Please share and contact Laramie, Wyoming's DA office and the judge handling this case.
This is my friend Rihanna. Last year, she was targeted by three men shouting homophobic and transphobic slurs from across the street of her workplace. They met in the middle of a crosswalk, and the aggressor pushed Rihanna to the ground, resulting in a spinal injury and bulging discs. Rihanna drew her legal firearm from her purse, loaded a round and aimed it at the three men, who then fled the scene. The safety remained on the weapon and she never intended on firing a shot.
Laramie police department handled this case, as usual, exceptionally poorly, taking much more time to interview the white male aggressors and instigators, and thoroughly and blatantly ignoring the trans, indigenous victim. Rihanna was arrested that night and is being charged with the crimes listed above. Meanwhile, the gang of white men led by Scott Durham, who have documented ties to the Patriot Front (a neo Nazi organization), were not charged with anything at all.
Please contact the DA and judge handling this case and urge them to drop the charges against Rihanna and prosecute the hate crime instigator Scott Durham instead.
If Rihanna loses this case, not only is she facing 15 years in prison, this will also set back the safety of marginalized communities in Wyoming by decades.
525 E Grand Avenue, Suite 100
525 Grand Avenue, Suite 303
Judicial assistant phone number: