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Non-profit

Lucy Parsons Labs

Website:

www.lucyparsonslabs.com
Location:

Chicago, IL
Tax ID:

81-3046769
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2020):

Revenue: $37,851
Expenses: $33,763
Assets: $17,184
Type:

Data Privacy Activists
Founded:

2014
Executive Director:

Freddy Martinez

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Lucy Parsons Labs (LPL) is an organization of data scientists and data privacy activists focused on alleged police misconduct, corruption, and digital rights. 1 LPL claims that Chicago practices militarized policing by leveraging cameras, social media monitoring, facial recognition software, and gunshot detection systems. 2

LPL focuses on police transparency and collects information by leveraging public records requests. 3 According to its 2020 tax return, LPL’s main projects include providing digital security training to activists, maintaining a SecureDrop system for whistleblowers to report police misconduct anonymously, developing the OpenOversight database of names, photos and profiles of law enforcement officers across the United States, reforming Chicago’s civil asset forfeiture program, and filing public records requests under the Freedom of Information Act to collect data. 4

Background

In 2014, several people doing digital security training in Chicago created a group focused on leveraging technology to support data privacy activism. 5 It was eventually named after Lucy Parsons, an anarchist organizer in Chicago from the late 19th century. 6 In 2017, Lucy Parsons Labs obtained nonprofit status. 7

Lucy Parsons Labs is a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, 8 a technology development and activist organization focused on digital free speech and privacy. 9 It is also part of the Chicago Data Collaborative, a data collection project focused on the criminal justice system and supported by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. 10

Projects

Lucy Parsons Labs has developed a Surveillance Primer that identifies and describes the surveillance technologies that Chicago uses, including cameras, license plate readers, and gunshot detectors. The primer also provides a map of the locations of all cameras in the city. 11 In partnership with MuckRock, LPL is conducting an audit to continue to update the Primer. 12

LPL partnered with MuckRock, a platform for sending Freedom of Information Act requests, to investigate how Chicago’s asset forfeiture funds were being used. 13 Through civil asset forfeiture, police can seize and retain cash, cars, and other valuable items they allege are tied to criminal activity without securing a criminal conviction. 14

LPL’s investigation included multiple Freedom of Information Act requests. Results indicated that asset forfeiture proceeds are split between the Chicago police department, the Illinois state police, and the state’s attorney’s office. The Bureau of Organized Crime in the Chicago Police Department uses these proceeds to help finance the day-to-day operations of the narcotics unit and to purchase equipment. 15 The investigation claims that these seizures were often discriminatory, occurring in predominantly ethnic minority neighborhoods. 16

SecureDrop is a free open-source system managed by the Freedom of the Press Foundation that is used by media organizations such the Washington Post, CNN, New York Times, Huffington Post (HuffPost) and Guardian to accept tips and documents from anonymous sources. 17 LPL uses SecureDrop to permit people to submit information on fraud, waste, or abuse by government bodies without revealing their identity. 18

OpenOversight is free open-source software developed by LPL that maintains a public searchable database of names, photos, and profiles of law enforcement officers across the United States. It was implemented in Chicago in 2016 and has since expanded to San Francisco, New York City, and Baltimore. 19 LPL leverages public and crowdsourced data to build the database of police officers. It was developed to provide the public with an easier way to identify police officers with whom they have had negative experiences, obtain their names and badge numbers, and submit complaints. 20

ShotSpotter Lawsuit

ShotSpotter is a system that uses microphones, algorithms, analysts, and alerts to identify potential gunshots and alert police. 21 It claims a 97% accuracy rate. 22 ShotSpotter has been used for 25 years in more than 120 cities. 23

Lucy Parsons Labs filed a lawsuit against the city of Chicago arguing the ShotSpotter contract should not be renewed and claiming ShotSpotter discriminates against ethnic minority Chicagoans. 24 LPL claims that technologies such as ShotSpotter support militarized policing targeting minority communities. 25

Financials and Donors

Total revenue for 2020 was $37,851 and expenses were $33,763. 26 Donors include Crossroads Fund in 2021 27 and Chicago Beyond in 2020. 28 Chicago Beyond is a philanthropy that invests in organizations that fight “structural racism, power, and privilege.” 29

Leadership

Freddy Martinez is founder and executive director of Lucy Parsons Labs. He is a systems administrator and technical advisor for Library Freedom, 30 an activist organization that teaches librarians about privacy and surveillance threats and the digital tools to fight them, as well as organizing to enact policy change. 31

Jennifer Helsby is listed as a trustee on the Lucy Parsons Labs 2020 tax return. 32 She is a data scientist and works at Penumbra Labs as a core engineer. Previously she was a principal research engineer and lead developer at Freedom of the Press Foundation. 33

Camille Fassett is director at LPL. 34 Fassett is a data reporter for the Associated Press. Previously she was a data science fellow at the Human Rights Data Analysis Group and a reporter and researcher at Freedom of the Press Foundation. 35

