HeakeSpeak , Truth, Accountability, and Community Resilience
Community resilience is about safety, dignity, and survival. ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids and the policies of the current administration have caused fear, harm, and to many people, for so long, deep disruption in immigrant communities. We must build collective awareness to build community resilience.
Enforcement actions that disproportionately harm People with Disabilities include inaccessible communications, lack of accommodations, separation from caregivers, and inadequate provision of emergency responses, all of which are routinely underreported or misrepresented by justifications following enforcement actions.
HeakeSpeak exists to change that:
For the time being, we want to support communities in providing transparent, community-led reporting on the impact of ICE activity on accessibility, disability, and civil and human rights. Communities and resilience are strongest when everyone has access to tools to safely document what is happening, find and share vetted information, and call for accountability without fear or exclusion.
As part of this project, HeakeSpeak is developing an online crowd-mapping and incident reporting portal based on the Epicollect5 framework. It will allow individuals, advocates, and organizations to report incidents, map macro trends, and share lived experiences (particularly from People with Disabilities) in a way that is accessible, private, and supports ethical data use.
Although we were hoping to use the Ushahidi platform, we're awaiting an upgrade and may need to build and test two prototype projects using Epicollect5 and the Ushahidi platform's tools.
Call to Action: Epicollect5 & Ushahidi Developers & Accessibility Technologists
Please fill out the Volunteer Form. If you have any questions, please contact: george@heakespeak.org
We're looking for Epicollect5 and Ushahidi developers, accessibility engineers, data ethicists, and community technologists who are committed to building tools for justice and inclusion. If you're familiar with Ushahidi, civic tech, accessibility (WCAG/ADA), data validation, or secure reporting infrastructure, we'd love to work with you.
Help us build a platform that is:
Accessible to people with disabilities
Trauma-informed and privacy-respecting
Community-governed and transparent
Intended for durability, not surveillance
Build with us. Document with us. Stand with communities.
Legal & Ethical Disclaimers
HeakeSpeak is an independent, non-governmental initiative.
We are not connected to ICE, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, or any federal, state, or local law enforcement agency.
HeakeSpeak incident reports also represent first-hand accounts, observations or experiences as described by the person making the report.
Reports do not constitute findings of fact or conclusions of law, and should not be construed as allegations of criminal conduct not supported by evidence of such conduct.
HeakeSpeak is not legal advice.
The information on this website or through our mapping tools is provided for documentation, research, advocacy, and community education purposes only. If you need legal assistance, please contact an attorney or an accredited legal service provider.
The trial's impact on accessibility and disability is well-documented.
These reports are not a substitute for medical, legal, or formal civil rights assessments, but identify systemic issues, threats, and community needs.
Privacy and safety are key principles of this project.
They take precautions in the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information and establish reporting procedures to minimize harm to individuals and communities.
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