Activists Mining Monero For Detained Migrants Bail Fund

- Advertisement -

December 13, 2018 10:29 PM

Bail Bloc allows people to donate their computing power to mine Monero on behalf of detained migrants.

Bail Bloc, a self-described “cryptocurrency scheme against bail,” is calling on the public to donate excess computing power to mine for cryptocurrency. The mined cryptocurrency will in turn be used to help bail out detained migrants.

Bail Bloc’s parent organization, The New Inquiry, tweeted “We’re matching all funds raised for @migrantbailfund through Bail Bloc until December 14. Download today to volunteer your computing power and get people out of ICE detention.”

Under the Trump administration, there has been a marked increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions, with the agency reporting a 42 percent rise in 2017 for arrests nationwide and a 650 percent increase in workplace arrests for the 2018 fiscal year over 2017. Not to mention a mind-boggling 1,200 percent rise in courthouse arrests in New York state.

This increase in arrests has been controversial, with many accusing the administration of violating the civil rights of the arrested for political gain. After the widespread media coverage around the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy (widely referred to as the “family separation policy”), there was a groundswell of community-based efforts to reunite families. One fundraising effort, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (Raices), made headlines after raising more than $20 million to provide legal representation to detained individuals separated from their families.

- Advertisement -

Since that time, the administration has ended the practice of actively separating families, and public attention appears to have significantly dissipated.

However, while the policy of forced family separations has ended, migrants continue to be detained at significant rates. Bail Bloc attempts to offer a way for those still paying attention to contribute. Users can download the Bail Bloc software, which would transfer 10 to 50 percent of their computer’s processing power to mine Monero (XMR). The Monero is then sent to Bail Bloc, converted to fiat, and transferred to the Immigrant Bail Fund monthly.

While Bail Bloc seeks to provide aid specifically to detained migrants, the organization is motivated as much by the perceived need for bail reform as by President Trump’s immigration stance. In fact, Bail Bloc came into being in response to a New York Times Magazine piece, “The Bail Trap,” which highlights how the bail system in the United States tends to push poorer individuals into accepting plea bargains that are typically to their detriment. “This is basically what poor people are offered as an alternative to justice,” Grayson Earle, the co-creator of Bail Bloc told The Observer. “With the rise of cryptocurrencies, we wanted to take some of that speculative energy and make it do something actually useful.”

- Advertisement -

In recent years, some notable efforts have been made toward bail reform. On August 28, Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill abolishing cash bail in the state of California. This came after a California appellate court declared the state‘s cash bail system unconstitutional. New Jersey has made similar efforts, eliminating cash bail for most criminal defendants beginning in January 2017.

As of press, over 45 XMR, worth upwards of $7,000, had been mined. According to Bail Bloc, this is “enough to bail out 12 people.”

The media team is the collaborating entirety of the writing staff at ETHNews

Like what you read? Follow us on X @Bitnewsbot to receive the latest ICE, bail reform or other Ethereum cryptocurrencies and tokens news.



Previous Articles:

- Advertisement -

Latest News

Nissan Recalls 480,000 Vehicles; Stock Surges Despite Engine Issue

Nissan is recalling over 480,000 vehicles in the U.S. and Canada due to engine...

Bitcoin Risks $2.67B in Longs if Price Falls Below $108K Level

Bitcoin's price approaches its all-time high, with traders watching for signs of a breakout...

CrowdStrike Stock Hits Record High After Analysts Hike Price Target

CrowdStrike Holdings (CRWD) stock reached an all-time high with a gain of more than...

Amber International Raises $25.5M to Grow $100M Crypto Reserve Fund

Amber International Holding raised $25.5 million in a private placement to expand its $100...

Traders Flock to Hyperliquid Apps Amid Hopes for Airdrop Rewards

Investors are moving millions into projects on the Hyperliquid blockchain in hopes of future...

Must Read

7 Best Audiobooks on Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity has become an essential topic in our increasingly digital world. As technology evolves and becomes more integrated into our daily lives, the importance...