ArchCity Defenders
| Founded | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Founder | |
| Type | Civil Rights |
| 80-0471494[2] | |
| Location | |
| Website | ArchCityDefenders.org |
ArchCity Defenders (ACD) is a nonprofit civil rights law firm focusing on poor people and people of color it feels are exploited by the municipal court system in St. Louis, Missouri, through direct services and impact litigation.
History[edit]
ArchCity was founded in 2009 by Thomas Harvey, Michael-John Voss, and John McAnnar[4][5] in the styling of Robin Steinberg's The Bronx Defenders in the South Bronx neighborhood of New York City, considered the nation's first holistic defense organization. The firm got started when McAnnar was furloughed from his firm during the recession of 2009, and Voss secured space at his firm, Reinert Weishaar & Associates, in the neighborhood of Laclede's Landing, St. Louis. The firm's budget grew from less than $75,000 in 2009 to $300,000 in 2013.[6]
The firm expanded in June 2013 through a contract under then Mayor Francis Slay's campaign to end chronic homelessness. Harvey and Voss joined the firm full-time in 2014.[7]
The shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in August 2014 brought additional attention to ArchCity and its work. It produced a report on revenue predation by police departments and municipal courts in St. Louis County.
In 2017, co-founder Harvey announced that he was leaving ArchCity to join his wife in Los Angeles and raising money for an effort to raise funds for cash bail. Employee Blake Strode was named Harvey's replacement.[8]
As of January 2018, the firm has 20 full-time staff with additional volunteers and year-round interns.[7]
Executive Directors[edit]
| Years | Name |
|---|---|
| 2009–2018 | Thomas Harvey |
| 2018–present | Blake Strode |
Programs[edit]
ArchCity began in 2009 with clearing arrest warrants, and later expanded to a court-watching program in partnership with the Saint Louis University School of Law to statistically validate their clients' experiences in the court system.[9][6]
The court-watching program resulted in a "Municipal Courts White Paper" describing policy related to the municipal courts of St. Louis. ArchCity expanded to provide legal representation to the people protesting, and subsequently filed a number of lawsuits targeting the "criminalization of poverty" as well as police brutality.[6]
In December 2014, ArchCity filed ten lawsuits against seven St. Louis County municipalities alleging constitutional abuses by their courts.[10] ArchCity filed additional lawsuits against the cities of Ferguson and Jennings in February 2015.[11] A class-action lawsuit was filed in 2016 against thirteen Missouri municipalities.[12]
In 2016, a federal judge approved a $4.7 million settlement to compensate people jailed in Jennings, Missouri for their inability to pay court fines and fees.[13][14]
Fundraising[edit]
ArchCity is primarily funded through grants, legal fees from settlements and damages awards, and donations. It does not charge its clients any fees. ArchCity received some funds from a September 2015 settlement with the City of Jennings. ArchCity gets significant support from pro bono interns.[3]
External links[edit]
References[edit]
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- Legal advocacy organizations in the United States
- Civil rights organizations in the United States
- Law firms established in 2009
- Law firms based in St. Louis
- Organizations established in 2009
- 2009 establishments in Missouri
- Criminal defense organizations
- Criminal justice reform in the United States
- Homelessness organizations
- Activist groups in Saint Louis
