WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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A report on Downtown Safety and Civility is now under review by a mayoral task force. The Community
Justice and Mediation Center, or CJAM, produced the report after undertaking a three-stage public
deliberation process to examine issues such as panhandling, homelessness, and substance abuse in
public places that led some community members to feel unsafe. One of CJAM’s public forums was
interrupted last December by protesters voicing concern that the Mayor’s task force didn’t include a
representative for Bloomington’s homeless and disenfranchised populations. The task force is made up
of representatives from the business sector, health services, the police, and city government. According
to CJAM Director Liz Grenat (greh-NAT) , two new members were added to the task force to address this
concern: Susan Rine (REN-ee) of Life Designs and Reverend Forrest Gilmore of Shalom Community
Center. The task force had its first meeting on Feb 17th. Reporter Sarah Vaughan spoke with Reverend
Forrest Gilmore and CJAM’s Liz Grenat about its work reviewing the report and best practices and
making recommendations to the city.
