My first proposals were submitted to potential funders in 2016.  Unfortunately, no funding was realized due, primarily, to the episodic nature of the material.  But watch out, here comes "Reviving Rice Mother II."

The prior proposal was for a series of mini-docs. The new proposal is for a single, feature documentary to be shot in northern Southeast Asia (SEA) in 2018 and 2019.

Rice Mother Sets the Tone

I'm occasionally asked if this topic is really as important, timely, relevant or urgent, as I say it is?  My first thought is always, "Don't you read?  Are you a citizen of the world?  Are you informed?  Do you do read, don't you?"  But my job is to inform, not to be rude or judge.  And, given that my work is, in large measure, guided by a revered spirit, I speak, as the Rice Mother might of larger themes that will potentially make a difference in their lives.  Did you know, for example, that it is her view that the work of growing rice is the ideal form human labor, reflecting a well-ordered, moral society?  There's something poetic about that.  The Rice Mother sets the tone of each and every blog and episodic mini-documentary series my name is associated with. 


Since ancient times, the Rice Mother has tapped into the psychology and resiliency of the poor rural farm communities and invited them into the process of living well during easy times and surviving well during difficult times.

Southeast Asia is already struggling with a climate that is no longer the climate of the past.  The rural rice farmers I address are well aware of the growing problem of climate change but often consider themselves disenfranchised and too uninformed to know what to do.  The Reviving the Rice Mother web series, in a rising tide of Internet use in that part of the world, will show the rural rice farmers how to prepare for and adapt to the already extraordinary changes around them.  They will be assured that their families can survive the expanding droughts, floods, and diminishing rice yields.  The documentary series is strategically designed to reveal what they can accomplish when there is a vastly increased opportunity to share practices, tools, planning and the implementation adaptation activities.  

As one rural rice farmer told me, "At last, farmers like me will have the information we need to feed our families."  That optimism is from someone who is already at the mercy of not only changing weather patterns and commodity prices but also with very low access to technology, information, and markets.  

Important, timely and relevant?  By all means.  Urgent?  Oh yes. Please pay attention.

 

Like everyone else in this outfit, multitasking is something I’ve been required to do for a long time.  The level of multitasking I'm talking about started when I jumped into a new career in my early sixties.   My so-called new career remains on-going, ambitious, exhausting and time-consuming.  It seems that out of necessity, I've created a multi-headed dragon to assist me on my long last journey.  For more than ten years, I’ve been writing, directing and producing multiple projects all at the same time.  Although, as a filmmaker, I've managed to gain some rave reviews, gather a few awards, as well as traction, in a very competitive field full of twenty-somethings.  

However, things are changing as quickly as I can turn my daily grand this life of mine into a new single direction.  I am currently in the process of setting all remaining projects aside (for the time being) and/or delegating the work to be done on film projects currently in post-production (such as "Promise of You"), to a strong team of seven inspired people that I’ve fortunately been able to attract around me. 

My focus is swinging back to Southeast Asia (SEA) and my one paramount goal, "Reviving the Rice Mother."  I am moving into a time of single tasking (unitasking ?).  If I had a T-shirt with a statement on the front it would say, “Don’t bother me.  I’m monotasking.”  The time is ripe for change.

The seed of this challenging project was planted by my associate, Benjamas Siripatra, Deputy Secretary General, with the Thailand-based Local Development Institute, back in 2013.  Over time, I developed the project into a web-based series of mini-documentaries called The Search for Mae Posop.  When the idea was passed by the Sundance Documentary Fund, the Ford Foundation’s JustFilms initiative, and other potential funders, they all advised that the project’s mission* was of interest to them and that I should send them a work sample as soon as available.

*To enhance the effectiveness of NGOs and community development programs for rural rice farmers throughout the ten ASEAN nations of Southeast Asia.

The SEA project’s current status is optimistic and charging forward.  I’ve been able to produce a prize-winning documentary work sample called Reviving the Rice Mother that recently won rave reviews and a standing ovation at the Scary Cow Film Festival in San Francisco.

I've learned that the essence of the Rice Mother, Mae Posop, the Rice Goddess philosophy, involves that growing rice is the ideal form of human labor, reflecting a well-ordered, moral society.

Please revisit us again: this on-going story (the work 'blog' just doesn't do the story justice).

Stay tuned and be amazed.      

This is a perfect time for me to announce that "The Search For Mae Posop" is back on track.  The hows and whys will be fully developed over the coming weeks as I describe Rice Mother's ascension onto a world stage.  Her process.  My process.  It's all about evoking an ancient and familiar spirit with a strongly expressed message that will be seen on the web, hand-held devises and projection throughout Southeast Asia.

I'll start with the question, why are we searching for her?   The answer has very much to do with the fact that for thousands of years rice has shaped the history, culture, diet and economy of billions of people in Asia.  As a result, rice permeates all aspects in the life of people in all walks of life. What caught my eye originally was that rice also takes many forms in the arts - from poems to music to painting to sculptures.  Rice is in the traditions, folklore, ritual and even the language.  Is that a perfect window of opportunity for a documentary film, or what?

Five years ago, while searching for a pragmatic way to inform the struggling rice farmers of Southeast Asia (SEA) the concepts of climate change resiliency and sustainable agriculture, my friend Benjamas at the Local Development Institute in Bangkok, reminded me of Mae Posop's historical and far-reaching influence.  And the seed of doc series was planted.

My own personal search for the Rice Mother is simply to return to, or rekindle, the strength of her ancient wisdom for the struggling farmers of Southeast Asia (SEA).  Her doc film series will showcase how rice farmers can manage their lives in such a way that will insure their ability to continue to feed their families and to be resilient during this time of climate change. Already everybody in SEA struggles with a climate that is no longer the climate of the past.  They are her audience.

Last November 2014 I pitched the project to the members of Scary Cow Productions (a San Francisco-based film company) and I waited for feedback as I worked on my other four film projects. Waited and and waited some more.  Then, 5 months later, I got an Email from a young woman who informs me that she is experienced in, and passionate about, documentary filmmaking and would like to join the team.  Team?  We are magically a team again - or is it some more.  It's like a new star is born in the universe.  To be sure, I gladly accepted an invitation to have a face-to-face.  It was on the day of our first meeting that I decided the person to direct the trailer for doc-series was Elizabeth Jackson - the dynamo sitting across from me.  In a coffee-dive deep in the Mission District is where the new star first glimmered.

First thing she did was call a preproduction meeting so I could meet three of her hand-picked doc film associates (I love a Director who directs).  And, of course, the meet-up was also arranged so they could meet me: the old guy with the fire in his eyes.  The message I intended to leave behind was that I have a deep instinct and desire to produce this series as soon as our 2-1/2 minute trailer can be created and production funding can be subsequently arranged.  No small task, but our project is an important one and I am confident that the right funder(s) will appear.  They're already in my sights.

The spirit of Mae Posop is a compelling one.  There's no mistaking whether she's present or not. Know this: I have experienced her presence again now in the form a renewed energy and a vibrant momentum.   And believe me, that's always a good thing in this doc filmmaking line of work.

Communicating With Rice Mother

It’s not much of a stretch for me to assume that I am one of very few American citizens who has the ability to communicate with the Mae Posop.  She is, after all, an ancient and sacred spirit in faraway Southeast Asia (SEA) and I am far from being a devoutly religious man.  However, over the last four years I have studied and come to accept her spiritual values. 

 I am attracted to her myths and rituals that provide poor rural rice farmers with a whole paradigm of how to live in harmony with nature and its cycle of birth, death and rebirth, creating equality in society, and respecting the feminine power as the source of life.   The Rice Mother has become a close friend of mine.

Our long path together will, I expect, end only when her documentary film series (The Search For Mae Posop) is being produced and distributed, as I envision, exclusively over the Internet in the aforementioned, faraway SEA.   Such a task would seem impossible to achieve without my daily dialogue with Mae Posop.   She is able to critique me, and patiently guide me as I endeavor to advance daily, in any way that I can find. 

During most of my relationship with Mae, her spirit has seemingly arrived at my side in the form of intuition: a sixth sense about what is important.  More recently, I am also learning to how to have a one-on-one dialogue with her through meditation.  Meditation requires a quiet mind and lots of practice.  I'm working on it.  On top of all that, I’m confident that Mae will also be appearing in my dreams.  Or so I’m told.  I wait hopefully.

My most recent dialogue with her informs me to continually monitor media coverage from tha part of the world and to wait for political calm before taking my small camera crew back into SEA.  The United States has elevated its warnings to recommend that Americans postpone non-essential travel to Thailand.  If we were going to travel only to Thailand, I would travel without hesitation, but now the State Department recommends that Americans currently avoid China’s Yunnan Provence as well.  That’s where the Mekong River begins it’s journey through SEA and where our series begins. On top of that my Asian friends, both here and over there, suggest it would also be foolish to travel into Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia at this time.  All of the above are experiencing some turmoil and political uncertainty. 

There is an old proverb that proclaims, “Smooth seas do not make skillful sailor.”  And so I take this opportunity to shout from the rooftops, “If I can’t do what I want now, I will be even more prepared to do what I want in the future.”

Job number one: get the trailer for the doc film series edited and make it available to the Ford and Sundance Foundations.  There is an urgency to the project that keeps me fully occupied.  Well, nearly.  I'm also setting up to shoot a film next month.  The script (A Lovely Adult Beverage) is an award winning script written a few years ago by San Franciscan David Asher and me.  I'm also working daily on a coming-of-age, art heist thriller screenplay called Objects of Belief.  

Stay tuned, won't you?

Chiseled In Granite

Usually it’s someone calling my name out from across a San Francisco street. “Hey Leo,” they’ll ask, “What’s going on? Anything?” There’s a lot going on. Let me fill you in a bit.

First, please spend a few moments studying the accompanying map - the second in the series of four. You will see that this one illustrates the route of my next trip to Southeast Asia during the window of time described as June, July and August of 2014: Thailand's North West Heartland, Myanmar's Shan State, and China's Yunnan Provence before turning south into Laos to follow the Mekong River Valley to Vientaine. Should I assume that you all understand the goal of the mini-documentary film series - The Search For Mae Posop? It’s said by the ancients that the road to perdition is paved in assumptions. Therefore, let’s take a close, hard look at the mission again. Just in case. Here it is in 17 words. The goal is to enhance the effectiveness of NGOs and CLC programs for the poor rural rice farmers throughout SEA. There are many levels to our mission, but know this: at its core, it is that. It is already chiseled in granite. So then, how does one proceed? Well, for one thing, I wisely continue to rely on Mae Posop to point the way. She has never failed to bring to my attention the next step. Right now the next step is to search for and find cooperative community farm networks (NGOs and CLCs) to visit with our cameras during the next trip to the other side of the world. What are the resources I can draw upon to accomplish this vital task? Well - fortunately during my first trip to SEA, I was introduced to highly regarded people and organizations that have offered to assist to me in arranging this activity. I am currently pursuing these much anticipated relationships. Lastly, I have begun the important search for a sponsor for Mae Posop’s mini-doc series. There are two seasons (each made up of 8 episodes) and thus two opportunities for a progressive enterprise in Southeast Asia to make a significant regional impression. The potential benefits to the sponsor are great and I am already presenting my case to important decision makers. Organic is the operative word here.

