Help Dionte Coley Get Back On His Feet

Dionte Coley was waiting for the bus in DC on June 23, 2020 when police confiscated his backpack during an attempt to clear Black Lives Matter protesters from the area. Mr. Coley was not participating in the protests and had done nothing to warrant the attention of the police. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Mr. Coley had been working as a cook when restaurants had to close during the early part of the pandemic.  After staying with relatives outside the city during the lockdown, he had just returned to DC to look for work when he found himself unwittingly entangled in the clash between street protesters and police. Inside the backpack that was forcibly taken from him were his birth certificate, Social Security card, most of his money, phone, and keys to a storage locker where his belongings are kept.

A lawsuit  has been filed on Mr. Coley’s behalf, but without these essential items, Mr. Coley has been unable to secure work or pay rent and has been living in an emergency homeless shelter. Any small donation for Mr. Coley will help him regain some stability, allow him to pay a cell phone bill, and get him back on a path to employment. 

https://dcist.com/story/20/08/18/dc-resident-sues-city-clearing-protesters-camp-downtown/