Readers, this week’s post about an organization that is actively seeking to bridge the divide in our nation between law enforcement and the general public. Game Changer, which began in San Diego and has now expanded to Los Angeles, has a unique approach to unifying both sides while actively pursuing solutions to the issues that are causing said divide. I personally think that what they have going on is brilliant, and I can’t wait for you to read my conversation with the organization’s founder, Sean Sheppard.

Tell me the origin story of Game Changer.

I was very distraught after the spate of officer-involved shootings that occurred after the Michael Brown killing in Missouri. I was distraught by what was happening in the country. And what was even more upsetting to me was my friends, (my white friends in particular), not saying a word, behaving like they didn’t see what was happening. And that silence hurt me more than anything because this was happening at the same time that there was this movement in support of gay marriage. I saw everyone changing their Facebook profile to the rainbow color and all that other stuff, and yet, while that was happening, people who looked like me were getting shot and killed and they were unarmed and there was silence on that. So I wanted to do something and I leaned upon my background as being an athlete and being a coach on the collegiate level, knowing that sports is one of those rare things in our society that brings people together on a regular basis, and that we can solve any problem in this country if we’re coming together to solve it. So, I knew that that was where I was going to start. That was what I was most familiar with, that’s [where] I experienced some of my closest friends that look nothing like me and the result of us playing sports together and spending time together working toward a shared goal together.

This group of participants gathers at Staples Center in Los Angeles to learn from each other, brainstorm, and enjoy some NHL hockey!

And the (then) Assistant Police Chief in San Diego, Shelley Zimmerman, she and I literally met as a result of, indirectly, of sports. We went to a mutual friend’s 25th anniversary celebrating being in the clergy, and God rest his soul, Father Henry sat us at the same table together, and we started talking. And we discovered that she’s an Ohio State alum…rabid Buckeye fan…and I used to coach at Ohio State. And we became fast friends immediately once discovering that. And then, as fate would have it, a couple years after that she was named Police Chief. And I remember I was on the 8 freeway driving and she called me and she told me the news. She said, “Hey, I don’t know if you know, but I’m Chief now!” But when she told me that I had not come up with the Game Changer idea. That seed hadn’t been planted yet. But when I did have the idea and put it down, I created a white paper and shared it with her. We met for lunch one day, and before our food even came out, she had the paper in her hand, she put it on the table, she goes, “I get it. Let’s do it.” And December 12th, 2016 at KPBS studios, we had our first Game Changer event, followed by going to the Aztec men’s basketball game, and we are now on event number 67. We’re in L.A. at the Staples Center with the L.A. Kings.

So give us a brief elevator speech…what is Game Changer?

Game Changer is an experiential learning model rooted in behavior change. It is designed to bring about a change in perception, which leads to a change in behavior, which leads to a change in outcomes. The outcomes that we want are more peaceful outcomes between law enforcement and members of the general public that they serve. And we do that by coming together three hours before the start of a collegiate or professional sporting event, (or music concerts, because music brings people together as well), we come together for a moderated focus group that consists of approximately 15-17 members of the general public and 5-7 members of law enforcement. We talk about problems, we devise solutions together, and then we go to the game together to communicate and spend time together in an environment that is casual, an environment that is more likely to be filled with friends. And you can talk about anything in a casual setting while you’re watching the game.

Participants fill out surveys before the event begins.

Because we very rarely, as members of the non-law enforcement community, have any time to speak with law enforcement other than when we’re pulled over for something. And it’s very important that we spend time with one another outside of what is most likely, at the least, a nervous situation for us because we don’t want to get a ticket. Some people have a different kind of fear: “I don’t want to get shot.” And law enforcement doesn’t want to get shot, either. All those interactions are low levels of trauma for everyone because of the possibility of what could happen to law enforcement, or what could happen to the motorist. You never know, but there’s always that chance. We gotta spend time outside of that environment, and this model aims to do that and come up with solutions that reflect law enforcement thinking and non-law enforcement thinking because those are the type[s] of ideas that can actually fix a lot of problems.

So, what’s one thing that has surprised you on your journey with Game Changer so far, or what’s one thing you’ve learned?

What has been surprising to me has been the mutual empathy when it comes to law enforcement mental health. When we turn on the television and there’s a mental health call, we typically are focused on law enforcement responding to some member of the community that has a mental health issue. What doesn’t get talked about in the media very much is the mental health issues that [members of] law enforcement have. The fact that the number one cause of death amongst law enforcement is suicide. We’ve seen members of the general public become very, very emotional listening to members of law enforcement that have the courage to share and unpack what’s going on with them personally, what’s going on with a partner that they may have lost due to suicide, and I feel, personally, that the low-hanging fruit in terms of general public and law enforcement coming together to solve a problem, is mental health. And I’ve been saying that for over a year now and I hope that at some point someone listens to me because, I’m not saying it’s an easy fix, but we’re not even addressing it right now…our elected officials aren’t even addressing it right now, despite the fact that law enforcement knows what the leading cause of death is amongst them. They know it’s suicide. So, what are we doing about it? What can we do?

