2026 Conference Information

Day 1: Friday April 24th, start time 3PM

Speeches by:
Quin Murphy (DTS Chicago / FDJ)
Jennifer Braxton (FDJ Member)
Kalonji Jama Changa

Keynotes:
Joy James
Samaria Rice
Charlotta Pritchett (FDJ Member)

5:45PM: “Why should families speak for themselves?”

7:15PM: Wrap up

Day 2: Saturday, April 25th, start time 10AM

10:30AM: “What happens when the cameras leave”

Discussion: “What about a Lawsuit? Movement Lawyers vs Ambulance Chasers”

1PM – 2:15PM LUNCH PROVIDED

2:30PM

Discussion: “Who are our friends? Who are our enemies? Who are the grifters?”

Discussion: “Abolition, Community Control, or Mass Resistance?”

5:00PM
Panel: “PolICE: PolICE: Connecting the movement against Police Brutality and ICE terror”

7PM: Wrap up with social hour

Day 3: Sunday April 26th, start time 10AM

10:15AM: Welcome & Closing Statements

11:45AM: Stolen Lives ceremony, memorializing all of the represented families and their loved ones

When should I arrive by? When can I depart? 

The conference will start at 3pm on Friday, April 2th and will conclude by 2pm on Sunday, April 26.

Where is the conference being hosted? 

The conference venue is First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, 6400 S Kimbark Ave, Chicago, IL on the ciy’s Southside accessible by bus and train (Chicago Metra train, CTA Green Line / Red Line with bus transfer).

Can you help with fundraising? 

Tag @familiesdemandingjustice on IG, and we will happily share any fundraising campaigns to help you get to Chicago. We have a GoFundMe set up to raise funds for financial assistance requests. We will support conference goers however we can but encourage attendees to initiate their own fundraising efforts as well (such as GoFundMe, Give Butter campaigns, or in-real-life fundraising efforts like bake sales).

Where should I stay? 

For easy transit, consider staying near access to the Metra lines, as the venue is a 10-minute walk from the 79th/South Shore Metra stop. Hostels, budget hotels, and room rentals offer affordable housing options. 

How to get to Chicago? 

Chicago has two airports, O’Hare is on the Northwest side, and Midway is on the Southwest side. Both have train lines that take you into the city and can connect you to other trains/buses. There are also Amtrak trains, various bus lines (Megabus, Greyhound) that offer additional ways to get here. 

How to get around Chicago? 

Chicago is generally easy to navigate. We suggest utilizing public transit (train or bus). If the roads/sidewalks are clear, it’s also very easy to bike around the city or walk. Additionally, Lyft and Uber are readily accessible.

It’s been more than a decade since the Ferguson rebellion, and the police continue to kill Black and other oppressed people with impunity. Despite the powerful rebellions against police brutality over the last decade (with the most recent being in 2020 rebellions across the US, sparked by the public execution of George Floyd), the movements that arise have continually been strangled, pulled, and led into the ground by politicians and opportunists.

Since 2020, over 7,000 people across the United States have been killed by police, and every year is more deadly than the last. A few killer cops have faced charges, trial, and prison time, but most of these murderers with a badge get away with their crimes. The police are sanctioned to brutalize and kill on a national level. The epidemic of police brutality must be stopped. And the movement must be re-built on solid foundations.

The conference hopes to unite impacted families, survivors of police brutality, activists, supporters, and other forces across the country to come together, discuss, debate, and figure out the questions:

What will it take to build a sustained, mass movement against police brutality that seeks to end it? How can we involve large masses of people in the movement against police brutality? What can we do to ensure the movement will not be steered by opportunist lawyers and activists, and politicians using the movement for personal gain?

The conference will be a weekend long event full of powerful speeches, panels, workshops, and discussions among participants surrounding these questions. It will also be a place to come together, build relationships, and support one another in our continued fight for justice.

We are fundraising to help support impacted families with transportation and lodging to make it out to the conference, as well as invited speakers. Please support the conference by donating to our GoFundMe or GiveButter campaign.

GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/6ffafc45a

GiveButter: https://givebutter.com/P7mAAl

Join us and register today! Cost is optional and all money will go to funds for the space and to attendees in need of assistance!