The Center for Policing Equity (CPE) announces the launch of Unlocking Democracy, a new community empowerment program. Unlocking Democracy will serve as the central hub for CPE’s recently announced community-centered resources, initiatives, and interactive working groups. Unlocking Democracy is designed to empower stakeholders seeking to build more equitable public safety systems. This work will be conducted through collaborative partnerships with values-aligned organizations that share CPE’s goal to uplift the efforts of vulnerable communities—particularly Black and Brown communities—in confronting racial disparities in policing.
Building on the interactive Redesigning Public Safety Resource Series launched in September of this year, Unlocking Democracy will serve as a suite of community-centered resources rooted in the understanding that government should be of, by, and for the people as it rests on a foundation of shared responsibility, mutual trust, and bedrock safety. The program includes, but is not limited to, various learning communities, adaptive community resource hubs, and more. Each of the program’s outputs will parallel the deliverables from the Redesigning Public Safety Resource Series.
“Substantial and effective change in our collective approach to public safety can only be driven by community voice,” said Max Markham, CPE’s Vice President of Community Engagement and Policy. “Our definition of safety must originate from the needs of the residents served by public safety systems. The Unlocking Democracy program and all of its offerings are designed to place the decision-making and policy-driving power back into the hands of community members and stakeholders who are personally invested in creating a holistic and equitable sense of safety where they live.”
Unlocking Democracy Through Learning Communities
CPE is partnered with The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center to bring together diverse interdisciplinary community-based teams from across North America through a series of virtual learning communities focused on empowering stakeholders to implement policing alternatives for:
- Traffic Safety
- School-Based Diversion
- Crisis Systems
- Community Violence Intervention
The CSG Justice Center and CPE learning communities will help teams implement emerging best practices and document the process and outcomes of their efforts in the field through data. Upon program completion, teams will be equipped with an action plan, including how to fund and implement programs that reduce reliance on law enforcement.
The Unlocking Democracy program will continue to expand as CPE and the CSG Justice Center create additional resources to support the community-centered development of public safety policies.