Portland Bail Out: Mother's Day

We want to thank donors for their support! While our official kickoff for Father's Day and Juneteenth was June 1, we received our first referral for a man in need on May 30. For $250, we were able to purchase this man's freedom and get him back to his children and grandchildren. We couldn't have done it without your support!

We are currently working to help free an 18 year old refugee, and will keep you updated!

Please note that current fundraising efforts can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/portland-bail-out

Thank you, again, for your dollars and attention to this campaign to help us stay free!

I want to thank everyone for their support, again! It's encouraging and inspiring to experience such strong community support. Unfortunately, we had a lot of barriers to being as successful as we would have liked. As you know, the Washington County Jail took $2,255 without releasing our mother for Mother's Day. We did bail out one mother in Multnomah County for $500. Throughout this process we gained a better understanding of how the system works. We hope to be better prepared for Father's Day and Juneteenth, when we will attempt to bail out Black fathers and mothers. We will regroup and update you soon on what to expect. Attached in an accounting of the funds.

Hi All,
It has been a trying couple of days, but we will persist. On Friday, we initially attempted to post bail for a woman in Multnomah County. Due to the amount of her bail we would only be able to post 10%. However, we were erroneously told by a bailiff that she was being transferred to Clackamas County which requires the full bail amount. At that point, she was out of our reach. It was not until later that we learned that we were given wrong information. We are now trying to gain consent and ensure that if we give the 10%, she will bail herself out.

If you've been following social media, you may know what happened in Washington County today. We had been in contact with a woman's attorney twice in the last week and had previously called the sheriff's department to confirm she could be released. The attorney confirmed that the woman wanted to be bailed out. Again, because of the amount of her bail, we would have to put 10% on the woman's account so she could post her bail. I went to the Washington County jail this morning with cash and deposited $2250 + $5 (her account was in the negative $5). She then posted her bail. After waiting two hours, I was told she would be released in 45 minutes. Thirty minutes later, I was told she would not be released because she had a warrant in another state. When I asked why this was never mentioned before, the officer simply said, and without any discernible empathy, “Oh they don’t check for that at the front desk.” There are no refunds. I felt sick that this woman had been given hope of getting out. We will continue to see if there is anything we can do. Attorneys on social media have reached out to see if they can help, as well.

This system is so wrong, but we will persist and try again tomorrow! Thank you all for your support!