The Conflict Resolution Center of Santa Cruz County will host an information table at Threads of Grief, Threads of Love, a special First Friday quilt exhibit at the Resource Center for Nonviolence.

The exhibit features 36 handmade quilts created to remember 720 infants killed in Gaza. Through fabric, care, and collective witness, the installation creates space for community members to hold grief, reflect on our shared humanity, and consider how solidarity can move us toward greater responsibility. (Resource Center for Nonviolence)

Listening is a vital first step. 

Conflict resolution begins with the willingness to listen, acknowledge harm, and remain present with experiences that may be painful or difficult. Art can help create that space. It gives people another way to express loss, recognize the humanity of others, and begin conversations rooted in compassion rather than division.

CRC volunteers will be available throughout the evening to share information about our mediation, restorative justice, youth, workplace, housing, and community programs. Stop by our table to meet us, ask questions, and learn how CRC has helped Santa Cruz County residents work through conflict for 40 years.

See you Friday night!
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The exhibit takes place Friday, August 7, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Resource Center for Nonviolence, 612 Ocean Street in Santa Cruz. Light refreshments will be served.
The event details are published by the Resource Center for Nonviolence.

We just got this note from RCNV

Dear Beloved Community,
We invite you to join us next Friday and Saturday as we come together to reflect, remember, and recommit to the work of cultivating a peaceful, safe future for all—continuing our 2026 Loving Justice initiative: A Transformational Path Toward Interbeing.

This series explores what it means to meet fear, anger, and loss with courage, goodwill, and fortitude—rooted in the understanding that all struggles for justice are interconnected. Recognizing and nurturing these connections is how we grow the movements that change the world.

On Friday, August 7, from 6–8 PM, RCNV opens its doors for Threads of Grief, Threads of Love, a quilt exhibit honoring Gaza's Children. Thirty-six handmade quilts remember 720 infants—each one stitched with care by community members who could not bear to watch from a distance while their government remained implicated. We'll gather to witness, grieve, and reflect together over light refreshments. No RSVP needed.

Then on Saturday, August 8, at 1 PM, we mark the 81st anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing with a screening of Collateral Damage—a 35-minute RCNV documentary about our local Hiroshima Peace Memorial—followed by paper crane folding and a march to the memorial. We're honored to welcome Victor Kimura, who will share stories about his family, who were in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb dropped. Please RSVP here.

We'd be grateful for your presence at either gathering or both. As always, feel free to share with anyone who might feel called to join us.

With gratitude, Your Friends at RCNV

CRC's Reconciliation Project supported the community-led restorative justice response to the vandalizing of the Black Lives Matter mural in Santa Cruz. Read about how the process unfolded and the impacts of the process on the community and the men who caused harm.

Executive Summary:
This report examines the transformative impact of a restorative justice approach applied to the vandalism of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) mural in Santa Cruz, California. The incident, perpetrated by two white men, caused significant harm to the community and highlighted systemic racial issues. The Santa Cruz Equity Collab, a collective of artists and activists who spearheaded the mural project, in collaboration with other local stakeholders, advocated for the implementation of a restorative justice process that prioritized accountability. 

The process was guided by the Conflict Resolution Center of Santa Cruz County’s Reconciliation Project with support from the Santa Cruz County Adult Probation Department. Key components of the process included facilitated dialogues, community engagement, and reparative actions such as repainting the mural, financial restitution, participation in racial equity education, and community service. Feedback from stakeholders underscored the process's success in fostering personal accountability and community healing while revealing areas for systemic improvement. This report concludes with recommendations to enhance restorative justice practices, ensure broader adoption, and address gaps in the legal system's engagement with impacted communities. 

​Read the report here!

For more information, click here

​Earlier this summer, CRC hosted the memorable Let’s Talk About It! even in partnership with the MAH. After its inaugural success our team, together with the team from MAH, immediately put the event on the calendar to repeat next year (more on save the date to come!). That event, along with our work on programs such as the Reconciliation Project and the Neighborhood Courts program, and along with many other events and the events that are happening this week throughout our County and the Country are the continuous efforts we all must take to promote equity, peace and safety, to restore justice through healing, understanding and transformation. We are sharing the events brought to you by many wonderful organization of Santa Cruz County and we hope you have a chance to join!

United Against Hate Week: Nov 13–20
About United Against Hate Week

The Pajaronian published an interview CRC's Dany Torres and Alaya Vautier on December 22, 2021 about recruiting bilingual and bicultural volunteers for the DAOs Neighborhood Courts Program:

"A restorative justice-based program of the County District Attorney’s Office in partnership with the Conflict Resolution Center (CRC), NCP utilizes panels of trained citizens to determine outcomes for offenders of certain low-level misdemeanors. 

According to program coordinator Danitza Torres, the initiative has so far worked—successfully giving both offenders and victims in Santa Cruz County a chance to safely discuss the crime, decide on reparations and, eventually, heal.

“Out of 45 conferences … We had 35 participants who have so far completed their agreement, and they’re now completely out of the system,” Torres said. “Which is really good. We’ve had really good feedback. They’re appreciative of the program, and that they have a safe space where they can talk things out.”
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Read the whole article here. 

The California Health Report recently wrote an article about youth and restorative justice programs. CRC's Restorative Justice Programs Director, Alaya Vautier, was interviewed for the article.

"Coastal Santa Cruz County — a historically progressive region in the southern reaches of the greater Bay Area — has embraced restorative justice wholeheartedly. In Santa Cruz County, where 200-plus juvenile misdemeanor crimes are charged each year, the nonprofit Conflict Resolution Center runs two publicly funded youth diversion programs for minors charged with misdemeanor crimes such as shoplifting and minor burglaries. 

Last year, nine teens took part in the center’s victim-offender dialogue program, mostly held over Zoom. A total of 55 youth were referred to parent-teen mediation. In addition, 54 youth participated in victim awareness education classes.

Vautier said “there’s a will” among local officials to apply more restorative justice practices as a preventive measure, before youth even end up in detention. 

“Juvenile probation here is pretty progressive and very interested in keeping them out of juvenile hall as much as possible, to do things differently,” she said. “If we could reach the youth before they go through court, we might have better outcomes.”'
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You can read the whole article here. 

Community TV's (communitytv.org) Steve Pleich and Keith Gudger kindly interviewed our Neighborhood Courts Program Coordinator Dany Torres and our Restorative Justice Programs Director Alaya Vautier. They spoke about our work co-creating the Neighborhood Courts Program with the District Attorney's Office as well as a quick highlight of our many mediation and training programs. Check it out on on Community TV (communitytv.org) where it will be shown every Tuesday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 4:00 pm for all of August and always available on YouTube.

BY HUGH MCCORMICK
POSTED ON DECEMBER 18, 2018
GOOD TIMES SANTA CRUZ
​War took 13-year-old Lejla Bratovic and her family by surprise.