JusticeAtlas

Inspiration

JusticeAtlas was inspired by the gap between where harm happens and where communities can safely talk about it. Black and Latinx communities need to share urgent safety info, organize locally, and build power—but existing platforms either feel too public and chaotic or too siloed to be useful at scale.

What it does

JusticeAtlas combines a map + community feed + threads so people can:

• Post location-aware reports (e.g., ICE alerts, workplace discrimination, community events) that appear as pins on a map and in a feed.
• Use conversations/threads to coordinate, share context, and support one another in one place (instead of fragmented tools).
• RSVP to events so conversations can turn into real-world organizing moments.

How I built it

We built JusticeAtlas as a web app with:

• A Google Maps interface to display category-based pins and allow users to submit location-based posts.
• A feed + threads system so every pin can become a conversation, not just a static point on a map.
• A simple community verification/moderation flow so communities—not algorithms—control what’s real and visible.

Challenges I ran into

• Connecting “social” to “place.” Most tools are either social without location or maps without conversation—bridging both cleanly took iteration.
• Avoiding chaos while staying useful. We had to balance urgency with clarity so posts don’t become noisy like traditional social platforms.
• Verification + trust. Designing a lightweight verification approach that works in a hackathon demo but scales conceptually was a big focus.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

• Built a working prototype that merges Map + Feed + Threads into a single experience built for community power instead of engagement loops.
• Created a flow where posts are location-aware and can become organizing moments through RSVPs and conversation.
• Shaped a clear product narrative: JusticeAtlas helps communities share urgent info, discover events, and organize—all in one place.

What I learned

• Community tools need context + trust, not just reach. A map adds context; verification adds trust; threads turn posts into action.
• Product design matters as much as code—especially when building for marginalized communities where safety, privacy, and usability are non-negotiable.

What's next for JusticeAtlas

Next steps we want to explore:

• Neighborhood “spaces” for invite-only organizing
• Partnerships/integrations with legal orgs and tenant unions
• Organizer analytics (trending issues, hotspots)
• Enhanced privacy controls
• Multilingual support (e.g., ES, Arabic, Bengali)
• Mobile app experience with push alerts for urgent posts

Built With

• firebase-(auth-+-firestore)
• github
• google-maps-javascript-api-+-places-autocomplete
• next.js-(react)-+-typescript
• tailwind-css
• vercel-(deployment)