Common Justice

How Black and Brown New Yorkers could benefit from new victims comp reforms NYC-based advocacy organization Common Justice suggests Black, Brown and Indigenous victims were less likely to be awarded compensation.

“This is really just a major win for all New Yorkers, but especially for Black and Brown New Yorkers," said Common Justice senior policy manager Tahirih Anthony. Read more about how recent changes to victim compensation have increased access to life-changing resources for countless survivors 🔗

Over the next few months, our members will co-create our campaign to advance community-led solutions that transform violence locally in NYC. Want to join our movement? Register for this month's virtual meeting 🔗 tinyurl.com/janmembershi...

Every month, our Civic Engagement team hosts a meeting for people affected by harm — survivors, people who have caused harm, and family members — to come together, build power, and create real community-led solutions to violence in our neighborhoods that don’t rely on policing and law enforcement.

Core Practices to Change the Narrative on Violence | Common Justice

Narrative power isn’t just about telling stories; it’s about which stories we put at the center and let guide our collective actions. To learn more about these practices on how to speak about violence responsibly, read our full "Core Practices to Change the Narrative on Violence" report 🔗

We can follow these core practices to change the narrative on violence:
✅ Do not minimize the frequency or impact of violence
✅ Offer an affirmative vision
✅ Uplift safety, survivors, & accountability

For too long, we've been fed stories that demonize people who commit violence, conflate Blackness and dangerousness, center certain survivors at the expense of others, and shut down new possibilities. It's time we challenge our assumptions so new solutions can arise. 👇🏽

Roots of Resilience provides critical support for survivors healing in the aftermath of harm, but we need your help to reach our goal. All donations will be matched 2:1 through December 31. Support our work and families in need by giving a gift today 🔗 www.commonjustice.org/donate

Every month, we host monthly meetings for community members to come together and build real community-led solutions. This month, we’re ending the year the way we began it: in community and with gratitude. Celebrate with us at our Holiday Party in NYC ❄️ Visit www.tinyurl.com/cjholiday2025 to RSVP!

To read the full collection of essays, visit www.tinyurl.com/rewrite-the-story

Understanding violence starts with understanding the story we tell about it. Our new report explores the ways mainstream outlets and individual media makers can reverse harmful narratives and paint a fuller, more nuanced picture of crime, violence, and safety that is transformative and healing.

We must create a future where real justice is achieved through community-based responses to violence that are rooted in healing and repair. #TransgenderDayofRemembrance

Research shows nearly 1 in 6 transgender Americans, and 1 in 2 Black transgender people, has been incarcerated at some point in their lives. The violence of the carceral system only deepens the harm faced by marginalized communities. This is not safety.

Conversations about decarceration must include the impact of mass incarceration on the LGBTQIA+ community. Transgender people are especially at risk - both for contact with the criminal legal system and for harassment and violence once detained. A 🧵:

Applications close TOMORROW 📣 Apply now: commonjustice.org/civicengagem...

Whether you're a practitioner, survivor, organizer, or advocate, we want to learn with you. Join us on November 18 from 1:30 - 3 PM EST | Register: secure.everyaction.com/fcxXRn-2A0Wk...

TOMORROW: Join us for another Community Workshop, a virtual series where we gather with our broader community, explore the core principles that guide our work, and learn alongside each other as we navigate this moment in our shared history. | Register: secure.everyaction.com/fcxXRn-2A0Wk...

Communities for Safety Collective  | Common Justice

The program spans four months and includes a $400 stipend for all participants. Applications are open now through November 21. Learn more and apply today! 🔗 commonjustice.org/civicengagem...

📣 We're accepting applications for our Communities for Safety Collective, a civic engagement and leadership development cohort that builds community power to find solutions to violence by addressing root causes, centering those most impacted, and separating healing from the criminal legal system.

Art for Change

To watch the full video and Art for Change series, visit www.commonjustice.org/art-for-change

Stories about harm should be told with survivors at the center. Award-winning photographer, curator, and writer Laylah Barrayn joins our Art for Change series to share the tools and techniques she uses to tell honest stories that are rooted in the humanity, dignity, and justice of her subjects.

OVS Changes beginning November 5, 2025 | Common Justice

These changes mark a critical step forward in putting survivors first. We must continue to center the needs and experiences of those most impacted by violence. To read more about these OVS changes, visit: commonjustice.org/blog/ovs-cha...

✅ Claims for crime scene clean-up can be filed by any individual who incurred the cost
✅ Victims of scams, fraud, or other financial abuse who have receipts and reported the crime to law enforcement will be eligible for up to $2,500 reimbursement per incident

✅ The maximum reimbursement for funeral and burial expenses have increased from $6,000 to $12,000
✅ Conduct contributing will no longer be considered when evaluating claims for a victim who died

We did it! Important changes to victim compensation policies in NY have gone into effect this week to make access to life-changing resources fairer and more equitable for all. These changes mark a critical step forward in putting survivors first. A 🧵:

What Do Alternatives to Incarceration Actually Look Like? Research shows that incarceration is often harmful and counterproductive. Some alternatives to incarceration can help prevent harm while keeping…

It's time to center the systems that will actually serve our community. Read more about the need for ATI programs here 🔗 www.vera.org/news/what-do...

We need solutions to violence that center survivors and accountability, not punishment through incarceration. Community-based solutions to violence, like ours at Common Justice, provide harmed and responsible parties with the resources to repair harm as much as possible.

Diverting Serious Violence | Common Justice

If prisons don't create true accountability, then what does? Restorative justice. It challenges us to ask: What would it look like to make things as right as possible and open up a path towards repairing the relationship where someone was harmed? Read more about restorative justice circles here 🔗

We know that incarceration and punishment only worsen cycles of violence. Solutions that rely on restorative justice and accountability, not isolation and punishment, make us safer. Visit commonjustice.org to learn more.

Did you know? More than two-thirds of people serving life sentences in the United States are Black or Brown, and people of color are more likely to receive long sentences while being less likely to ever be released from them.

New York is in a mental health crisis. Too many are jailed instead of treated, fueling repeat arrests and record-high suicides. TCEA expands treatment options and keeps New Yorkers out of traumatizing correctional facilities. #SaferThroughCare #WorldMentalHealthDay