Mend Collaborative

Mend Collaborative will be celebrating our three year anniversary next month. The work we do is a legacy of all that our Co-Directors and staff have been doing for many years, inside prisons and in the community. Our Days of Healing were started at California State Prison Los Angeles County. This story documents a Day of Healing in 2019. https://lnkd.in/g7ahf6J8

We provide statewide training and education about our Victim Offender Dialogue program and services to district attorney offices, victims advocates, public defense, social workers, and agencies and organizations supporting survivors. Early into this year, we’ve trained two district attorney offices, and upcoming the San Francisco Bar Association. Below: Kern County District Attorney Victims Advocate training, February, 2025.

We thank the Pollen Initiative for their mission to bring journalism to California Prisons and for The Paper Trail at CCWF, resident journalist Coleen Torres, for covering this important story of our programs at Mend Collaborative.

One of The Mend Collaborative’s most powerful programs is the Victim Offender Dialogue (VOD). The VOD is an experience that can be both a painful and liberating step in a person's or family's healing journey. One such VOD experience that we are honored to share is the story of Charlotte Perry-Briggs, a mother whose son was murdered ten years ago. This year, after almost a year of preparation, and support from Mend facilitators Rebecca Weiker and Rey Aguilar, Charlotte met with Garrett, the person responsible for her son Charles’ death. Charlotte was able to sit with Garrett and share about her pain, the impact Charles’s death had on her family and community, and also her forgiveness. Garrett was able to share his deep remorse and offer his insight and explanation (not an excuse) of his actions. Garrett answered Charlotte’s questions and also shared about his process of transformation to the person he is today. When we asked Charlotte to share about the impact of the VOD on her life, she replied, “One word: closure.” Charlotte has written a book about her experience, Undeniably Guilty, Positively Forgiven https://lnkd.in/g3RtfG9g

Gracias (thank you) Alianza for Opportunity for this recognition and for your solidarity. We look forward to being in comunidad (community) with you in this movement for justicia (justice).

Marie says it’s not that hard to do. Yet at this moment we see many people with extraordinary wealth leaning into power and more wealth rather than using what they have to create a more just, equitable and safe world. Deep gratitude for Marie and The Patchwork Collective.

?? Mark Your Calendar! ?? Join us for an inspiring LIVE conversation with Reynaldo "Rey" Aguilar, hosted by the Healing & Justice Center and Mend Collaborative!?? Let's dive into transformative conversations that uplift healing and justice in our communities. ?? When: Tuesday, December 10th ? Time: 6 PM PST ?? Where: Live on Instagram & Facebook @Healing4Justice ? This is your chance to connect, learn, and grow with us. Spread the word and invite your friends! #GivingTuesday #Healing4Justice #CommunityHealing #Resilience #CryptoGivingTuesday #CryptoForGood #CryptoCurrency #Crypto #Blockchain #Bitcoin

At Mend we can support survivors and people responsible for harm through victim offender dialogue in cases of resentencing. We cannot fix either the miscarriage of justice from prosecutorial misconduct or the grief and loss survivors experience. But we can provide a safe container for questions to be asked and answered and stories to be shared.

?? Announcement: Unlikely Collaborators has awarded a grant to Mend Collaborative to support their incredible work in Los Angeles! Mend Collaborative facilitates restorative dialogues between survivors of violence and those who have caused harm. This can include direct Victim Offender Dialogues (VODs) or Surrogate Restorative Dialogues, offering powerful pathways to healing and transformation for everyone involved. What makes this even more impactful is that Mend Collaborative is staffed entirely by survivors, demonstrating the power of turning lived experience into a force for positive change. #restorativejustice #PerceptionBox #socialimpact

Today The Mend Collaborative facilitated a Surrogate Restorative Dialogue with “Leave the Keys” a peer-led DUI prevention program at California State Prison Los Angeles County. Hung Nguyen whose mother was killed by a 19 year old drunk driver shared his powerful story with the group. His moms death came 5 years into his incarceration with a sentence of life without parole. Hung shared about his process of dealing with his anger, grieving, healing and the forgiveness he found so that he could move forward with his own life. And the deep gratitude he has for the family of his victim, who have shared their forgiveness with him. There were six men with LWOP sentences among the group, and Hung was an inspiration on so many levels. Hung was greeted with warmth by many officers who remembered him from his time there. And also by the men who were his support and community, who are still incarcerated. We are so grateful for survivors who take their time to share about their experiences, to our amazing facilitator Denise, and also to the men inside working on their own healing and accountability.