HndsUp: Tech We Hope Never Sees the Light of Day

According to Mapping Police Violence, Black people accounted for 28% of those killed by police in 2024, despite comprising only 13% of the U.S. population. Additionally, per the LA Times, Black women who are often left out of the discussion, make up about 10% of the female population in the U.S. but account for 20% of all women killed by police and nearly one-third of unarmed women killed by police.

in 2021, the Washington Post found that Despite the widespread use of police body cameras, only 20% of fatal civilian killings are captured on video. Worse still, footage from police body cameras is often blurred, unusable, or not recorded at all due to officer negligence or failure to activate the device. 93% of the time, prosecutors use footage to prosecute civilians rather than officers (ACLU, 2021).

In response to these systemic failures, Courageous Conversation Global Foundation (CCGF) is unveiling HndsUp, a pioneering civilian wearable camera designed to illuminate the daily violence Black people experience in America. The device, which records police encounters, aims to turn an act of surrender into an act of protection, offering a new layer of security and accountability.

Created in partnership with David&Goliath Brooklyn, this concept isn’t in production—and the hope is that it never sees the light of day. Join us as we talk to CCGF’s Glenn E. Singleton and D&G CCO Ben Purcell about the project, why it matters and what each hopes to build by continuing to shine light on this unending issue.