Just Start Organizing —In Your Community

Communities have never had a voice in the design of public safety systems.  As a result, systems are often misaligned with community values and interests, and generate undesirable and adverse outcomes.

We can see this in the full spectrum of negative police encounters.  When police departments focus on fee collection and revenue, the system is misaligned with community desires.  When respondents are unequipped for mental health or domestic violence incidents, the system is misaligned with community contexts.  When public safety officials inflict harm, upon those they are sworn to protect and serve, the system is misaligned with community interests.

This problem of misalignment is pervasive, and it disproportionately affects communities where the misalignment is greatest — where the system's aims diverge furthest from the community's aims.  This divergence is often greatest in marginalized and BIPOC communities, where systemic racism and histories of prejudiced policies orient the aims of public safety systems in direct opposition of community outcomes and interests.

... And at the same time, where communities have had a voice in their public safety systems, we see the different possibilities that exist — such as CAHOOTS in Eugene, Oregon and STAR in Denver, Colorado.

Just Start Organizing is a program that provides funding and education resources to help individuals organize in their communities and shape local systems together.

Individuals' largest obstacles to organizing include time, money, food, and childcare.  People are busy — with multiple jobs, and responsibilities at home.  Understanding these obstacles, Just Start Organizing provides funding for individuals who wish to start organizing gatherings in their community.  The funding helps individuals dedicate time and energy to local organizing, build self-esteem by getting paid for their work, and gain agency by making decisions about the process themselves — informed by their own local understanding and awareness.

JSO also provides educational content to help people learn about organizing, prepare for events, and discover inspiration + possibilities for their communities.

With community-led systems change, participating communities will see improvements in community resilience, physical and mental health indicators, environmental justice, and social capital.

Just Start Organizing is currently preparing a test program in Brownsville, New York, where a community of 30+ neighbors will have the opportunity to get funding and educational resources for local organizing efforts.  This test program is in collaboration with GatherFor, an organization that has been working on local initiatives with Brownsville neighbors already.