PJLC Leads National Network Through Strategic Planning Process

The Peace and Justice Law Center (PJLC) has been selected to lead a national network focused on developing and advancing alternatives to gang suppression policing, following a year-long strategic planning process involving advocates from across the country. The effort marks a significant step toward coordinated, values-driven reform of policies that have long caused harm in heavily policed communities.

The work grew out of a session at the Decriminalizing Neighborhoods Network (DNN) conference in 2021, where advocates identified the need for a national structure to connect organizations challenging gang injunctions, gang databases, and related forms of criminalization. While many groups were engaged in similar work locally, there was no shared framework or long-term strategy guiding the movement as a whole.

In response, PJLC was asked to help organize a national strategic planning process. Over the following year, PJLC convened a national organizing committee composed of advocates, organizers, and legal experts working in different regions. Together, the group developed a clear mission and vision, an organizing structure, and a set of shared priorities designed to reduce reliance on gang suppression policing and promote community-based approaches to safety.

As a result of this process, PJLC was chosen to head the Decriminalizing Neighborhoods Network as it moves from planning into implementation. This role reflects PJLC’s experience combining litigation, policy advocacy, and movement support, as well as its long-standing leadership in challenging gang injunctions and related practices in California and beyond.

The strategic plan is intended to help local campaigns learn from one another, coordinate legal and policy strategies, and speak with a stronger collective voice at the state and national levels. By aligning efforts across jurisdictions, the network aims to accelerate the shift away from punitive gang policing toward approaches that respect civil rights and support community stability.

PJLC will continue working with network partners to put the plan into action, supporting collaborative campaigns, shared advocacy tools, and coordinated responses to emerging threats. This work builds on PJLC’s broader mission to reduce systemic harm caused by over-policing and to advance sustainable, rights-respecting alternatives nationwide.