Moving Us Forward
A Community Conversation
In the wake of protests that have expanded across the country and world-wide, including here in the Tampa Bay area as a result of the death of Mr. George Floyd and a community outcry to address racism, excessive use of force by law enforcement, criminal and systematic reform and to ensure their voices are heard, Safe & Sound Hillsborough facilitated a “Community Conversation” to address possible solutions and/or topics for future conversations.
A Call To Action
Safe & Sound Hillsborough facilitated Moving Forward – A “Community Discussion” to bring elected and public officials, law enforcement agencies, faith-based and community leaders and residents together to discuss issues and concerns in the community regarding policy and community safety and identify topics for future “Community Conversation.”
Public officials and law enforcement were required to listen and write down the suggestions and solutions of everyone in the room and those watching online.
The goal was to ensure that participants came with the intent to listen, share and work to create a framework for future conversations.
Issues in the forum were broken into 5 main components:
- Governmental Response
- Law Enforcement & Community
- Equality, Equity, Justice & Policy
- Beyond Arrest: Juvenile & Criminal Justice System
- Youth, Schools and Our Future
Next Steps
The tragic incident in Minneapolis was not a wake-up call, for the nation and world have long bore witness to countless incidents of tragedy and the resulting break of trust between community, law enforcement, and policymakers. As we have moved from community discussion to requested actions, it has become evident that there is a need to have more of these forums to help move the community forward. Safe & Sound Hillsborough pledge that we will continue to hold these hybrid-style forums to push community concerns to the forefront of policymaking.
We are also working on a larger forum where multiple communities can participate simultaneously.
As we embark on helping to be a convener of such change-making forums, we ask that those interested in helping us, please reach out to us via email: info@safeandsoundhillsborough.org or by calling our office: (813) 327-8317.
No one agency can truly make change happen. It takes us all, policymakers, churches, advocacy groups, students, teachers, parents, law enforcement, courts, the private sector, and more to help us all in MOVING FORWARD.
