ABOUT THE DETROIT JUSTICE CENTER
DJC is founded on the belief that we must remedy the impacts of mass incarceration to create truly just cities. We achieve this mission through innovative community lawyering–fighting for racial justice and economic equity with defensive and offensive representation and novel approaches to land use, housing, and employment.
We believe that sustainable social change occurs when directly impacted people take collective action, lead their own struggles, and gain the power to change the conditions of oppression. We are movement lawyers working in service to movements, and we recognize the importance of decentering attorneys as experts or relying on litigation or other legal strategies at the expense of direct organizing. Instead, we focus on the needs of the people, support them in building the community first, then reshape the institutions that impact it.
We also see our work in the lineage of abolitionist thinkers and align with Ruth Wilson Gilmore’s framework of “abolition as presence.” While we fight to end incarceration and policing for the safety and well-being of our communities, we must also determine what we are building in place of those systems and involve our community members in those conversations.
Ultimately, we use a three-pronged approach— what we call “defense, offense, and dreaming”— to serve individual clients, build power, and catalyze systemic solutions.
DJC collaborates on local, statewide, and national campaigns focused on the needs, wisdom, and vision of our clients and community partners. Within our communities, we participate in people’s forums, coalition building, community surveys, policy advocacy, cultural organizing, and direct action to effect change. Together, these actions build the power of residents and communities and help to create a more equitable society for all.
OUR MISSION
THE DETROIT JUSTICE CENTER IS A NONPROFIT LAW FIRM
WORKING ALONGSIDE COMMUNITIES TO CREATE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES, TRANSFORM THE JUSTICE SYSTEM , AND PROMOTE EQUITABLE AND JUST CITIES.
OUR VALUES
We are committed to individual and collective liberation—and recognize the two as inseparable.
We come to this work with a sense of responsibility, and a deep desire to use our training and talents to serve our community.
We work with our clients in a way that cultivates dignity and autonomy. We respect and honor each person’s humanity, we seek to understand their stories and circumstances, and we hold their freedom dreams as sacred.
We are committed to democratizing access to the law. We regard clients as partners in our mission. Rather than serving as gatekeepers, we aim to share tools so that people can understand, navigate, and transform disempowering systems.
We approach our work with a sense of joy, creativity, and purpose. We are nimble problem-solvers who look for innovative ways to respond to our community’s needs and expand our collective understanding of what is possible.
We value our relationships above all. We work at a pace that allows us to build deep trust with our partners and clients. We reach out to others for support and direction, and we communicate with self-awareness, empathy, and humility. Should conflicts arise, we are committed to calling each other in using practices that restore rather than punish.
We are hopeful; we believe that the best possible outcome is attainable and we work toward it.
We help our clients gain economic independence, and work to redistribute power and wealth. We work toward a society in which abundance is shared for the collective good.
We take our cues from movements that are fighting for racial justice and economic equity.
We are committed to cultivating the leadership of marginalized individuals and groups, including Black people, people of color, indigenous people, immigrants, women, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, people involved in the criminal legal system, and people who have loved ones currently or formerly in the criminal legal system.
We value the collective wisdom of intergenerational experiences and harness the power it brings to our work.
We seek a balance of “defense, offense, and dreaming.” We must do what we can to alleviate present suffering. We are also committed to transformational change and building a template for a more just society. It is not enough to focus on what we are fighting against; we must focus on what we are fighting for. We invite people to dream of a better future and to work toward it with us.
A LETTER FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dear Supporters and Friends,
When reflecting on 2023 at the Detroit Justice Center, I can’t help but consider the big moments that shaped our organization. Our brilliant founding Executive Director, Amanda Alexander, stepped down to focus on rest and restoration. We celebrated our five year anniversary with you. We moved into our new home at the Love Building in Detroit’s Core City neighborhood. Through all of these shifts, I have been witness to our team’s steadfast dedication, passion, and ingenuity. We’ve remained committed to our mission of building more just cities, and I continue to be impressed by our team’s practice of movement lawyering and dreaming of a world without police and incarceration.
As many of you know, I made a huge personal shift last year from being the Managing Attorney of our Movement Lawyering Practice to becoming the Executive Director of DJC. I did not undertake this transition lightly, as it was no small task to fill the role, not just for our team but for our supporters, our board, and the greater world. Since stepping into this position, I have been focused on doing what it takes to move from being a scrappy startup to an organization known for consistency, innovation, and longevity. I’ve been blown away by all we’ve accomplished over the past year and hope that this impact report serves to illuminate a monumental year where we grew together through change. 2023 saw the implementation of our sabbatical policy for staff who have served at DJC for five years. Staff members were able to rest, recharge, dream, and even explore the world. We also had two staff members out on parental leave as they welcomed children into the world!
Upon their return, staff members were welcomed back into our new home in the Love Building. Having space to collaborate and strategize has been a welcomed shift after years of primarily working from home. We are lucky to share the building with several other brilliant local organizations including Detroit Disability Power, Detroit Narrative Agency, Detroit Community Technology Project, Allied Media Project, and People in Education.
When DJC opened its doors in April of 2018, I’m sure our beloved founder could not have imagined all that we would accomplish together in the years that followed, just as I cannot foresee where the power of our staff’s dreaming will take us in the next six years and beyond. What I can be sure of is that the vision of creating more equitable and just cities will continue to spread and inspire beyond Detroit.
In Solidarity, Nancy A. Parker Executive Director, Detroit Justice Center
A LETTER FROM OUR BOARD CHAIR
Dear DJC Community,
As we celebrated the Detroit Justice Center’s fifth anniversary, we were also met with transition and challenge, but also opportunity. Our founding Executive Director, Amanda Alexander, transitioned out of her role for a much-needed respite. We also transitioned to our space in the Love Building, a space designed with intention to serve our DJC community. We were, and continue to be faced with challenges, like the external shift of support away from Black-led organizations like DJC in the aftermath of 2020’s uprisings. We’ve seen a backlash to any progress that was made and a turn against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives put in place during that time. Steps that seemed like progress have been rolled back, and those at the front of the Movement for Black Lives have dealt with repercussions for having the audacity to dream of a world where we no longer lose community members to policing and incarceration.
The challenges outlined above also bring opportunity. The shift away from outside funding of Black-led organizations provides the chance for us to deepen our ties with our surrounding communities and seek out more sustained support from those we serve directly. Being on the board of DJC has taught me that this work is not well suited to those who are only in it for the fairweather fight. Commitment to this work requires an understanding that the struggles we face are intergenerational and will not be solved in our lifetimes. This does not mean that we do not dream of seeing the day when we achieve true equity and live in just cities that value each resident’s life. It means that we dig into the work thoughtfully and deliberately with the earnest hope that the moral arc of the universe does indeed bend toward justice. I’ve seen this team dedicate themselves to this work and overcome all of the challenges we have faced over the past year.
I’m confident that everyone who contributed to DJC’s impact has been bolstered by each other through all of 2023.
DJC’s work is expansive and bold; it aims to address the root causes of racial and economic inequity and advance solutions derived from those closest to the issues. It is no small feat to make such a broad impact in your first five years as an organization. We couldn’t accomplish any of our policy wins or legal achievements without the support of those who have stuck with us during this time. This is just as true for small individual donors as it is for large foundations. It takes a multitude of people working in concert to make the kind of impact that DJC has made and will continue to make for years to come. I’m proud to be a part of this work, and I hope that you see DJC’s devotion to racial and economic justice reflected in this report.
With Deepest Gratitude, James Britton Board Chair, Detroit Justice Center Associate General Counsel, International Union, United Auto Workers
OUR NEW HOME
In fall of 2023, we moved into the LOVE Building. The LOVE Building is located at 4731 Grand River in the Core City neighborhood of Detroit. Its mission is to amplify social justice organizing, nurture creativity, and provide a community space that is inspiring, accessible, and responsive. At the LOVE Building we also highly value intergenerational wisdom, community accountability, environmental responsibility, and place-keeping.
