Support Pam's Brother: Replace His Bike

My name is Pam. A few months ago, my brother, who suffers from mental health issues, had an encounter with a neighbor and GFPD. My brother, who has been homeless in the past, was attempting to protect his elderly neighbor from a belligerent tenant. My brother carries a pocket knife. Needless to say, when the police got there, they immediately profiled my brother, restrained him (eventually letting him go); however, my brother has poor impulse control, and he started saying terrible things to the officers. One week later, they pulled him over on his motorized bicycle and ticketed him and impounded his bike. They said it would cost $400 for him to get it out that day, then each day after, the price increases.

Now, the police are not the people who make the laws, but they are the ones who decide which laws to enforce. There are multiple people who ride motorized bicycles around here as a way to get around when they don't have a license. I have never seen any police officer "pull over" a motorized bicycle "driver" around here. I do feel that my brother was targeted because of the things he said to them the week prior, not because he was operating a "vehicle" without a license.

I have always supported our law enforcement officers; however, there needs to be additional training for dealing with the mental health population and consequences for the officers who abuse their power.

With all that said, I am trying to get enough money to replace my brother's motorized bicycle with an e-bike since there are no laws against them in NYS to date.

Can you forgo your coffee for a day or week to help pitch in? Any amount is appreciated!