Bgsu keynote - jake jacobs

The Illumination Project:
A Story of Commitment,
Hope and Action
Bowling Green
State University
MOD Anniversary Conference
Robert “Jake” Jacobs
October 28, 2016

Today’s Purpose
To enable you to see new possibilities for
how to rapidly improve relationships
between multiple parties in contentious
situations.

Outcomes
• A reminder of the tragic consequences of broken
relationships in our communities
• Seeing the world through a new lens: Polarity
• Thinking as a promising path forward
• Understanding The Illumination Project – what it
is, how it works and what it is accomplishing
• Ideas for how you can leverage your learning

Agenda
• Context and Background
• Project Status
• Understanding The Illumination Project – what it
is, how it works and what it is accomplishing
• Leveraging Lessons Learned

Copyright © PMA 2002
Polarity Map ™
Current Situation
Phase 1
Planning
Phase 2
Steering Group Development
Phase 3
CommunityInput, Research, Analysis/ Findings, ActionsDefined
Phase 4
Evaluation
THE ILLUMINATIONPROJECT
Phase 5
Ongoing
SeptJulyJuneMayAprilMarchJanDecNovOct Feb AugSept
Enhance police-community relationships throughout the city and all parts of CPD
Bring together all parts of the community to promote calm, measured exploration of public sentiment
Celebrate what is working well in police-community relations
Agree what and how to change, preserving both Public Safety and Civil Liberties
Increase local capacity to have civil, meaningful dialogue with difficult issues
Develop specific, concrete, implementable plans

Local and national events have highlighted
the troubled relationships between police
and their communities.
Listening Session  
The World We’re Living In

and
The Underlying Tension for all
the Charleston Work
Public Safety Individual Rights

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Public Safety
The combination of effective policing services
and citizen involvement that creates a safe,
secure, and livable city.

Polarity Map ™ 10
Listening Session
Individual Rights
The ability for people, regardless of their
individual circumstances, positions, or
authority, to be treated with fairness, equity,
dignity and respect based on the rights and
freedoms described in the US Constitution
and other related laws and customs.

Greater Purpose Statement
Further strengthen Citizen/Police
relationships grounded in
trust and legitimacy
Illumination Project

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Polarity Maps

Further Strengthen Citizen/Police Relationships
Grounded In Trust/Legitimacy
Police/Citizens are Divided/Distrustful
Costs from too much focus on Individual Rights to neglect of Public Safety:
1. Loss of trust in municipal authority by citizens, law
enforcement don’t want to work here
2. Increase in crime/disrespect of law
3. Lack sense of safety
4. Lose the big picture of community/police safety
5. Loss of communication, information plus limited English
6. Focus on loudest/most organized voices, not overall need
7. May infringe on another’s rights and concerns between
business and community
8. Negative economic impact, businesses leave
9. Lack of accountability for individuals and lack of justice
for victims
Benefits of Individual Rights:
1. Reduced conflict between law enforcement and
community, recruiting benefit for law enforcement
2. Facilitate open dialogue
3. Actualized freedom
4. Fosters better community leadership
5. Fosters feelings of respect
6. Model representative of US Constitutional Rights
7. City perception as fair and inviting to all races
8. Positive impact on quality of life and economy
9. Empowering people to be responsible, individual
accountability, strong society
Costs from too much focus on Public Safety to neglect of Individual Rights
1. Mistrust of police department, unjust
2. Closed communication, isolated, withdrawn, alienation
3. Tension between haves and have nots
4. Lose community’s willingness to help
5. People feel invisible, treated like objects of no value
6. Polarized community between those with power and
no power
7. Freedom is compromised, police state
8. Increased financial costs to businesses, productivity,
tourism, staff police, lawsuits
9. People dependent on government, stop problem
solving, less community engagement
Benefits of Public Safety:
1. Community trust increases, top draw for law
enforcement
2. Reduction of crime and victimization
3. Increased sense of safety
4. Strong community involvement
5. Divergent ideas about community’s health/welcoming
6. Community pride, raised city profile, positive
reputation
7. Increased fairness and perception of fairness
8. Positive impact on costs living/doing business here
9. More likely to report crimes
Individual
Rights
Public
Safety