The cozy community space that’s nestled on the city’s west side is also the home of Allied Media Projects, Detroit Disability Power, the Detroit Community Technology Project, Detroit Narrative Agency, and People in Education. Though our individual missions vary, we share a vision of cultivating liberation, justice, and joy for all Detroiters.
Coming off a few years of being fully remote, we’ve settled into a new environment for the team and are excited to have a space to gather as full staff and connect with community partners.
Another big shift happened in 2023, when our founding ED, Amanda Alexander, stepped down to focus on much-deserved rest. While we can never truly replace Amanda, we were fortunate enough to promote Nancy A. Parker to the position of Executive Director.
IN 2023 WE ALSO:
Implemented our two month sabbatical policy for staff who have been with us for 5 years
Made our four-day workweek permanent
Transitioned to unlimited sick time
Increased the number of PTO days for staff in response to direct feedback
Implemented a financial wellness series
Created Compassion Leave (allows staff additional time off in times of difficulty)
LEGAL SERVICES & A D
Saw to 15 Housing Matters , assisting tenants in staying in their homes
Trained 115 legal volunteers , over 103 pro bono attorneys and a dozen law students to help residents restore driver’s licenses
Cleared 88 warrants, allowing clients to return to their daily lives
Estimated 5000 Michiganders served through Road to Restoration Clinics
Hosted a Child Support Townhall engaging stakeholders on current status and issues with family system
Handled 82 Traffic Matters helping drivers get back on the road
DVOCACY PRACTICE
A SUCCESS from the Road to Restoration program (a public-private partnership with the Department of State and other stakeholders to provide free legal clinics that help restore driving privileges) is the introduction of House Bill 5103 to repeal MCL 257.303(1)(g). Currently, hundreds of residents are precluded from restoring their licenses due to having 2 moving violations on their driving record in the past 3 years. Such an arbitrary law with no rational governmental interest has negatively impacted many families for far too long. The clinics brought to light the deep extent of this problem and convinced lawmakers that a complete end to this practice was necessary. Representative Donovan McKinney introduced the bill on October 5, 2023, and it has since moved through the Michigan State House and Senate. We excitedly await its signing by the Governor as we know passage of House Bill 5103 means the removal of a major barrier in people’s lives.
CLIENT WIN: One of our clients had 25 pending traffic cases, which included warrants in Detroit. He was able to get 17 of those tickets dismissed which significantly reduced his financial obligation. The 8 remaining tickets were also amended to 0 point charges, giving him a better opportunity to pursue getting his license back. The court also allowed him to be placed on a payment plan. This was a big win because it took several months of fervent advocacy to reach this resolution that now sees a father on his way to a better path forward in life.
POLICY
We successfully created the new Bold Against Bail (“BAB”) Coalition with our movement partners at Michigan Liberation, Advancement Project, and The Bail Project. BAB seeks to build the state-wide momentum needed in order to pass expansive and comprehensive bail reform in Michigan. Our campaign calls attention to the harms of the cash bail system and demands a change in laws and practices–ultimately, eliminating the use of cash bail altogether. Collectively, we drafted the Bold Against Bail pledge and encourage supporters of the movement to sign on via our website.
We put together a document entitled “An Even Cleaner Slate.” The handout outlines 6 Key Improvements *still needed* for accessible expungement processes.
POLICY
Serving as a thought partner on legislative bills that directly impact our clients and communities. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib’s office invited us to provide crucial insights on their policies. We encouraged them to include language explicitly protecting incarcerated people from identity theft and credit impairment on one bill as well as including protections for returning citizens in affordable housing policy in another. We also illuminated the ways community land trusts could be incorporated into bills regarding affordable housing.
DJC collaborated with our partners at Safe and Just Michigan (SJM) to further move along the community reinvestment bill that was co-drafted last year. The bill seeks to support local, community-based safety organizations and initiatives through meaningful grant funding opportunities. We continue to engage state legislators and movement partners on creative ways that we can advance this much-needed initiative.
MOVEMENT LAWYERING
ELEVATED THE PROFILE OF DJC AND EDUCATED HUNDREDS ON COMMUNITY-BASED SAFETY BY SPEAKING AT 5 DIVERSE EVENTS AROUND MICHIGAN
LAWYERING PRACTICE
Co-facilitated large coalition meetings for the Stop ShotSpotter (inaccurate police surveillance technology)
Detroit campaign
Managing counsel successfully represented a prominent BLM protester in retaliatory prosecution claim against the City of Detroit
Introduced over a dozen young people to the concept of Prison Industrial Complex abolition through Rep. Rashida Tiaib’s youth fellowship
Co-presented to the Board of Police Commissioners on the dangers of ShotSpotter and Automatic License Plate Readers
Made passionate and factbased appeals to Detroit City Council regarding fully funding Right to Counsel and other community safety priorities during budget season
Advised Washtenaw’s Care-Based Safety team on their unarmed response program and served as a board member on its Interim Mission Circle
Joined the Building Communities Not Prisons coalition advocating against the construction of a new prison in Kentucky that would impact Michigan residents
Successfully defended tenant rights activist Steven Rimmer in a defamation, business interference, and possession lawsuit unjustly filed against him by his landlord
COMMUNITY LEGAL
Featured in Bridge Detroit offering insight into the state of Black maternal health care in Detroit
Deepened coalition building within Detroit’s movement ecosystem with partner organizations such as Mothering Justice and the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force
Supported over 15 families with obtaining funds needed to secure housing through partnership with the City of Detroit
Secured funds for 5 clients through Michigan’s Cash for Keys program who otherwise would have been evicted without any compensation
Hosted 5 Community Land Trust info Sessions across Detroit that reached over 100 participants and garnered 5 new clients
Spoke at 12 public speaking engagements across Michigan exposing diverse audiences to DJC’s model of making the law more accessible
Contributed personal experience of housing inequity in Detroit to Wayne State University’s oral history project “Voices from the Grassroots”
SOLIDIFIED A MAJOR GRANT TO EXPAND DJC’S MODEL OF WORKING WITH COMMUNITIES TO OTHER STATES
Developed training curriculum on democratizing access to the law through community-based legal advocacy for 3 HBCUs
Provided analysis on CBS Detroit about property tax app that assists residents in appealing over-assessments
LEGAL ADVOCATES
“Since 2019, I’ve worked in partnership with Sonja Bonnett on the Detroit Equity Action Lab’s Voices from the Grassroots Oral History Project. This project documents how grassroots activists in Detroit have challenged systemic racism during the era of emergency management by building movements for a more just and equitable city. This collection aims to preserve, honor, and amplify the voices of grassroots organizers during this pivotal moment in Detroit’s history. As a narrator, Sonja contributed a compelling oral history focused on her experiences with systemic racism in Detroit and organizing work for Black liberation in the city. This interview not only contributes to a publicly-accessible collection to preserve these vital histories of grassroots organizing, but also taught me a lot about authentic community engagement as someone who labors in academia. As a partner in this work, Sonja has remained invested in supporting the completion, success, and future directions of the project. Sonja participated in our launch event in November 2023 at Wayne State Law School, during which she offered vital insights and lessons for community members, activists, students, and scholars in attendance that were enthusiastically received by the audience. We’ve been in contact in the months since about collaborating on a future section of the project focused on recent organizing around policing, incarceration, and safety in Detroit. In sum, my collaborations with Sonja have been transformative, personally, politically, and professionally, and I know I’m far from alone in these experiences.”
-Peter Blackmer, Producer and Lead Interviewer of Voices of the Grassroots
2 REFERRALS
Two referrals made between independent RJ practitioners and Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.
3
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
3 public speaking engagements to increase awareness of MDRJN’s work.
25 PEOPLE
25 people trained as Restorative Justice circle keepers.
“This training will be excellent at breaking generational issues where often there is only two solutions: forgive or be resentful.”
-Circle Keeper Training Participant
We authored the “Access to Restorative Justice Act” which will create a funding pool to expand community-based RJ practices across the state of MI and provide legal protections for community members who use RJ practices to resolve conflict and harm outside of the legal system.
