Detroit Answers

By Allison Goebel

The Idea

The poster series was created to raise public awareness and motivate action to end the rape kit testing backlog that exists in Detroit. In the past 7 years, tens of thousands of untested sexual assault kits have been discovered in storage in police departments and laboratories across the nation. In cities that have taken the measures necessary to eliminate their backlogs, such as Los Angeles, public support was vital to their success. Detroit, however, has yet to implement a plan to eliminate their estimated 16,000 rape kit backlog. The residents of Detroit must act to raise the funds and legislative pressure necessary to create change and provide answers to thousands of waiting victims.

Delivery of Work

To communicate with the public, I designed a series of posters to be posted throughout Detroit. The goal of the posters is to compel the public with the magnitude of the size of the backlog as well as personalize the numbers through victim stories. The holes in the second and third posters are in the pattern of DNA test results and represent the unanswered questions and postponed closure resulting from the neglect of testing DNA evidence. The posters also include a website address where the public can get more information about the backlog and how they can help.

The Results

Since this is a fictitious campaign, there are no measurable results from the public. However, the posters have increased awareness about the issue amongst my peers.

Credits

Event Sponsors

Additional generous support provided by Lagunitas Brewing Comapny and The Fraternal Order of Eagles #34