The safe zone program became part of a new non profit called the m p l s downtown improvement district, d i d. Mary moriarty, the former chief public defender of hennepin county says the surveillance mechanism had the effect of stigmatizing and targeting her clients many of whom were poor, black and young. She says, you couldn't be in the downtown business district without being looked at by cops who were using technology. The group would watch as a moderator flicked through mug shots projected on a screen, taking several minutes to talk about each individual.