Racial Justice

21-year-old multi-platinum selling recording artist Kentrell Gaulden, better known by his stage name YoungBoy Never Broke Again, was arrested along with 16 others during a video shoot on September 28, 2020, and released the next day. Nearly 6 months later on March 22, 2021, he was once again targeted and arrested on a federal warrant related to the first arrest. His March 22nd arrest was handled under the codename “Operation Never Free Again” which was a play on his stage name and brand, “Never Broke Again”. The arrest which was supposed to be a simple warrant arrest was carried out in a way that made it seem he was a suspect to a subject more crucial to his image. This caused the "Life Support" rapper, who was in fear of his life, to flee. Also in the act of his second arrest, for which he is currently being held in St. Martinville, Louisana at St. Martin Parish Jail with no bond, he was not read his Miranda Rights. The rapper’s third official studio album with Atlantic Records titled “Sincerely, Kentrell”, will be released this Friday on the 24th and he won't be out to see its success and tremendous rise. Although his next court cases are scheduled to be on the dates of 10/18 and 10/19, there’s a slight chance that he would be able to be released and celebrate his birthday on the 20th with family and friends. It is with great belief that Mr. Gaulden would see this as a great opportunity to ameliorate himself as a person and an artist. We have watched him grow over the years and he has much more time to better himself. Being granted a release by the president himself would be life-changing and historical. Not only would the rapper be able to be with his family and friends, but he would be able to provide music for his fans and live his life. The 21-year-old 79 RIAA certifications holder isn’t a menace to society but is instead a kind-hearted soul who was mistreated and targeted by the F.B.I and Louisiana Police Department. #FreeYB #YBBetter #PresidentJoeBiden

India Spellman is an innocent young woman who has spent over a decade in prison for crimes she did not commit. She was just 17 years old and a standout on her high school basketball team when she was framed for a robbery and homicide in Philadelphia. She had never previously been in trouble with the law. We can prove that India Spellman is legally and factually innocent of the crimes in question. She is the victim of police misconduct, coercion, and the fabricated testimony of a 14 year old child. Since taking office, District Attorney Larry Krasner has not exonerated a single women. India Spellman deserves to be the first. Here's why: India has consistently maintained her innocence. Her alibi--that she was home at the time of the crimes--is substantiated by witnesses and phone records.  Additionally, India does not come close to matching eyewitness descriptions of the perpetrator. Eyewitnesses describe the perpetrator as "dark skinned," "thick," "heavy," "chunky," "180 lbs," "size 18," and between the ages of 25 - 30. India was a skinny teenager. The officer who took her into custody described her as "thin." She was then and remains now light skinned. India was denied access to her parents and attorney while in police custody. She was subject to physical and psychological abuse during her interrogation by homicide detectives. One of the detectives who interrogated her has since been arrested for perjury and obstruction of justice. Enough is enough! Join us in urging the Philadelphia District Attorney's to exonerate India Spellman!!      

“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

Back in 2014, a young man named Darrien Hunt recently turned 22 years old when he was unjustly murdered for cosplaying an anime character. Hunt was carrying a $30 display sword that was purchased at a local Asian City store in the Saratoga Springs area. For those who don't know Cosplaying is "costume play" dressing up as different characters from tv shows,movies, and even books. He was chased then shot from behind 6 times by officers Cpl. Matthew Schauerhamer and Officer Nicholas Judson outside of a Panda Express parking lot in Saratoga Springs, Utah. State autopsy results reveal Hunt was not attacking. The evidence was caught on the restaurant’s cameras.  His mother, Susan Hunt, said she had turned down a $900,000 offer to settle her wrongful death lawsuit against the city. Court records show the settlement proposal also included a gag order, barring her from commenting about the case.  The Utah County Attorney's Office, however, ruled the shooting was justified, saying Schauerhamer and Judson felt their lives were threatened by Darrien Hunt. Let’s get his case reopened and get justice for his family!