A Circle of Healing in Oakland

A teenage boy stands in juvenile court, shoulders tense. His crime wasn’t violence or dealing drugs, but hustling candy for pocket money, a desperate effort to help his struggling family weighed down by fractured relationships and substance abuse. Credible Messengers on staff at Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY) met the boy while he was in custody and reached out to his family. 

“RJOY offered some practical support for him and his family – food, gift cards, bus fare, and most importantly helping them transition from homelessness into a stable apartment,” says Teiahsha Bankhead, RJOY’s executive director. A year later, she’s proud to report that the boy is thriving: “He’s back in school, working, being responsible, analytical, and always wanting to lend a helping hand.” In her words, the once-troubled teen is now “a shining star.”

This kind of transformation is RJOY’s mission in action. “People shouldn’t be defined by their worst day, or the worst act that they’ve ever committed,” says Bankhead, a licensed psychotherapist with a PhD from UC Berkeley who came to restorative justice through academia. Born in South Central Los Angeles to what she calls “a long history of racial justice activists,” she was raised with an acute sense of social equity. 

In the years since Dr. Bankhead became executive director, RJOY has grown into a formidable force for good, expanding with the additions of two remarkable sanctuaries: a nine-unit apartment building for transitional housing and a 10-acre farm acting as a healing and wellness center. It’s a respite for low-income, marginalized, and underrepresented people who don’t otherwise have access to those amenities.

On any given week, RJOY provides a number of services to those in need. There are twelve restorative healing circles each week, affinity gatherings where participants share food and stories. 

“All of our circles have a full meal with them,” says Bankhead, so people are nourished with healthy food as they engage and connect. There are circles for queer and trans youth of color, for grieving mothers, for elders and youth together. All are guided by the principle that healing is a communal act.

In restorative justice, there are those who are harmed and those who have caused harm. RJOY serves both. “We try to find solutions that are high on accountability, but also high on support,” Bankhead explains. 

Even the justice system puts their faith in the people at RJOY. Local public defenders and police regularly share the number for RJOY’s crisis line, a lifeline for those who fear calling 911.

This melding of mental health and practical support deliver a bold vision of safer streets, radical love, and a healed Oakland guided by restorative justice. For Oakland’s youth, it can mean the difference between a jail cell, or a promising future. “RJOY is an investment in a healed community,” says Bankhead. “It literally saves lives.”