While most of our readers are aware of how we were turned down for a fellowship through the Open Society Institute (OSI) and that we’ve been struggling for quite some time to find sustainable funding to keep this project going. There have been some things going on in the background that reader’s aren’t aware of but have impacted the National Police Misconduct Statistics and Reporting Project (NPMSRP) so much that it took us down for half a month in December of 2009.
That caused a few of our readers to ask about what happened, especially since we had notified everyone earlier that month that we had found enough funding to keep going into February and that we had high hopes that this temporary funding would lead to something more permanent.
So, there were questions, and leaving those questions unanswered cost us a lot of support, and a lot of donations. But, the harm actually went deeper than that, as you’ll soon see.
Back in September of 2009 I was contacted by a large nation-wide organization that was interested in our NPMSRP. This organization was, I thought, highly credible since they were well-known for their work on civil rights issues and it seemed as though they had their own police misconduct reporting project that was started a few months after we started ours but, since it operated on a different data gathering premise, it wasn’t gathering nearly as many reports as the NPMSRP.
As talks developed it also became apparent that this organization’s project wasn’t really organized very well, so I gladly detailed the how we classified and organized data as well as why we categorized the data in specific ways… all for free and no strings attached except that in the process, they offered to help us find funding at some point if our efforts to get OSI funding failed.
In November I was contacted again by this organization about the possibility of giving them some of the NPMSRP’s data to help bolster their report data. They offered to pay since I would have to work on the data to make it all compatible and filter out the kinds of reports they wanted… and they needed this done right away.
Now, as long-time readers know, I don’t have much time each day between working a day job that forces me to work a lot of unpaid overtime and this project which requires about 50-60 hours a week of work as well… but, still, I wanted to help them and it’s not like we didn’t need the money as well. So I accepted and we began work immediately because they needed this done by mid-December.
They sent me their data and I was surprised at how little data they had and how many invalid or questionable entries were contained in that data. I definitely understood why they needed more data to supplement what they were trying to do.
So I did the work and completed it on schedule by handing off the data on December 17, 2009. Sounds good, right?
Well…
As part of the contractual arrangement we made, I was bound by a non-disclosure clause so I couldn’t talk about what was going on… but the contract also required that they make payment on all invoices within 10 days after each weekly invoice was submitted.
I submitted my first invoice to this organization on December 11, 2009. But, when payment time came around I was told that there was a mix-up, that they needed some other paperwork done instead and that, because of the mix up, they intended to pay me for work done to-date on Dec 18 and mail that payment overnight.
So, I submitted a new invoice for all work done the previous weeks on Dec 16, 2009 and then I sent another invoice on Dec 18, 2009 for work done that current week, which happened to be the final week of work I did for that project as I also handed them the data that week.
So, I waited for that first check… and waited… and waited…
After many back and forth emails and calls where I was assured that the check was sent out on December 18 as promised (overnighted mind you). They also promised to help us find some funding through other organizations or through them to keep me placated about the whole mess.
However, because the initial payment was late, I was also late with paying a few of our bills, which included our internet provider bill. So, facing that being cut on December 19, I had no choice but to shut down the project. After all, no internet meant I couldn’t do searches for police misconduct reports, couldn’t add them to the feed, couldn’t do anything at all.
More time passed until December 28 rolled around and they were now late with all payments and had completely breached the contractual agreement we had…. worst still, because it was so late, I had to take out payday loans just to pay the bills and overdue fees that lateness had caused… we were going deeper in debt than we would have if they had never come along.
January rolled around and rent was due… but, on January 4, 2010, the first payment, which was supposed to be overnighted to us on December 18, finally arrived… and was dated DECEMBER 30, 2009.
…in other words, they lied the whole time.
So, while still in worse debt than I would have been if I had not agreed to help them with their data, the second check was still nowhere to be found. But, they promised, again, that it was already in the mail and would be in my hands the following week.
