$12,250 raised
·98 donations
Support Irene Kalonji!
Donation protected
Irene Kalonji, a Humans Rights Activist and Co-Founder of Pacific Northwest Family Circle (PNWFC) needs us to hold her as she held this community so many times. Many of us already know who Irene is and what a remarkable, brave, respectful, and loving person she is as she fights to get justice for her son Christopher Kalonji and All Stolen Lives killed by police. Irene is a long-time resident of Clackamas County and serves the people here as a leader in police accountability and as a certified nursing assistant in a long-term care facility.
Pre-COVID, Irene and other Family Members and their Supporters were out in front of the District Attorney’s office every other month. At these events, public speakers tell stories of police violence. Others hand out literature and have one-to-one conversations with passers-by to educate them and call them into the movement. Most importantly, Loved Ones of Pacific Northwest Family Circle and others killed in Oregon are memorialized in a variety of different ways. Public grief and a plea for compassion has moved the dial.
Irene’s leadership on district attorney accountability contributed to Clackamas County’s own District Attorney John S. Foote deciding not to run again. He’d spent the last few decades implementing practices that had racist, classist, and other harmful outcomes, and didn’t want to be held accountable.
In late November, Irene's husband Tony experienced a broken back after falling down the stairs. After surgery, he was still unable to walk at all for a while. Almost 6 weeks later, he can, with significant pain, make it up the 2nd floor. He's nowhere near returning to work as an electronics assembler, which he's done for the last 15 years.
Irene recently learned that she needs surgery on both of her wrists. She needs one good hand to take care of Tony. AND, she babysits her grandbaby for at least 8 hours on her “days off” while the baby’s Mom is working!
In order to continue to offer the care and support that her family needs, she's going to have surgery on one wrist at a time. The first surgery is scheduled for March. She won’t be able to go back to work for at least 4 weeks. Then she needs to get the other wrist done, and it will be another 4 weeks of light(er) duty.
If we can raise the money, this strategy might be the easiest and healthiest for all involved. Irene could be home full time to watch the baby and care for Tony, albeit all with only use of one hand. And, the baby’s Mom can go to work to pay for her and the baby’s expenses.
Here's what they need to survive and stay in their home for the next 6 months:
Feb $1900
March $4100
April $4100
May $1900
June $1900
July $1900
Total = $15,800
Together, we can do this.
The stronger she is, the stronger Clackamas is as a County.
ABOUT CHRISTOPHER KALONJI
Loved One Christopher Kalonji was a 19-year-old Black and white, bi-lingual, immigrant teenager. He made coffee for his Mother every day. His smarts and compassion were a source of help to many friends. He loved studying the law and aspired to be a lawyer someday.
Instead, he was killed by police. He was profiled by Portland police during an Oct 2015 visit downtown. After he explained his rights to them, they beat him. This caused a head injury and PTSD that led to this death. On Jan 28, 2016, the day he was supposed to go to court in
Multnomah County, he was killed by Clackamas County sheriffs in a mental health crisis, alone in his bedroom.
Christopher’s 5-year Angelversary is coming up on Jan 28, 2021 and he is missed every day in this community.
Lisa Ganser, a Poverty Scholar and writer at Poor Magazine tells this story very well:
The Murder They Called a Suicide
Christopher’s 5-year Angelversary is coming up on Jan 28, 2021 and he is missed every day in this community.
Lisa Ganser, a Poverty Scholar and writer at Poor Magazine tells this story very well:
The Murder They Called a Suicide
Donations
Organizer and beneficiary
Clackamas County SURJ
Organizer
Milwaukie, OR
Irene Kalonji
Beneficiary