reviews
Here are some testimonials people have made…
…about our NEIGHBORHOOD MEDIATION PROGRAM
“I wish we had called Community Boards sooner. For months, we yelled, “lost” phone messages, got and gave the silent treatment, slammed doors! Your mediators helped us talk things through, calmly and respectfully. After only two hours we reached an agreement! Thanks!” – Three roommates, Mission District
“No one in the new family upstairs spoke very good English and we don’t speak Spanish. We tried to talk to them about the noises coming through our ceiling, but they didn’t understand. Having a Spanish-speaking mediator made all the difference. Our mediation changed everything. They bought rugs and padding, and now we have our quiet home back!” – Two families, North Beach
“We’re always getting calls where people want us to settle a personal dispute. People treat us as marriage counselors, family therapists, referees or judges. You name it. I’ve made numerous referrals to Community Boards, giving folks your little card for problems where no law has been broken, but when we’ve been dispatched.” – SFPD police officer, Tenderloin
“As a property manager, I’ve referred tenants who have problems with other tenants to Community Boards. I’m happy to help them when I can, but you’ve certainly made my job a lot easier. Thanks!” – Property manager, Excelsior District
“I was very impressed with the bilingual translator who spoke Cantonese at my mediation. He did more than just translate. Now I’ve got a better understanding of the different values between me and my neighbors. There was more to our problem than just loud music. – Homeowner, Inner Richmond
Without the help of an organization such as the Community Boards and its wonderful mediators, the parties may have never had a chance to communicate their respective situations in a friendly and accepting environment and really listen to each other. Because of your help, the tenants had a chance to bring up issues, explain their points of view, and gain further understanding of the problem. We appreciate very much that you also provided a Spanish speaker, without whose assistance it might have been very difficult for everyone to express themselves fully and confidently. – Apartment Building Property Manager, Pacific Heights
…about our CONFLICT COACHING
“My coaching session was a gentle, practical, conversational exploration of what was important on all sides of my issue. Tony was able to get me to envision a different scenario that would not trigger me.” – Stephen R., Excelsior
“I felt comfortable with my coach and she really distilled my issue into one I could better understand. My session was a nice balance of care and curiosity combined with a focus on the practical.” – Lisa S., Lower Haight
“Awesome session. Sheryl made me think of things that hadn’t occurred to me. She helped me come up with actions I could take that were well within my comfort zone.” – Meryl W., Outer Mission
…about COMMUNITY BOARDS
“Community Boards is an established tradition in San Francisco. They have touched every neighborhood in the City with early intervention and alternatives to solving conflicts. By providing a forum for all residents, Community Boards has developed a unique, culturally sensitive and effective peacemaking forum. We have all benefited from their presence. – The Very Reverend Alan Jones, Grace Cathedral
Community Boards’ staff and volunteers are passionate about their work, tirelessly committed to assisting their clients with such positive results, whether they bring together a corner grocer with the teenage neighbors who have tagged his store with graffiti, or the noisy tenant who agrees to lower the volume so the tenant next door can sleep. Whatever the problem, big or small, Community Boards offers a cost-effective, pragmatic, effective way to reduce the frustrations and tensions that too often boil over into neighborhood crime and conflict. – Consumer Protection Unit, S.F. District Attorney’s Office
“Community Boards has assisted our mission by providing training for people serving Bayview Hunter’s Point…Episodes of violence here making these trainings invaluable for any providers who live and work here…Our experience with them is that they provide a responsive, culturally sensitive and skilled referral service.” – Senior Family Advocate, Bayview Hunter’s Point Family Resource Center
“Depending on the factors that change and challenge our City — economically, politically, socially — we find that our problems also change. Community Boards, being a fixture in San Francisco for years, knows how to change and responds adeptly to these challenges. From the very personal neighbor-to-neighbor to more public issues, Community Boards responds to all conflicts as an avenue for peaceful resolution.” – Executive Director, Centro de Recursos Centroamericanos
“The ease at which a simple dispute can erupt into violence underscores the value of Community Boards’ early intervention and the easy access to its services.” – Former Executive Director, SF SAFE
