Lucy Parsons Labs

Op-Ed: End the City’s ShotSpotter Contract Surveillance technologies are destroying lives in Chicago

Real justice for Mr Williams and all those harmed by ShotSpotter—besides compensating them—requires that the City of Chicago canceled the ShotSpotter contract. Organizers won that campaign.

We wrote about our views of justice in this Op-ed a few years ago. southsideweekly.com/end-the-city...

How AI-powered tech landed man in jail with scant evidence CHICAGO (AP) — Michael Williams’ wife pleaded with him to remember their fishing trips with the grandchildren, how he used to braid her hair, anything to jar him back to his world outside the concrete...

You can read more about Mr Williams case and ShotSpotter's role in fabricated evidence and harm for the police in this article. apnews.com/article/arti...

A Chicago Man Was Charged With Murder Based on a ShotSpotter Alert. Now the City Will Pay Him $500K Michael Williams, then 65, spent nearly a year in jail after being charged with murder, only to have the charges dismissed after prosecutors told a judge they did not have enough evidence to proceed t...

The City of Chicago has settled a lawsuit brought by Michael Williams & MacArthur Justice Center after Mr Williams was falsely charged with murder following a ShotSpotter alert. He sat in jail for a year during the height of the COVID pandemic.

news.wttw.com/2026/03/04/c...

For those fasting during Ramadan, we will provide iftar and refreshments and coffee and a prayer space as well.

Films for a Changing World presents: The Spies Among Us - Haymarket House Join us Thursday, February 19th at 6 PM for a screening of Jamie Coughlin Silverman and Gabriel Silverman’s 2025 documentary The Spies Among Us. The film will be followed by […]

TONIGHT: We are at Haymarket House (@haymarketbooks.org) for a screening of the documentary The Spies Among Us, a look at the fall of the Stasi and what surveillance can teach us about our world. There will be a discussion afterwards with the filmmakers!

www.haymarkethouse.org/events/films...

In-person and Online: Lucy Parsons Labs - Chicago's Fight against Automated License Plate Readers - Chi Hack Night Join to hear about Chicago's Fight against Automated License Plate Readers.

Join us in person or online tonight to hear from @lucyparsonslabs.com! Freddy Martinez will discuss insights from investigations into automated license plate readers, ways the tech has been abused, and how we must adapt to a changing regulatory & political landscape.
chihacknight.org/events/2026/...

Thank you!

Chat if you come to @chihacknight.org tomorrow, there is a better than even chance I will bring you paçzkis. You can munch of them while I talk about the fight against #ALPR tech in Chicago and nationwide.

NEXT TUESDAY: I / @lucyparsonslabs.com will be at @chihacknight.org talking about our work exposing ALPRs in Illinois and beyond. You can join virtually or in person! Hope to see you there.

bsky.app/profile/bmes...

In-person and Online: Lucy Parsons Labs - Chi Hack Night Description coming soon.

We are excited to return to @chihacknight.org to talk about all of the many projects going on monitoring the explosive growth of license plate readers. The live stream will be up on Tuesday but you can find details here chihacknight.org/events/2026/...

ICYMI: Flock Safety is letting cops search our data to deport school kids. Two weeks ago, @lucyparsonslabs.com revealed that in response to this reporting, Flock made the unilateral decision to suspend audit trails to prevent oversight.

Local police aid ICE by tapping school cameras amid Trump’s immigration crackdown Local police assisted federal immigration agents by repeatedly searching school cameras that record license plate numbers, data show

Schools contracting with Flock are letting ICE search their data to deport their kids, teachers, staff and parents. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

A flyer for LPL's birthday party in the style of a kid's birthday invitation. The text reads: "Lucy Parsons Labs will be celebrating ten years of existence with a birthday party on Saturday, February 7th. The party will be at Little Black Pearl, in Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood, beginning at 7pm. More details below! A birthday party flyer for LPL's part on the 7th of February at the Little Black Pearl on the Southside of Chicago Little Black Pearl has street parking for our guests across the street in the parking lot and is accessible via CTA's 47, 6 or 2 or Metra's Electric Line at 47th. LBP is an accessible space with no stairs.:

This SATURDAY in Chicago: We are hosting LPL's 10 year birthday party. There will be food (halal and vegan options), special guests like ███████, and music. We would love if you could join us.

Location details and accessibility details can be found here. Plz RSVP -> mailchi.mp/6d2cc11d797f...

Feds make 'unauthorized' use of license plate reader in Mountain View Mountain View police criticized the company supplying its automated license plate reader system after an audit turned up "unauthorized" use by federal law enforcement agencies.

Continuing the thread of “Silicon Valley loves fascism”: Mountain View police stonewalled requests for ALPR data which revealed Feds were access it cc: @treekisser.bsky.social www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/f...

Thank you Evan!

A reminder that this tactic was used by the Berkeley police department that had an explicit policy of only posting supposed "left wing" protesters, as we exposed in a public record request. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018...

Something positive for Chicago folks: this little organization I know @lucyparsonslabs.com is having their 10 year anniversary party. bsky.app/profile/bmes...

BTW this whole, “investigate the family of people killed by police” is ROUTINE and happens every day. This article is from seven years ago onezero.medium.com/chicago-cops...

mostly same and to see what, if any, CCPSA thinks about how to use its power.

We’re going to a party! It’s a birthday party, it’s your birthday party.

Join LPL on Sat, Feb 7th at LBP in Chicago for our 10 year anniversary party. And please @ us if you’re coming 😍😇

commissioner sandra wortham is admonishing the press not to attribute individual members’ perspectives to the entire ccpsa.

members of the public shout her down. “it’s not about you!” one person yells. “times up!” says another.

president terry repeatedly asks the crowd to be respectful.

a packed house inside thalia hall for tonight’s meeting of the community commission on public safety and accountability.

Hundreds of people have packed into Chicago's Thalia Hall tonight for a community listening session on CPD collaboration with ICE/CBP.

Police district councillors who gathered petition signatures required to hold tonight's hearing are opening by thanking the community for showing out.

last tweet in our cpd & ice ccpsa meeting

we learned:

1. people overestimate/don’t know the actual power of CCPSA

2. people want to call cops on ice recreating the same carceral mentality that creates them

3. people need places to yell at public officials more

a speaker says “it took 50 years of organizing against brutality to get this commission and now you are protecting the cops”

she lists instances echoing what other speakers have said with ice terrorizing neighbors and cpd not doing anything or escalating situations

district councilor erin vogel tells ccpsa that they are demanding a full investigation saying it’s not too late

‼️‼️‼️ bsky.app/profile/morg...

The calls for local police to protect people from ICE really feel like a rejection of the Movement for Black Lives.

The demand was to defund and it still applies.

a community member speaks on him pleading to cpd to deescalaye a situation only to be ignored until ice called them to get away