Mae Posop's Profile

The question put to me was, "Tell us about the title of your doc series. The Search For Mae Posop. What does it mean?" Wonderful question. I love to talk about my new best friend. In most rice growing areas of Southeast Asia there is an ancient spirit of rice that resides in a Rice Goddess or Rice Mother. For thousands of years her birth and life have appeared in legend and folklore in all regions of Thailand where she is called Mae Posop. Fast-forward to today: now rural rice farmers are concerned that she is being taken for granted and that their rich rice cultural heritage is fast disappearing. Only in the past five decades has her veneration been threatened by modern agriculture, changing rice growing economics, and industrialization. Wait for Superman no more. In The Search For Mae Posop she will be returned to center stage where she will direct our cameras to rural farmers learning and working hard to remain resilient and to continue to feed their families during this era of climate change.

Her offer of hope lies in the alternative rice farming movement that seeks alternative ways to cultivate rice which are in harmony with nature. Being in harmony with nature is a concept that is instantly desirable to us all. In the title, the use of her name, specifically in the Thai language, will be understood and considered both clever and clear by its narrowly defined Southeast Asian audiences: clever, in a way that is compelling to the rural rice farmer audience and clear, in a way that tells the viewer what it is they are going to see. It is critical that the huge rural farm populations of Southeast Asia (a) expands its understanding of the risks already underway, and (b) grasps what its seeing and is able to assess their own options within that paradigm. Is there a better way to protect their families and their greater communities? Far greater than considerations of economic and civic infrastructures is how a single man may feed his family. This documentary series, distributed only over the Internet, will help begin that effort.

Panning For Gold

The climate of the Mekong River Basin ranges from temperate to tropical. All I know for sure is that where we find ourselves today it is hot and humid and there is nothing but 'white water' ahead. So much to see and never enough time. What a rush in every sense of the word. During our second week in SEA the production team of three focuses it’s cameras and all it’s energy (and remaining shekels, I might add) on discovering the rural rice farmers who farm along a section of the Mekong River that sweeps down the broad curve of the river that borders Thailand, from Vientiane, Laos to Don Khong Island, Laos down near the Cambodian border. Here, the lives of the farmers revolve around a section of the Mekong that has long served as a lifeline into this interior. Along the Mekong there are astounding visible signs of history stretching back to the 6th and 7th century: gigantic Buddha statues atop mountains, breathtaking ruins and an ambiance that evokes an authentic awe in so many travelers. And there is genetic evidence that shows that rice originated 8,200 to 13,500 years ago and began moving down this important waterway. It is an important part of the world and we sense it. So - what do you do when, after a long trip to the other side of our planet and a long, red-eye railroad trip to this exact destination?

Well, the thinking was given that there was about to be a spectacular sunset on the river, it was unanimous: a cold beer with a view of the whole event would be in-order. Soon we realize that we’d better find a place to rest for the night. No problem as long as I leave it in the hands of the all-female crew. I take a cold shower and hit the rack with Mark Twain’s “Roughing It.” Wun goes for a jog. Jogging in that kind of heat is unimaginable to me. Gloria goes shopping for batteries. Stick a fork in me - I'm done.

Jesus on a Flapjack

There in the glaring sun, something in the patty’s dried mud and rice straw debris caught my eye. A small metallic disk. What the... There it was as clear as any likeness of Jesus on a flapjack: My name - graphically depicted on a bottle cap: LEO. I took it as an affirmation from Mae Posop. I'm supposed to be here. Amazing.

It was only 4:45 a.m. when I heard a vehicle pull into the guesthouse parking area. Khon Montri promised to arriveat 5 a.m. It would be like him to be early. Very well - up and at ‘em. I make my way outside with luggage in hand where I’m joined by Wun and Gloria who appear out of the darkness, packed, ready and raring to go.

With little conversation and no breakfast, we head for a Buddhist Monastery somewhere out there in the darkness. The name of the temple is Wat Kasemsrima. Khon Montri’s immense van has air/conditioning, soft leather lounge chairs and a large television screen. We sit comfortably with our feet up on the footrests. If we smoked cigars I’m sure we would have fired them up. At least in the movie version. He asks me of my plans concerning the distribution of our programming. My words come out of my experience and he seems pleased with what he hears: I tell him that it has become obvious to the producers that there is no more efficient or effective manner to reach an exponentially larger audience, or any of its parts, in shorter or across vastly extended spaces, than with digital video distributed over the multi- platforms so easily accessible throughout Southeast Asia via the Internet. Southeast Asia is presently witnessing a high acceptance rate to social media by individuals as well as a rapid growth in citizen’s journalism. Shaping these developments is a newfound affirmation of social media as a channel for the voices of ordinary people. As a result, the activation of a community has never been more responsive. We are in the right place at the right time. Within minutes we arrive at a public square - good sized and well cared for. In the dim light we seem to be surrounded by temples, open-air study halls and eating areas. In the dim light a dozen shadowing figures move about sweeping leaves away, freshening-up the large pile of loose rice that sits near the center of the square, and laying-out large grass mats. Locals begin to materialize and find comfortable seating. Gloria asks me stay behind her and out of frame.

