Darren Thornhill is a Reentry Outreach Worker at the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance where he connects with currently incarcerated individuals and people leaving jail and prison to offer peer support and harm reduction education, including overdose prevention and response. Darren helps saves lives every week.

On Thursday, August 22nd, Darren was getting his car fixed at the AutoZone on Riverside. He was charging his phone inside when the manager on duty came over and told him, "We don't let homeless people charge their phones here." Darren explained he was a paying customer and they went back and forth. The manager picked up the phone and called the police and lied to them, telling 911 that Darren had a gun.

Two police officers responded to the call, and one of them said clearly on the body cam that he didn't believe the manager and she only mentioned a gun in order to get them to respond to the call. That police officer did not think Darren needed to be arrested. However, the other officer decided not to believe Darren or the mechanic who provided witness testimony backing Darren's story up. That officer threw Darren to the ground and pulled a gun on him. The asphalt was burning Darren's stomach but he knew he couldn't move or he might be shot.

Darren was booked into jail and denied a PR bond. Travis County Pre-Trial Services denied him bond because of a parole violation from 2017. Travis County does not provide representation at magistration, so Darren did not have an attorney to argue his case. The judge even said, "I don't understand why you are standing in front of me" but all he could do was reduce the bond to $1500. Darren was needlessly incarcerated for two days!!

Help us support Darren with funds for the bond he never should have had to pay, and for having to get his car towed from AutoZone. This arrest was unfounded and discriminatory, and the system revealed how problematic it is at every stage! Please support Darren so this experience doesn't also put him in serious debt!