Legal Defense Fund

My brother Nicholas Gonzales and I were participating in the protest of George Floyd's death in downtown Erie, Pa on May 30th 2020.  A currently unnamed man wielding a sharp blade had been chasing Amjad A. Al-quraishi down State street near the intersection of State and 5th street as we began dispersing from Perry Square.  After several attempts from Amjad to subdue the unnamed man in a less than lethal manner Amjad, produced a fire arm. I personally did not see the weapon fired but the unnamed man continued forward slashing away with his blade at Amjad. Amjad, at this point is able to put some distance between himself and the unnamed man. Almost immediately as the unnamed man paused on the corner my brother Nick having seen everything that I just did reacted to a terrifying situation in an attempt to help Amjad subdue the unnamed attacker by rushing the man and shoulder checking him off balance enough to knock him to the ground. I personally rushed over to the unnamed man to make sure he was still conscious. After realizing he was awake and still coherent myself and another protester lifted the man to his feet and made sure he was able to stand and speak. This is when myself and my brother's interaction with this man ended as our group continued to disperse amidst the tear gas and chaos. 

Nicholas Gonzales is being wrongfully charged with simple assault. His actions were valid and necessary to subdue a very hostile and dangerous attempted attack with an object.

At the time I had no knowledge that the unnamed man had been injured by the weapon. 

We are asking that you make a donation to help us raise money for legal representation to ensure that Nick receives a fair and just trial. We come from humble means and Nicholas hasn't always made the most sound decisions throughout his life, I will admit. Chaotic situations can be understandably confusing and I believe that Nick's actions in the events of that evening were courageous and with the safety of the crowd around him in mind.