I try, I really do. When the early morning rituals are about to begin a distant gong sounds. Deep and soft. It repeats - speeding up in tempo. A long line of stoic monks appears walking in a long line into the edge of the space. They pause and face the modest crowd for a long while. I think it was so we, the crowd, could watch and adore them, these holy men from long ago. Suddenly I realize one of monks is on a cell phone. This is telling of an age of change. It’s happening right now and we are there. We witness an ancient and moving Mae Posop ceremony that has been performed at the time of harvest for 5,000 years or more. Sufficient to say it is moving emotionally and that there were often tears often running down my cheeks. There was a Holy White String ceremony.

One of the outcomes is that I now wear a thick white string around my left wrist. It’s all about being connected - being in relationship - with all the elements that surround us.

The Great Khong

Director Wun Yip instructs our tuk-tuk driver to pull over to the side of the road near the university in Vientiane, Lao. Wun and our ace cinematographer, Gloria Kurnik, grab their cameras (Cannon DSLRs) and head inside the hot and dusty rows of foodstuffs looking for large sacks of rice being purchased and stacked on the back of motor scooters and bicycles. The preproduction shot list guides our daily agenda, minute by minute. The driver and I sit in the hot shade provided by the canvas top and wait as the ladies shop. We try to make conversation but it proves hopeless. He goes back to his cigarette and I dream of a cool breeze off the Pacific. Earlier, we left the Laotian Office of Agriculture and Forestry who explained they are midway thru a 4-year program calculated to train rural farmers to be “climate change-ready.” Today is the second consecutive day on their huge compound that sits across from the great university coliseum. But today the man assigned to us is a soviet trained Lao analyst and Doctor of water management. He shows us a power point presentation that was of some interest but repeated time and time again that he no power to show us anything more, such as, their rice test kitchens and laboratories. With not a moment of footage shot, the day is a dismal failure but still we plod on. We catch an overnight sleeper-bus that leaves Vientiane around 7 p.m. and head for Pakse located down the Mekong River near the Cambodian boarder. My female camera crew makes a bet that my bunkmate (bunkmate?) will not be the Swedish college girl they accuse me of dreaming off. Bunkmate? Well - this is a surprise. They remind me that Thailand is a proper country that would never place a man and a woman in the same bunk. The girls are right, of course, and a Lao college-age kid says his two words of English (“Howdy - howdy”), climbs in and plays video games all night long. It is a most grueling night. As I write today the light is beginning to turn from day to dusk here on the second story porch overlooking the river. The full moon should rise soon and promises to be spectacular. You see, this morning we made it over to a large island called Don Khong that sits in the middle of the Mekong. The camera crew left four hours ago to charter a boat and cruise around the island looking for, as always, shots that will make our trailer even better.

Me, I remain behind to research a possible connection between organic rice and climate change. Our interviews tomorrow are back in Thailand and will be about, hopefully, the profound connection that I manage to find between the two. And I hope to find time to take a much-needed nap. It’s dark now and there is still no sign of the ladies. They seem indestructible. Not to worry, I tell myself. I’d say it's time for a gin & tonic and just hope for the best, oui?

Flight Into the Unknown

The efficient EVA Airline flight attendant just cleared my meal trays and it seems a good time to begin the first of my reports to be written on the way to, and ultimately from, a part of the world that will take so much of my attention for the next two years. I have a strong suspicion (read expectation) that this doc series will not only be successful but will also be extended off into the future. The whole topic of Climate Change is of growing concern not only to poor rice farmers of Southeast Asia but the world at large. The date displayed on my laptop computer is November 10. Is it, really? Further study reveals that it’s midnight either where I came from or where I’m going. It’s a blur. I slept perhaps four hours total. Each time I raised the window shade it’s black outside. I am at a loss. What day is it? What is the prevailing time zone? But does it matter right now? I really don’t care. I’ll just be right here, right now. Benjamas (my coproducer) and her son Ohm are seated somewhere behind me. We’ve not spoken since our midnight lift-off and just as well, I suggest. Prior to boarding she wanted to go over the logistics for the next 4 days. I could not wrap my mind around all that at that time. Not without my notes in front of me and a large chalkboard with an agenda carefully laid out in large block letters mounted on the wall. I will need sleep before taking on all that. I am such a “low capacity system” when I’m used up by the day’s activities. Feeling that I must add to your body of knowledge concerning this adventure, I am attaching hereto a map of SEA with our ambitious route delineated. Last thought of the day: When I boarded the monster Boeing 777 aircraft just before midnight in San Francisco, I found myself comfortably stationed in a seat between a window and a very pretty and very shy young Asian girl. Such an elegant girl she was and no more that twenty years of age. What caught my attention was how slowly and gracefully she moved. Never otherwise. Every move prolonged in time with the grace of a ballerina. I would enjoy talking to her but she went out of her way to avoid my eyes and any conversation. It wasn’t until we were exiting the plane in Taiwan that I found her gazing at me. She smiled with her eyes. She nodded her head, turned and was gone.

