SmallGood, LTD.

Maurice Harris volunteered in our after-school program after we were able to bring him home despite the State’s best efforts to put him in jail for seven years. I didn’t know then that our new volunteer would go on to be one of the key reasons the DRP, which was also still pretty new at the time, became the sort of success that changed everything, for Maurice and all the other kids from North Lawndale, for LCLC, and for the way restorative justice is actively evolving and making a difference in Chicago. As Avik Das, Executive Director of the Cook County Justice Advisory Council says: “Programs like the DRP reflect the best practice of seeing our youth as full of potential, not defined by their mistakes, and who can each contribute to the positive well-being of the community, if given the right supports and opportunities.” Without the DRP,? it’s hard to imagine we’d be where we are today…getting ready to celebrate the opening of the Dr. Dennis Deer Community Justice Center. Maurice’s story reminds me why we do what we do, and why it matters so deeply that we keep on doing it. I will always be grateful that Maurice and I crossed paths, and I’m grateful to get to share his story with you today.

On this national holiday devoted to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Inauguration of Donald Trump is?happening in Washington, DC.?To Lenora Rand and me, this juxtaposition feels like the universe is holding up a mirror and asking us a question:?What values will you hold onto and hold up this year? ? So, it feels like a good time to share our SmallGood Word of the Year. It's our tradition of naming a word that reminds us of how we want to be in the world, in our personal lives, and our business. Do you have a word of the year? If so, please share it. Lenora Rand cin salach Bernie's Book Bank Lawndale Christian Legal Center Revolution Workshop Midwest Innocence Project Carolyn Tubekis Karyn Thurston Gilmore Grace Fessler Megan Leahy Brian Floriani Dawn Ruzich Cliff Nellis Tish Sjuts Tricia Rojo Bushnell Manny Rodriguez Megan Lydon

“When something is important, when the need is real, you just jump in and say ‘Let’s start doing something.’” - Jonathan “Pastah J” Brooks My dear friend Rev. Dr. Jonathan Brooks has been part of the success of Lawndale Christian Legal Center and the vision for the Dr. Dennis Deer Community Justice Center from the very beginning. Like most pastors, he’s a great storyteller, and I think his stories are some of the best ways to really understand the mission, heart, and love that are the living foundation of the Deer Center, opening in March. I’m grateful to be able to share Pastah J’s story of how a church and a dream changed the course of our community, in his own words.

We used to believe that adulthood begins at age 18. But as modern science has revealed more about the way brains develop, we’ve learned that even if we LOOK like adults as late teens, our brains don’t mature until closer to age 26. That’s changed the way we think about a lot of things. I think everyone, at least once in their lives, should get the chance to learn from my friend Cathryn Crawford about brain development as it pertains to justice. Cathryn is one of the best attorneys I know - a relentless advocate for the systemically marginalized, a brilliant authority on criminal and constitutional law, and the sort of front-lines activist you’ll find hard at work wherever the need is greatest. She’s also an expert in the science behind developing brains and has powerful ideas about how the justice system should respond to that science when it comes to doing right by our young people under age 26 - and she was generous enough to share her thoughts with all of us. Thanks to clinical psychologist and forensic psychiatry specialist Dr. Kendell Coker, known for his work on trauma, juvenile delinquency, and violence, who weighed in on this story as well.

It’s past time for young people in the criminal justice system to get what they deserve. We’re making sure they do with the opening of the Dr. Dennis Deer Community Justice Center - a place where young people under 26 start building better futures. Will you join us? Donate here: https://lnkd.in/gVMcDnuq

Yesterday we were thrilled to host the Alta Futures Forum and learn from our partners Ayesha Jaco MAM from West Side United, Hahrie Han from SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University and Charlie Brown at Trust for Civic Life. Please learn more about their work and our other incredible grantee partners at: https://lnkd.in/gu_3NXg4.

Almost 100% of people in the US criminal justice system today began their contact with it before their 25th birthday. Young people – kids, in a lot of cases – enter the system and stay in it for decades. Way too often, a first offense becomes a kind of lifetime sentence to the cycle of arrest - incarcerate - release - repeat. For 15 years, we’ve been learning how to do better for young people who come into contact with the criminal justice system. We started right here in Chicago, in the North Lawndale neighborhood many of us call home. We started with one kid at a time. Today, after walking through the system with thousands of young people, we’re getting ready to open the Dr. Dennis Deer Community Justice Center. And we believe it just might change everything. We sat down to chat with President and CEO Cliff Nellis about it recently – here’s how that conversation went.

I wanted to share a story about our first client at LCLC - his friends and family call him Mush.? For kids like him, the criminal justice system can be extremely hard to navigate.? I helped start LCLC because I believe we can do better for Chicago’s young people.?We’ve been working on that for the past 15 years.?I also wanted you to know about what’s coming next for LCLC and how we’re going to keep serving youth in this city. In a few months we’ll be opening the doors of the Dr. Dennis Deer Restorative Justice Center - an innovative step toward making sure youth like Mush have access to the kind of justice that repairs, restores, and heals.

I'm posting this for my dear friend and partner in SmallGood, LTD., Lenora Rand. Lenora is in Asheville without water or full power - but with a story to tell. So for expediency, I'm sharing for her. Please consider donating to the organizations linked in the article.??????

Today, the Missouri Supreme Court cleared the way for Christopher Dunn’s release from custody after 34 years of wrongful incarceration. As of this afternoon, his nightmare comes to an end. ? This result would not have been possible without the persistence of the fearless and dedicated team at the Midwest Innocence Project. Their work, along with their partners, was integral to securing Chris’ freedom, which is long overdue. We are proud to call them client/partner. ? If you would like to join Lenora Rand and SmallGood, LTD. in supporting Chris on his new journey, you can find his GoFundMe here:?https://lnkd.in/gmYyhjrx