Thread by @Arnold_Ventures

The @square1justice #Square1Roundtable at @waynestate in Detroit is streaming live now - let’s work to build the future of justice policy: bit.ly/2pEPVvQ

Wrapping up a fascinating conversation led by @kcarterjackson about U.S. violence and the controversial history of violence in defense of black communities and black liberty #Square1Roundtable #reimaginejustice

What impact does violence have on the brain? On personal biology? On families? ​@EdTalkProject of
University of Chicago urges us to consider why some families struggle more with violence than others. #reimaginejustice.

The best place to locate services to intervene with family violence is in schools, says @EdTalkProject. Why? Because school is already mandatory. But right now schools largely punish kids for their inability to handle structural violence #ReimagineJustice

Should there be licensed mental health workers in schools? Or culturally competenent community members? @EdTalkProject says training teachers is key because they spend the most time with students. Also, it’s often not just one student needing help — but whole classrooms

Why don’t we respond to poor, minority students engaging in violence in the same way we respond to wealthy white students, asks Candice Jones of @PublicWelfare

Bruce Western wrapping up the conservation, focusing on the goal of non-pathologizing language and narrative around violence

By focusing on mental health and resilience, are we just teaching people to tolerate intolerable economic and social conditions, Western asks.

Starting up day 2 of #Square1Roundtable, David Hureau discusses how neighborhood environments enable and constrain violence.
Watch the convo here: bit.ly/2pEPVvQ

Why focus on gun violence specifically? Because, Hureau says, gun violence is a key form of racial inequality, and in communities with high rates of violence it organizes social structure

Current homicide rates are not possible without the mechanical advantage offered by firearms, he says

How do we create laws and accountability for those who are profiting from death, asks Daniel Webster. Consider the massive effort used to track where guns come from when used to shoot police officers but not when used to shoot young black men

Amanda Alexander raises the fundamental issue of public health in the context of gun violence, and how young Chicago advocates successfully advocated for UChicsgo to open a trauma facility to treat victims of gun violence

Micere Keels follows up by questioning the American notion of individuals having to pay for medical services

Bruce Western wrapping up the conversation about the racialization of gun policy and the fact the the gun industry has effectively captured gun regulation

Now Beth Richie of @UChicago is talking about the cycle of harm and trauma that stems from coping with violence, with a specific focus on women
#reimaginejustice #addressingviolence

How do we confront gender based violence and domestic violence without feeding mass incarceration? That’s a big question in this conversation.

“I don’t think gender violence goes down when black men go down” says Richie.

Richie: You can’t rely on the state to do a project that’s about liberation.

An effective transition to the ne t topic (with a lunch interruption): What is the role of the state in responding to violence? @LawProfButler of dives in. #reimaginejustice #Square1Roundtable

Discussing Eric Garner in an economic perspective: Garner was killed at a location being developed and gentrified, which thusly brought in police to impose zero tolerance.

And why was Garner selling loose cigarettes? Post-2008 economic crisis led to NYC raising taxes on cigarettes, making them unaffordable and creating a black market

New members join the Roundtable to talk about policies being implemented in Detroit to reduce violence. The historical trends in municipal budgets have tilted towards policing and corrections, yet there is a growing movement to reframe what truly makes the community safe.

Saturday’s Roundtable begins with a reflection on the last two days, with a focus on the language used.
Currently discussing how people don’t want to be labeled “oppressed” or “at risk.”

Now @DanielWWebster1 is discussing policies relating to guns, alcohol, drugs, and housing that have significant impact and implications for violence in the U.S.

#reimaginejustice #Square1Roundtable