Here is what a Compassionate City Looks Like!
Last summer there was a tragic killing of a Native American carver by a Seattle police officer in Seattle. The tension between the police and the community has been running very high. The Seattle Times published a story today about the Restorative Justice Circle convened by Andrea Brenneke and Susan Partnow founding members of our Compassion Response Team that took place just a few weeks after the shooting.
Seattle Times article From the article: "The meeting with John T. Williams relatives occurred after the departments initial dealings with the family proved unproductive as emotions were running high after the shooting, said Andrea Brenneke an attorney for the family who proposed the idea of a "restorative circle," a concept developed in Brazil in the mid-1990s to resolve community conflicts.
Then later in the article it says: Department officials showed a "willingness to restore trust however they could" and recognized "they were going to have to earn it now because it was broken" Brenneke said.
This is tangible on the ground meaningful outcomes and results from us having a Compassionate Action Network in place and the city declaring itself a Compassionate City.
The Seattle Times also published the Restorative Circle memo from the meeting. In the memo it states:
"Expressions of Empathy
The Department, together with Susan Partnow and Andrea Brenneke and others, will evaluate how the department expresses empathy and compassion at times of tragedy and recommend improvements in how the community will hear it." Here is the Restorative Circle memo
The chief of police John Diaz deserves our recognition and appreciation for being open to this and participating. Perhaps our acknowledgment will also encourage him to keep moving in this direction and to follow through on promises outlined in the memo. Susan told him at the meeting that Seattle is a Compassionate City!
The chief's office can be reached at (206) 684-5577
His webpage is here: http://www.seattle.gov/police/leadership/chief.htm
We also need to be there for the Johnson family and their tribe and officer Birk and his family as we all heal from this tragic event. Thank you again to Andrea and Susan, co-founding members of our Compassion Response Network, for putting compassion into action and leading the way!
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Comment
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Comment by Anjani on February 8, 2011 at 2:05am -
I am proud of our City and very proud of Compassionate Action Network for its ground-breaking strides into compassion. Many thanks to the family for its bravery and the SPD for its willingness to try something very different in both tradition and purpose. It's so inspiring when we can somehow come through the inevitable muck of human existence into compassion.
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Comment by Rev. Ann Marie Acacio on February 5, 2011 at 1:05pm -
Kudos to all the supportive people in Seattle and to the work of CAN! I am especially heartened to see the heart-felt response of the Compassion Response Network. We are taking steps to open the compassionate hearts of the people in our city, Wilkes-Barre, PA and surrounds, through dialogues and events as we promote the Charter for Compassion. Thanks for modeling what a Compassionate City looks like!
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Comment by Cynthia Lukas on February 4, 2011 at 6:31pm -
Yes, the restorative circles are very compassionate! What a model for other cities!
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Comment by David Hazen on February 4, 2011 at 10:31am -
I also sent copies to my mayor, city council, and newspapers!
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Comment by David Hazen on February 4, 2011 at 8:53am
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Wowsers, I am recirculating this through my Eugene network! Thanks, Jon!
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Comment by Karolyn McKinley on February 3, 2011 at 6:06pm -
Deeply heartening! Thank you Andrea, Susan and Chief Diaz for establishing a new precedent in the handling such cases, and respecting the humanity of all people involved.
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Comment by Malcolm Best on February 3, 2011 at 10:59am -
Most amazingly excellent!
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Comment by Connie Moffit on February 3, 2011 at 10:08am -
This is very heartening. I'm reading it while the conflict in Cairo plays out on the TV - a good moment to be reminded of this hopeful outlook for peace in our community. Thanks to all who made this happen.
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Comment by Christy Lee-Engel on February 3, 2011 at 9:56am
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This does feel like important work with powerful effects on individual lives, as well as rippling healing effects at the community and societal levels. Thanks and respect to Susan and Andrea, and also to you Jon for making sure that what they're doing is highlighted and acknowledged.
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Comment by Roselle Kovitz on February 3, 2011 at 9:50am -
Thank you for posting this, Jon. I am so heartened by this and the possibilities it suggests. My thanks, too, to Andrea, Susan, and all those involved for such courage and care in the midst of such loss and suffering.
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