 The initiative was created by Project South and several local Detroit organizations as a part of the U.S. Social Forum in Detroit.Some Project South staff members have also gotten involved with the Black Lives Matter movement's efforts to organize civil protests and develop a national agenda.In the wake of the shooting of eight police officers in Dallas in 2016, Project South and several other activist organizations involved in the Black Lives Matter movement posted an online statement accusing the American people of hypocrisy for mourning the deaths of police officers, but not African Americans killed by the police.