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giving names to the different forms of disagreement, Graham gives critical readers a pin for

popping such balloons.

Refutation of impropriety has brought attention to attacks on American everyday commons

such as public libraries, parks to net neutrality. Although commercial intrusion and private interest

into previously public or “common” space is widespread, because of initiatives like Community

Conversations and similar exchanges - new efforts to preserve and expand what is held to be in

the public domain have emerged in recent years to counter the will of politicians who cut funding.

Working Through Conflicts, Disagreements and Room Tension

Literature on the term “Community Conversation” is miniscule however searching on the

topic of “dialogue” itself is expansive, addressing wide perspectives that encompass a broad range

of literature, from theories advanced by scholars of deliberative democracy, citizenship theory,

and the public sphere. Unlike traditional methods of civic participation, namely, public hearings,

deliberative forums such as Community Conversations offer what the term implies allowing for

conversation-centered engagement in which participants in small groups create an environment

for sharing and have the opportunity to build relationships. The act of individuals gathering in a

public way to engage and exchange opinions describes a deliberative democracy in which

members of the public can act together to further a common good and shared concerns (Cavalier,

2011; D. Levine, 2011; Saunders, 1999). Deliberative democracy, exercised through public and

civic engagement, is a form of public action that promotes the ideal of an engaged citizenry. For

that reason, Community Conversation and civic engagement serve a particularly crucial role in the

current post-modern environment, plagued by social strife, political division, and cultural

acrimony. Cavalier (2011) noted, “In the everyday workings of our public discussions about what

we ought to do, deliberation allows for a thoughtful public airing of issues and the forming of

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