The following week rolled around, and no check.
I wrote again to see what was happening and they told me the good news that they wanted even more of the NPMSRP data to further bolster their small set of data… but that the second check they were already late with would be delayed yet another week.
I told them this was unacceptable and I haven’t heard from them since… and now, January 19, 2010, that second payment is almost month late and still nowhere to be seen.
Were they ever planning to pay as promised? Did they plan on telling people where they got their data when they released it and how much of that data came from sources outside of their own project? Were they even going to help the NPMSRP get funding like they promised?
I have no clue.
All I do know is that we gave them what they wanted and got shafted in return. I held out going public about it because I’d still rather see them succeed with their project’s report as, well, that project already has a good bit of publicity and is already well-known. It would reach a lot more people than the NPMSRP does.
But, if I step back and look at it… it sure does seem to be that they intended to kill off the NPMSRP in the process of taking it’s data and running with it as their own. Especially since I told them what those late payments were costing us and how it was forcing me to shut down the NPMSRP.
Now, I’m still not mentioning this large national organization by name, nor will I tell you what their project is called… I’m not revealing all this for revenge.
But I do feel that I needed to explain to our supporters what exactly happened when we shut down in December despite our telling everyone that we had funding since that discrepancy has cost us quite a bit of support and credibility.
Plus, because of what they did to the NPMSRP when they broke their part of the contract, it put us in some very dire straights and we desperately need donations and help because of it.
…and I really couldn’t hope to get help if I didn’t explain exactly what had happened last month.
I apologize for not informing our readers and supporters of what was happening previously, I couldn’t until I was certain that I was no longer bound by the non-disclosure agreement portion of that contract.
So, hopefully you, the readers and supporters of this project, will see it in your hearts to forgive us for not informing you of what was happening… and will see fit to help support the project since it’s doubtful we’ll ever find an organization that will fund a police accountability project like this.
My apologies, and thank you for reading.
Wow that explains a lot. You have a type when you said “January 29, 2010″ I believe you meant to say the 19th. This is how NPO’s tend to operate they don’t have the man power to stay on top of billing. One part of the organization can really sincerely want to pay for work provided to them while those in charge of accounts receivable are float from pay check to pay check. They often screw other people keep avoiding payments because if they payed everything on time they would go into the red. At least you can take comfort in the fact that your late payment was part of a larger late payment strategy. It sucks and I hate it but that’s part of working with these kind of organizations. I always just budget payment 3 months later.
Oh, I don’t think that’s the problem with this particular NPO. You’d know why if I did say who they are.
Plus, it wouldn’t have been a problem if they had been upfront about when they would pay, I could have planned through that. It was that they promised to pay on specific days and didn’t. That caused problems because I made promises to pay bills based on their promises to pay.
Thanks for catching the typo though, I appreciate that.
Packratt,
Thank you for the update. I thank you for providing a valuable service to all of us. That said please contact me if you need anything.
Injustice for one, Injustice for all.
Thank you David, I appreciate that… I’m trying to do what I can to keep going, so it’s good to hear that people think that effort is worthwhile.
Sorry to hear that Packratt. Still a couple years before I take the bar or I would be all over it. Keep your head up.
As an aside: I’ve got an article coming out in March about Police Misconduct; no stats but hopefully it will get some conversation going.
(article in school paper)
I am sorry to hear about this. I hope that you can get what’s rightfully due you. Thanks to Spencer for explaining how these organizations work, but they shouldn’t make promises they can’t keep. Especially when dealing with someone who’s in a desperate situation. I wish you didn’t have to, but hopefully in the future you’ll take these promises with a grain of salt. I also hope that your readers will step in and support the project. I know a lot of people don’t have the means to help as much as they want to, but if we all chip in with smaller amounts it will add up to enough support for the project.
