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ArchCity Defenders (ACD) is a holistic legal advocacy organization that combats the criminalization of poverty and state violence, especially in communities of color. ACD’s foundation of civil and criminal legal representation, social services, impact litigation, policy and media advocacy, and community collaboration achieves and inspires justice and equitable outcomes for people throughout the St. Louis region and beyond.

Welcome to ARCHCITY DEFENDERS

“ArchCity Defenders walks into the danger that most lawyers walk away from. They choose to go to the hard places. They aren’t intimidated by the challenge. They seek it out. They do the thankless work alongside organizers, activists, and community to protect the rights of those our society devalues. They are there after the cameras are gone and the 24-hour news cycle is up.”

-Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Activist, Educator, and Speaker

Our Services

IMPACT AT A GLANCE

Arch City Defenders has accomplished a lot since 2009. Here are some things we're proudest of.

Represented thousands of people

in the St. Louis region.

53 civil rights lawsuits filed

regarding issues like debtors’ prisons, police misconduct, cash bail, and jail conditions.

161 people

or 36 families housed with the help of our Social Work team since August 2018.

50+ partnerships

formed with local and national groups, nonprofits, and universities to raise awareness and advance systemic policy change in our region.

When it comes to ArchCity Defenders, I trust them. They feel more like my family, like they’re not just my lawyers. They’re my friends also. They listen to you, they want to know if you okay, they want to know how you doing. Even asked, ya know, ‘you got food to eat?’ They make sure you got everything.  They do everything they can for they clients. I never seen so many attorneys like that ever in life. Since I’ve been a part of ArchCity, I feel free. They made me feel free.

Media Advisory: Upcoming Art Exhibition Honors Stories of Women Whose Loved Ones Have been Killed by Police and Died in Jail  

For Immediate Release: Federal Court Approves $3.25 Million Settlement in Debtors’ Prison Lawsuit Against Maplewood, Town Near Ferguson

For Immediate Release: ArchCity Defenders Awarded NIKE, Inc. Black Community Commitment Grant to Advance racial justice in St. Louis

For Immediate Release: New Multimedia Exhibition And Publication honors st. louis women whose loved ones have been killed by police or died in state custody

No Upcoming events

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