CrowdJustice launches in the US today.
We are not a political platform, but we are certainly launching in an American political climate that is deeply polarized – as citizens in the US and beyond consider a new era of governance, and how to achieve concrete change between election cycles.
The case we launch with, Aziz v. Trump, considers this very notion of citizenship, or perhaps more fundamentally, of having rights to stay and live and contribute to a place that is not your place of birth.
Tareq and Ahmed Aziz, two brothers and citizens of Yemen, were stopped from entering the US despite having lawful green cards to which they are entitled because their father is a US citizen. They were then forced to fly to Addis Ababa airport in Ethiopia two hours after Trump signed his now infamous executive order, banning citizens from seven countries from entering the US.
Their lawyers and the Legal Aid Justice Center argue that these actions are illegal. They are standing up for the rights of the Aziz brothers – and indeed of many others – to enter the US, as lawful green card holders.
It has never been more important for people to have the means to access the legal system. CrowdJustice provides a way for communities to come together to participate in that system by seeking justice for those who might not be able otherwise to achieve it.
In the UK, we have seen thousands of people come together around cases that implicate important issues, and indeed create real change – whether on issues of national importance (the recent Supreme Court case on Brexit) or in their local communities (demanding clean air).
In the US, the justice system is robust. Communities have demonstrated a strong desire to play a role in democratizing access to justice. We are excited about the possibilities in 2017 to use technology, and the power of communities, to increase access to justice in the US and beyond.
Have a legal case that could benefit from crowdfunding?