Two Way Traffic Ahead
The Watts Truce was a success. Here's what it suggests about navigating polarization.
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In this issue: The Watts Truce signified how diplomacy could resolve a regional territorial dispute. What does it suggest about the efficacy of trust-building techniques today? Here are my first thoughts.
Roundabout
April 26, 1992. On the evening that the officers who assaulted Rodney King were acquitted and an uprising ensued, a group of credible messengers from South L.A. convened to draft a peace treaty to curb community violence. The truce succeeded in community violence intervention, with significant gun violence reductions. Due to the similarities between gang-related territorial disputes and military conflict zones, the language of the ceasefire agreement emulated the trust-building techniques seen in international conflict resolution agreements, specifically the 1949 Armistice Agreement between Egypt and Israel during the Arab-Israeli War.
Cut to present day. The Trump administration’s series of executive orders targeting Community Violence Intervention (CVI) organizations, among others, neglect to recognize the historic efficacy of the Watts Truce. It reneges on the constitutional promise to keep the American people safe and secure. It politicizes and silos community-based solutions for public safety, labeling proven methods as partisan rather than recognizing evidence-based successes that reduce gun violence and better serve community needs. Frontline workers, community peacekeepers, hospital staff, researchers, and more, all stand to benefit from protecting CVI work.
If you’re wondering how best to discuss these topics in your circles, start by exploring MPR News’ Walk A Mile in My News. It’s a social experiment adapted from Wynette Sills at Braver Angels (California Chapter) that encourages constructive dialogue between people with differing political viewpoints.
For conversations with a high frequency of misinformation and disinformation, try sourcing the Analysis and Response Toolkit for Trust (ARTT) from Discourse Labs. The guide is designed to prime users to have better online communication, such as developing communication tools to navigate global circuits of racist disinformation.
Here’s a diagram of their response model:
Direct conversations, though challenging, work. The adventure is in finding the people with the courage to have them.
Stay the course,
Sam
Sam Reetz, is a filmmaker, performer, and founder at Millennial Ethics, creating narrative solutions to complex issues.
Follow her work on Bluesky, Substack and Instagram.
