5.9 hours
Easton Community Centre
Starting at GBP 0
Sat, 28 Feb • 12:30 PM (GMT+00:00)
Easton Community Centre
Kilburn Street, Easton, United Kingdom
We’re once again back at the awesome ECC in Easton, Bristol, this time in two rooms- the main hall and the Stapleton room, from 12.30 pm to 18.25 pm for the launch of Communities For Justice, the largest community event we’ve ever held! We extended our event time to fit in an additional section of the day for youth and families.
We’re partnering on the event with Black South West Network as well as The Bristol Cable and the day kicks off with an introduction and welcome from all of us.
Lunch is from 13:45 to 14:15 enjoy the great food available in the cafe and powerful spoken word from Bristol City Poet Sukina Noor in the main hall. We will also have an afternoon break from 15:15 to 15:25.
Communities for Justice is a space to learn together, connect struggles, and build the tools we need to understand the realities of policing now and what’s coming next, and how to challenge them.
For years, communities in Bristol have been watching the police: documenting stop and search, challenging controversial stop and search tactics like Section 60, practicing bystander intervention, and learning our rights when policing enters our lives.
Community police monitoring has always been about protection, accountability and survival — and in 2026, it still matters.
But the face of policing is changing.
Power no longer only shows up on the street. It now sits in databases, algorithms and risk scores. Decisions are increasingly shaped by data systems operating out of sight, without consent and with little scrutiny.
In Bristol, a national testing ground for mass data gathering by the police and other services— tens of thousands of people have been quietly profiled in the name of safeguarding.
But, we’re here to say: surveillance isn’t safeguarding.
Across the day, we’ll start with what we know: why we continue to say no to stop and search, Section 60 and “precision” policing powers, and how to protect each other through copwatching and knowing your rights. Then we’ll look ahead - unpacking how police technologies and AI systems work, exposing bias and discrimination, and sharing ways to resist systems that criminalise communities while claiming to care.
Info: In this opening section of the day, you'll be welcomed by Bristol Copwatch, BSWN and The Bristol Cable, followed by a panel discussion on community police monitoring and why, in 2026, it matters more than ever.
Info: The People’s Tribunal on Police Killings (PTPK) is a grassroots, family-led initiative exposing deaths after police contact and demanding justice outside a system where prosecutions are vanishingly rare.
Info: Section 60 allows police to stop and search people without suspicion. Time and again, its use has proven to be racist, ineffective and harmful — without making communities safer.
Info: The Bristol Cable’s Investigations Editor, Sean Morrison, introduces Profiling Power- a new series investigating how Bristol City Council and Avon and Somerset Police use mass data systems under the banner of safeguarding. In reality, personal information from schools, health services and police records is being fed into AI-powered risk scoring systems, often without people’s knowledge or consent. This session breaks down how surveillance actually works, the risks of bias and discrimination, and why safeguarding must never mean criminalising communities.
Info: The Offender Management App and the Community- A look at how police technology intersects with community and what accountability looks like when harm is mediated through digital systems. Jeff Monzon has chaired an independent scrutiny group to challenge the use of AI systems by the police. John Pegram is an IT professional and AI practitioner who has been profiled by the Offender Management App and is creating a road map to show a path to accountability and justice.
Info: In this compelling discussion and presentation, Jeff Monzon will cover policing the playground and its impact on children's lives, the school-to-Pr*son pipeline and why in 2026 we should demand no more exclusions. Teena Lashmore will focus on adultification bias in policing and the harm it creates in black children and their families lives.
Info: Join this workshop to learn about the vital work Liberty do and police technologies such as facial recognition, predictive policing, as well as End-2-End encryption and stop and search powers such as the controversial Section 60. You'll also get to learn more about Liberty's legal education work surrounding Prevent, policing and protest, as well as policing and our rights and how we can use strategic litigation to challenge policing practices.
Info: Learn how predictive policing works and how to use SARs to access data held about you or your family.
Info: Learn about your rights and responsibilities when stopped and searched by the police.
Info: What is bystander intervention, and why does it matter? With the upcoming launch of the StopWatch Bystander Intervention guide, learn why intervention on stop and search counts and how to be not just a bystander but an ally.
Info: An introduction to Bristol Defendant Solidarity and their work supporting people targeted by policing and prosecution.
Also check out other Workshops in Easton, Contests in Easton, Business events in Easton.
Tickets for Communities for Justice can be booked here.
| Ticket type | Ticket price |
|---|---|
| Early bird | 4 GBP |
| Second release | 5 GBP |
| General Admission | 7 GBP |
| Pay what you can | Free |
| Extra support <3 | 12 GBP |
