Police and Youth Relations: Bridging the Divide

Eddie Bocanegra, who led youth safety and violence prevention work for the YMCA of Metro Chicago, framed his work through trauma research and an ecological model, and told first-hand stories of domestic violence in his childhood home, gang involvement, and being beaten by police at fifteen. He described the "Bridging the Divide" program, built with the Chicago Police Department and piloted in six police districts, which trains officers in restorative-justice peace circles, and played recorded audio testimony from a veteran officer and from youth participants. Spring 2016 series "Breaking Down Racism: Fighting Racial Injustice in the U.S."