Mark Fancher Headshot

Mark P. Fancher

Racial Justice Project Staff Attorney

Legal

Bio

Mark P. Fancher is the staff attorney for the Racial Justice Project of the ACLU of Michigan. His cases and projects address: abusive police practices, racial profiling, racial discrimination in public employment, mass water shutoffs, racial harassment of students, use of indigenous peoples’ imagery and names as brands and mascots, and other matters affecting communities of color.

Fancher was formerly the Senior Staff Attorney for the Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice where he specialized in workers' rights. He served on the staff of the State Bar of Michigan from 1998 to 2000 where he coordinated projects to encourage greater pro bono participation by Michigan's lawyers. He was a visiting assistant clinical professor at the University of Michigan Law School from 1996 through 1998.

Before moving to Michigan, Fancher was the Director of Litigation for Camden Regional Legal Services in New Jersey. He has also been in private practice where he specialized in employment discrimination and community economic development. Fancher is a graduate of Rutgers University School of Law - Camden. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Tennessee.

Fancher is a member of the National Conference of Black Lawyers and the Black Alliance for Peace. He has also lectured across the country and written extensively on issues that include: the U.S. military presence in Africa, political repression in the U.S., mass incarceration, and struggles for self-determination in regions subjected to colonial and neo-colonial domination.

Featured Work

News & Commentary
Patrick Lyoya should be alive today

Christopher Schurr mistrial prompts questions about criminal justice system

After a deadlocked jury forced a mistrial in the recent second-degree murder trial of former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr, the prosecutor’s decision to forgo a do-over of the trial leaves the family of the victim Patrick Lyoya to grieve without a verdict that might have brought the
News & Commentary
MSP police report cover

The Struggle to End Racist Policing

An important step forward in a long journey

Related Content

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“The public health crisis DWSD creates by shutting off water service for thousands of people is completely avoidable,” said Mark P. Fancher, staff attorney for the ACLU of Michigan’s Racial Justice Project.
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Residents at more than 112,000 Detroit households had their water disconnected between 2014 and October 2018, simply because they couldn’t afford to pay.
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  • Immigrants' Rights|
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ACLU Challenges To Discriminatory GRPD Policies and Actions Submitted to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights