Birth of a City
This week the team has been working like crazy to get this website up and running (albeit in a beta stage). It’s critical to get it just right, because it’s inside ‘Gabriel City’ where the impact of what we do takes shape. The good news is that a website is an ever evolving entity and what doesn’t work will reveal itself over time with use and can be adjusted accordingly. We are hoping that many of you will offer the kind of criticism and contributions that will allow us to achieve our goals.
So here are the “whats” and the “whys.”
Gabriel City has two main “whats.” On one hand we want to be a community created site, think Wikipedia, for all matters concerning criminal justice. From how to visit a loved one behind bars (google maps for jails and prisons) to what types of organizations exist to support victims of crimes, from links to local, national and international news sources, to advice and ideas about critical issues of our day; the site will be an important and comprehensive resource for the millions upon millions most directly affected by crime.
The other emphasis is for the site to be a storytelling venue. Imagine a kind of YouTube for criminal justice content. There is no doubt that there is a strong link between the experience of incarceration and the artistic expression it inspires. And yet, while there certainly is an enormous amount of talent and creativity within prisons, this will not just be an art center for inmates.
No, Gabriel City exists to harness the power of storytelling for the greater good of society. We want to break the endless cycle of crime and incarceration that destroys lives and communities which ultimately only leads to more crime. By empowering people with a way to tell their story, and an audience to listen to it, we begin to heal the wounds of time and crime. That is why Gabriel City needs to grow.
To be clear, we are neither romantics who believe all criminals are victims of the system, nor do we believe that all inmates are animals unworthy of forgiveness. And while victims of crime must not be silenced nor their pain ignored, policy issues affecting the criminal justice system can not be guided strictly by their suffering. Finding the correct balance is not easy and requires dialogue, reflection and lot of hard work and dedication. That is what we are going to launch….together.