We found the Anti-DOGE in Chicago

We found the Anti-DOGE in Chicago

From How To Citizen with Baratunde by iHeartPodcasts

April 18, 2025 · 7 min

About this episode

The episode explores a civic gathering in Chicago that fosters community-driven technological solutions for social issues.

Today, we head to Chicago , where a civic gathering called Chi Hack Night is bringing technologists, designers, policy nerds, and everyday residents together to build a better city. Access to visuals for this story are here: https://newsletter.baratunde.com/p/we-found-the-anti-doge-in-chicago   and that conversation on Life With Machines with Deb Roy is here https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/life-with-machines/id1766829040?i=1000703577941   mRelief , a woman-led initiative that’s made it easier for people to access food benefits. Since 2018, it’s helped unlock $2 BILLION (yes, with a B) in SNAP support for people across the country. In a time of DOGE and digital distrust, it’s tempting to think all tech can do is tear things down. But this is what happens when we invite everyone —not just the billionaires—into the process of shaping solutions. This is what citizening looks like: 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 People-powered innovation 🏙️ Tech rooted in place 💡 Making tools with communities, not just for them   💬 Seen something like this in your community, an org that asks first? Visit https://stories.howtocitizen.com , join our list, and let…

People in this episode

Host: Baratunde Thurston

Guest: Deb Roy

Topics covered

  • civic engagement
  • technology
  • community building
  • food benefits
  • innovation

Keywords

  • Chi Hack Night
  • mRelief
  • SNAP support
  • civic tech
  • community innovation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Chi Hack Night, mRelief

Places: Chicago

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