WELCOME, or WELCOME BACK 🌟

They said Sam would never make it out with a million dollar bail.
They doubted community could raise that kind of money.
They hoped we would break.

Where they thought we would break, we were only inspired.

Over the course of 8 months, we raised $53,500, got an early basic legal team, brought Sam out on bail, and now he's home with community.

But home is not free.

Sam still faces nine felony counts tied to a family court case that was dismissed*.
Most lawyers encourage plea deals because pleading is easier and cheaper.
Pleading means you say you did it even if you did not.

THIS IS WHY WE NEED JOE.

Joe is a different kind of lawyer who will go to trial. Joe says the case is winnable.

Research shows Natives are more likely to take a plea instead of fighting charges.
The system refuses bail and imposes longer sentences.
Poverty means most Native families cannot afford the lawyers who will actually fight.

But retaining Joe, a lawyer who will fight, costs $25,000. We need it by March 27.

This is the True Cost of Freedom.
We are documenting every dollar raised and every dollar spent.
Every hearing, every filing, every cost.

if this is the cost, is it really a right being honored?

tinyurl.com/AIMSAMSTORY gives detail of what happened the day of Sam's arrest.
Now with the family case dismissed and the police violence that Sam has experienced, we have a civil case that could hold the responsible institutions accountable. But we cannot work on the civil case until the criminal case is resolved.

First we clear the charges. Then we go after the system.
We did the impossible once, why would we stop there?
We need $25,000 by March 27. Tax deductible. Tracked publicly.

We Need Joe.

(*it's amazing how quickly it got dismissed when he walked in through the front doors of the courtroom, but this is often the situation: fighting a case from behind bars confirms a guilty bias, whereas entering through the front doors helps everyone involved see the defendant as a person).

WE NEED JOE: True Cost of Freedom

BEAResources is proud to be in what could be the home stretch in supporting Sam with you

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