References

  1. “SecureDrop at Lucy Parsons Labs.” YouTube. June 3, 2016. Accessed August 11, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKY_Sgv9ej8
  2. Freddy Martinez. “Op-Ed: End the City’s ShotSpotter Contract.” South Side Weekly. April 28, 2021. Accessed August 11, 2022. https://southsideweekly.com/end-the-citys-shotspotter-contract/
  3. Lindsay Oliver. “Advocating for Change: How Lucy Parsons Labs Defends Transparency in Chicago.” Electronic Frontier Foundation. March 19, 2018. Accessed August 14, 2022. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/03/advocating-change-how-lucy-parsons-labs-defends-transparency-chicago
  4. Lucy Parsons Labs. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990-EZ – Part III). 2020.
  5. [1] Lindsay Oliver. “Advocating for Change: How Lucy Parsons Labs Defends Transparency in Chicago.” Electronic Frontier Foundation. March 19, 2018. Accessed August 13, 2022. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/03/advocating-change-how-lucy-parsons-labs-defends-transparency-chicago
  6. “SecureDrop at Lucy Parsons Labs.” YouTube. June 3, 2016. Accessed August 11, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKY_Sgv9ej8
  7. “Lucy Parsons Labs now a registered 501c3 non-profit.” Lucy Parsons Labs – Posts. February 6, 2017. Accessed August 14, 2022. https://lucyparsonslabs.com/posts/501c3appoval/
  8. Lindsay Oliver. “Advocating for Change: How Lucy Parsons Labs Defends Transparency in Chicago.” Electronic Frontier Foundation. March 19, 2018. Accessed August 14, 2022. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/03/advocating-change-how-lucy-parsons-labs-defends-transparency-chicago
  9. “About EFF.” EFF Electronic Frontier Foundation – About. Accessed August 14, 2022. https://www.eff.org/about
  10. Chicago Data Collaborative website. Accessed August 14, 2022. https://chicagodatacollaborative.org/
  11. “Police Surveillance in Chicago.” Last updated January 3, 2021. Accessed August 15, 2022. https://chicagopolicesurveillance.com/
  12. “Primer on Chicago Surveillance.” Lucy Parsons Lab – Projects. Accessed August 13, 2022. https://lucyparsonslabs.com/projects/primer/
  13. “SecureDrop at Lucy Parsons Labs.” YouTube. June 3, 2016. Accessed August 11, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKY_Sgv9ej8
  14. “Civil Asset Forfeiture.” Lucy Parsons Labs – Projects. Accessed August 15, 2022. https://lucyparsonslabs.com/projects/assetforfeiture/
  15. Joel Handley, Jennifer Helsby and Freddy Martinez. “Inside the Chicago Police Department’s secret budget.” Chicago Reader. September 29, 2016. Updated September 22, 2021. Accessed August 15, 2022. https://chicagoreader.com/news-politics/inside-the-chicago-police-departments-secret-budget/
  16. “Civil Asset Forfeiture.” Lucy Parsons Labs – Projects. Accessed August 15, 2022. https://lucyparsonslabs.com/projects/assetforfeiture/
  17. “Directory.” SecureDrop. Accessed August 13, 2022. https://securedrop.org/directory/
  18. “SecureDrop at Lucy Parsons Labs.” YouTube. June 3, 2016. Accessed August 11, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKY_Sgv9ej8
  19. “About OpenOversight.” OpenOversight. Accessed August 13, 2022. https://openoversight.lucyparsonslabs.com/about
  20. “OpenOversight.” Lucy Parsons Labs – Projects. Accessed August 11, 2022. https://lucyparsonslabs.com/projects/openoversight/
  21. Freddy Martinez. “Op-Ed: End the City’s ShotSpotter Contract.” South Side Weekly. April 28, 2021. Accessed August 11, 2022. https://southsideweekly.com/end-the-citys-shotspotter-contract/
  22. Jon Seidel. “New lawsuit aims to halt Chicago’s use of ShotSpotter.” Chicago Sun Times. July 21, 2022. Accessed August 13, 2022. https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2022/7/21/23273332/shotspotter-lawsuit-chicago-police-toledo-shooting-michael-williams-arrest-charges-dropped
  23. “ShotSpotter Responds to False Claims.” ShotSpotter website. Accessed August 13, 2022. https://www.shotspotter.com/shotspotter-responds-to-false-claims/
  24. Jon Seidel. “New lawsuit aims to halt Chicago’s use of ShotSpotter.” Chicago Sun Times. July 21, 2022. Accessed August 13, 2022. https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2022/7/21/23273332/shotspotter-lawsuit-chicago-police-toledo-shooting-michael-williams-arrest-charges-dropped
  25. Freddy Martinez. “Op-Ed: End the City’s ShotSpotter Contract.” South Side Weekly. April 28, 2021. Accessed August 11, 2022. https://southsideweekly.com/end-the-citys-shotspotter-contract/
  26. Lucy Parsons Labs. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990-EZ – Part I). 2020.
  27. Crossroads Fund. Grants and Other Assistance to Organizations, Governments and Individuals in the United States. (Form 990 – Schedule I). 2020.
  28. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer – Lucy Parsons Lab. Accessed August 13, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=lucy+parsons+lab
  29. “Investment Strategy.” Chicago Beyond. Accessed August 13, 2022. https://chicagobeyond.org/investment-strategy/
  30. “Our Team.” Library Freedom. Accessed August 11, 2022. https://libraryfreedom.org/team/freddy-martinez/
  31. “What does Library Freedom Project do?” Library Freedom. Accessed August 11, 2022. https://libraryfreedom.org/
  32. Lucy Parsons Labs. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990-EZ – Part IV). 2020.
  33. LinkedIn – Jennifer Helsby. Accessed August 15, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%A7%99-jennifer-helsby-698399189/
  34. Lucy Parsons Labs. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990-EZ – Part IV). 2020.
  35. “2021 – 2022 Corps Members.” Report for America – Journalists. Accessed August 15, 2022. https://www.reportforamerica.org/members/?rfa_year=2021
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: October - September
  • Tax Exemption Received: February 1, 2017

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2020 Oct Form 990EZ $37,851 $33,763 $17,184 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
    2019 Oct Form 990EZ $14,067 $8,864 $13,096 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF
    2018 Oct Form 990EZ $10,457 $9,595 $7,893 $7,031 $0 $0 $0 $0 PDF

    Lucy Parsons Labs


    Chicago, IL