“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