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IN THE MATTER OF HONORING RESOLUTION NO. 2008/56
VOLUNTEER MEDIATOR CARL HOPKINS
WHEREAS, Carl Hopkins, grew up in the segregated South in the 1930s and 1940s; and
WHEREAS, during his service in the United States Army in the 1950s, Carl Hopkins fine-tuned his
compassion for people under stress by screening out soldiers facing disciplinary action who were
actually mentally ill and
WHEREAS, When his race barred him from job opportunities in Texas, Mr. Hopkins came to the Bay
Area and worked for Contra Costa County's Probation Department, married, and became the
father of two children; and
WHEREAS, Carl Hopkins retired as a Juvenile Probation Officer in 1992 and started volunteering as a
mediator for the Center for Human Development Conflict Resolution Program in Pleasant Hill,
bringing together warring factions and family members to work out disagreements; and
WHEREAS, he listens as each side airs its grievances "with his heart, and his words come from his deep
understanding of the nature of people 'n conflict." He then asks questions that encourage
participants to stop demonizing the otherside, leading them to important breakthroughs; and
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WHEREAS,Mr. Hopkins offers an alterb�tie'to adversarial court battles by showing people they don't
need judges to tell them how to get along;and
WHEREAS, Carl Hopkins was named one of Diablo Magazine's Volunteers of the Year for 2007;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Supervisors hereby honors Carl
Hopkins for his dedicated, thoughtful, and inspiring work for the residents of Contra Costa
County.
FEDERAL D. GLOVER
Chair
01
District V Supervisor
JO GIOIA GAYL . U LKEMA
Distri ;'t I Supervisor District 11 Supervisor
S_�A�n _ �n &'s
�,. ARY . PIEPHO SUSAN A. BONILLA
III Supervisor District IV Supervisor
r -
* =' I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action
taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors
o Ilil11 .;
on the date shown:
A171'ESTED: JANUARY 22,2008
00
`yt4 CC[l144 JOHN CULLEN, Clerk of the Board of Supervisors and
Coun Administrator
By �� Deputy
Introduced by Supervisor Bonilla, District IV