Participatory Defense

TRANSFORMING THE COURTS THROUGH FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZING

For 19 years, Silicon Valley De-Bug has been a part of the national movement that has been marching in the streets to demand police responsibility. They have helped families whose loved ones had been killed by police. But the violence in the criminal justice system hurts people even when they are not dealing with the cops.



We believe that protesting against police abuse in the streets and standing with the community in court to fight mass incarceration are two sides of the same coin. We came up with a way to organize called “participatory defense” by linking the movement from protests in the streets to packed courtrooms. We created it at the Albert Cobarrubias Justice Project at Silicon Valley De-Bug. Participatory defense is a way for people who are facing charges, their families, and their communities to organize in a way that changes the way power works in the court system and is led by the families whose loved ones are facing charges. An idea for it came up in San Jose, California, eleven years ago. We’ve since shared the plan, and now participatory defense is being used in many cities across the country.