Join The Watch
Watcher’s Workshop

Training to Witness

Where watching becomes action. Learn the skills, take your seat, and help make injustice impossible to ignore.

Legal & Ethical Grounding

Court watching starts with knowing the rules and understanding the boundaries. Public access, ethical limits, and safety practices protect both watchers and the people in court.

  • What’s legally public and what isn’t
  • Boundaries that safeguard watchers and defendants
  • Safety, respect, and consent in every space
Courtroom Basics

A courtroom can seem confusing until you know its structure. Understanding the roles, rituals, and flow makes every observation sharper and more meaningful.

  • Key courtroom roles and responsibilities
  • Common terms and procedures decoded
  • The rhythm of a typical hearing
How to Observe

Presence matters, but attention is power. Watching with focus reveals how authority is used, how people are treated, and what “justice” looks like in practice.

  • Where to sit and how to blend in
  • Key behaviors, language, and timing to notice
  • Power dynamics on display
How to Record

Notes turn fleeting moments into lasting evidence. Clear, consistent documentation builds the collective record needed to expose systemic harm and track judicial injustice.

  • Details that matter most to capture
  • Using standardized note-taking tools
  • Writing so others can act on your notes
How to Report

Your notes don’t stop with you, they become part of a collective record. After observing, you’ll submit records through our online portal so they can be added to the community’s evidence of how the courts operate.

  • Step-by-step guide to submitting notes
  • What information to include (and what to leave out)
  • How your submission strengthens collective reports
Data & Storytelling

Every submission adds to a larger picture of Detroit’s courts. We compile watcher notes to expose patterns of bias and harm, transforming observations into reports and stories that drive change.

  • How watcher notes are aggregated and analyzed
  • Spotting patterns of bias and harm
  • Turning data into public reports and advocacy tools
Courts You’ll See

Court watching can happen in many places. Criminal, civil, housing, family, and immigration courts all decide questions that reshape life, and each reveals how the system distributes power and punishment.

  • Criminal, civil, and housing hearings
  • Family and immigration cases
  • Traffic and municipal dockets
History of Court Watching

Court watching has long been a practice of resistance. From the civil rights movement to today, communities have used it to hold judicial power accountable.

  • Civil rights–era roots
  • Growth of local court watch groups
  • Court watching as an abolitionist tool
National Network

Detroit is part of a larger movement. Court watchers across the country are connecting, sharing tools, and building collective power.

  • National reports and research
  • Connections to other groups
  • Courtwatching toolkits and guides
The Abolitionist Lens

Watching is about exposure, not repair. What’s recorded makes visible why reform falls short and why we must imagine beyond punishment.

  • How courts uphold systemic harm
  • Why reform falls short
  • How watching fits into abolitionist futures

Help Hold Courts Accountable

You don’t need to sit on the sidelines. The courts are public, and your presence matters. Sign up to become a Court Watcher and help turn hidden harm into public accountability.

Join the Watch