Help a 2020 Uprising Defendant with Post-Incarceration Fees

Hi, I’m Rene! After doing 7 months in federal prison for charges related to the 2020 George Floyd Uprisings, I am now finishing my sentence at a halfway house. Even though I’m in a work release program, I’m not free yet. I’m still in BOP custody, and my codefendants and I now owe approx. $35,000 in restitution and fees (joint and several).

I’m now a felon, and very recently I was a political prisoner—but I’m also some other things: a journalist, writer, organizer, foodie, friend, daughter of a Korean immigrant, lover, and queer community member. I’ve spent the last several years working—mostly in the sex industry and adult entertainment—to get through some financial hardships and build something of a savings. When I was sentenced to federal prison, I had to cancel the lease on my apartment and put all my stuff in storage.

As I transition to life out of custody, I will have to find a new place to live and also rebuild my platform, which was the main source of my income—on top of making regular restitution payments (by threat of re-incarceration).

This is obviously a big setback, not just for me, but for my codefendants, as well. I am asking for donations from those who can spare it, if it is within their means, so that at least this financial burden can be lessened as we navigate this difficult time in our lives.

While I am in custody, and during my 2 years of probation, restitution payments will be taken out of my income. I will have to report all my financial activity and bank information to the government. They can even choose to garnish my wages. Refusal to pay restitution will be considered a violation and can result in me being jailed.

I’ve been under federal supervision for the majority of my 20s because of a single political act of property destruction. My butch lesbian partner, Ángel, is still imprisoned and facing deportation. None of the time I did, on pre-trial or in prison, turned out to be a worse punishment than getting forcibly separated from her and being unable to be there as she faces what she called “her worst fear.”

My way of winning, of being triumphant, is to keep on organizing, resisting, fighting, and to keep on loving and protecting each other, undeterred. And that’s exactly what we all intend to do on the other side.

Support Ángel, a political prisoner:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-angels-commissary-prison-costs

More info on our case: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/movement-racial-justice-police-arkansas/tnamp/

https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2023/12/12/little-rock-police-vehicle-arson-cases-end-with-federal-sentencing-of-four-defendants

“A famous dead guy, Henry David Thoreau, once said that in an unjust society, the only place for a just person is prison. Congratulations. You’re finally here. Now get to work.” —Sean Swain, Rattling the Cages