Black Liberation Fund Opposes Mass Surveillance in North Charleston

Leadership with The Black Liberation Fund (BLF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, released the following statement to clarify recent public statements made regarding BLF’s stance on mass surveillance in North Charleston. The organization says the comments do not fully reflect the organization’s position on this issue. Further, they said that no institution, organization, or individual, is authorized to make statements on behalf of BLF unless explicitly directed.

Here is the rest of their statement:

BLF has joined Charleston Democratic Socialists of America, Charleston People’s Budget Coalition, Lowcountry Action Committee, Lowcountry Black & Latina Coalition, and ACLU of South Carolina to oppose funding for mass surveillance in North Charleston. BLF has signed a petition opposing mass surveillance and the formation of a joint operations center.  

Mass Surveillance

On June 9, 2022, North Charleston City Council unanimously approved the allocation of $2.5 million dollars to the North Charleston Police Department for the installation of 745 surveillance cameras, 34 automatic license plate readers, and a Joint Operations Center equipped with a wall of video screens to monitor citizen activity. Black Liberation Fund (BLF) has serious concerns about crime and violence within the community, however, the risks associated with intrusive and pervasive monitoring of community members by Law Enforcement, far outweigh the anticipated benefits and will cause irreparable harm to the Black community.  

Incarceration and Disproportionality 

Law Enforcement is not immune to the implicit biases which permeate the society in which we live. Studies indicate strong implicit bias towards African Americans. According to data from the Charleston County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, in 2017, the rate of incarceration in the Sheriff Al Canon Detention Center, per 1,000 adults in the Charleston County population, was 10.19 among black individuals and 1.33 among white individuals. Incarceration occurred 7.65 times as often for black individuals than white individuals. Mass surveillance is operated by humans who bring to work their implicit prejudices and biases, which will result in increased arrests of Blacks for lower-level offenses and exacerbate criminal justice-related inequalities experienced by communities of color. The collateral consequences stemming from the decision to arrest is far-reaching and result in more detrimental outcomes compared to the white community.  

Community Programs 

BLF urges the City of North Charleston to increase the allocation of funds for community-based programs committed to creating affordable housing, increasing access to higher education, providing recreational programs for young people, sponsoring entrepreneurial opportunities, and delivering physical and mental health services.  

For Information about BLF, visit blackliberationfund.org.

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