ArchCity’s Media and Policy Advocacy work is grounded in our mission and prioritizes:

centering the challenges ArchCity clients and their families face within a historic and systemic context

elevating the voices of our clients who have been impacted by systemic racist, social and economic oppression

maintaining a platform for our clients to speak about their lived experiences

exposing injustice

countering the misrepresentation and distortion of poor people and people of color in mainstream media narratives

impacting community conversation on issues impacting our region

providing recommendations for direct and systemic change

re-imagining public safety

 

Podcast: UNDER THE ARCH

ArchCity Defenders and Action St. Louis present the premiere collaborative podcast, “Under The Arch.” Your hosts Blake Strode, Executive Director of ArchCity Defenders, and Kayla Reed, Director of Action St. Louis, explore the issues facing our community and the people working to transform them. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and follow “Under the Arch” on social media for regular updates!

 

MEDIA CAMPAIGNS & EVENTS

Pro Se STL

ArchCity Defenders wrote a local ‘know your rights’ guide called “Pro Se STL.” Available in two different booklets, Pro Se STL is designed to give people the basic tools to defend and advocate for themselves throughout various interactions with police, courts, and jails within the region’s criminal legal system.

Pro Se STL is designed to support ongoing efforts to end systemic oppression of poor people and people of color. Visit prosestl.org to download or print a copy of the guide.

 

Re-Imagining Public Safety

COVID-19 Response Letter to Public Officials

Overpoliced and Underserved: Uncovering St. Louis City’s Priorities through the Budget

End and Prevent Homelessness and Increase Safe, Habitable, and Affordable Housing

Segregation in St. Louis: Dismantling the Divide (collaborated with Health Equity Works and other community partners)

 

POLICY PUBLICATIONS

Environmental Racism Report

STL Environmental Racism in STL 2019

ArchCity Defenders’ Policy Papers

2014: ArchCity Defenders: Municipal Courts White Paper
2015: It’s Not Just Ferguson: Missouri Supreme Court Should Consolidate the Municipal Court System