Building the Beloved Community: Designing Technologies for Neighborhood Safety
Neighborhood safety technologies (NSTs) are digital technologies used for the purpose of increasing safety within the context of a neighborhood. NSTs such as Nextdoor, Citizen, and Amazon Neighbors are some of the most downloaded social and news platforms in the United States and are used in hundreds of thousands of neighborhoods nationwide. My dissertation research investigated users’ experience with these technologies, finding that these platforms can exacerbate users’ fear of crime and strengthen negative race and class based stereotypes. I designed alternatives to traditional surveillance-oriented technologies that center care, social work, and neighborhood relationships. This award-winning work has been presented at premier design and computing conferences globally.
Policing Alternative and Diversion Initiative
Atlanta’s Policing Alternatives and Diversion Initiative (PAD) is a nonprofit that provides an alternative to police response and diversion from jail for people experiencing extreme poverty, problematic substance use, or mental health concerns.. I provided measurement and evaluation services to PAD in 2022. I analyzed community feedback on the program and presented insights to the leadership team, resulting in shifting priorities and goals for the following year.
“Four Strategies to Make your Neighborhood SafeR”
I authored a media piece based on conversations that I had with neighbors on the East Atlanta neighborhood Facebook page. This article was picked up by 30+ media outlets, reaching a global audience of over 14,000 readers.