Going Coconuts

The original purpose of my first trip to Southeast Asia (SEA) was to step into that world, to locate and develop ideas based on whatever elements and people I find there that, in my opinion, would encourage coming back for a second and even a third time during 2014 with a professional crew. That’s when we’d start at the headwaters of the Mekong River and move south the full 2,700 miles by bus and/or boat to, among other things, to reconnect with rice farmer friends I meet on this first trip. The original goals included: *To just experience being in SEA (weather, culture, etc.) To meet informally with the Thai people and encourage them to get to know me. *To visit rural rice farmers and to get a fix on their understanding of what is occurring to them due to Climate Change - and to judge their willingness to be involved in our project at any level. *To see first hand what actions rice farmers are taking because of climate change and the changing environment. *To meet with Thai and Laos NGOs and community foundations to talk about Climate Change. And to report about what effective people and programs are in-place and are informing the public (as well as policy makers) what to do to mitigate the impact of climate change on food security. As they say, 80% of the work in pre-production for a doc is research. About that time, I decided to arrange to have a video camera shadow me as I explore and make my inquires. Perhaps - just maybe - I could gather enough footage to string together the 2½ minute trailer requested by the Ford Foundation's JustFilms initiative and Sundance Doc Fund. That was just about the time filmmaker Wun Yip, my long time friend living in Beijing, became attached to the project. As the Director, Wun brings an all-together different mind-set and energy to the table. The first trip that seemed to be a research trip rather than a trailer-making trip became something else. A highbred bursting with potential. Concerning your readership of the blog, there are two ground rules to be aware of:(a) you are not required to read all that I post and (b)there is no requirement to respond to my blog with your own comments. Tomorrow at this time I'll be heading to SFO to catch the red-eye for Bangkok.

Hi Everyone, I’m told by experts that it takes seven ‘nudges’ before people pull out their wallets. So - that will be my job: to plead and beg each of you at least seven times until everyone puts up at least $25. That includes you. There is no escaping. This campaign will have huge results. The immediate goal is to get our work in front of the likes of the Sundance Doc Fund and the Ford Foundation's JustFilm initiative with a compelling trailer that will show them why this remarkable project should be fully funded. I am in communication with them both and we are invited to do so. Sundance and Ford are waiting. I figure that I should be able to raise 25-30% ($4,000 to $4,800) of our $16,000 goal from within my own network (you friends and family). Strangers will want to see some traction before getting excited about the campaign, as the initial group (that's you) can provide. We'd better get started. Please become a collaborator with me and the Local Development Institute on this remarkable film. Something to think about: Given that I am the producer of a documentary film and cannot look to name stars or lavish special effects to draw an audience, it is important that the picture contains some kind of 'theatrically exploitable' element that will draw our audiences to the videos to be produced, whether it be on a handheld device, a laptop or table-top computer, or a computer projected image that would typically be screened at a farm meeting or community center in Southeast Asia. Of course I would not have brought up such a point if I didn’t have an element or two up my sleeve. These are presented on the Indiegogo site. Take a look. I predict you will be inspired to act. Until next time than, I remain Leo

NEIGHBORHOOD COURT

As I’ve emphasized on several occasions, that the Neighborhood Court program depends in large part upon voluntary cooperation. Today’s blog gives you a chance to meet a typical volunteer. Please meet Sheri Gunner.

SHERI retired from United Airlines after twenty-two years as a flight attendant. Still in good health and probably one of the most vigorous of all the other retired flight attendant friends, she ran for and won the presidency of the retired flight attendant club, she began a rigorous regime of daily power-walks, and rode her bicycle for at least 35-miles, twice a week, along with her retired United Airline pilot. On top of all that she found time to watch at least two movies each week and read at least one book per week. The latter, actually motivated her to join a book club sponsored by the public library not far from her home. Last night was her first meeting of the book club that was scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. sharp. It was apparent to all that Sheri had no intention of doing anything that resembled doing nothing at all. Aging wasn’t an option she considered for one single moment.

She arrived at the library for her first book club meeting with twelve minutes to spare. For only a moment, she was curious why no one else was there, but no matter, she was pretty certain that she was in the right place and, of course, she had a really good book with her to occupy her sufficiently until the others arrived. That’s just about the time two women and one man, all wearing power suits walked in. The man, a tall, thin Chinese fellow, was carrying four large, steaming hot, fresh pizzas obviously just out of the oven. Of course curious, Sheri asked, “Hi. Who are you? Maybe I’m in the wrong room.” They all gave a friendly laugh and suggested that fate had got her there.

“The guy was the first to speak. “Hi. How’s it going?” He shook her hand and introduced he and the ladies, “ I’m Rodney Lam, the Director of Neighborhood Court for the Office of the San Francisco District Attorney. Pointing to the short, square-shouldered woman on his right he said, “This is Sally Branson, our Neighborhood Court Prosecutor and this.” pointing to the woman on his left, “this here is Hilary Kramer, the director of CaCDS - California Community Dispute Services. Who are you?” “I’m Sheri Gunner and I’m curious what you’re up to and, oh my God, that pizza smells so good.”

It was suggested that she join them, and the other dozen that were quickly filtering into the room, for a couple of slices of pizza pie and an orientation meeting arranged to explain Neighborhood Court to potential volunteers. Was this up Sheri’s alley or what? Needless to say, Sheri never made it to her first book club meeting. Here’s what she learned.

• Neighborhood Court is an alternative to Criminal Court. Instead of charging cases for criminal prosecution, the District Attorney’s Office can refer certain cases to Neighborhood Court and a panel of volunteer “adjudicators’ will hear the case.

• Adjudicators are residents who volunteer to hear the cases. They have been trained in restorative justice and problem solving. They are people who have a stake in the community. They are not professional lawyers or judges. They are residents, merchants, students, parents or retired people.

