A Minnesota bail fund that was aided and endorsed by Vice President Kamala Harris during summer 2020 is responsible for the release of a convicted felon back into the community, just three weeks before he is accused of killing a man.
On April 29, the Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF) spent $2,000 to get Shawn Tillman from behind bars, following his charge of public indecency for allegedly masturbating in front of a woman while riding public transit in St. Paul.
Crime and Justification?
On May 20, just three weeks later, Tillman, who had a past of felony convictions, including assault, unauthorized possession of a gun, and indecent exposure in the vicinity of a minor, allegedly shot and killed a guy at a downtown St. Paul light rail platform.
This is a violent act for which he has since been charged. MFF defended its choice to bail out the repeat offender, despite the fact Tillman quickly returned to breaking the law after being released on bond.
A man who was freed by @MNFreedomFund (infamously supported by Kamala during the 2020 riots) has gone on to allegedly murder someone. The Freedom Fund paid thousands to bail out Shawn Tillman after leftists donated over $30m to help the BLM insurrections. https://t.co/AsNo1GFHVD
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) August 30, 2022
In an assertion made public a week ago, the co-executive directors of the MFF, Mirella Ceja-Orozco and Elizer Darris, clarified they were happy to prop up Tillman’s return to the streets.
This is because his bail was lower than most of their pleas and they believe riches should not determine the disparity between pretrial detainment and pretrial release.
The two individuals stated in their letter that they make all their bail judgments to balance pretrial justice and the community’s safety.
They said criminals are having difficulty navigating and finding solutions to the violence in their areas; it may be stated all of them desire and deserve to be protected.
Though it is neither just nor efficient to react to violence by trying to deny bail and pre-emptively penalizing persons who are inordinately poor, people of color, and indigenous people.
They said these groups are overrepresented in the criminal justice system.
Other Instances
In the past, MFF has been known to pay for the release of potentially violent felons.
In the year 2020, MFF paid $75,000 to get a registered sex offender back on the streets after he was facing up to 30 years in a correctional facility for allegedly raping an eight-year-old girl.
Prior to that, the MFF posted bail for a man who was facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the robbery and assault of a 71-year-old woman.
In spite of the fact that MFF has a history of releasing serial offenders, Harris asked her Twitter followers to make donations to the nonprofit organization in June 2020.
This was done with the intention of bailing out rioters, vandals, and violent thugs who were charged with destruction of property and other crimes in response to the death of Floyd.
If you’re able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota. https://t.co/t8LXowKIbw
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 1, 2020
Users are directed to a website developed by the Democratic fundraiser, ActBlue, when they click on the tweet, which is still displayed on the vice president’s Twitter feed.
The words “Kamala Harris For The People” are written across the top of the page next to a picture of Harris. The MFF was able to gather $35 million in a short period of time because of Harris’s promotion.
This article appeared in The Political Globe and has been published here with permission.
