Citizen Pledging $5 Million to Protect Bay Area’s Asian Community

Yesterday, Citizen joined with the Chinese American Association of Commerce in San Francisco’s Chinatown to announce a groundbreaking commitment of $5 million worth of Premium Citizen accounts to protect the Bay Area’s Asian community. Citizen has been active in San Francisco since 2017 with over 640,000 users (this means that 1 in 3 Bay Area residents use Citizen to stay safe). We take the safety of this city and this community very seriously and aim to empower AAPI Bay Area residents to make informed decisions about their safety and the safety of their loved ones, all for free.

Thanks to the generosity of the Goodwater Collective, Citizen has been provided funds to provide free one-year subscriptions for Premium Citizen accounts to vulnerable communities, starting with the Bay Area’s Asian community. These accounts cost $20 a month/$240 a year and can be financially out of reach for some users who need them the most. Citizen is proud to commit to providing up to 20,000 of these premium accounts to be a part of the solution of fighting hate against the AAPI community, a commitment worth up to $4.8 million.

“I started this company to make a real world impact by leveraging technology to create a community network of people protecting each other. This community network should aid in deterring crime, with an end goal of curbing violence. It saddens me that we’ve seen an influx of hate crimes, including against the AAPI community. This pledge is a first step to use our powerful product to do even more good, and hopefully help the most vulnerable communities. This is only the beginning.” Andrew Frame, Citizen Founder & CEO

“We believe that consumer technology is the most powerful force on earth, shaping culture and transforming the global economy at unprecedented speed and scale,” said Chi-Hua Chien, cofounder of Goodwater Capital. “The Goodwater Collective is privileged to partner with Citizen to provide this critical tool in the fight against Asian hate.”

Citizen is available for iOS and Android platforms. Learn more about the app here.