcement, assuring shared dignity for all participants and breaking down traditional barriers to understanding and unity.