• At Neighborhood Court, the adjudicators decide how to resolve the case. All parties may attend. Panelists hear from the offender, and the victim in cases where there is a victim, and discuss the impact of the crime on the community. To resolve the case, they issue “directives,” like community service and/or restitution, or they can dismiss the case.

If you would like more information on how the program works, you can call 415-551-9565, or you can go to www.sfdistrictattorney.org.
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NEIGHBORHOOD COURT (6 of 10)

This is the sixth in a series of investigative reports and fictionalized narratives that deal with an authentically chaotic criminal justice program found in our city of San Francisco where the District Attorney, George Gascón, has launched a pilot program, called Neighborhood Court. As the DA likes to say, “As a restorative justice program, Neighborhood Courts will strengthen communities undermined by criminal activity.” During the five months of my involvement, I sense that the betting is on the DA pulling it off. I just hope we’re not too late. And I remain curious what will happen if George is not re-elected?

Based on the comments I’ve been getting, a more detailed look at the concept called Restorative Justice is called for. For some folks it’s hard to wrap their brain around it. So let’s take another look at it all. First, what are the pertinent questions you should be asking (according to experts)?

• What is it?
• What are its most basic principals?
• What is it for?
• What are the primary objectives?
• Why is it called Restorative Justice?
• How did the idea of Restorative Justice arise?
• What is the relationship of Restorative Justice to Legal Justice?
• What are the limitations of Restorative Justice?

The most complete resource I’ve found to answer all these questions is a report filed by Tony E. Marshall at the Home Office of Research Development and Statistics.

What is it? It is a process whereby the three parties with a stake in a specific offence collectively resolve how to deal with the aftermath of the offence and its implications for the future. Who are these three parties involved? That’s got to be, of course, the offender, the victim and the local community.

What is it good for? The objectives are clear: (a) to attend fully to victim’s needs - material, financial, emotional and social; (b) to prevent re-offending by reintegrating offenders into the community; (c) to enable offenders to assume active responsibility for their actions; (d) to recreate a working community that supports the rehabilitation of offenders and victims and is active in preventing crime; and (e) to provide a means of avoiding escalation of legal justice and the associated costs and delays.

What are the limitations? There are several limitations, but perhaps the biggest is that Restorative Justice relies in large part upon voluntary cooperation. If one party is not willing to participate the range of options is reduced. If neither party is willing, there is no option but to let formal justice take its usual course.

Next week I will take a look at the panelist - called adjudicators.

Please stay tuned.

NEIGHBORHOOD COURT

This is the fifth in a series that deals with an authentically chaotic criminal justice system found in nearly every large community in California, if not in the entire Western world. My focus is specifically on our city of San Francisco where the District Attorney, George Gascón, has launched a pilot program, called Neighborhood Court. As the DA likes to say, “As a restorative justice program, Neighborhood Courts will strengthen communities undermined by criminal activity.” I think the DA can pull it off.

It is my intention in these reports to promote public confidence in the integrity of the Neighborhood Court process. Call it a cause, even a mission if you’d like. Whatever you call it, it is my passion to describe it to you. To be in close and to be able to witness the birth of an important evolution in our judicial system is significant enough to gain my full attention as a freelance writer.

Who knows? This might be so much fun that I will want to take on the state of our public education system in the spring of 2012.

The responsibility being the Prosecutor of this ambitious pilot program is huge. Ultimately, the DA placed the entire task onto the shoulders of one person. As we all can easily imagine, in that capacity it becomes a critical point of contact because each and every cited individual will meet with the Prosecutor. How many is that? Well, in the Mission and Bayview districts for example, police issue between 30 and 50 citations a day. Those who receive one will be given two choices - a court date in six weeks or a chance to see the Prosecutor immediately. So before the offender appears before the panelists at neighborhood court, he's already admitted his guilt and expressed his interest in wiping the crime off his record. Commit the crime today, see the Prosecutor tomorrow and be in neighborhood court quickly. That is what is promised. That is what is required to make this work. We are off to a good start, let me tell you.

More case studies next time.

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NEIGHBORHOOD COURT

This is the fourth in a series of fictionalized narratives that deal with an authentically chaotic criminal justice system found in nearly every large community in California, if not in the entire Western world. In this blog my focus is entirely on our city of San Francisco where the District Attorney, George Gascón, has launched a pilot program, called Neighborhood Court. As the DA likes to say, “As a restorative justice program, Neighborhood Courts will strengthen communities undermined by criminal activity.” That is Gascón’s ambitious goal and one that has apparently achieved the unequivocal support of San Francisco citizens. (There is a city official in San Mateo who does not support it, but his reasons have not been offered up as yet. Let me get back to you about that).

At the moment I am the midst of describing the offenders who commit the infractions (sometimes called petty offenses) and the misdemeanors (criminal offense that is less serious than a felony and more serious than an infraction). What has preceded today’s posting and all that will follow in the coming weeks reflect my experience as a panelist, an Adjudicator, and a volunteer.

Case number three - Beverly T. (the victim) versus Selma S. (the offender) - Battery (Penal Code 242); Destruction of Evidence (Penal Code 135); Vandalism (Penal Code 594).

