

Mission Statement
Participatory Defense is a community organizing model for people facing charges, their families, and communities to impact the outcomes of cases and transform the landscape of power in the court system. Participatory Defense is guided by three principles, developed at the first National Participatory Defense Gathering in 2016:
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Family and community strength can play a pivotal role in stopping and reducing incarceration for a loved one and a community. Through collective action, we can change how people navigate court processes which are designed to be isolating.
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Families and communities can be even more powerful when taking the role of organizer and agent of change, not service recipient.
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By working on individual cases, communities can build the movement of directly impacted peoples to hold the actors of the court accountable, make systemic change, and ultimately end mass incarceration.

Participatory Defense Values
The North Philly Hub adheres to a non-hierarchical structure. Every member of our hub community has expertise to offer. Our core members, those who take on behind-the-scenes work, are not static. Any hub member is welcome to take on a new role, create a role they see as needed, or join our core.
Participatory Defense is a trust-based process grounded in relationship building among hub members.
Meetings are a nonjudgmental space, where families’ experiences are centered. We strive to empower and uplift those with cases. We support the leadership and decision-making of those with cases and their loved ones.
We recognize that the criminal (in)justice system is rooted in racism, white supremacy, patriarchy, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, capitalism, and all mechanisms of oppression. We understand that this system is designed fundamentally to oppress. We strive to uproot oppressive mechanisms so as not to replicate them in our hub structure.
What defines a “win” will look different for each case. We can never guarantee a “win” but through community collective problem-solving aim to impact the outcome of each case.

What We Do
North Philly Hub uses our shared knowledge, resources, and experience with the criminal (in)justice system to support people in fighting for the best possible outcome in their case. We do not offer professional legal advice. We are not lawyers. We are people with different forms of experience within the court and carceral systems. Some of us came to the Hub with open cases, some formerly incarcerated, some on behalf of impacted family members, or some as volunteers, all with both things to offer and gain from this community. The Hub is a public community space where people discuss open cases. For this reason, we remind folks not to share any private or confidential information regarding cases during our meetings.
What to expect at a hub meeting:
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Welcome: brief explanation of participatory defense & what to expect
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Introductions: name, pronouns, whether you have a case, and affiliation with any organization
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Community Announcements: all are welcome to share an upcoming event or action
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Cases: Each individual with a case is asked to share an update of what stage the case is at and what support they’re seeking. We then brainstorm as a group to create a list of “To Do’s” for that case. No one is required to share, and may just listen if they wish.
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Hub members often follow up to provide support in between meetings as well.
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We can offer more specific support as we get to know more about an individual and their case. We encourage members to attend meetings multiple times so we can deepen the level of support we offer you and so you can use your experience to support others. The typical supports we offer are:
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Advice about how you can talk to your attorney in order to best advocate for yourself and fight the case effectively. This document has a list of some of the questions we typically encourage participants to ask their attorneys.
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Information about how the criminal and court systems work. This map lays out the typical steps in a Philadelphia adult criminal case from arrest through sentencing, as well as suggestions for what you can do to fight at each step.
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Assistance with constructing a social bio, which is a packet of letters, documents, photographs, and other evidence that paints a picture of who you are as a whole person. This can have a significant impact on how effectively lawyers argue in a client's defense and can influence a judge's decision-making. This document gives you an overview of the social bio.
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Providing in-person court support, to demonstrate that the community is behind you. We have seen this lead to more favorable outcomes for participants. Once you are part of our “Hub Family" we can share your court hearing date information with all Hubs across Philadelphia so those in the hub network can provide court support.
We continuously seek out and compile new resources to support participants.
Please let us know if you have a resource to share!
Hub History
Participatory Defense is a community-organizing model developed by
Silicon Valley De-Bug in San Jose, CA. De-Bug has been sharing the
model of Participatory Defense across the country since 2009. There are
now more than 40 hubs in over 20 states.
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The North Philly Hub began in September 2019, thanks to the energy,
vision, and focus of Reuben Jones of Frontline Dads and George Van
Norton and Steve Crum from Zion Baptist Church. In addition to Reuben,
George and Steve, Martha Williams, and Kavita Goyal were part of the
initial core of volunteers. The first North Philly Hub meeting was held at
the Zion Baptist Church at 3600 North Broad Street. Zion Baptist Church
became our fiscal sponsor. In January 2020, Martha Williams and others
went to California for training with Silicon Valley De-Bug. In March 2020
the NPH began meeting on Zoom due to Covid. Beginning in April 2023,
we resumed in-person meetings on the first Thursday of the month. The
remainder of our Thursday meetings continue on Zoom.
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We are an independent, volunteer-run organization committed to building
community for people facing charges across Philadelphia. We partner with
the other Philly hubs for support and training. We welcome you to join our
team.
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