Why Cop Watching Is Still A Game Changer Despite The Eric Garner Decision

This August, as protests in Ferguson, Missouri, were in full-force after the shooting death of Michael Brown, a chance encounter between two activists led to the creation of the Canfield Watchmen, a program aimed at pointing the camera back at police.

David Whitt, a 35-year-old resident of Canfield (where Brown was shot), struck up a conversation one afternoon with Jacob Crawford, who had traveled to Ferguson from Berkeley, California to document the protests. Crawford works for a Berkeley-based program called We Copwatch, which trains people to film police interactions and teaches them about their civil rights when stopped by law enforcement. Whitt was immediately drawn to the concept.

“I asked him what he does [and] he said ‘I just go out, [and] document cop activity,” Whitt explained. “The way he said it made it sound really cool! I was like, ‘That sounds totally legal! How can i get involved?’”

Crawford immediately sprung into action. A few hours after their conversation, he set up a GoFundMe account for Ferguson residents who were interested in the program but lacked cameras. The following morning, the account had raised $1000, which enabled Whitt and Crawford to purchase four $200 cameras. “We took a picture of four hands in the circle showing the cameras. People responded and we got another $500 the next morning. Long story short, two weeks passed, and we’re close to $6,000 or $7,000,” Whitt boasted.

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