Officer Max T, of the police department’s district office, read the police report, which I paraphrase here to tell a fascinating story:

This two women have been next-door neighbors for 3-years. It should be noted that neither the victim nor the offender speaks the other’s language. With the exception of an occasional “good morning” or “buenos dais” there have been few if any interactions. As a matter of fact, there have never been any issues whatsoever between them until, that is, eight days ago, when Selma (the offender) walked onto Beverly’s front porch with an aluminum baseball bat and smashed the newly mounted video camera that was to provide security surveillance of Beverly’s porch, and did so very well - unfortunately it also was believed by the offender to be video-taping her front porch as well. Selma then rang Beverly’s doorbell. Beverly states that when she answered the door, she screamed in terror at the sight of a raging, red faced woman, holding a baseball bat as if prepared to strike a blow on her person and standing in the midst of shattered glass and metal of the video camera which had been mounted above the door. Selma then swung the bat once more smashing a hanging flowerpot. Beverly slammed the door shut and immediately called police. The message they got was “battery in progress.” When the police arrived the offender, who was still raging and threatening the victim with the bat, was thrown to the ground and handcuffed. The offender claims that she is the victim of the neighbor and her camera, which violated her privacy. Both parties accepted the police report as an accurate description of the events. It rang true.

DIRECTIVE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD COURT
We the panel, upon hearing the circumstances of the confrontation, voiced our concern that because these two parties are likely be neighbors into the foreseeable future, they should put into place an arbitration mechanism in order to avoid future misunderstandings and confrontations. The panel will assist them with the arrangements of such a mechanism. The offender was then directed to (a) three sessions of Anger Management Group, (b) to meet with Legal Aid so that she might come to understand the laws dealing with the destruction of personal property of others, and (c) to replace the camera. In other words: repair the harm.

TRADITIONAL COURT VRS. NEIGHBORHOOD COURT
The entire process, from beginning to end, occurred within a 3-week period versus the 3-months it would have taken in traditional court. The entire cost to the City & County was $300 versus the $1,500 it would have cost in a traditional court. When these numbers are extrapolated out for, oh say, 5-years the compelling reasons for supporting this pilot project cannot be denied.

NEIGHBORHOOD COURT

This is the third in a series of fictionalized narratives will deal with the authentically chaotic criminal justice system in San Francisco and what our highly regarded District Attorney, George Gascón, has undertaken to discourage the endemic criminal violations that impact our city’s neighborhoods. His pilot program, called Neighborhood Court, was announced during the spring of 2011 and is now well on its way of making a difference in our lives. “As a restorative justice program, Neighborhood Courts will strengthen communities undermined by criminal activity.” That is Gascón’s ambitious goal.

To prepare for this assignment I have positioned myself as an unofficial embed inside the District Attorney’s Neighborhood Court Program as an Adjudicator. I have willingly signed a legal document called a Code of Conduct Agreement that prohibits me from disclosing any confidential information received in the course of my service to Neighborhood Court or employing such confidential information for personal gain. It is my intention to report only my experience as a panelist in ways that intentionally promote public confidence in the integrity of the Neighborhood Court process. That is my tact because it is the truth. Let’s continue with a report from the same hearing as described last week.

Case number two -Miss Flora D. - Violation: Muni Fare Evasion - Municipal Police Code 1145

Maggie greets Flora and her 8-year old daughter (who by the way, charms everyone in the room) and presents her opening statement to the offender: She reminds Flora that if the panel finds that the citation was properly issued and that if the panel can come to an agreement as to its resolution, she will instruct the DA not to pursue the case against her. However, she is told to be very, very clear that if she were charged with the same offense again within 12 calendar months from the date of this incident it may be treated as a second offense and the consequences would be far greater. Maggie introduces the panelists on her left and right as individuals from the same community that is provoked by her offense.

Flora admits that she doesn’t pay any fare most of the time because she just doesn’t think it’s fair to be charged anything at all. She thinks fares are already too high and adds that she believes the fares will continue to go up and up and ultimately they will exclude all the regular folks of her community from public transportation. Flora says she was only going two blocks with her children to pick up free food being handed out a church and wondered why it was a “big deal”.

The panelists begin to ask her questions, such as:

o Are you able to walk? “Yes.”

o Does you understand the irony in that rather than walk two blocks for free food being offered in your community you elected to break the law in your very same community? “Hadn’t thought about it.”

o Do you think you set a good example for your daughter? “No.”

o Do you want to set a good example for your daughter? “Yes.”

o Are you aware that, like demonstrated by you, there is very little community respect shown for the T-Line in your community and that that lack of respect is more common here than any other parts of the city? “No.”

o Are you aware that she is likely entitled to a free Clipper Card. “I heard the program was ended, so I just didn’t check into it”

At that point in the proceeding Maggie asked Flora and her little girl to wait in the other room while the panel considered the case and what might be done to resolve the matter. It didn’t take long. In less than five-minutes Flora was asked to rejoin the group and advised what had be decided. She was given 10-hours of community service as well as a contact number where she obtain a Clipper Card at no charge. She was to get the card and report back to the Neighborhood Court in two weeks time. Needless to say, Flora and her little girl were pleased and agreed to come in.

Next case, next week.

NEIGHBORHOOD COURT

This is the second of a series of fictionalized narratives will deal with the authentically chaotic criminal justice system in San Francisco and what our highly regarded District Attorney, George Gascón, has undertaken to discourage the endemic criminal violations that impact our city’s neighborhoods. His pilot program, called Neighborhood Court, was announced during the spring of 2011 and is now well on its way of making a difference in our lives. As a restorative justice program, Neighborhood Courts will strengthen communities undermined by criminal activity. That is Gascón’s ambitious goal.
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Not being familiar with Muni bus routes and schedules in this particular part of San Francisco, I arrive later than I had hoped at the neighborhood community center where today’s court will take place. There are only five minutes remaining before the doors will be opened and today’s session will get underway (at 1 p.m. sharp).

