“How do we deal with people who have committed crime to minimize their recidivism? How do we get them to become more accountable to not only the victim, but to the community and to themselves? And how do we create a place for victims to begin to heal?”

These are some of the questions Public Safety Chief Mike Butler from Longmont, Colorado is exploring in his work that is shifting people’s thinking about communities and one another. Police officers and firefighters are engaging a large volunteer group and using restorative justice in impactful ways. Watch:

The Abundant Community with Mike Butler

Broadcasting live with Peter Block, John McKnight, and special guest Mike Butler.

Posted by The Abundant Community on Tuesday, August 6, 2019

 
In this video:

  • Beyond law enforcement to community engagement [4:30]
  • Restorative justice [6:30]
  • Responding to the heroin and addiction epidemic [8:30]
  • How to get started [19:00]
  • Changing the fear conversation [28:00]

Quotes from Mike Butler:

“We have turned a corner, not only in changing our culture here within police, but changing our community’s culture in terms of how we define justice.”

“People have gifts. They just don’t know how to offer them … And they want to. You have to go into this thinking that the goodness of your community can play out in very specific ways.” Including giving support and not expulsion to people who have fallen off  the rails of civility. 

More info:
Longmont Public Safety website