Hi, I’m R! After doing 7 months in federal prison for charges related to acts of protest I took during the 2020 George Floyd Uprisings, I am now finishing my sentence at a halfway house. Even though I’m in a work release program, I’m not free yet. I’m still in BOP custody, and my codefendants and I now owe approx. $35,000 in restitution and fees (joint and several).

As I transition to life out of custody, I will have to find a new place to live and rebuild my career while making regular restitution payments (by threat of re-incarceration).

This is obviously a big setback, not just for me, but for my codefendants, as well. I am asking for donations from those who can spare it, if it is within their means, so that at least this financial burden can be lessened as we navigate this difficult time in our lives.

While I am in custody, and during my 2 years of probation, restitution payments will be taken out of my income, I will have to report all my financial activity and bank information to the government, and I will not be permitted to open any new lines of credit. I’ve been under federal supervision for the majority of my 20s because of a single political act of property destruction. Even prior to incarceration, being on pre-trial release for three years meant I still had to make restitution payments, was subjected to regular random drug testing, intimidation and surveillance from authorities, had my passport revoked and my freedom of movement limited.

We will keep on organizing, resisting, and fighting. We will keep on loving and protecting each other, undeterred.

More info on our case: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/movement-racial-justice-police-arkansas/tnamp/

“A famous dead guy, Henry David Thoreau, once said that in an unjust society, the only place for a just person is prison. Congratulations. You’re finally here. Now get to work.” —Sean Swain, Rattling the Cages