Denver Mediation

Jack and Jill lived next to an Old Woman who lived in a shoe. And as we all know, the Old Woman had so many kids she didn’t know what to do. But on the day Jack & Jill went with the realtor to see their home, they didn’t notice the many kids, (they were visiting relatives for the summer). The neighborhood was peaceful and quiet.

Fall came and the kids returned. Small problems began. At first it was just the occasional toy left on the corner of J&J’s yard, then it was the cute, little puppy that chewed the end of J&J’s watering hose. There were many little nuisances lingering just below the seemingly peaceful surface.

What looked like a functional neighborhood was quickly deteriorating. Jack & Jill had neighborhood friends who shared their "concern" about the Old Woman and her rowdy kids. The Old Woman had her group of friends that disparaged and grumbled about the rich yuppy snobs. A cold war was brewing.

Cars parked in the wrong place, notes left, cops called for small problems. A tree house built a bit too close to the property line, or was it built too high? Zoning was called, reports were filed and the machinery of government began its slow, laborious grind toward imposed solutions.

As the months slipped by the cold war grew more frightening. A fence was built. Threats were hurled across the fence. The kids were engaged in not-so-subtle warfare. The "yuppy scum" responded in kind. The cops were called several times each week, for loud stereo’s, water sprayed over the porch, a noisy muffler on the car and many such things. Finally a window was broken, or was it something else? Who remembers for sure? The cops were called, a citation was issued and the "sides" showed up for arraignment court. Attorneys’ were retained and many dollars were spent.

Jack and Jill weren’t able to move, or chose not to. The Old Woman loved her house and the cold war waged on. City resources were spent, city employees were now devoting large amounts of time to seemingly unsolvable problems.

STOP! What if Jack, Jill and the Old Woman had sat down and talked when the problems first began? What if someone had helped facilitate their talking? What if they had been referred to mediation, where a professionally trained, third party could help them begin talking about their interests and issues? What if they began communicating and working toward solutions they believed would be helpful? What if mediation helped them take responsibility for finding lasting resolutions to their problems?