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The Listening Sessions

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The Prayer Gatherings

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Community Involvement

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Research Partner

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6
The National Studies

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Every Busy Woman
Boeing
Braithwaite Innovation Group
Cannon Green
Charleston Airport
Charleston Police Department
Charleston Southern University
College of Charleston
The Citadel
MUSC
Pink Moon Consulting
Roper St. Francis
Santee Cooper
SCRA
SC Neuropsychology
SC Ports Authority
Trident Tech
YMCA of Greater Charleston
Charlotte Anderson, Retired 211
Arlethia Lemon-Cusack, Retired NEA
Ethel Rutledge, Consultant
Anne Sbrocchi, Retired Educator
The Facilitators

Polarity Map ™ 20Facilitators’ Training Session

Polarity Map ™ 21Youth Facilitator, Bianca

Early Returns From
the Listening Sessions

Polarity Map ™ 23
Ideas For Action Underway

Listening Session
2016
Welcome! Thank you for caring.

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Charleston Police Fund
The City of Charleston
Paul Tinkler Law Firm
Medical University of South Carolina
Roper St. Francis Health Care
Kenneth Canty, Freeland Construction
Daniel Island Community Foundation
Avery Research Center at  
College of Charleston
Convention and Visitors Bureau
Patrick Properties
Keller Williams
Triangle Char and Bar
Indigo Road Restaurant Group
Costco
Greek Orthodox Church
Santee Cooper
Sponsor List Is Growing!

Polarity Map ™ 26
Listening Session
Purpose of Listening Sessions
To get your ideas about
what our police and
citizens can do now to
improve relationships with
one another.

Polarity Map ™
At The End of Session We Hope You Will:
27
• Appreciate that there are many different leaders and
supporters who are behind this effort
• Have had creative conversations where everyone in
the room feels heard and understood
• Have come up with specific actions which both
citizens and police can take to build trust, respect,
and improve their relationships
• Have confidence that this process is reliable and
good things will result from the it

Polarity Map ™ 28
Small Group Support 
Facilitator
• Makes sure everyone in the group has an opportunity
to speak
• Keeps track of time to make sure tasks are
completed in the on time
• Explains assignments introduced from the front of the
room in more detail so you know you’re doing the
right work
• Records your responses to questions on paper so no
one’s ideas get lost

Polarity Map ™
So we all may better understand and appreciate what
everyone brings here today, please share...
• Your name
• Your role in the community
• How long you’ve lived in Charleston or loved
Charleston
• Why you came to today’s Listening Session 
 
1 minute max for each person please☺ 29
Introductions

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Agenda
We Will Discuss…
30
• What Makes The Illumination Project Different
• A New Way of Building Respectful Partnerships
• Your Ideas For the Future

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Group Agreements
• Speak Your Truth and Listen for Others’ Truths (Remember
persuading is different than informing.)
• Be Honest with Others and Be Considerate
• Say Your Piece and Leave Time For Others to Say Their Piece
(Don’t assume you have more or less to say than others.)
• Remember Past and Current Situations and Focus on the
Future
• Stay on Topic and Pay Attention to One Another
• Turn Phones Off or to Vibrate Only

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Who’s Involved?
• Process Management Team (10)
• Citizen Steering Group (22)
• Community Resource Group (77)
• Listening Sessions Facilitators (33)
• The Citizens of Charleston (unlimited)

Polarity Map ™ 33
Citizen Steering Group Subgroups
• Community Resource Group
• School/Youth Inclusion Strategies
• Faith Community Engagement and Activities
• Facilitator Recruitment and Training
• Research/Metrics
• Things the Citizen Steering Group Can do Together

Polarity Map ™ 34Boyz to Gentlemen

Polarity Map ™ 35
Community Resource Group
Sharing Thoughts

Polarity Map ™ 36
Community Resource
Group Activity

Polarity Map ™ 37
Seidler and Scott
Discussing Ideas

Individual
Rights
Public
Safety
Further Strengthen Citizen/Police
Relationships Grounded
Citizens/Police are Divided/Distrustful
Benefits of Public Safety:
1.Community trust increases,
top draw for law
enforcement
2.Reduction of crime and
victimization
3.Increased sense of safety
Costs from too much focus on Public Safety to neglect of
Individual Rights
1.Mistrust of police
department, unjust
2.Lose community’s
willingness to help
3.People feel invisible,
treated like objects with no
value
Benefits of Individual Rights:
1. Reduced conflict between
law enforcement and
community, recruiting
benefit for law enforcement
2.Fosters better community
leadership
3.Fosters feeling of respect
Costs from too much focus on Individual Rights to
neglect of Public Safety:
1.Loss of trust in municipal
authority by citizens, law
enforcement don’t want to
work here
2.Increase in crime/disrespect
of law
3.Lack sense of safety

Polarity Map ™ 39
Building Respectful Partnerships
QUESTION
We recognize the issues facing our society, that
are at the forefront across our country, involving
citizen and police encounters that led to tragedy.
In light of the current environment, what are your
concerns about building respectful partnerships
in the Charleston community between citizens
and police?

