Alabama resident and Clark Atlanta alumna Maria Watkins is stepping up to help Black people contend with increased police brutality and hate crimes through her app, RTC Protech.
According to Black News.com, the app is the first-ever patented Black-owned app with a 24/7 call center that aims to promote personal safety and combat the issue of law enforcement misconduct, violence, and other dangerous encounters.
“By using technology for personal safety, we can better protect our families and loved ones,” Watkins said. “RTC Protech fiercely opposes police misconduct and a breakdown in interactions between the public and the police. Every person deserves to be treated with respect, given the benefit of the doubt, and not assumed guilty based on their skin color.”
RTC Protech hopes to work alongside officers who practice fair and just policing. The app should be seen as a helpful partner for law enforcement as well.
With the assistance of a team of entrepreneurs, a retired police captain, and a medical technology inventor, Watkins spent three years perfecting the groundbreaking software through her company, the RightThere Corporation (RTC).
“RightThere Corporation has worked extremely hard for the past three years to develop this ground-breaking software. In 2021, our patent was granted,” Watkins said. “Our expectations were exceeded when our company’s valuation was completed this year. This is our soft launch introduction, and RightThere will celebrate its full launch at the completion of its state-of-the-art call center.”
The 64-year-old RTC tech CEO feels the app is one part of her ongoing commitment to keeping her community safe. In addition, Watkins has authored two e-books—How To Be Safe In America and How To Respond To Police Stops—as helpful tools to navigate the landscape of law enforcement in this country. The app, as well as all information from the RightThere Corporation, is intended to keep all American citizens safe from civil rights violations.
