At this year’s Tri-County Collaborative Community Safety Conference, organizers hope to encourage continued dialogue and trust between community members.

On March 24, members of the Los Angeles area community will convene for the annual Community Safety Conference, hosted by the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work in partnership with the USC Public Safety Department and USC Civic Engagement.

Founded as a forum to address tensions between local law enforcement and community members, the theme of this year’s conference is Violence-Related Trauma Due to Urbanization and its Impact on Community Members. The conference will feature speakers and attendees from across the LA community, including elected officials, key stakeholders and most importantly, members of the local community.

Senior lecturer Robert Hernandez, who also serves as an organizer for the conference, speaks about the critical impact the Community Safety Conference has had on the community in years past, and what the goals are for this year’s event.

For the Community, By the Community

The Community Safety Conference was originally founded in response to an increase in violent behavior in the LA community.

“Los Angeles had a dramatic uptick in the rates of community violence a few years back — but if you weren’t living in the specific areas affected, you would think everything was fine,” says Hernandez.

It became clear that there was a disconnect between local community members, lawmakers and law enforcement officials, making it more difficult to address the problem at hand. USC faculty members and community organizers began looking for a way to create dialogue that would lessen the “us” vs. “them” stigma that existed between law enforcement and community members.

As Hernandez recalls, “a core group of us got together and decided to do something where we are able to give the people that have been most impacted by community violence a platform, uplift their voices with dignity and respect and learn directly from them about what they’re enduring and what trauma looks like.”

Joining Together to Create Change

The ultimate goal of the Community Safety Conference is to create awareness by allowing community members, local officials and law enforcement to share stories across barriers that normally keep them from truly being heard. The supportive environment established at the conference is just as important for the police officers and lawmakers as it is for community members.

“The power of this conference is that we’ve established a trusting relationship with the community, and they’re willing to participate in these forums,” says Hernandez. “We continue to be educated by our own community members regarding their needs.”

In keeping with the theme of this year’s conference, panels will discuss the strain on community members caused by gentrification, as well as the ways it can impact law enforcement officials, who may be navigating changes in neighborhood demographics and increasing violence without real support.

According to Hernandez, the ultimate goal of the conference is to humanize the struggle of community members to police officers and vice versa, creating a two-way dialogue so that real change can occur. While the focus of this year’s conference is primarily on building awareness, Hernandez hopes that the data gathered may someday be used to influence policy surrounding crime and policing.

If you are interested in attending the Community Safety Conference in Los Angeles, click here to register.