Justice Center Senior Staff and Judge Alex Calabrese addressed our Community Advisory Board during our bi-annual meeting today. Our Community Advisory Board is a mix of individuals from law enforcement, government, arts and community organizations, religious institutions, education, the business community, and concerned residents. The Community Advisory Board is one of the many ways we engage our local community to ensure we remain responsive to their needs. This approach is a key principle of Community Justice and was an approach that was used from the very beginning of the planning process for the Justice Center and greatly informed the design, programs and service we currently have. These meetings are a great way for active residents and community partners to learn about new updates at the Justice Center and express their concerns. It also provides a venue where residents, court staff and law enforcement can directly interact to address common community public safety issues. A great example of Community Justice in action was at the close of the meeting. A representative from a local church was concerned about a run-down lot next to one of their properties that was turning into a rowdy hang-out spot at night. She was able to speak directly to the Captain of her precinct, who was also present, to report the issue. This let her know that her court and law enforcement care about this issue, understand how it is a concern for the neighborhood and will correctly address it.
Raymond Deal, Traditional Program Specialist, Shiprock District Court, Navajo Nation and Gloria Benally, Program Coordinator, Navajo Nation, train future Red Hook Peacemakers After an intensely trying period in Red Hook in the weeks following Hurricane Sandy, building, strenghtening, and healing relationships between residents and organizations has become crucial. This past weekend, we took a step towards preparing the neighborhood for the hard work ahead with a two-day workshop with peacemakers from the Navajo Nation for residents we are training to serve as peacemakers here in Red Hook. A new project from the Center for Court Innovation's Tribal Justice Exchange , peacemaking is a traditional Native American approach to justice. While the exact form peacemaking takes varies among tribes, it usually consists of one or more peacemakers—often community elders—who gently guide a conversation involving not only those directly involved in an offense or conflict but family
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