The coalition
You are not starting from scratch.
Detroit has deep roots of organizing. Here are 29 groups already doing this work — researching, litigating, and showing up. Find the ones that fit you and plug in. Every link below was checked by hand.
Police accountability & surveillance
Groups watching how Detroit polices — and how it uses technology to do it.
Detroit Justice Center
DetroitCommunity-lawyering nonprofit fighting mass incarceration and building economic equity.
Coalition for Police Transparency & Accountability
DetroitCoalition of 17+ Detroit grassroots groups pushing for police oversight and transparency.
Detroit Will Breathe
DetroitYouth-led grassroots group organizing against police brutality and systemic racism.
ACLU of Michigan
MichiganLed the landmark Robert Williams facial-recognition case; tracks surveillance at the city.
Sugar Law Center
NationalDetroit-based public-interest law center; co-counsel on the CIOGS / ShotSpotter case.
Digital & data rights
The people who understand the technology — and how to govern it.
Detroit Community Technology Project
DetroitCommunity-rooted tech and a Data Justice program; mapped Project Green Light cameras.
Detroit Digital Justice Coalition
DetroitCoalition advancing communication as a human right and resisting community surveillance.
Electronic Frontier Foundation
NationalLeading digital-rights nonprofit; deep reporting on police drones, ALPRs, and face recognition.
S.T.O.P. — Surveillance Technology Oversight Project
NationalLitigation and policy against discriminatory surveillance — a model for local oversight.
EPIC
NationalPublic-interest research center protecting privacy and civil liberties.
Environmental justice, energy & water
Where the data-center story lives — power bills, water, and who decides.
EDRA of Michigan
MichiganAll-volunteer hub coordinating Michigan's township-by-township response to AI data centers.
Sierra Club Michigan
MichiganState chapter campaigning for a moratorium on large-scale data centers and utility accountability.
Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition
MichiganCoalition for affordable, renewable, community-controlled energy; challenges utility monopolies.
Citizens Utility Board of Michigan
MichiganNonpartisan watchdog representing residential utility customers in rate cases.
We the People of Detroit
DetroitWater-justice organizing and research — anti-shutoff advocacy and water mapping.
Soulardarity
DetroitBuilds community-owned clean energy and energy-democracy organizing in Highland Park.
Immigrant rights & civil liberties
Communities most affected when data is shared across agencies.
Michigan Immigrant Rights Center
MichiganStatewide immigration legal services, detention support, and Know Your Rights.
CAIR-Michigan
MichiganMuslim civil-rights and advocacy group defending religious freedom and equal protection.
We the People Michigan
MichiganGrassroots organizing for multiracial democracy; immigrant-led campaigns.
Freedom House Detroit
DetroitShelter, legal aid, and care for survivors of persecution seeking asylum.
ACCESS
NationalThe nation's largest Arab American nonprofit — health, legal, and social services.
Community organizing & civic media
How residents build power — and how to know what's happening at City Hall.
Detroit Documenters (Outlier Media)
DetroitTrains and pays residents to cover public meetings and watch officials.
BridgeDetroit
DetroitNonprofit newsroom covering city government, public safety, and housing.
Detroit Action
DetroitMember-led organizing of Black and Brown residents for housing and economic justice.
MOSES
MichiganFaith-rooted community organizing developing resident leaders across metro Detroit.
Detroit Disability Power
DetroitBuilds political power for disabled residents — access to services, voting, transit.
James & Grace Lee Boggs Center
DetroitCommunity-education center nurturing visionary, transformational organizing.
Michigan Liberation
MichiganOrganizes to end the criminalization of Black families — bail reform, court-watching.
Eastside Community Network
DetroitEast-side neighborhood development — youth programs, wellness, small business, climate.
Know a group we missed, or a link that broke? Tell us and we'll add or fix it. This directory is a living resource, kept current and honest — if a site goes dark, it comes off the list.
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