Note: On the night of the grand jury decision Bassem had 90,000 viewers and did a fantastic job reporting what was occurring. Later that night he had his phone stolen and then was arrested for driving on a suspended license (while he was a passenger). He has been in jail since the 25th because of a $15,000 cash-only bond.
-PopRes
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UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who supported Bassem. The bail funds have been raised. You can still support FergusonAction with a jail fund donation. Click here for more information and to donate.
Let’s get Bassem home to his family for Thanksgiving.
Bassem Masri is one of the staunchest activists on the ground in Ferguson, MO during this trying time for our country. He has been our eyes and ears for what’s really happening in the community. His courageous “citizen-journalism” has been getting more attention than the mainstream media outlets that have been portraying inaccurate and sensationalist images of events taking place.
According to protesters around him, he’s been getting harassed by St. Louis police as a way to silence his powerful voice, has had his phone stolen from him as he was livestreaming Ferguson events to an audience of 90k viewers, and yesterday was held at gunpoint by undercover police and taken into custody for no clear reason.
The charge brought against him is for driving with a suspended license, though he was in the passenger seat of his friend’s vehicle when he was apprehended.
We just received word that they are demanding an outrageous $15k cash-only bond to release him. If you care about the freedom and justice that these protests represent, then help us raise the funds to let him free.
I am the media relations specialist of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee based in Washington, D.C., the largest Arab civil rights organization in the country. Money raised will be going towards Arab-American activist Bassem Masri’s bond. ALL funds will be used in to assist in civil rights cases. We are working directly with Bassem’s attorney in St. Louis to direct funds to his case.
UPDATE:
Wow. I hope everyone understands the magnitude of what we just accomplished here. We, as a people concerned with justice and civil rights, get to say that we crowdsourced $10,000 in less than 24 hours for a fight that we believe in. That’s really something.
I’m so grateful to have been exposed to everyone that is a part of this journey. Every single person that has donated or shared this page or mentioned it to a friend, whether they’re in Ferguson or not, gets to say that they share a piece of history. We’re playing a role in a major moment for our country. And — in whatever modest way this is — we’re doing what we can to contribute to a movement that will last generations.
We’re not done. We’re almost there. We have less than $5K to go to meet our initial goal (I can’t believe I’m saying that so soon… Wait, yes I can.) I’m looking forward to seeing how we can all surprise ourselves once again. You all inspire me. Let the haters hate. We’re making history.
Thank you.