Restorative justice could be path forward Rosalind Tompkins, Guest columnist Tallahassee Democrat, 8/24/2019 As I live and breathe I’ve never seen anything like this in Tallahassee before; where there are shootings and oftentimes killings, everyday it seems. With 47 shootings in 2019 so far resulting in 11 deaths, I wonder where am I? Have I been transported to Chicago or New York City in some type of sci-fi travel? Any loss of human life is one too many and I believe that 11 is unconscionable. Something must be done. I have had the privilege of attending a few meetings surrounding this topic and even spoke at a service about what the faith community can do to stop the violence. I spoke primarily about what Mothers In Crisis did during the ‘90s crack-cocaine epidemic to help women and families. Mothers In Crisis provided a very hands-on, community- based, grass roots approach that made all the difference. I also shared how it took all the community institutions, such as schools, law enforcement, local government, local media, nonprofit organizations, and churches, working together in order to make a change. I truly believe that is what is needed in Tallahassee now. I attended “An Evening with Michael Butler” second in a series of Community Forums on Restorative Justice event the other night and was amazed to hear what chief Butler had to say about how they were able to turn around a similar crisis of violent crime in Longmont, Colorado, utilizing restorative justice practices. According to the literature given to us at the meeting, “Restorative Justice is a philosophy that focuses on repairing the harm caused to people and relationships as a result of crime. It is a victim-centered response to crime that provides opportunities for those most affected by the crime — the victim, the offender, their families, and members of the community — to be directly involved in addressing the harm caused by the crime. Applying restorative practices usually results in lower costs to taxpayers and most important, providing skills for turning offenders into responsible citizens. Restorative Justice provides an alternative to the more traditional, punitive and retributive systems of justice.” As I sat and listened to Mr. Butler and looked at the faces of the people in attendance, I was filled with hope for our community. The reason why is because if we choose to adopt the restorative justice practices, I believe our community can heal and address some of the blatant and continuous inequities in our judicial system, as well as bring help to those who need it most. - - - Rosalind Y. Tompkins received a doctorate of humanities degree from the Five Fold Ministry Theological University in 2012. Find out more at www.Rosalindytompkins.com.