As Black and Brown communities all across this nation have mobilized to challenge police brutality and systemic racism, the issue of over-policing and hyper-surveillance of our communities has come to the surface. In Detroit, facial recognition is the latest incursion into our communities.

Community activists and researchers have been pointing out the dangers of this technology for years, particularly the inaccuracy of facial recognition when it comes to people of color. Their warning was confirmed this year by the experiences of Robert Williams and Michael Oliver, two Black men who were misidentified by the facial recognition software and wrongfully arrested by DPD.  

Detroit, one of the poorest, Blackest major cities in the country, spends millions of dollars on COINTELPRO-like policing that doesn’t even solve crimes. Chief Craig himself admits that the facial recognition technology is wrong “96% of the time”!

We, the undersigned, demand an end to facial recognition surveillance in Detroit. Instead of investing in programs that make our young people unnecessary targets and do nothing to make our lives better or safer, the City needs to get rid of facial recognition and put that money towards housing, community centers, jobs, and other resources Detroiters desperately need!