Dave Decker is a nationally-recognized photojournalist, one of my best friends, and the senior contributing photographer at Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, where I am editor-in-chief.

On Saturday, Nov. 22, while documenting a protest outside the Krome DHS facility in Miami-Dade County, Dave was arrested. He was released on bond just after midnight on Monday, Nov. 24.

Dave has spent the last six years risking his physical and mental wellbeing to capture the world around him—including the actions of those protesting injustice across the U.S. He has been on the ground in South Florida since 'Alligator Alcatraz' went online, and has been regularly traveling to Chicago where he was recently shot with pepper balls while covering the city's Broadview detention facility.

Besides bond, it's unclear how much Dave will have to spend to recover his vehicle, cover potential damages to gear, and navigate the fallout of the arrest and potential charges.

Funds raised through this campaign will go directly towards those ends. The initial goal for this fundraiser is $1,200 and will be raised to up to $6,000. We will shut the fundraiser down as soon as we can, but we really need to make sure Dave is covered.

Thank you for considering contributing to and sharing this fundraiser.

I am updating a story on this arrest via Creative Loafing Tampa Bay .

Photo is by Winnie Miles