JCOD “Together We Thrive” Summit & Festival — Inglewood, CA

The Los Angeles County Justice, Care and Opportunities Department (JCOD) held its Together We Thrive Summit & Festival on November 19, 2025, at WePlay Studios in Inglewood. The event combined a formal policy summit with a community-oriented festival, drawing justice-impacted individuals, nonprofit organizations, service providers, artists, and county officials into the same physical space.

Unlike a conventional conference, the structure emphasized movement and proximity. Attendees moved between panel discussions, workshops, and open areas offering direct services and resources. Policy conversations were not isolated from the people most affected by them; speakers, organizers, and participants frequently occupied the same rooms and outdoor spaces, creating a flatter dynamic than is typical for government-hosted events.

Throughout the day, panels addressed reentry, housing access, employment pathways, and alternatives to incarceration. These sessions were interspersed with cultural programming and performances, reinforcing the event’s dual identity as both civic forum and public gathering. The festival component was not ornamental; it functioned as an access point, drawing in attendees who might not otherwise engage with county programming while keeping the atmosphere grounded and informal.

Photographic coverage focused on this intersection of policy and lived experience. Images documented speakers addressing full rooms, small groups in active discussion, and attendees engaging directly with service providers. Rather than staged moments, much of the visual record centers on transitional spaces—hallways, outdoor areas, and shared tables—where conversation and exchange continued outside scheduled sessions.

The event highlighted an ongoing shift in how Los Angeles County frames justice-related initiatives: less as abstract reform and more as an integrated system of care, logistics, and human interaction. Together We Thrive did not present conclusions so much as it exposed process—how policy, community presence, and individual participation intersect in real time.