This Forum intends to be a safe and welcoming place for conversations about local community building, peace, justice, and public safety. Participation is not limited to residents or issues in Golden Valley, but posts that stray too far from these subjects may not be approved.

To help create a space for learning and understanding differing viewpoints, please read and follow these guidelines:

• Keep discussion neighborly and respectful

• Avoid partisan politics and pronouncements

• Keep posts relevant to the forum topic or start a new topic

• No spamming or commercial messages

Some suggestions.

1. Assume a participant's good will and express your own.

2. Read first to understand. In responding, aim for sharing information and achieving new insights rather than refuting another's perceptions or questioning their values.

3. Share stories and speak to each other as individuals, from your own unique experience.

4. Explore complexities of a topic, but avoid language or diatribes that complicate dialogue.

5. Cite sources where facts may be unknown or in dispute .

6. Shorter comments are easier to respond to — and back-and-forth exchanges are easier to follow.