Fundraiser for Tucson Arrestees

In Tucson, AZ, on the night of Wednesday, August 14th, 12 people were arrested following a noise demonstration outside the Pima County Jail. They are all currently facing felony riot charges. We understand the state's use of these extreme charges as an attempt to stifle protest and political organizing. Even if the state is unable to get convictions on these charges, we understand the charges themselves as a punishment for political activity. The Tucson 12 arrestees had phones, bikes, and other valuable belongings seized by police, have had to miss work due to time spent in jail/court, and are on a supervised release in which they can't leave Arizona without the permission of the court. Moreover, those who qualify for public defenders due to low income have received a notice that they will still be charged a minimum of $400 each to "reimburse the county for a portion of the cost of [their] legal defense." Independent of proving guilt, the state is already imposing a high cost for protest. 


With this in mind, we've formed The Tucson Anti-Repression Committee. We are a group of supporters and anti-repression activists in Tucson devoted to combatting the use of criminal charges to stifle political organizing. This is a horizontal organization created for direct support. We are going to use the funds raised by this page to pay for the Tucson 12 arrestees' legal defense, confiscated phones, bikes, and other items, and to attempt to alleviate lost income from these charges. If we raise enough to cover all of this, any leftover money will be used for an anti-repression fund to cover costs in future cases of arrests for protest or other political work. The Tucson Repression Committee is in direct contact with the arrestees, so we can ensure that money withdrawn from this fund will go directly to covering the costs outlined above.  The funds are being put into a savings account that the Tucson 12 arrestees can withdraw from as needed to cover the costs outlined above.