Explanation: Started at a 24-hour hackathon, initially Protect & Swerve was a small project, but after receiving an extra push from the Code Interactive (C/I) and the numerous people we met at the multiple tech events and meetups , our faith and conviction in our initiative doubled. Why Protect & Swerve? Well, it is a pun on the police slogan “protect and serve”; the meaning being that the police protect some, but swerve many others and their own duty. Protect & Swerve is created by a website, game, and an app which are the foundations for this movement.
We utilized Firebase, Ziggeo, CartoDb and Google Maps to create a function that will record videos and upload it directly to our website and app in real-time. So, whenever one of the users sees a misconduct happening around their area they could record the event on their device and geotag it and that will automatically show up on our map for all to see. In the future, Users will also have the chance to express their thoughts by a commenting system. We used Java and PhoneGap to create the app and we implemented GameMaker to create the core function of the game.
Users are to be attracted to our cause by the game that will tell them exactly what we are aiming at; next through our website they would be able to learn a little more about the community they will be becoming a part of; finally they will learn to get further involved in the actual movement itself. By joining the community the user now shall have an access to the messaging/commenting platform that will allow both the national and local users to comment on. The platform is for sharing incidents of police brutality and educating of the current situation in America. The more support the movement will be able to garner through speaking to the state governments, the more it will transform into a national level movement. Protect & Swerve is here to end police brutality by gathering teens to establish a reform movement. Through all of this we want to show the power the teens, technology and common men posses.
Inspiration: Couples of years back, few of our friends were wrongly charged & arrested for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. When they tried explaining their position, the police officers instead of giving them a chance to explain the situation, they handcuffed them and used brutal force to detain them. Finally, when the truth unraveled, the officers found out that they had detained the wrong people; and although my friends were released, yet the officers were neither admonished nor advised by the authorities to act responsibly from the next time.
The accident left an indelible impression in our hearts and we decided to make a platform that would bring out the truth regarding the police fraternity amongst the common public. Police brutality is a tricky subject and consequently, a commonly misunderstood one as well. A lot many times Teenagers have to face the brunt of police’s irresponsible behaviors. During our brainstorming process at the hackathon, we surveyed teenagers about what they thought of police’s brutality. Out of 60 teens, 80% believed that police brutality is an overhyped topic and is not worth a serious discussion.
Therefore, we decided to create a platform that will not only inform our users about police brutality but will also engage them so that they can take adopt correct measures against the responsible police personals. Many of the times, these above mentioned kind of events go unnoticed around our area and as a result, citizens get no knowledge of the brutality that the police exhibit. This is the reason why we have created a function that users could use to complain of the police’s misconducts, adding geotags. This will clear our point of discussion that no, police brutality isn’t an over-hyped subject and it is observed in different forms, over the globe.
PRIMARY FOCUS
Website Design Robotics and Gadgets Stem or Steam Other Hackathon, Technology education, STEM Outreach
SCHOOL
Stuyvesant High School
INFORMATION
Website for the project
VIDEO OF THE PROJECT
Video of the project
TWITTER
Visit Us on Twitter