“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

We are calling on the Venango County District Attorney, the U.S. Attorney General, the PA State Attorney General, the Governor of Pennsylvania, and the PA State Police Commissioner for a swift and transparent investigation into the murder of Peter Bernardo Spencer and demanding that justice be brought to his killers immediately. 

On December 11, 2021, Peter Spencer accepted an invitation to go hunting with a former colleague. He never returned home. Just a few hours after being dropped off by his fiance, he was found dead with multiple bullet wounds in the torso, buttocks, and head/neck. Peter, a 29-year-old father-to-be, was the only non-white person at this gathering. And despite overwhelming evidence of homicide and a possible hate crime, no one involved in the incident has been arrested or charged with his murder. (More information can be found here). 

As organizations and leaders in hunting and outdoor recreation, we hold a firm belief that the outdoors are for everyone. Yet, we are faced with the reality that many Black, Indigenous and other people of color do not feel safe in the outdoors because of incidents like this, where remoteness and isolation could lead to physical violence because of the color of their skin. This is an issue - based on real life experiences and evidence such as this incident - that we are battling everyday. 

Hunting (and other outdoor activities) should bring us together as families, friends and communities. The future of these past-times depends on those with the authority and responsibility to bring about equitable justice, and in doing so, end our nation’s legacy of white supremacy. Most importantly, the Spencer family deserves justice, and people of color deserve to live in a world where they feel safe accessing the outdoors. 

To the aforementioned powers that be: Please take action quickly to set a precedent so that all future hunters, outdoor recreationists, and people of color know that justice is on their side, and that the outdoors are truly for everyone.

Signed in Solidarity,

• Hunters of Color Board and Staff
• Hannah Altimas, President, Canadian Outdoor Professionals Association
• Sharenda Birts, Director of Community Affairs, wildHERness
• DeAnna Bublitz, DEER Camp MT
• Parker McMullen Bushman, COO, Inclusive Journeys
• Chad Brown, Founder/President, Soul River Inc. & Love is King
• Marcia Brownlee, Program Manager, Artemis Sportswomen
• Jenny Bruso, Founder, Unlikely Hikers
• Madeline Damon, DEER Camp MT
• Demiesha Dennis, Founder, Brown Girl Outdoor World
• Louis Geltman, Policy Director, Outdoor Alliance
• Queta González, Director, Center for Diversity & the Environment
• Jayne Henson, Board Co-Chair, Queers and Camo
• Gerry Seavo James, Coalition Lead, Together Outdoors
• SJ Keller, Board Co-Chair, Queers and Camo
• Aaron Kindle, Director of Sporting Advocacy, NWF Outdoors
• Courtney Lancot, Owner, Unpopular Black
• Brittany Leavitt, CEO, Brown Girls Climb
• Christine Mahler, Executive Director, Washington Wildlife & Recreation Coalition
• Paul McCarney, Hunt to Eat Podcast
• Modesta McGrath-Martinez, Volunteer Program Coordinator, Latinos Outdoors Colorado
• Gabaccia Moreno, National Monuments Fellow, Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project
• Chelsea Murphy, Founder, SCN.LLC (She Colors Nature)
• Corina Newsome, Biologist
• Mahting Putelis, CEO, Hunt to Eat
• Jess Rice, President, wildHERness
• Marcus Shoffner, Founder, Outdoor Inclusion Coalition
• Pinar Sinopoulos-Lloyd, Co-Founder, Queer Nature
• So Sinopoulos-Lloyd, Co-Founder, Queer Nature
• Ashley Smith, Chief Legal Officer, Minority Outdoor Alliance
• Durrell Smith, President/CEO, Minority Outdoor Alliance
• Eric Thompson, President and CEO, Hardwired Outdoors LLC
• Danielle Williams, Founder, Diversify Outdoors & Melanin Basecamp