I am working on an app to connect people with lawyers in emergency situations (ICE raids, police encounters, protests). Looking for a Flutter developer and someone with legal background (lawyer, paralegal, legal aid experience) who want to help build something that could literally save lives and protect rights. DM me if interested.
Boost for reach.
@micr0 connecting protesters with suitable legal representation and advice: great idea ✅
doing it through an app: bad idea ❌
I have been involved in activist legal support in the past.
As has been pointed out, not bringing your phone to a protest is preferable. Cops can seize your phone, and just the fact you may have that app could make you a target of further investigation or hostility.
In the UK, "bust cards" have been handed out at protests for many years: they have the name and contacts of several law firms that specialize in protest and activism related law. These firms have been vetted and are trusted by activists, they have a relationship with social movements spanning decades. How will you ensure that the lawyers that sign up to this app are indeed trustworthy and have the necessary experience for these cases? Example: https://greenandblackcross.org/guides/bustcard/
Back in 2020, lots of lawyers were offering support to BLM protesters in the UK, but they didn't have the same experience or training that legal observers trained by activist collectives have.
Also, why do we need an app to do something that a piece of paper handed out anonymously or a phone number scribbled on your arm with a pen can do without giving away all the personal information that carrying a phone will? How do you know that these things aren't already happening in places like LA? I bet there are legal support activist collectives in most major US cities that have this background and experience. Perhaps donate your time or money to them instead of trying to develop another useless app.
@mink_stole appreciate the feedback but honestly this critique misses the point entirely
my goal was never to compete with existing networks. it's to work WITH them and help them scale. these orgs are doing incredible work but they're completely overwhelmed
also you're comparing UK protest policing to US situations which are totally different contexts. i'm targeting ICE raids at people's homes at 6am, traffic stops that escalate, people who have zero connection to activist networks
thing is, a video call with an actual lawyer changes everything. police might ignore a voice on the phone but when they see a real attorney on screen talking about constitutional rights? that's a completely different dynamic
the 'another useless app' dismissal is frustrating because there are massive gaps in legal aid that existing systems just can't handle at scale. most people getting raided don't have bust cards or activist contacts
would love to work together on this instead of dismissing it outright
Micr0byte
Mink Stole