We were driven to author the bill in response to the introduction of an RJ bill that was introduced in the legislature in April 2022. The bill would have mandated that all RJ practices attached to a legal case go through one of 16 dispute resolution centers across the state of MI, which would have foreclosed on the possibility of community-based RJ interventions. Additionally, the bill did not provide a funding mechanism to support the development of organizational and grassroots RJ programming and contained weak language around privileging the RJ process against discovery in legal cases. Conversely, the Access to Restorative Justice Act will create a funding mechanism to support robust programmatic infrastructure for RJ across the state of MI, protect participants and facilitators from legal interference during the RJ process, and create strong guidance on how RJ should be used within the legal system.
ECONOMIC EQUITY
COMMUNITY LAND TRUSTS
We launched the Cooperative Training Center (CTC), a community and resource center for worker-owned cooperatives in partnership with the Detroit Community Wealth Fund and Detroit Cultivator Community Land Trust (DC-CLT).
Welcomed real estate attorney Mark Bennett to the team to take our CLT work to the next level
Launched a pilot with the City of Detroit to build dozens of units of permanently affordable housing on the DREAM and DC-CLTs in the Dexter Linwood and North End neighborhoods
Secured 2 additional CLT clients: Avalon Village and Common Grounds
Conducted a series of CLT information sessions with combined attendance (live and virtually) of approximately 50
We build power and self-determination for Detroit’s majority-Black residents by helping establish CLTs. CLTs are a way to do resident-led development of individually-owned buildings on community-owned land, creating economically diverse communities and preserving permanently affordable housing
AFFORDABLE HOUSING WHITE PAPER
Released November 2023
• Held town hall discussing findings that was well attended with over 29 residents
• Cited and referenced in various media outlets about the affordable housing crisis
• Contributed to the ongoing conversation and proffered recommendations to advance real affordable housing in the city
EQUITY PRACTICE
SOLIDARITY ECONOMY
14 CO-OPS
Provided services , including training, presentations, and legal services , to 14 co-ops
65-70 PEOPLE
65-70 community members attended Cooperative Training Center events with workshops and trainings
Our Economic Equity Practice helps develop, launch, and support cooperatively-owned businesses. Cooperatives help build and keep wealth in a community by being democratically governed by members who both own and control the business.
Legal services provided to an additional 4 co-ops:
4 Co-ops received individual trainings:
We produced a second season of Freedom Dreams, DJC’s podcast hosted by Amanda Alexander and Casey Rocheteau. For this season, we amplified community-led solutions to violence and harm. The focus on violence came out of one of the central questions facing abolitionists: “how do we address harm in a meaningful way without relying on incarceration?” We called on some of the boldest people we know to learn lessons from what they’re building. Our guests engage in violence intervention, restorative justice, truth and reconciliation and more. Some episodes address interpersonal violence, whereas others focus on the structural violence of the criminal punishment system itself. While this is the final season of Freedom Dreams, we want to thank all of our listeners who tuned in to hear about our guests’ aspirations for the future.
GUESTS INCLUDED:
Dr. Tolulope Sonuyi Founder of DLIVE (Detroit Live is Valuable Everyday) & Chuck , a DLIVE member
Danielle Sered Founder of Common Justice in New York City, New York
Mike Milton Founder of the Freedom Community Center in St. Louis, Missouri
Reverend Nelson Johnson, Joyce Johnson Who, in 1979, were Communist Workers Party members who helped organize an anti-Ku Klux Klan rally and march that ended in violence; Decades later they were an integral part of a truth and reconciliation process
Myrtle Thompson Curtis Founder of Feedom Freedom Growers & Curtis Renee , an aspiring healer and chef, a reiki practitioner, and a lifelong nonviolence (positive peace) activist from Detroit, Michigan
Rukia Lumumba Executive Director of the People’s Advocacy Institute, co-coordinator of the Electoral Justice Project, and campaign co-coordinator of the successful Committee to Elect Chokwe Antar Lumumba for Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi
Eduardo Dumbrique Studying to become a lawyer through an apprenticeship with the PJLC; Mr. Dumbrique began his legal studies during the 24 years he spent in prison, convicted of a crime he did not commit
Richard Wallace Founder and Executive Director of EAT and Nicole Laport the Director of Communications at EAT, an organzation that’s been organizing people in the informal economy in Chicago
Sarah Shourd Award-winning, trauma-informed investigative journalist, Pulitzer-presented playwright, anti-prison theater activist, author, producer, somatic practicioner and 2019 Stanford John S. Knight Fellow based in Oakland and San Rafael, CA
Marlon Peterson Author of Bird Uncaged: An Abolitionist’s Freedom Song, host of the DEcarcerated Podcast, and owner of his own social impact endeavor, The Precedential Group Social Enterprises and its nonprofit arm, Be Precedential, Inc
Canales Co-Founder of California Families Against Solitary Confinement
Dolores
2022-2023 ARTIST RESIDENCY
Since 2020, the Detroit Justice Center (DJC) has hosted a unique artist residency program where an artist is invited to create work that imagines a world without incarceration or policing. Applicants must be from Wayne County, MI and the winning applicant receives $10,000. DJC provides support around the artist’s project, connecting them with community members and staff as a resource for their planning. This residency seeks to uplift the work of artists who imagine an abolitionist future and invite the public to dream alongside them.
Our 2022-2023 Artist Residency was saylem m. celeste . As a Detroiter and lifelong resident of Wayne County, saylem wowed our selection panel with their project “Visions, Realities, and Speculative ‘Now-isms’” The proposal envisions abolition in a way that is rooted in meeting the needs of individuals and communities through access to food, housing, and water In saylem’s own words “ by amplifying the ways in which we are already accessing Abolitionist/Black Feminist futures, we can collectively illuminate more pathways into a non-carceral future. I fundamentally believe that the world that we live in already has critical windows into a world without carceral systems of power and exploitation .”
SAYLEM’S RESIDENCY
TOOK THE FORM OF THREE EVENTS ACROSS DETROIT CENTERED AROUND SHELTER, WATER AND NOURISHMENT. COLLABORATING WITH A NUMBER OF LOCAL ARTISTS, HEALERS, AND CHEFS, THEY ENGAGED DETROITERS BY ENCOURAGING THEM TO CONSIDER HOW COMMUNITY OPERATES WHEN IT IS WELL-RESOURCED.
DIVEST/INVEST
DJC launches an Ecosystem Scan to Better Understand Mental Health Supports in Detroit
In 2023, we expanded our work to include a focus on mental health, substance use, and harm reduction. We reviewed local and national data and literature in the field to compile an asset map of community and system agencies in the metro Detroit area that provide these services. And we’re engaged with instrumental leaders in the space such as the National Decriminalization Advocacy Roundtable, Drug Policy Alliance, and Southeast Michigan Harm Reduction Network.
We held learning and research meetings with grassroots, community, and system agency leaders to better understand local offerings, infrastructure challenges, funding needs, and opportunities for investment in order to improve the available offerings and expand capacity and supports.
DJC is Selected as a National Equity Atlas Fellowship Partner
DJC’s Divest/Invest Senior Program Manager, Sheba Rogers, was selected among a national pool of candidates to be a part of the inaugural National Equity Atlas (NEA) Fellowship, hosted by PolicyLink.
The NEA project allowed DJC to begin developing neighborhood profiles of the Detroit communities that have been subjected to police surveillance technology, to better understand any disparities or needs that may be contributing to the root causes of violence and harm.
DJC Supports Local Campaigns with Surveillance Ain’t Safety Coalition
In 2022, DJC along with We The People Michigan, Detroit Action, and others started the #StopShotSpotter Detroit campaign to fight back against the city spending millions of dollars on faulty gunshot detection technology. The campaign was successful in preserving Covid relief funds from being spent on the surveillance tool and was a win for Detroiters. However, DJC along with the Sugar Law Center and Schulz Law PLC, came together on behalf of community members and filed a lawsuit alleging that the Detroit Police Department failed to comply with the Community Input Over Government Surveillance (CIOGS) ordinance in its procurement of ShotSpotter. We prevailed on the issue of standing which has broad sweeping positive implications; but unfortunately, the judge found that the city substantially complied. As a result of this adverse ruling, we filed an appeal in 3rd Circuit Court.