I am a newly trained panelist candidate here to observe the first of two Neighborhood Court sessions I must attend before I can be assigned as a Judicial Panelist in good standing. Maggie G., a seasoned volunteer adjudicator, is assigned by the DA’s office to be today’s facilitator and given the title of Judge/Arbitrator. Maggie graciously introduces herself to me as well as to Michael K. and Sarah R., the other two volunteers making up the panel. Also in attendance is Officer Max T. of the SF Police Department who assigned to this district’s station. His duties are to read aloud the police report pertaining to each case and also to provide security to the hearing as may be needed.

I’m reminded that I can only observe today’s process without making any comments or suggestions during the proceedings. It is recommended that I write down any comments, questions or suggestions that arise and discuss them with the panel at the end of the hearing day. With just a minute or two to go before opening the proceedings, Maggie includes me in her final instructions to her fellow volunteers, “Be positive, direct and honest. And by all means listen with courtesy and empathy. Okay, let’s do it.” With that we were ready to get underway.

It is announced that there are only cases scheduled to be heard during the next two hours. Not everyone charged has arrived in the outer office but there are individuals and cases to be heard at once.

Case number one - Wayne D. - Violation: Drinking in Public - Muni Police Code -21

Maggie thanks him for coming in and reminds him that this is a voluntary process and that he is free to leave at anytime. If that is his choice, she continues, his case will be sent back to the District Attorney who may charge his case and which case he will be required go into regular court and before a judge in black robes. Wayne states that he understands and that wishes to remain.

Wayne is a black male about 50-years of age who comes off as very dignified and handsome in his carefully trimmed goatee. He proudly tells the panel that he retired from the U.S. Coast Guard nearly twenty years ago and has never been able to find steady work. For “pocket money” he recycles bottles and cans. The police report states that eleven days ago he was cited for having a full and open can of beer near a church on a Sunday where parents and kids were present when he was confronted and cited by two officers on bicycles. When asked for his recollection of the circumstances, Wayne tells a sad but somewhat humorous story, to my way of thinking:

“It was about 11 a.m. and was I was pushing my shopping card full of empties down the street just like I always do. I seen an acquaintance there on my regular route and stopped to have a chat. We went to elementary school together a long time ago. Well, he gave me one empty can of beer for my collection and had just popped opened a second, when he seen two cops coming up from behind me. What he does is not say nothing but just hands me the full can and he takes off down the street and disappears around the corner. The cops that I never seen coming pull over and there I stand with the full can of beer. Like I said, I never even seen them coming.”

At that point Wayne is asked to wait outside while the panel discusses the matter. The panel quickly decides to dismiss the case. Wayne is asked to come back into the room and is given the panel’s decision. He agrees to do his collecting in the future away from where good people assemble. He thanks the panel for their understanding and leaves to go about his business. Nicely done, it seems to me.

More about today’s session to continue next time. Please stay tuned.

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NEIGHBORHOOD COURT

This series of fictionalized narratives will deal with the authentically chaotic criminal justice system in San Francisco and what our highly regarded District Attorney, George Gascón, has undertaken to discourage the endemic criminal violations that impact our city’s neighborhoods. His pilot program, called Neighborhood Court, was announced during the spring of 2011 and is now well on its way of making a difference in our lives. As a restorative justice program, Neighborhood Courts will strengthen communities undermined by criminal activity. That is Gascón’s ambitious goal.

In the coming weeks and months, I will approach the entire subject of Restorative Justice, by describing:

• The offenders who commit the infractions (sometimes called petty offenses) and the misdemeanors (criminal offense that is less serious than a felony and more serious than an infraction).

• The victims and what the system can do to repair the harm done to them, including issues material, financial, emotional and social.

• The community represented by trained volunteers brought together under compelling circumstances, each seeking in a selfless way to play a role in reinventing as broken judicial system.

To prepare for this task I have positioned myself as an unofficial embed inside the District Attorney’s Neighborhood Court Program as an Adjudicator. I have willingly signed a legal document called a Code of Conduct Agreement that prohibits me from disclosing any confidential information received in the course of my service to Neighborhood Court or employing such confidential information for personal gain. It is my intention to report only my experience as a panelist in ways that intentionally promote public confidence in the integrity of the Neighborhood Court process. That is my tact because it is the truth. Let’s get started, shall we?

Restorative Justice?
Another damn starry-eyed Progressive crusade? Not so fast. I suggest that you had better pay attention. It could very well affect your life, the lives of your children and the lives of your children’s children.

What first caught my attention about the program was the compelling fact that restorative justice has been used by indigenous populations going way back to a time of Native American “sentencing circles” and prehistoric Maori justice in New Zealand. Not matter what it is now called, it is a modern development that assumes that if low-level crimes, such as taxi fare evasion, shoplifting, or selling tobacco to a minor, could be handled in the neighborhood where the violations happened, a different result would be achieved. Instead of going to criminal court for these kinds of “life misdemeanors” the cited offenders are offered a chance to come to an agreement with a "neighborhood court." By simply admitting responsibility, the cited individuals are sent to a panel of community members who listen to his story and sentence him to some kind of "restorative justice," such as cleaning up graffiti or writing a letter of apology. Once he completes the assignment, his record for the offense will be cleared. Hooked yet? Please stay tuned.

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