My brother, Patrick, means the world to me. He is my little brother and I cherish and love him dearly. My brother has never been arrested for anything in his entire life. He has a clean record and he has led a clean life.

My brother is one of the few black Eagle Scouts in the country. He earned his rank after almost 10 years of scouting. He was an honor roll student and an advanced placement student during his high school years and he attended college under a scholarship. My brother was also one of the few to receive a personalized letter from President Jimmy Carter, after expressing his respect and admiration for President Carter and all he did for the black community, prison reform, and education reform. My brother is and always has been a good person, who operates with good intentions.

My brother was recently involved in an altercation, in which he had to defend himself against two individuals who were attacking and assaulting. My brother did what anyone would do in this situation and defended himself. That altercation led to charges being pressed against my brother, even though this was a case of self defense.

On Thursday, October 13th, my little brother was arrested by 6 officers that came to our home and took him. He was kept in a detention facility overnight and almost for 2 days with me and my mother trying desperately to get him out, see if he was okay, and waiting anxiously by the phone day and night for him. He has since been released and is on House Arrest 24/7. This entire event has been a devastating turn of events for my family.

Although he was the victim, my brother has lost friendships, he was banned from his school as a result of all this, he lost his feeling of security and sense of self.

My family‘s heart breaks for him. We need help.

The purpose of this gofundme request is to raise funds for my brothers legal defense, as he has been charged with a felony—a felony charge with a max sentence of 25 years. Although I can’t share facts about the case because it is in the legal system, I just ask that you trust in my representation of who my brother is and that this was a clear case of self defense. The last thing that I want to see is my brother pay a price for defending himself. I, and my family, appreciate any amount that you feel led to donate.

From the bottom of our hearts,

Thank you.