A conflict involving the local farmers’ market convinced civic leaders in this Indiana community to take a holistic approach to the issue that assessed the city’s ability to work proactively to mitigate other possible sources of division and unrest.
Business as usual during the COVID pandemic isn’t an option. Even the most basic of city services and activities have had to be reimagined—everything from graduations and church services to public meetings and trials had to be rethought. Communities that quickly and willingly pivoted to new solutions, have been the most successful in keeping people both safe and socially connected.
Democratic decision-making in the face of wicked problems, hyperpolarization, and the proliferation of conflict entrepreneurs is exceedingly difficult. In this environment, those of us attempting to serve as principled impartial resources for our communities face immense challenges and vocal opposition, often from multiple sides.
Common Ground for Action online forums are small group deliberations, rooted in non-partisan issue guides and facilitated by trained moderators. To deliberate, people type their thoughts in the live group chat, which creates an ongoing record of what the group is discussing and how they are grappling with the choices presented in the issue guide.
A new book takes a fresh look at the press and evaluates the current multi-layered information network that is available to anyone for free. It asks, in essence, what is it that journalists bring to the party? Provocatively, the authors ask journalists to consider a different set of professional norms than those that prevailed for the last century or so.
Race has played a key role in the development of public engagement practices in the U.S., not just on issues relating directly to cultural identity but in engagement on education, policing, immigration, health, budgeting, and many other priorities.
With Longmont’s community-centric approach to public safety, success means a decreased need for policing and increased citizen capacity to handle the everyday conflicts of community life.
