What's Happening in Conflict Resolution" is a weekly roundup of the all the ADR news, jobs, events and more. Check it out each week and view past versions [HERE].
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Conflict Engagement and ADR in the News
Nonprofit View: Mediation center offers alternative to conflict resolution
By Patricia Ryan (10/17/16. Carroll County Times. Photo from Pixaboy).
"I wish we had known about mediation before we went to court;" "I wish we had just communicated with each other." These are just a few comments the Carroll County Community Mediation Center (CCCMC) hears from people after they have participated in mediation to resolve their disputes. Too often, our first response to a conflict situation is to call the police, humane society, zoning office, the court or any number of agencies who may intervene on our behalf, many times without ever speaking with the other people in the conflict to make them aware of our concerns or the problem.
The CCCMC encourages people to use mediation for many types of situations.... Find out more HERE.
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Class teaches Monroe inmates skills for conflict resolution
By Rikki King (10/14/16. HeraldNet)
Terrence Connor believes that people don’t have to live in conflict.
The Bothell man, 60, is a longtime volunteer in dispute resolution and court mediation in Snohomish and King counties. For nearly a decade, he’s been helping with Susi Bryant’s class for prisoners at the Monroe Correctional Complex.
The prison class is a program of the Volunteers of America Dispute Resolution Center in Everett, which serves Snohomish, Island and Skagit counties. Find out more about the program HERE.
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Maryland parole commission says it will hold hearings for hundreds of juvenile lifers
By Allison Knezevich (10/14/16. The Baltimore Sun; Image from Pixabay)
The Maryland Parole Commission says it plans to hold hearings within the next year for nearly 300 inmates who were sentenced to life for crimes they committed as juveniles.
The state's plan is contained in new filings as part of a federal court case that alleges Maryland's parole system is unconstitutional because juvenile lifers have not had a realistic opportunity for release. Attorneys for the state argued this week in a motion to dismiss the lawsuit that it's moot because of the planned hearings and other changes.
They point to regulations that take effect this month, requiring Parole Commission to consider a variety of factors, including an inmate's level of maturity, home environment and family relationships at the time of the offense, and whether others pressured the juvenile to commit the crime.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland sued Gov. Larry Hogan and other state officials in April, alleging that Maryland's parole system for juveniles sentenced to life violates the Constitution. Find out more about the lawsuit HERE.
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Public apology — public shaming? — planned for teen who defaced Danville war memorial
By Angela Ruggiero (10/13/16; East Bay Times; Photo from Pixaboy).
When vandals defaced the All Wars Memorial last year, people here were incensed. Within days, they raised $12,000 to hunt down the perpetrators.
Next week, veterans groups, civic leaders and the public at large will have a chance to look at one of vandals in the eye when he issues a rare public apology.
The event is being heavily promoted in email blasts, encouraging all “patriots” — including the Boy Scouts and Blue Star Moms — to attend. It sounds like a public flogging in the making, but organizers say the event is part of a “restorative justice” strategy meant to heal both sides.
“We don’t want to put him in front of a firing squad, verbal or otherwise,” said Bill Picton, the head of the All Wars Memorial board. Find out more about how the community has responded to this alternative approach to justice HERE.
Good Reads: Blogs, Books, and More!
When We Vote Against Peace
By Daniel José Camacho (10/14/16; Sojourners; Image from Pixabay)
The “No” vote on a proposed peace deal in Colombia between the government and rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has shocked virtually everyone.
People of conscience and faith here in the U.S. should pay close attention to Colombia for many reasons, not least of which is the fact that the struggle for peace there presents a mirror to our own fears and dispositions and to the global logics of the war on terror and drugs. One thing that the results of the plebiscite revealed is that it is hard to change public imagination overnight after spending decades of fueling war, demonizing enemies, and seeing issues one-dimensionally.
Learn more about why people voted against the peace deal and what role the US can play in promoting peace in Colombia HERE.
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A Failed Challenge
By Bernie Mayer (10/12/16)
A couple of weeks ago, my wife (Julie Macfarlane) challenged me to write a post that tried to articulate the most reasonable, legitimate arguments someone could give in support of Donald Trump. The point being that we don’t encourage civil discourse if we simply dismiss those we disagree with as being “stupid, crazy, or evil” and therefore not worthy of being understood on their own terms and in their own voice. I have long referred to these as the three “explanatory crutches” we use in conflict to avoid doing the really hard work of understanding where those we disagree with or are in conflict with are coming from.
So I thought this was a reasonable challenge. I still do. But I have realized at this moment in time I can’t do it. Find out more about the challenges of writing about the election and the candidacy of Donald Trump HERE.
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Because Children are Listening
By The Olive Branch (10/17/16; Picture from Pixabay)
I pledge to discuss this election with civility, to treat people whose opinions differ from mine with respect, and to focus on ideas, policies and values.
I will encourage others to do the same.
I will speak up when I hear name-calling, stereotypes and slurs.
I will do this because children are listening, and it’s important that adults model good citizenship.
The election is a mere 22 days away. Find out more about the pledge of civity HERE.
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