[img]2843|right|Ms. Avis Ridley-Thomas||no_popup[/img]For three hours this evening and three more on Saturday morning in South Los Angeles, the perhaps most talented member of the Ridley-Thomas family will lead community mood-calming sessions following two recent police shootings of black men, here and in Ferguson.
Days of Dialogue is the program.
Founded two decades ago, after the O.J. Simpson verdict, it still is led by Avis Ridley-Thomas, wife of the County Supervisor and mother of the state Assemblyman.
Los Angeles City Councilman Curren D. Price will be prominent in the landscape because both sessions are in the Council District he likes to refer to as the New 9th, as in fresh start.
Today’s 5:30 session, with Councilman Price and Ms. Ridley-Thomas at the helm, will be at Dr. Maya Angelou High School, 300 E. 53rd St., Los Angeles 90011.
Saturday’s 9 a.m. program will be at Augustus Hawkins High School, 825 W. 60th St., Los Angeles 90044.
Here is the format, as explained by Connie Llanos, strategic advisor for Councilman Price:
“In the dialogue, community members discuss issues of interest or community concerns in an informal but guided gathering.
“Anyone who has an opinion and cares to voice it, can participate, regardless of or religion. Members engage each other in discussions about important and sensitive issues in a confidential, unbiased environment under the supervision of a trained facilitator” from the Ridley-Thomas team.
As a recognized mediation expert, Ms. Ridley-Thomas notably founded the City Attorney’s Dispute Resolution program in 1989, and she directed it for the next 22 years. She presently is executive director of Days of Dialogue and co-director of the Institute for Nonviolence in Los Angeles.
The Dispute Resolution program grew from four staff members to 2,000 volunteer conciliators, mediators, trainers, facilitators and peacemakers. They handle thousands of disputes every year.
To participate, email thenewninth@gmail.com or call 213.473.7009.
