CONCLUSION

In this report we explore the way that policing and criminalization are themselves technologies deeply rooted in white supremacy and how the high-tech interventions that are being deployed to police and surveil QT2SBIPOC communities are merely new extensions of the prison industrial complex that expand the control of the state. The stories shared in this report uplift the experiences of movement organizers and map often invisible and hidden processes of criminalization as they intersect with technologies of surveillance. We highlight the resilience and ingenuity of communities fighting back against carceral tech as they build networks of care and protection while simultaneously dexterously navigating and adapting to the rapid development of new carceral technologies.

We outlined key elements of these oppressive regimes, particularly as they impact communities of color and other groups oppressed by the US’ neoliberal, white, capitalist, patriarchal, heteronormative system. Movement organizers continue to show the power of movement technology when developed by and for community. Moreover, their visions, values, and programming provide clear pathways forward in the struggle for justice in an increasingly digital world. With their lead, we conclude this report with a renewed call for long-term responsive funding initiatives that support organizations addressing the root causes of systemic inequality, challenge dominant narratives of criminalization and surveillance, and, ultimately, echo and affirm abolitionist organizing and self-determination.

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Technologies for Liberation: Toward Abolitionist Futures | 2020
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