Mission

Stop Taser Abuse Today (STAT!) a national campaign to curb law enforcement's use and abuse of Tasers and equip local organizers with tools to take action in their own communities. We seek to create a civil society where civil rights are respected, prisoners are not treated inhumanely, protesters are not subject to violent repression, and police do not respond to everyday conflicts with excessive use of force.

STAT has four main goals:

1. Raise public awareness about Taser Abuse in the context of the broader systemic problem of police excessive use of force, lack of accountability, and racial profiling.
2. Debunk the PR myths put out by Taser International, the manufacturer of Tasers.
3. Curb the proliferation of Tasers by strengthening activist, legal and research efforts.
4. Our concrete objective is become a highly trafficked repository of research data and materials.

Activities

1. Maintain an 800 number report-line (or hotline) to collect reports of Taser abuse.
2. Maintain a multi-function website that tracks taser abuse incidents and related stories and provide resources.
3. Helps coordinate national media efforts and provides media and technical assistance to local organizers.
4. Develops and distributes resources (stickers, buttons, t-shirts, factsheets, reports, propos, etc.)
5. Develop relationships with medical and legal experts; civil rights, civil liberties groups, law enforcement/criminal justice groups and repression scholars and help project their voices and research.
6. Maintain a speakers bureau.

Save Our Civil Liberties

STAT! was initiated by Save Our Civil Liberties, which formed in the aftermath of the police crackdown at the Miami FTAA protests (November 2003) to raise awareness about what happened, ensure justice & accountability, and rollback the increasing criminalization of dissent in the US. Since its formation, Save Our Civil Liberties has organized public media responses to the attacks, created action alerts and initiated grassroots appeals to officials and decision makers to demand accountability of the police and that charges against FTAA protesters be dropped, led gatherings at and challenged members of Miami's Civilian Investigative Panel and Institutional Review Panel, and launched a web portal to serve as an information clearinghouse for groups and individuals interested in civil liberties in the aftermath of Miami. Going beyond Miami, Save Our Civil Liberties also organized public actions and educational events.

Endorsers