Thank you for writing to us with your question. Each situation comes with its own details, so of course we’re not able to provide a full response to your question. But we can offer some general principles for your consideration:
First, disputes such as the one you describe are usually best resolved by dialogue. Legal action, no matter the outcome, is unlikely to resolve the underlying issues. Second, much of that dialogue should center around finding common ground.
What might that common ground consist of? In your case, some examples:
· * Wanting the community to be safe and secure, as evidenced by crime data
· * Wanting community members to feel safe and secure, based upon their perceptions
· * Ensuring that laws are followed
· * Wanting to treat all people respectfully
· * Wanting to treat all people fairly
· * Wanting to treat all people sensitively
This is not a finished list.
Then, how can that the common ground, once established, be implemented in practice? There are many possibilities here that the interested parties could explore together. Again, for example:
· * Agreement on the conditions under which the Blue Line Flag symbol could and could not be used
· * Agreement on the display of an alternate or parallel symbol representing the community’s values
· * Agreement on police procedures to be followed in certain designated situations; or, more specifically:
· * Agreement that caregivers other than the police should take lead responsibility in certain designated situations
· * A statement of the shared values of police and community
· * Training and/or educational programs for police and community members (e.g., around mental health issues)
· * A police-community review advisory board
· * A similar review board, with agreed-upon enforcement powers
A peace and justice group can certainly play a significant role in these discussions. For instance, it can advocate for continued collaborative dialogue, or for a particular solution. It can broker other possible solutions. Or if someone in your group is research-minded, he or she can research models that have worked in other communities, and which could be adopted or adapted to your own.
(We are also fans of Roger Fisher’s classic book Getting to Yes, which has many ideas you can draw upon, and we recommend it to you if you are not already familiar with its ideas. See especially the chapter on “Invent options for mutual gain.”)
We have no illusions that these kinds of discussions are easy. Further conflicts may surface. Strong emotions can become engaged. So it will help to gain prior commitment from those involved to stick with the process.
On the other hand, you can view the current disputes not simply as a polarized conflict, but as an opportunity for the community to come together and create better understandings and enduring agreements that will benefit everyone. Can you see ways in which you can take advantage of that opportunity?
We hope these thoughts may be helpful to you. Thanks again for being in touch, and all best wishes for successful resolution of your community’s issues.
