ArchCity Defenders

ArchCity Defenders (ACD) is a legal advocacy organization in St. Louis, Missouri.

[1] ACD primarily operated on volunteer service and donated office space.

They expanded operations in 2013 through a contract from mayor Francis Slay's initiative to end chronic homelessness.

[2] In 2017, Blake Strode was named the new executive director after two years on staff through the Skadden Fellowship.

[3] Between 2015 and 2018, ACD filed class action lawsuits against seven cities in St. Louis County for civil rights violations, reaching a settlement of over $20 million.