Post-traumatic stress disorder is usually something we talk about with veterans after they get out. Law enforcement deals with post-traumatic stress disorder every day; they’re not out.

I think that’s amazing that you’re bringing that to light. And I think you’re right about how that’s a really easy thing for everyone to agree on, and start there.

Yeah.

What’s your long-term vision? Where do you see Game Changer going?

Participants enjoying an L.A. Kings game together.

My long-term vision is to bring about a drastic reduction in officer-involved shootings, to bring about a drastic reduction in violent and borderline violent interactions between law enforcement and the general public, to bring about a greater understanding and empathy for one another; there’s a lot of goals to this program. But really, it’s about behavior change, it’s about the way we communicate with one another, it’s about the way we see one another before an interaction even takes place. I want us all to begin looking at each other as human beings, fellow human beings, that we like, and then treating each other accordingly.

And, you know, we hear about law enforcement saying there’s a few bad apples [among them]. Okay, let’s get rid of ‘em. Because those few bad apples are taking lives, causing trauma, causing stress, and painting all the other apples in a bad light. So we need to get them out. So until we have some type of federal standard that all law enforcement agencies around the country have to adhere to as it relates to officers with files that are less than exemplary, we’re gonna keep having officers saying, yeah, there’s a few bad apples. And look, no profession has a perfect track record, but this is a different profession. A less than perfect track record for a member of law enforcement could mean that people are losing their lives. This isn’t like a bad cashier at Target, where they’re not good at they’re jobs and they’re giving you the wrong change. I can live with that. People want to live, law enforcement and non-law enforcement. We all want to get home to our families at night. And unfortunately, it’s human nature that there are criminal elements in this country and we need law enforcement to deal with them. But we also need law enforcement to deal in an even-handed way with people who are not criminals.

What’s been your biggest challenge?

My biggest challenge has been bringing this to scale. To have the awareness of this program, have the necessary funding and resources so that we can expand this program on the ground nationally, but also to utilize technology so that we can leverage the amount of people that we have coming together in virtual environments to train one another without having to fight traffic on the 405 to get here. And that technology already exists, it’s just not being applied in this particular area, but we’re getting there.

So, if someone wants to get involved, how can they get involved?

Just visit us at gamechanger1.org and click on the contact us tab and reach out to us.

Donating, volunteering, participating…?

You can donate…we definitely want you to participate. We definitely want people to get off the sidelines. Step away from the computer with the comments, come educate yourself, and then go back to the computer and make some educated comments. That’d be great. So, participants, donors, sponsors…yeah, we definitely want people to participate.

The name of this blog is The Village Visionary, so I always ask, what is your definition of a visionary?

My definition of a visionary is someone who has the imagination to create something and then see it through so that it’s not just your imagination, it’s not just a vision that’s in your head, it’s reality in front of your eyes. There [is] a whole different assortment of visionaries in this world. It’s amazing to me to see my vision get played out in real life. And it takes a lot of people to make a vision happen.

Do you have any advice to someone who’s trying to start a nonprofit, or anything you wish the general public knew about what it takes to run a nonprofit…any insight at all about nonprofits?

Well it helps to have some seed money (of which I had none)…but really, the biggest thing that I would say about nonprofits is, if you can develop some sort of tie-in to government and elected officials so that they can see your vision, it can help your efforts tremendously. Because whether you like them or not, elected officials know a lot of people, and they’re able to introduce you to somebody who wants to help you. That would be the advice that I give…elected officials, or people who are very entrenched in the business community. I hate to say it, but the people with the money in this country, run this country. So, it helps to have those allies with you that believe in your vision because they can definitely help your vision along to become a reality.

Readers, I can’t urge you enough to sign up for a Game Changer event. It’s a great opportunity, for listening, learning, sharing, growing, and helping our society take a step toward harmony reconciliation. What are you waiting for? Visit www.gamechanger1.org now, and be the change you want to see in the world!

Thank you for reading! If you like the images accompanying this story and would like to explore how visual storytelling could help your organization share the heart of its mission, please visit my website, www.soulvoyagerstudios.com, or send me an email at soulvoyagerstudios@gmail.com. To receive regular content regarding visual storytelling and inspiring ways to make a difference in this world, subscribe to my newsletter below!

Breaking Down Barriers Through Sports - Game Changer