Polarity Map ™ 40
Building Respectful Partnerships
QUESTION
We recognize the issues facing our society, that
are at the forefront across our country, involving
citizen and police encounters that led to tragedy.
In light of the current environment, what are your
hopes about building respectful partnerships in
the Charleston community between citizens and
police?

Polarity Map ™ 41
Listening Session 
Action Ideas for the Future
What suggestions do you have for police to
further strengthen relationships with citizens
that both preserve Public Safety and
safeguard Individual Rights?  
For example, ideas about what police could
start doing, stop doing, continue doing and do
more (any of these).

Polarity Map ™ 42
IDEAS FOR POLICE
Ideas For The Future

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Listening Session 
Action Ideas for the Future
What suggestions do you have for citizens to
further strengthen relationships with police
that both safeguard Individual Rights and
preserve Public Safety?
For example, ideas about what citizens could
start doing, stop doing, continue doing and do
more (any of these).

Polarity Map ™
44
IDEAS FOR CITIZENS

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Posting and Priority Choice
Instructions
• Choose your PRIORITY (BEST) ideas from two tables
close to yours
• Each person has 5 choices total
• A check mark with your pen is how you show your choice
• No more than one check mark for each idea

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PRIORITIES IDEAS FOR POLICE

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PRIORITIES IDEAS FOR CITIZENS

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Headline Report Outs
• Each facilitator call out top 2-3 ideas from their
group’s list

Polarity Map ™ 49
April 6 College of Charleston
April 12 Hellenic Center
April 13 Bishop Gadsden Retirement Ctr.
April 13 ILA Hall (NAACP Co-sponsor)
April 14 St. Andrews Old Middle School
April 19 James Island Charter High
April 26 Hellenic Center
April 27 The Shaw Center
May 8 Hellenic Center
Public Listening Sessions

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A Promising Path Forward for
Charleston, SC…and the Country

Chief Greg Mullen
Mayor Joe Reilly Margaret Seidler

Robert “Jake” Jacobs
Chandra Irvin Bob Seidler

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Recruitment Strategies

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Recruitment Strategies 
Print, Radio and Outreach

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Recruitment Strategies 
Flyer Distribution

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Recruitment Strategies

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Regardless of the
circumstances or who was
right or wrong, the outcome
was the same – communities
were being ripped apart. I
care deeply about Charleston,
its citizens and my officers
and I wondered would we be
next? My answer came on
June 17, 2015.
The Illumination Project
Strategic Planning and Implementation Report

Polarity Map ™
Ten 2016 High Priority Strategies
62
Goal 1: Develop better understanding between citizens and police of
different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences to build mutually
beneficial relationships
1.2P Objective: Police contribute to creation of diverse partnerships to 
enhance community safety
STRATEGY 1
Collaborate with citizens who are disproportionately impacted by crime to
develop crime reduction strategies to improve relationships and gain
cooperation
Measurement: Identify the top 5 crime prone neighborhoods within the
city based on crime analysis data; conduct listening sessions within these
neighborhoods to build a mutual understanding and strategy to address
crime; measure change in crime rates; measure change in relationships
by involving neighbors to conduct a door-to-door survey

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Getting the Word Out

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Polarity Map ™

Listening Session Approach:
6 C’s
Convene
Create Context
Connect to the Content
Craft Your Preferred Future
Commit to the Cause
Close

Listening Session Defined
This approach substantively improves the relationship between
the police and the citizens they serve.
This substantive improvement happens through mindset
change, behavioral change, and structural change.
These three types of change are substantive, begin
immediately, and stick over.

Polarity Map ™ 71
The Illumination Project, if it is to realize its full
potential, needs to become a regular way of
working and living in the city of Charleston.
When it becomes this type of ongoing process
we will both have completed our work and at
the same time ensured the work to further
improve the relationship between citizens and
police, with trust and legitimacy, will never end.

Bgsu keynote - jake jacobs

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