The Portland Freedom Fund bailed numerous inmates out of jail on the condition they would later appear in court, but a recent investigation reportedly found that was not always the case.
The fund shared images of cash, checks, and receipts on its Facebook page documenting the bail, however a KGW 8 report published Thursday said some defendants committed additional crimes after release.
The fund described itself as a “volunteer-run abolitionist organization currently dedicated to reducing harms perpetuated against our Black, Brown and Indigenous neighbors by the criminal justice system through posting bail so they may navigate their case from a position of freedom.”
Meanwhile, the KGW piece highlighted the case of Mohamed Osman Adan, who allegedly killed a woman named Rachael Abraham not long after the fund helped free him.
The outlet detailed that particular case in a report shared Tuesday:
Per the most recent KGW article, the outlet reviewed numerous cases where the fund’s president, Amanda Trujillo, helped bail out defendants since early 2020.
“The records show Trujillo posted a total of $619,000 for those 67 defendants to walk free. Many of them faced serious charges including attempted murder, assault and strangulation,” the piece said.
The biggest amount posted was $212,000 for Malik Muhammad’s release. The man was later sentenced to ten years behind bars after tossing Molotov cocktails at police officers and breaking windows amid protests.
The report continued:
KGW’s analysis of court records showed that many of those freed by the Portland Freedom Fund violated their release agreement or never returned to court. Thirty-nine of the 67 cases resulted in a bench warrant for their re-arrest — a 58% no show rate. It is far higher than the statewide average of 7% failure to appear for people who posted security on felony charges, according to data from the Oregon Judicial Department.
Some of the defendants who received bail from the fund showed up to court as scheduled and two had their charges dismissed, according to court documents.
In addition, a leftist bail organization that was promoted by Vice President Kamala Harris aided in releasing a man accused of second-degree murder in St. Paul, Minnesota, Breitbart News reported Wednesday.
“The case is the second time a suspect, freed from jail by the Harris-backed Freedom Fund, has been accused of murder following his release,” the outlet said.
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