Stand with Matt: Marginalized and Misunderstood

One of our very dear friends and community members, Matt White has recently been a victim of political unrest. He was asked to turn himself in to Jamestown police because of a Twitter retreat from several months ago. The actual content of said Tweet has been misconstrued and manipulated in media. All of us who know and love Matt understands that he is a kind and gentle soul. He is also a very direct person and does not hide any of himself. Ask him and he will tell you. In any case, Matt complied, allowed Homeland security to search his home, his phone, turned himself in as requested (which, by the way they requested at 9pm at night...absolutely no time to get a lawyer), he went and appeared before a judge in Buffalo, and has been released until his court date. Matt has also complied with their request to seek mental health treatment in the meantime. I would also like to remind everyone, although this should be obvious, Matt is a gay black man which makes him a marginalized person in our community. He needs the best possible support. In order to retain a lawyer we need at least 10,000 to start with. All contributions will go directly to lawyer fees. Please help us keep our friend home and safe from this horrific and traumatic experience. No one should have to serve prison time for having a bad day and vocalizing intrusive thoughts. As a psychotherapist, I can tell you that everyone has intrusive thoughts, and that the vast majority of people that have them will NEVER act on them. Matt does not fit any kind of pathology that would cause him to act on intrusive thoughts. He's passionate in how he speaks. Every bit helps. Please consider donating so that our friend is not made an example of. With deep gratitude, thank you for listening.