Houston is Rising Up Against ShotSpotter’s Bogus Surveillance Technology

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, August 9, 2023
MEDIA CONTACTS: Katya Abazajian, Houston Abolitionist Collective (fill out our interest form and we will be in touch)

Fifty community members gathered on Monday evening with one common objective: ending Houston’s wasteful and dangerous $3.5 million contract with ShotSpotter, the controversial surveillance technology police used to spy on Black, Brown, low-income, and working-class people across Houston. Numerous studies show that ShotSpotter does not reduce or prevent gun crime. ShotSpotter sends armed police into our communities on high alert after any loud noise. It misidentifies loud noises (fireworks, slammed car doors, etc.) for gunfire at extremely high rates, with false positives as high as 48%. This shoddy “technology” has already led to harassment, false charges and even death. Because of this, other cities like San Antonio and Charlotte have already stopped using the invasive and ineffective technology.

Monday’s convening was hosted by RISE Houston, a grassroots coalition dedicated to ending police violence and fostering community safety, led by Pure Justice, Houston Abolitionist Collective, Texas Civil Rights Project, and Civil Rights Corps. 

Participants included survivors of police violence, concerned community members, and several candidates for City Council. Together, they dreamed of ways Houston’s multi-million dollar investments in ShotSpotter could be better spent—including funding youth programs and green spaces, libraries and community centers, cash assistance for families facing eviction, flood protection, and non-custodial mental health treatment. 

Sasha Legette, Founder and Executive Director of Pure Justice, speaks to RISE Houston members fighting to #ScrapShotSpotter.

RoShawn Evans, Co-Founder and Organizing Director for Pure Justice noted, “We cannot afford to continue wasting money on failed approaches to crime prevention, when proactive measures, such as community based investments, have been proven to not only decrease crime but also improve overall community health.”

The coalition nearly came toe-to-toe with ShotSpotter’s CEO Ralph Clark last month.  Mr. Clark was in town for a conference of the National Urban League—likely his attempt at damage control after the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board echoed RISE’s demand that the city #ScrapShotSpotter. Forty-plus RISE protesters stood outside the conference venue chanting “Safety for ALL is a human right!” and holding signs demanding Houston cancel the ShotSpotter contract. Shaken by this showing outside, Mr. Clark, who was scheduled to speak on a panel, delivered brief and haphazard remarks before rushing off stage.

Community members gathered outside of the George R. Brown Convention Center, where ShotSpotter CEO Ralph Clark was scheduled to speak on a panel before he unexpectedly rushed off the stage.

Pressure is mounting on the City Council to take action. Katya Abazajian of the Houston Abolitionist Collective recounted, “We have shown up to City Council repeatedly with evidence about the harms of ShotSpotter, asking our leaders to invest in housing, mental health services, drainage infrastructure and other life-giving support for Black and brown communities.”

When policing and surveillance go unchecked, the consequences are enormous. As Christopher Rivera of Texas Civil Rights Project explained, “The end result is mass incarceration, which at times results in death. Especially when you are detained in the horrendous Harris County Jail.”

In addition to canceling the ShotSpotter contract, RISE is also calling on all municipal candidates, if elected, to prohibit police from making stops for minor traffic violations and to freeze the Houston Police Department’s $1 billion budget. These interventions are necessary to end racialized police violence, the criminalization of poverty, and structural disinvestment in Black and Brown communities. 

To learn more about RISE Houston, visit: www.risehouston.org and follow us @RISE_HOU_TX on Instagram and Twitter, or connect with us on Facebook.