{"id":9182,"date":"2023-02-28T22:21:49","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T22:21:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=9182"},"modified":"2023-03-27T15:59:49","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:59:49","slug":"peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/","title":{"rendered":"Peace and love at the Safety & Wellness Task Force"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s a phrase you thought you\u2019d never hear in a local government meeting: \u201cNothin\u2019 but love on this Zoom screen.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There was talk of justice, gratitude, and love at the recent virtual meeting of the Durham Community Safety & Wellness Task Force on Feb. 8.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"The City of Durham, Durham County, and Durham Public Schools created the 16-member task force in 2021, to discuss complaints and alternatives to traditional policing. The group\u2019s official mission is to propose programs that enhance public safety and wellness, with a focus on creating alternatives to policing and helping people avoid the criminal justice system.<\/span><\/p>\n

Isaac Villegas, 42, an ordained minister and task force member, said in an interview that the group also aims to address the forces \u201cupstream\u201d from violence. Villegas said, \u201cHow can we create the conditions in our community that mitigate against the violence that happens downstream?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This also means supporting people coming out of prison, Villegas said. \u201cAfter someone has gone through the trauma of being separated from their life, their loved ones, their community, having to be in a jail\u2026 how can we as a community make it so that those people can pick back up and become part of their communities again?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Xavier Cason, co-chair of the group, called the February meeting to order with a warmhearted welcome. \u201cWe hope that your household, your street, your community, your neighborhood and all the adjoining neighborhoods are operating in safety and awareness today.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After a review of the agenda, Cason invited Marcia Owen, the co-chair, to unmute her Zoom mic. Owen encouraged task force members to reflect on the value of gratitude as they began their monthly meeting. \u201cI just want to give a lot of gratitude for you and our mission and for our beloved community,\u201d Owen said.<\/span><\/p>\n

First on the agenda: a presentation from the Crisis Response\/911 Roundtable, a subcommittee of the group. Jennifer Carroll, a member of the roundtable, explained that the group had concerns about the city\u2019s no-tolerance policy for employees using drugs. The policy, which enforces drug-free workplaces and mandatory drug testing, has not been reliably proven to create safer workplaces, Carroll said. In fact, Carroll told her colleagues, \u201cMandatory drug testing in the workplace is shaped by, and produces, racial bias.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Carroll recommended that Durham end all stigmatizing practices, including no-tolerance drug policies and mandatory drug testing. Instead, the city should establish supportive, equitable policies that provide substance-using employees with pathways to recovery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the discussion after the presentation, task force members emphasized the importance of justice and equity in drug-related policies. Member Jesse Huddleston said, \u201cThe punitive and stigmatizing approach doesn\u2019t track with actually creating cultures of wellness and care.\u201d People using recreational drugs are often \u201cnot hurting anyone,\u201d Huddleston said. \u201cIf it\u2019s keeping them in a good place, to be able to do their jobs well and live full, good lives in Durham, more power to them.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Next up was a vote to extend the work of the task force for another six months. The group is scheduled to dissolve on April 28, but members proposed an extension to complete ongoing projects. Member Manju Rajendran noted the need to \u201cfulfill our existing commitments with greater care and at a more sustainable peace.\u201d All 10 members voted \u201cyes,\u201d with smiles on their faces.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s clear that we all want a better world,\u201d Villegas told The 9th Street Journal. \u201cThere\u2019s energy around creating better conditions of life and we\u2019re all very invested in that, and I\u2019m just always grateful for the passion that everyone has. It\u2019s contagious.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To close the meeting, co-chair Owen posed a question for members in the Zoom chat. \u201cWhat are you leaving this meeting with?\u201d She read the responses aloud as they came.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cExcitement. Community. Resolve. Time. Faith in our community. Connection. Creativity. Hope for liberation of many kinds, in many ways. Gratefulness. Perseverance. Revolutionary Love.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Owen then said,\u201cHear, hear! Blessings to all, you revolutionary lovers. We\u2019ll see you next month.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Screengrab above from the Zoom meeting of the task force. Source: YouTube<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s a phrase you thought you\u2019d never hear in a local government meeting: \u201cNothin\u2019 but love on this Zoom screen.\u201d\u00a0 There was talk of justice,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9184,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[359],"yoast_head":"\nPeace and love at the Safety & Wellness Task Force - 9th Street Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The group, which seeks alternatives to policing and the justice system, talks of faith and revolutionary love at its monthly meeting.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Peace and love at the Safety & Wellness Task Force - 9th Street Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The group, which seeks alternatives to policing and the justice system, talks of faith and revolutionary love at its monthly meeting.