“Community Boards’ work continues to be a catalyst for initiatives that address volatile urban/civic tensions in San Francisco and other communities throughout the nation. Their efforts promote San Francisco’s reputation for developing community-oriented services by providing prevention and early intervention conflict resolution programs, while maintaining a strong relationship with the highly diverse community that it serves. – Conciliation Specialist, Community Relations Service, U.S. Department of Justice
news
The New York Times Magazine
The Ethicist, Kwame Anthony Appiah, January 10. 2023
(Scroll down for letter about disputing neighbors)
The Enduring Power of the Community Mediation Movement
California Mediation Week 2022: An Open Panel Discussion
The State of the Mediation Movement
California Mediation Week 2021: An Open Panel Discussion
Nonprofit recognizes local ‘Peacemakers’
Alex Madison, Bay Area Reporter
Peacemaker Awards recognizes diverse assembly of activists
Destiny Arroyo, El Tecolote
A roadmap to peace for San Francisco’s Latino youth
Your Call: Ali Budner & Rose Aguilar, KALW Radio 91.7FM
Formerly incarcerated women take on crime reduction, harm reduction, and healing
Your Call: Rose Aguilar & Laura Flynn, KALW Radio 91.7FM
Community Boards Peacemaker Awards: Phoebe Vanderhorst, Deena Abdelwahhab & Darlene Weide Interview (Part 1)
Jenna Lane, KCBS Radio 740 AM
Part 2 | Part 3
Deena Abdelwahhab & Darlene Weide Interview
Talkies with Kris Welch, KPFA Radio 94.1FM
Phoebe Vanderhorst, Dana Curtis & Darlene Weide Interview
Wanda Sabir, Wanda’s Picks Radio Show
Here are San Francisco’s very first Legacy Business recipients
Adam Brinklow, Curbed SF
San Francisco approves first nine legacy businesses
Emily Green, San Francisco Chronicle
Bayview resident the youngest to receive Peacemaker Award
Marynoel Strope, San Francisco Bay View National Black Newspaper
Bullying victim fought back with safe space at school
Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle
8th Grader Wins Community Boards’ The Gail Sadalla Rising Peacemaker Award
Marynoel Strope, The Ingleside-Excelsior Light
Top Grad: JaMarc Allen Henderson, June Jordan School for Equity (2015 Gail Sadalla Rising Peacemaker Award Recipient)
KRON4 News, Article: Annie Andersen, Interview: Maureen Kelly
Radio interview with Darlene Weide
Marilynn Fowler, Let Me Touch Your Mind, KPOO 89.5 FM Radio
Radio interview with Darlene Weide and Mark Thomas, Alternatives to Violence (2015 Community Boards Leadership Peacemaker Award)
Liz Saint John, Alice@97.3/KCBS Radio
Cable program interview with Valerie Tulier (2015 Raymond Shonholtz Visionary Peacemaker Award Recipient)
Leticia Mendoza, Al Día con Leticia Mendoza, Estrella TV42 KTNC/MundoFOX38
Cable program interview with Kamela Laird, Board of Directors
Leticia Mendoza, Al Día con Leticia Mendoza, Estrella TV42 KTNC/MundoFOX38
Cable program interview with Darlene Weide
David Perry, Ten Percent, Comcast Hometown Network
5th Annual San Francisco Peacemaker Award Ceremony to Be Held During Pride Month
San Francisco Bay Times
SF Student to be honored for peer mediation work
Laura Dudnick, San Francisco Examiner
Bayview Foundation wins 2014 SF Peacemaker Award
San Francisco BayView, National Black Newspaper
Lincoln High School Senior Wins 2014 SF Peacemaker Award
San Francisco Unified School District, Website “Spotlight”
Plant, Don’t Plot
John Ribeiro-Broomhead, The Compost Community Garden Newsletter
Community Boards: 35 years settling neighborhood feuds
Brian Rinker, Central City Extra
Dogpatch-Based Martial Arts Group Sponsors Week of Peace
Jim Van Buskirk, The Potrero View
Community Boards Resolve Disputes
Bailey deBruynkops, The Potrero View
Community mediation solves Marina neighbors’ dispute
Darlene Weide, Marina Times
35 Years of Getting to Yes: San Francisco’s Community Boards
Host: Lauren Meltzer | City Visions Radio (KALW 91.7)
[City Visions Radio – Archived Podcast]
Neighbor-on-Neighbor Disputes Resolved
Westside Observer | Page 5
Local Community Boards organization uses mediation to resolve disputes
Organización local ‘Community Boards’ utiliza la mediación para resolver pleitos
[Article – English/Spanish – Download]
Nicole Moreno, El Tecolote
Community Boards’ Commendations by SF Board of Supervisors
City Hall | April 26, 2011
Community Boards and SF Cops meet to Promote Mediation
Anrica Deb, In the Mission Blog, Mission Loc@l
Mediate, Don’t Escalate: Conflict Resolution Mom-Style
Darlene Weide, MomsRising.org
Mediators help in neighborly dog disputes
USA Today
Helping neighbors settle their differences
North of Panhandle Neighborhood Association Newsletter | Page 5
Community Boards on NENTv
Neighborhood Empowerment Network Cablecast
Fences and Neighbors, Mediation & Community Boards
Coalition of San Francisco Neighborhoods Newsletter
Community Spotlight: Community Boards
San Francisco Apartment Magazine