The Community Safety Organizing Team works to build a Durham that is safe and healing for both Jews and non-Jews alike. We work with our political allies to build and use power at the municipal and county levels of government to enact policies promoting the safety and well-being of all neighbors, with an emphasis on marginalized communities in Durham. We visibly organize with non-Jewish political allies who we build trust with and the necessary social capital needed for when we as Jews need to ask the Durham community to stand with us in solidarity against antisemitism.

Since the team's launch in 2021, we have been organizing to build and expand the project of the City of Durham's innovative Community Safety Department, and specifically have been organizing to grow the city's HEART program, which "aims to connect people experiencing non-violent mental health crises or quality of life concerns with the right care by sending new responses that better match residents’ needs. The goal with these approaches is to connect our Durham neighbors to the right care — starting from the point at which someone calls 9-1-1, to the warm handoff to those prepared to help meet the needs of our neighbors in crisis."

The Community Safety Organizing Team builds political support for this project by:

• Meeting with local elected officials 
• Attending and testifying at local government meetings
• Organizing and mobilizing CJJ members to speak out and take action in support of the HEART program's expansion
• Amplifying the voices of parents, educators, clergy, legal advocates, social workers, and other healthcare providers
• Building coalition with our political allies
• Educating the community about HEART and its value to our neighbors

Are you a parent of a Durham Public Schools student, an educator at DPS, a clergy member, a legal advocate, a healthcare provider, or a CJJ member interested in joining our campaign? We want to hear from you! Please fill out our form below and one of our community organizers will follow up.

Reach out to us if you have any questions or if you’d like to get involved in other ways at [email protected].