Citizens can play an important role in the oversight process. The City of Detroit holds hundreds of public meetings every year, but the vast majority of them get little to no publicity. Citizens can attend these meetings to make sure local government bodies are doing what they are tasked to do.
In partnership with WDET, City Bureau, and CitizenDetroit, the Detroit Documenters are paid to attend public meetings, live-tweet, and take notes on what happened. You can go to their website to find notes on various meetings in Chicago and Detroit, including meetings about criminal justice, housing, and politics. You also can become a Documenter yourself. Transparency, or the act of making information accessible, is another way of making sure there is accountability in our local government.