Help Kaelan Fight Sheriff Manny's Apparent Abuse
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When unknown assailants violently grabbed and tackled Kaelan Dryer, a 20-year-old farmer with autism, Kaelan reacted without thinking and unintentionally grazed the hands of Sheriff Manny Gonzalez. Now, Kaelan is being unjustly charged with battery and resisting arrest. This seems like an unacceptable abuse of power, especially from someone who claims to represent our justice system. We hope that Sheriff Manny is pressing charges because he doesn't understand Kaelan's situation. Unfortunately, we have to conclude that this is a ludicrous, politically motivated attack to publicize Sheriff Manny's platform.
When a friend asked Kaelan to join him at the Manny Gonzalez rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Kaelan didn't even expect to participate in a peaceful protest. Kaelan's friend brought an expensive drone with a rainbow colored, paper-stuffed, sock with googly eyes attached to it. This friend planned to use the drone to taunt Sheriff Manny during pride month because Sheriff Manny is a devout supporter of Donald Trump, a president infamous for his opposition to LGBTQ+ rights.
When someone pulled down the expensive drone, Kaelan ran to pick it up and take it back to safety. Unfortunately, an unknown rally attendee violently grabbed Kaelan while he attempted to retrieve the drone.
Kaelan has autism, and when this stranger violently grabbed him, he had an unintentional reaction and threw a punch in self-defense without thinking. The punch barely grazed Sheriff Manny's hands.
Still, rally attendees tackled Kaelan, and asked him to leave the rally. At this point, they decided to let Kaelan go without arresting him or pressing charges. Kaelan voluntarily left.
It was only afterwards that police in attendance changed their minds and decided to arrest Kaelan. They chased Kaelan down and threw him in jail overnight.
The trauma that Kaelan has felt is unimaginable. We are unfortunately forced to believe that Sheriff Manny had the police arrest Kaelan to further his mayoral campaign goal of being "tough on crime," or because Kaelan has different political beliefs.
We are pleading for funds to help resist Sheriff Manny's apparent abuse of power. We hope that Sheriff Manny is pressing charges because he doesn't understand Kaelan's situation. However, if Sheriff Manny does understand, and he is pressing charges anyways, it is a truly terrifying prospect.
-Kaelan's friends and family
When a friend asked Kaelan to join him at the Manny Gonzalez rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Kaelan didn't even expect to participate in a peaceful protest. Kaelan's friend brought an expensive drone with a rainbow colored, paper-stuffed, sock with googly eyes attached to it. This friend planned to use the drone to taunt Sheriff Manny during pride month because Sheriff Manny is a devout supporter of Donald Trump, a president infamous for his opposition to LGBTQ+ rights.
When someone pulled down the expensive drone, Kaelan ran to pick it up and take it back to safety. Unfortunately, an unknown rally attendee violently grabbed Kaelan while he attempted to retrieve the drone.
Kaelan has autism, and when this stranger violently grabbed him, he had an unintentional reaction and threw a punch in self-defense without thinking. The punch barely grazed Sheriff Manny's hands.
Still, rally attendees tackled Kaelan, and asked him to leave the rally. At this point, they decided to let Kaelan go without arresting him or pressing charges. Kaelan voluntarily left.
It was only afterwards that police in attendance changed their minds and decided to arrest Kaelan. They chased Kaelan down and threw him in jail overnight.
The trauma that Kaelan has felt is unimaginable. We are unfortunately forced to believe that Sheriff Manny had the police arrest Kaelan to further his mayoral campaign goal of being "tough on crime," or because Kaelan has different political beliefs.
We are pleading for funds to help resist Sheriff Manny's apparent abuse of power. We hope that Sheriff Manny is pressing charges because he doesn't understand Kaelan's situation. However, if Sheriff Manny does understand, and he is pressing charges anyways, it is a truly terrifying prospect.
-Kaelan's friends and family
Organizer and beneficiary
Quinn Smith
Organizer
Albuquerque, NM
Rachel Brunacini
Beneficiary
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