the cost of "justice" served for Leah

Hi my name is Francine Porter, and I am fundraising for Leah Porter. Thank you for reading, thank you for all the ways y’all show up for us, and encourage and remind us that we don’t have to do it alone, that we need each other, and that we learn and grow with each other. We love you.

Over the past 11 months, our daughter and family have been navigating the web of the “justice” system. We’ve heard the story before about a traffic stop for a headlamp out and the person is subsequently profiled, searched, and arrested. Well, the story has hit home for us, complete with a canine cop search and all the costs associated with court representation, fees, and the final judgment. These costs are what the fundraiser will pay for.

Leah is autistic and has been debilitated by major depressive disorder and anxiety since they were an adolescent. For most of Leah’s adult life, the cost of medical insurance and inability to pay for such- along with discouraging experiences with prescription medication, and other mental health resources- had led Leah to choose to self-treat at times with microdoses of psilocybin. It proved to be one of the first effective, non-addictive, and sustainably life-giving options.

Fast-forward to September 2022, on the last hour of a solo 8 hour drive to the ocean, Leah was pulled over in Manteo, North Carolina for a broken headlight. After taking their license and insurance, the deputy returned with a second and third cop, who informed Leah there was a K-9 on scene, and asked if there were any drugs in the car. Scared of the dog, and to be punished more for dishonesty, Leah shared there was a dry, old, pinch of marijuana on their dash. The cops didn’t even bring out the dog, but from there they initiated a deep search of the car, going meticulously through piles of their personal belongings, and searching their body. Leah had forgotten, but in their backpack, the police found a small ziploc with two dried up, crumbly psilocybin mushrooms- a miniscule amount, but enough to initiate an arrest.

This led to their subsequent arrest and detainment for felony possession of a Class One drug charge and all the costs associated with such. Bail, Fines, Court Fees, Travel expenses for multiple court dates ( Leah was on a weekend beach getaway 8 hours from home when arrested), Public Defender (not free representation in case you were confused or wondering) and finally paying for a Probation Officer for one year.

Leah recently had her day in court before the judge and accepted a 90-96 guilty plea deal. Read about it here

Currently, Leah is unemployed and struggling to find work in North Carolina, where they have lived and worked for the last two years. The felony charge shows up as a conviction on background checks, regardless of the conditional discharge plea deal, and disqualifies Leah from finding employment with freelancing platforms: Uber, Doordash, Care.com, Rover, etc- options that would be well suited for Leah’s experience, interests, skills, and functioning. The charge also disqualifies them from receiving support such as Food and Nutrition services.

If Leah does not successfully pay the fines and fees and cost of the judgment within 8 months of the 12 month probation period, their probation will be violated, and it is possible they will have to serve an active sentence and officially be convicted for a felony charge, remaining a permanent part of their record. We are looking at at least $1500 in legal fees. Plus when Leah completes the terms of their 90-96 conditional discharge, and the charges will be dismissed, they are immediately eligible for an expunction. They will, however, have to pay an additional filing fee along with the petition for expunction.

With this fundraising effort I hope to help them succeed with a successful probation period and set them free when it's all over. My intention also is to help us all understand the complexities of the justice system and the hardships that it creates especially for people who live with mental illness, marginalized identities, and poverty- keeping in mind that Leah is experiencing this with the privilege of whiteness and no prior offenses. Finally, Leah lives in deep gratitude for the supportive network of friends and family who were able to provide immediate support with Bail at the time of her arrest and subsequently. Their community web has provided untold support since the arrest and continues to provide invaluable moral, financial and life-giving loving support. Also, in line with my intent to make clear the extent to which our legal system operates for profit, jail time is added to the defendant’s fines and fees.

Please consider donating if you feel comfortable and contact me if you want to learn more about our particular experiences with the legal system.

Two of Leah’s favorite Prison Industrial Complex Abolitionists:

Are Prisons Obsolete? - By: Angela Y. Davis

Mariame Kaba on Moving Past Punishment [ENCORE]/187 on For The Wild