Many times during the implementation of community projects, the impact of change is noted through statistics and summary reports. However, working in communities it is the stories of those affected that truly reveal the depth of change that occurs. The following are some of the stories shared during Safe Streets Initiative sponsored community events inspired by the Restorative Justice Initiative.

Common Understanding
A police officer told a story about how he encountered an aggressive young man during a routine call. This young man proceeded to berate the officer with profanity and accusations of harassment. The officer responded, asking this young man, “Don’t you remember me?” The young man shrugged off his comment and continued to antagonize the officer. The officer said, “I saved your life a few months back. You were shot in the leg and bleeding profusely. I risked my life when I stuck my hand inside your flesh to stop the bleeding. I used my shirt to tie your leg. The young man stood there and did not respond. The officer asked in frustration, “Am I not going to get at least a ‘thank you’?” The young man’s friends-all shocked-pressed this young man to thank the officer but he still refused. The officer addressing the offenders at the Notification Session then said, “Even though you don’t like me or in fact hate me, I will always come to your aid because I took an oath to protect all people.” While the officer told his story, some of the offenders in the circle shook their heads in disbelief. Having a safe place to share impactful stories allowed for two inherently adverse groups to share a common understanding of human compassion.

Healing
A Notification Session involving an offender released from prison for armed robbery included victims of armed robbery who shared their personal stories of how they were affected by the crime they experienced. One of the victims explained the worst part of the traumatic event. After the perpetrators left, he saw that the contents of his wallet were scattered across the ground. Shaking and injured, he got on his hands and knee to pick up a photo of his wife, which he kept in his wallet, off the ground of the dirty alley where the robbery had just occurred. He said at that moment he felt completely violated, as though he had been raped. These very personal stories of violence and its impact on individuals and the community continued around the circle. Residents came together after sharing their stories of crime and offered motivation to the offender in his journey toward finding employment and becoming a positively active resident of their community.

Mending Relationships
During a Notification Session, a recently released offender talked about his childhood being filled with consistent violence, drugs, and gangs. At a very young age, he said he remembered having to tie the rubber tubing around his mother’s arm so that she could inject drugs into her body. He talked about how every single one of his family members had spent time in prison, including his mother. Growing up, violence was all that he knew. After the Notification Session, an officer came up to this young offender and told him that while he wouldn’t offer him a free pass for the wrongs he had committed he understood now why this young man did the things he did. Both the officer and young offender shook hands, while the young offender said, “Thank you, I’ve never had a cop talk to me the way you did tonight.”

Why it Must Stop
At a Call-In where eight drug offenders were surrounded by community residents, faith-based leaders, and law enforcement a local block watch captain confronted these drug offenders about their crimes. Standing in front of more than 60 people, she held up a photo of her daughter. She described how beautiful and intelligent her daughter had been and told the offenders that her daughter’s death was their responsibility. Her daughter had lost a battle to crack addiction and now this woman was charged with raising her granddaughter. She said, “Even though you may have not specifically sold my daughter her drugs you have sold that poison to someone else’s loved ones.” “Your drug activity must stop.”