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"9th Street Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-02-28T22:21:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-03-27T15:59:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/Safety-and-Wellness.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1439\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"619\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"stepht@duke.edu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"stepht@duke.edu\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"stepht@duke.edu\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/person\/915eb670c76ba64d4177f332f818a5e6\"},\"headline\":\"Peace and love at the Safety & Wellness Task Force\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-28T22:21:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-27T15:59:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/\"},\"wordCount\":690,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/Safety-and-Wellness.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Under the Radar\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Local government\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/\",\"name\":\"Peace and love at the Safety & Wellness Task Force - 9th Street Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/Safety-and-Wellness.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-28T22:21:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-27T15:59:49+00:00\",\"description\":\"The group, which seeks alternatives to policing and the justice system, talks of faith and revolutionary love at its monthly meeting.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/Safety-and-Wellness.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/Safety-and-Wellness.jpg\",\"width\":1439,\"height\":619},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Peace and love at the Safety & Wellness Task Force\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/\",\"name\":\"9th Street Journal\",\"description\":\"We cover Durham (and North Carolina politics)\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"9th Street Journal\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/09\/9th-Street-Journal-Logo-cropped.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/09\/9th-Street-Journal-Logo-cropped.jpeg\",\"width\":869,\"height\":104,\"caption\":\"9th Street Journal\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/person\/915eb670c76ba64d4177f332f818a5e6\",\"name\":\"stepht@duke.edu\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fd32b8b967cb1d5c75d96fa74981ba40?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fd32b8b967cb1d5c75d96fa74981ba40?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"stepht@duke.edu\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/centers-dewitt.sanford.duke.edu\"],\"url\":\"#molongui-disabled-link\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Peace and love at the Safety & Wellness Task Force - 9th Street Journal","description":"The group, which seeks alternatives to policing and the justice system, talks of faith and revolutionary love at its monthly meeting.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Peace and love at the Safety & Wellness Task Force - 9th Street Journal","og_description":"The group, which seeks alternatives to policing and the justice system, talks of faith and revolutionary love at its monthly meeting.","og_url":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/","og_site_name":"9th Street Journal","article_published_time":"2023-02-28T22:21:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-03-27T15:59:49+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1439,"height":619,"url":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/Safety-and-Wellness.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"stepht@duke.edu","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"stepht@duke.edu","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/"},"author":{"name":"stepht@duke.edu","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/person\/915eb670c76ba64d4177f332f818a5e6"},"headline":"Peace and love at the Safety & Wellness Task Force","datePublished":"2023-02-28T22:21:49+00:00","dateModified":"2023-03-27T15:59:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/"},"wordCount":690,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/Safety-and-Wellness.jpg","keywords":["Under the Radar"],"articleSection":["Local government"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/","url":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/","name":"Peace and love at the Safety & Wellness Task Force - 9th Street Journal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/Safety-and-Wellness.jpg","datePublished":"2023-02-28T22:21:49+00:00","dateModified":"2023-03-27T15:59:49+00:00","description":"The group, which seeks alternatives to policing and the justice system, talks of faith and revolutionary love at its monthly meeting.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/Safety-and-Wellness.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/Safety-and-Wellness.jpg","width":1439,"height":619},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/28\/peace-and-love-at-the-safety-wellness-task-force\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Peace and love at the Safety & Wellness Task Force"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/","name":"9th Street Journal","description":"We cover Durham (and North Carolina politics)","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#organization","name":"9th Street Journal","url":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/09\/9th-Street-Journal-Logo-cropped.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/09\/9th-Street-Journal-Logo-cropped.jpeg","width":869,"height":104,"caption":"9th Street Journal"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/person\/915eb670c76ba64d4177f332f818a5e6","name":"stepht@duke.edu","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fd32b8b967cb1d5c75d96fa74981ba40?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fd32b8b967cb1d5c75d96fa74981ba40?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"stepht@duke.edu"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/centers-dewitt.sanford.duke.edu"],"url":"#molongui-disabled-link"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9182"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9182\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}