Know Your Rights

People’s Investigations

People’s Investigations are community based defense and justice projects to conduct independent inquiries into incidents of police violence and misconduct. These are collaborative, grassroots initiatives and are a way for you to become involved in sharing and producing information together. The information you produce through the investigations can supplement the work of lawyers and support court cases; provide narratives to counter mainstream media portrayals that criminalize and dehumanize people targeted by police; and inform direct action tactics and other political strategies. These investigations also provide an open space for you to come together and share in the process of research and to take control of our own safety as a community.

Read the People’s Investigations Handbook, a Berkeley Copwatch guide to conducting your very own People’s Investigation.