In 2023, the coalition continued to build on advocacy efforts from the #StopShotSpotter Campaign by organizing opposition to police procurements of automated license plate readers (Detroit and Hamtramck) and mobile fingerprint readers (Detroit). Coalition members attended City Council and Board of Police Commissioner meetings to express concerns about excessive police spending, encroachment on civil liberties, and lack of transparency in data collection and sharing methods.
The coalition drafted and negotiated amendments to Detroit’s CIOGS ordinance in order to close loopholes in reporting requirements and ensure true community input into all future surveillance technology procurements that the city seeks.
DJC Supports Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration (MI-CEMI) with Launch of Statewide Learning Community
About 190 people from across the state are registered and receive information for the learning community which is focused on building off-ramps and alternatives to incarceration with approximately 40-60 people actively engaging in the monthly sessions.
Featured organizations and coalitions have represented communities in Washtenaw County, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Lansing and Ann Arbor to name a few, including:
At our celebration in August, we brought together over 160 partners , neighbors, supporters, and friends . We marked five years of DJC’s fight for freedom and raised nearly $20,000 to fuel our work. The room was filled with inspiration and an abundance of hope that we, together, can transform Detroit into a Just City!
As we danced the night away, we had a chance to hear from DJC staff who are making a difference in the lives of Detroiters. Nancy moderated the first mini-fireside chat, Abolition as Presence: Offense & Dreaming, with DJC’s Lauren Thomas, Angel McKissic, and Eric Williams. The panelists spoke to DJC’s groundbreaking work creating economic opportunities for Detroiters and turning freedom dreams into reality.
We raised $18,452.76 at 5th our Anniversary Celebration!
“We know slavery by another name and we are living it today. It is our duty to fight for our freedom. We are fighting for our brothers and sisters, and our non-binary and queer community. Everybody under the sun–there is a place for you in the future. And DJC is doing that work to create just cities across the nation.”
-Nancy A. Parker
JOIN OUR MOVEMENT!
When the iconic Detroit activist Grace Lee Boggs was asked to identify the leaders of today’s social justice movements, her response challenged the concept altogether: “We need to embrace that we are the leaders we’ve been looking for.”
From keeping each other safe to sustaining our movements, Grace’s teaching rings true: we only have each other to turn to. A broad base of foundations, organizations, and grassroots individual donors fueled our work in 2023.
This includes our Freedom Dream Sustainers who commit to making weekly, monthly, or annual donations. They prove that no gift is too small. Whether it’s $5/month or $1,000/year, together, our Sustainers contributed 40% of our individual giving revenue.
Our donors and funders are core partners in our work keeping Detroiters out of prison/jail pipelines, preserving their homes, and reinvesting in true safety and wellbeing. Your ongoing support keeps our movement strong and well-resourced, and ensures DJC is around for as long as we’re needed.
To
I became a DJC donor because I’ve witnessed the ways the team and its leadership engage with and connect with the community. DJC demonstrates a strong willingness to align with, advocate for, and support Detroit’s Black community, which is in need of love and support. This commitment is humbling, especially considering that the talents of the DJC team members I know could be utilized in many other places around the world for celebrity status. The love the DJC team has for the Detroit community is deeply rooted in the community itself, as I’ve witnessed from the dedication of Eric Williams, Triniti Watson, and Nancy Parker.
- Khary Frazier
THE DETROIT JUSTICE
GRATEFUL
• Average gift size was $61
• Gift size ranged from $2 - $75,000
• We welcomed 84 Freedom Dream Sustainers in 2023 & have 412 active sustainers
• Our sustainers made 4,447 recurring gifts
• They collectively gave $113,075
• The average recurring gift size was $25
• 92% of DJC staff and 75% of our board are Freedom Dream Sustainers
CENTER IS DEEPLY
FOR THE 749 INDIVIDUALS
AND 78 ORGANIZATIONS, FOUNDATIONS, AND CORPORATIONS WHO SUPPORTED US
JOIN THE FREEDOM DREAM SUSTAINERS
Recurring grassroots gifts are an efficient and automatic way to make an impact and keep our movement thriving year-round–not just in times of crisis.
