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Black Lives Matter: Supporting Chicago’s Activists

2020.06.14

posted by: lucyparsonslabs

Across the country we are witnessing widespread demonstrations and an outpouring of solidarity. Lucy Parsons Labs has been hard at work to meet the moment.

Caravans of cars and tens of thousands of protestors have been hitting the streets in the last few weeks demanding justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Laquan McDonald, and an untold number of victims of police violence. We are also seeing an unprecedented wave of repression: violent police riots, harassment of protestors with tear gas and military helicopters, FBI intimidation of activists, and mass arrests. In response, members of LPL are providing technical infrastructure to the Chicago Community Bond Fund and other mass defense efforts, sitting for hours waiting to support those arrested, and raising funds for activists on our Twitch channel.

At the same time, Lucy Parsons Labs is continuing to educate activists on the dangers of police surveillance. We are updating our Police Surveillance Primer this summer. Lucy Parsons Labs has also organized a coalition against the use of facial recognition technology. We are happy to announce that our work has halted Chicago Police’s use of Clearview AI’s facial recognition software.

Building on our previous work, we have seen an influx of volunteers eager to demand change, as well as a rise in contributions to our database of police officer images, OpenOversight. Our members have sent a surge of Freedom of Information Act requests to learn more about the police’s aggressive response to the recent protests. We remain engaged with our community, partners, friends, and allies so we can deliver the tools they need to meet the moment.

Black Lives Matter.


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