Tech Nonprofits in the Fight Against Police Violence
George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Michael Brown. Sandra Bland. Eric Garner. Tamir Rice. And countless others.
Black Lives Matter. The outrage against police violence has never been more visible, and the cries to address systemic racism have never been louder. Tech nonprofits are working alongside communities and coalitions at the institutional, policy, and community levels to make this moment one of lasting change.
Campaign Zero, Good Call, and Raheem – all founded by Black entrepreneurs – are on the frontlines of this fight. They’re leveraging technology from data-driven platforms to digital hotlines to end police violence against Black communities. We’ve highlighted each organization below, and hope you’ll consider donating to join them in their fight.
We The Protesters
Across the country, Americans are calling for systemic change in our policies and systems to address police violence. We The Protesters is a visible presence in this fight. Born out of the Ferguson protests against the murder of Michael Brown, the organization identifies effective, research-based and data-driven policy solutions to end police brutality in America.
With a focus on using data science to daylight police violence, We The Protesters has developed digital tools like the Police Violence Map, which is the most comprehensive database of police killings across the country. Another tool, the Police Accountability Tool, empowers people to hold their police chiefs and mayors accountable for ending police violence in their city through charts showing which police departments are most – and least – likely to kill people.
One of the initiatives of We The Protesters is Campaign Zero, which researches and proposes strategies to end police violence. Leveraging data and research, Campaign Zero provides technical assistance to organizers leading police accountability campaigns and develops policy solutions to reduce the number of police killings. The organization sees immediate harm reduction – achieved through changes in use-of-harm policies – as an important step towards the broader collective goal of defunding the police.
Click here to learn more about We The Protesters, here to learn more about the Campaign Zero initiative, here to learn more about the #defundthepolice movement, and here to donate to Campaign Zero.
Good Call
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, at least 10,000 protesters have been arrested and detained in jails across the country. In fact, at any time, upwards of 450,000 people in the U.S. are sitting in jail who haven’t been convicted of a crime. Why? Because they simply can’t afford to pay bail, or don’t have access to a lawyer or their loved ones at the time of arrest. Good Call is changing that.
Good Call provides critical support to anyone arrested in New York City by connecting them with a lawyer and their loved ones through its free, 24/7 hotline. Without access to a lawyer, getting arrested can lead to devastating outcomes – like getting fired from a job, being wrongfully sent to jail for weeks on end, and admitting to crimes one didn’t commit. Good Call helps arrestees in NYC – disproportionately Black and Brown individuals – get the legal help they deserve. And in this time of outrage and action against police violence and systemic racism, Good Call is protecting the right to peacefully protest in NYC.
Click here to learn more about Good Call and here to donate.
Raheem
The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others corroborate what we already know: there is a glaring absence of accountability for the police violence that occurs every day against Black Americans. Brandon Anderson, the Founder and CEO of Raheem, knows this all too well. His lifetime partner and best friend was shot by a police officer during a routine traffic stop. The officer had an extensive record of bad behavior, but was still permitted to patrol the streets – and is still doing so to this day.
So Anderson built a solution to increase police accountability: Raheem, named after the Arabic word for compassion, is a database of police interactions where anyone can share their story about a police encounter. The organization uses this information to support community-led efforts to end police violence through policy change. Raheem shares data with communities and police departments through digital dashboards that provide an overview of police performance in communities.
As communities around the country mobilize to end police violence, Raheem is helping to put pressure on police departments by daylighting abuse and violence and increasing police accountability.