LEAVE A LASTING LEGACY
You can make a forward-thinking investment in a world where the caging of human beings is a distant memory by remembering DJC in your estate plans.
BECOME A DONOR ORGANIZER
You have the power to help DJC reach people we can’t reach alone. By sharing your story and encouraging your networks to give, you grow our base and help us build power.
A BADGE, A BULLETPROOF VEST AND STERN WORDS: SQUATTER REMOVAL SERVICES HELP DETROIT LANDLORDS AVOID COURTS
Outlier Media
January 2023
BLACK INFANT MORTALITY RATES
SPIKED IN DETROIT AFTER RECORD LOW IN 2019
Bridge Detroit April 2023
SOS-LED PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP GROWING, HELPING MICIGANDERS REGAIN DRIVER’S LICENSES, BOOSTING STATE’S ECONOMY
Legal News
June 2023
WHY WE CAN’T WAIT: IT’S PAST TIME TO OVERHAUL CASH BAIL
Detroit Free Press
January 2023
4 STEPS TO CONVERT CRISIS DONORS TO LOYAL MISSION DONORS
Non Profit Pro April 2023
DETROIT NAACP TO HONOR LOCAL, NATIONAL LEADERS AT JUNE JUBILEE EVENTS
Bridge Detroit June 2023
A JOB WELL DONE: Q&A WITH AMANDA ALEXANDER OF THE DETROIT JUSTICE CENTER
CMSEM February 2023
ANOTHER DELAY FOR WAYNE COUNTY’S NEW CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMPLEX
Bridge Detroit May 2023
DETROIT DISABILITY POWER MOVING TO ‘MOST ACCESSIBLE BUILDING IN CITY’
DBusiness July 2023
THE CARE(FUL) WORK OF ABOLISHING PRISONS
Yes Magazine
February 2023
DETROIT’S LAWYER SAYS CITY COUNCIL DOESN’T NEED TO FOLLOW SURVEILLANCE LAW
Bridge Detroit May 2023
DETROIT IS GETTING MILLIONS TO INSTALL CAMERAS ON FREEWAYS TO HELP SOLVE CRIMES — IS THIS AN INVASION OF YOUR PRIVACY?
Audacy July 2023
MEDIA HITS
DETROIT POLICE CHIEF DEFENDS
PROJECT GREENLIGHT AFTER DOJ CALLS IT INEFFECTIVE
News Pub February 2023
EP.120 REFRAMING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH TRAUMA W/ ANGEL MCKISSIC
The Restorative Justice Life May 2023
OPINION: DETROIT WILL NEVER ADMIT IT OVERSTEPPED IN DETROIT WILL BREATHE CHARGES
Detroit Free Press July 2023
NEW APP WILL HELP DETROITERS ASSESS PROPERTY TAX VALUES
CBS News February 2023
OPINION: DETROIT IS GOING TO EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES TO CONVICT LEADERS OF 2020 PROTESTS
Detroit Free Press May 2023
DETROIT WOMAN SUES CITY OVER FALSE ARREST WHILE 8 MONTHS PREGNANT DUE TO FAULTY FACIAL RECOGNITION
CBS News August 2023
‘WE GROW OUT OF CRIME’: ADVOCATES URGE STATE TO ABOLISH JUVENILE LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE
Patch
February 2023
MENTAL HEALTH CO-RESPONDERS ARE BECOMING A PART OF MICHIGAN POLICING
Hour Detroit May 2023
DETROIT’S ALLIED MEDIA CONFERENCE DISSOLVES AS FOCUS SHIFTS TO LOVE BUILDING PROJECTS
Metro Times September 2023
CALLS GO OUT FOR SENTENCING, JAIL REFORM
Mining Journal
February 2023
JUDGE UPHOLDS DETROIT’S CONTRACTS FOR GUNSHOT DETECTION TECHNOLOGY
Bridge Detroit May 2023
OVERSIGHT LAW DIDN’T STOP SURVEILLANCE BOOM. ADVOCATES CALL FOR REFORMS
Bridge Detroit November 2023