NBC,
While, so far, readers have donated close to $100 this month, the organization I’m talking about here owes us over $1,000 that was due last month. That money was budgeted into our finances, as was the previous amount that was also paid late. Unfortunately, since their first check was late we faced late fees from the people we owed money to and had to skip some bills that weren’t urgent and pay those that were.
Now we’re facing those then not-so-urgent bills that are now urgent and those are well over the amount of donations we’ve taken in, and there’s no sign that the organization I mentioned is going to pay any time soon and it’s extremely unlikely we’ll get what we need from donations.
While I deeply appreciate the support of our readers and understand all to well that the downturn has hit us all hard, it’s definitely not the fault of any of our supporters that we’re now facing the possibility that the project will have to be shut down yet again.
It’s why I tried so hard to get a grant or fellowship because the people deserve to see the information we put out even if they can’t afford to help pay for the work that goes into gathering and analyzing it. But, it does have to be paid for one way or another, and to date I’ve paid the lion’s share from my own pocket.
…sadly, nothing is left in that pocket. Sorry.
Packratt,
I think it would be helpful to the cause if you were to let readers and supporters know what is needed to keep this very important project running.
I mean, is it one hundred dollars a month or one million dollars a month?
Stating and communicating the fund raising goal is important for the site and for it’s supporters. On the one hand there may be an attainable goal that everyone could see and say “yeah, I can help with that”. On the other there is an unattainable goal that everyone could see and say ” Man that sucks; but there’s no way my contribution will be anything more than an unhelpful drop in the bucket.”
Lots of little “drops” can fill the bucket Packratt – if people know the bucket has a bottom in it.
I am a repeat contributor ( under a different name ) and will continue to be one as my own meager means allow.
If Steven Colbert can fund an Olympic skating team, surely enough people with backbones and love of this country, to include support for good police officers, can be found to keep this vitally important project going.
Thanks Nick,
Right now we need $400 minimum just to keep the lights on, and hence continue with the project. As of this moment we’ve had $320 in donations, which is great.
I’ll try to find some sort of widget to put up to show what we need vs what we’ve taken in for donations. If anyone knows of one, let me know!
Thanks again Nick, I appreciate it!
To Packratt Readers and Supporters:
I want you to consider this and do your duty as Americans. Remember that when the people fear the government there is tyranny; when the government fear the People (that’s Us) there’s freedom and democracy.
If $400 a month is the bare minimum to keep this critical site up and running then all that takes is 16 people who give a rats ass about this country and civil liberty to donate $25 measly dollars a month.
40 people to donate $10 dollars a month and so on.
“C’mon man” you spend more than that on coffee in a few days.
If all of us are not free – then NONE of us are free. If we allow one of us to be abused then we are all abused – or worse – complicit to the abuse.
It’s despicable and repugnant to the indomitable American spirit that something SO IMPORTANT as holding “public servants” ACCOUNTABLE – those same “public servants” who have made themselves virtually IMMUNE from being sued when they commit crimes – the same people who use YOUR tax money to defeat YOUR civil rights suits against them ( while you go broke) – are continually allowed by “ We The People” to get away with it. Complacency and “hey it doesn’t impact me personally today” is naïve indeed.
Remember, that when unfortunately one day the abuse inevitably DOES impact you, your loved ones or neighbors – you could have easily taken a stand so much earlier.
Are you so like the Germans of the 1930’s who looked away and made excuses when that very same loyal German citizen and soldiers’ family who fought beside you in WWI were hauled away to death camps because of their religion? Are you really that pusillanimous?
Give Freedom and Liberty a break. Get off your butts and donate a few bucks each month. Looking at the number of readers – makes the minimum donation goal seems easy – if you just have the simple decency and basic American Guts to take a stand. Do your duty.
Nick
Have you considered using ChipIn? http://www.chipin.com/
It includes a widget you can put up on your website and various social media websites, and they do not charge for it as best I can tell.
Or perhaps going to a subscription model where people can get access for a low fee each month?