When They See Him: RJs Life Matters

Help Free the Falsely Accused - Your Change can Change this Life

"The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened"

-Pres. J.F. Kennedy

RJ:

In June of 2019 my world changed.

I was in school studying to get my certification as a barber. My #1 dream was and still is to make it in the music industry as a hip-hop artist but I was trying to support myself, my family and my dreams. My Grandma had just dropped me off at college when I was picked up by police who were waiting. I was being (falsely) accused of sexual assault. I was in shock --- it felt like a kick in the gut. I would not and could not ever commit such a horrible act like that. I respect my Mother, my Grandma, and all of the women in my life to ever do something like that. I am innocent and I am asking for your help.

(Just as we shield the name of assault victims, we believe the accused’s name should also be protected, pending the outcome of the case)

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From RJs Family and Friends:

For those of you who know RJ, you must be shocked because the accusation is so totally out of character for him. We know enough about the case to say that we KNOW RJ didn't do this. We cannot go into any details because he has a trial pending. We are faced with a huge challenge to raise funds for RJ to get a private attorney -- his trial is scheduled for mid-January (due to Covid and backed up court calendars, it has been postponed, date tba) so the time couldn't be more urgent.

RJ is not going to accept a plea deal if offered even if it means his freedom so our goal is to raise $25,000 for his legal defense and court fees (We spoke to an attorney to find out how much it would cost to fight this charge)---yes, justice cost in America and it’s an uphill climb because none of us come from money and celebrity but we believe in justice and, knowing him and what kind of person he is, we fiercely believe in RJs innocence.

You've probably heard of Brian Banks or The Central Park 5 --- they, and many others like them were wrongly convicted as teenagers and later cleared and exonerated but not after losing their liberty, their youth, opportunities for their future and at a very great price. RJ's case is not high profile but he shares some of what the above-mentioned guys went through. You may not know RJ like his friends and family know him and we understand that there is a tendency to believe that a person accused of sexual assault is guilty BEFORE considering that they are innocent. In sexual assault cases, the criminal justice system leans towards automatically believing the alleged victim which makes the defendant automatically guilty. In this country, we are SUPPOSED to be innocent before proven guilty so even if you don’t know him personally, we ask that you consider that an innocent young man may be imprisoned for up to 20 years because he simply didn’t have the money to get adequate legal representation and a fair trial---something we are all entitled to. We, RJs family and friends know he is innocent and we believe he will be cleared if given the chance-- and so we ask for your help.

Because RJs trial comes up in January, 2022 (due to Covid concerns, the Court date may be pushed back so exact date tba) the timing couldn't be more urgent. We ask that you please give whatever you can and help us to get this out to other people, organizations, the faith community, and anyone who may be able to help. God-willing, with your help, RJ will be free! Thank you!

Note: Any unspent funds will go to the Innocence Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping those wrongly convicted.

PS: Please share this campaign

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