 |
Joseph A. Myers
|
|
|
|
 |
What are the main challenges you face in your work? |
 |
At the National Indian Justice Center, we teach and
emphasize regulatory responsibility at the tribal government level. One of
the biggest needs of all communities, including Indian communities, is
finding a solution to violence. There are short-term and long-term
solutions. Certainly, short-term solutions must address the violence being
perpetrated in the streets. And, long-term solutions must promote living a
balanced life in terms of philosophy, respect and self-discipline. |
|
|
|
|
What is the state of violence in Native-American
communities? |
|
I think violence in the Native-American community is still on the rise. I'm
not sure if many people [Native-Americans] have been able to reconcile with
past oppression. It's an almost invisible thing. It's unconscious. People
are responding to something, but they don't really know what. And then, you
add the impact of several generations of alcohol abuse, which has led to
widespread Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAE). We
have adults and children who have suffered from FAS and FAE, which have
skewed community dynamics and never been addressed. |
| |
|
|
|
What are other factors that affect the rate of violence in Native American
communities? |
|
Both poverty and the lack of educational opportunities enhance violence in
our communities. A violent person has no boundaries. You can't treat a
domestic violence perpetrator for alcoholism and expect that alone to be the
answer. Instead, the violence within the person must be addressed. I also
think that in Indian country, the issue of self-worth plays a critical role.
If you don't feel good about yourself, you never get very far. |
| |
|
|
|
What keeps you going? |
|
The way my grandmother looked at the world was very
inspiring to me because she loved her Indian spirituality and because she
incorporated the religious doctrine of her tribe. Today, in the eyes of my
grandchildren, I see a great enthusiasm for life. |
| |
TOP |
 |
Raja Rahim
|
|
|
|
What led you to your work? |
|
I realized that there is a connection between sexual
assault and domestic violence. Sex is a big part of the cycle of violence,
and both sexual assault and domestic violence are based on the issue of
control. For many women, sexual assault doesn't just happen once. I don't
remember exactly when I decided I had to take the lessons I had learned and
share them with my community. But as women, we always gather and share
information. We support one another, even when we aren't always aware that
we're doing it. We just do it whether it's over the phone, at lunch or
visiting with one another. |
|
|
|
|
How does your work address domestic violence issues? |
|
Different agencies come into contact with a family, but the
agencies fail to connect with each other. The Greenbook Project brings all
different systems together, brings different folks to the table, says that
everyone has a part and that everyone is connected with this family, and
asks how parties can work together for this family? |
| |
|
|
|
What challenges do you face in working with the
African-American community in the area of domestic violence? |
|
In working with the African-American community, it's
crucial to have information that's culturally specific. At the same time, we
have to keep in mind that domestic violence crosses all lines. Often, people
want to lock it in and say "it's their culture, their religion, their
economic status, or their neighborhood." Domestic violence is common
everywhere. |
| |
|
|
|
What keeps you going? |
|
My faith in God. What keeps me going is that someone was there for me, and I
need to give back. And I hope that if I've touched someone, that he or she
will reach out and give. The reward may be someone reaching out and helping
one of my children or grandchildren. |
| |
|
|
|
Is violence preventable? |
|
I think it is. The prevention or intervention must happen on various levels.
Women need to be educated, batterers need to be educated, and our
communities need to be educated about the effects that domestic violence has
on our children. So, things can change, but the community has to work
together. It takes everyone from the policymakers to the community. |
|
TOP |
 |
Wayne Sakamoto
|
|
|
|
How have you been able to build successful programs? |
|
In San Diego, partnership and collaboration have been key
words for a number of years. One of the reasons that I moved to San Diego
was the opportunity to build a program from the ground-up. I believe the key
factor in a successful program is the support received from supervisors and
other resources. When I came here, I did not want to shuffle paper. What I
wanted to do was provide direct service, identify resources, hook up those
resources, and provide technical assistance and training. |
|
|
|
|
Can everyone be helped? Do you ever give up? |
|
You'll hear, "once they're a gang member, they're going to
be a gang member forever, until they're dead or locked up." We don't believe
that. We believe that once they [gang members] truly understand that there
are consequences to their actions, we can change some of the behaviors
through support and mentoring. We need to provide hope to these young
people. Without hope, change becomes difficult. |
|
|
|
|
What aspects of your personal background inspire you to do
this work? |
|
I was one of the kids that I now try to help. I sat in
those classrooms completely turned off to education, angry, disconnected
from the system and from the community. I had this rage within me. It took
awhile to grow out of it, and I now understand where it comes from. I see
the kids sitting there and I think: that really was me. As a result, I'm
not preaching at the kids and saying, "you can't do this, you can't do
that." I'm handing them information and saying, "this is your life. I hope
you make right choices. Here are the tools to do so. Here are some
suggestions.". |
| |
|
|
|
What are the biggest barriers you face? |
|
I think one of the biggest barriers we face is that when
violence occurs, we call it school violence. Violence that occurs on a
school campus is really community violence. School safety is just one of the
components. Family, community and peer groups need to be tied together. If
we focus only on school safety, we're going to lose more kids because we
don't have a comprehensive plan. We also need to understand that the role of
the school has shifted. It's not just an educational realm; it's also a
social realm. No longer is education an institution where we primarily teach
reading, mathematics and science. We're now teaching conflict resolution and
social skills. We're in the youth development field. To me, that means we're
all, including youth, involved in creating positive outcomes for young
people. We're all part of the solution |
