The Michigan Solidarity Bail Fund is a left-of-center revolving fund which provides bail money for individuals charged with crimes in the state of Michigan. Founded in March of 2018, the Fund covers the bail for charged individuals and receives the money back once their criminal cases have concluded, provided that they do not flee. ^{1 2}

The Fund sets criteria for individuals seeking bail funding, giving priority to accused criminals who cannot pay their bail through their own means and who have particular risks associated with an inability to make bail, such as the potential loss of custody of a child. ³

The Fund refers to itself using left-wing terminology and has used the Fund to support left-progressive ideals, bailing out several accused violent rioters in the wake of 2020 Black Lives Matter-associated riots and protests. ⁴

Background

The Michigan Solidarity Bail Fund provides bail money to accused defendants across the state of Michigan. ⁵ The Fund also offers family resources to accused and incarcerated people and assists in court proceedings. ⁶

The Fund explains itself as a “revolving fund.” When the cases of accused people conclude, the Fund receives whatever it spent on their bail back, which it then uses to bail another person out of prison pending criminal trial. ⁷

Founding

The Fund claims to have been founded after protests against openly white supremacist “alt-right” speaker Richard Spencer led to several arrests in March 2018. Following those arrests, the Fund began collecting donations to be used for the bail of those arrested, calling accused rioters people who “put their bodies on the line against the terror of a white supremacist police state.” ^{8 9}

The Fund refers to itself using left-wing terminology and supports left-wing ideals. When Spencer’s speech at Michigan State University was canceled, the Fund praised the protesters as an “antifascist coalition” and calls those who founded the Fund by collecting bail for arrested rioters “comrades” in their mission to “empty Michigan’s cages.” ¹⁰ The Fund has further claimed that “pretrial detention should not exist,” a policy which would allow individuals charged with even violent crimes to walk free until their trials, which may take months or years to commence. ¹¹

Criteria for Bail Funding

The Fund has created a criteria for determining who can access funding that serves a left-of-center agenda. ¹² This criteria includes an evaluation of the amount of the bond funding requested, the location of the court relative to the charged person’s travel ability, the ability of the incarcerated person to pay the bond, and the health and immigration status of the charged individual. ¹³

In recent years, the Fund has continued to use its bail system to support left-of-center political ends. In July 2020, the organization spent $200,000 to get 11 Grand Rapids, Michigan rioting suspects released from jail. The suspects participated in violent riots after the police-custody death of George Floyd, with one allegedly livestreaming the destruction of windows at the Kent Country Prosecutor’s Office. ¹⁴

1. Marini, Marriam. “Arrested by Police at a Protest? Here Are Local Bail, Legal Resources to Use.” Detroit Free Press. June 2, 2020. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/06/02/detroit-michigan-bail-legal-resources-arrest-jail-protests/3123841001/
2. Overview. Michigan Solidary Bail Fund. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://michigansolidaritybailfund.com/#bail_assistance
3. Marini, Marriam. “Arrested by Police at a Protest? Here Are Local Bail, Legal Resources to Use.” Detroit Free Press. June 2, 2020. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/06/02/detroit-michigan-bail-legal-resources-arrest-jail-protests/3123841001/
4. Samples, Susan. “$200,000 Spent to Post Bail for Grand Rapids Riot Suspect.” WOOD-TV NBC 8 – Grand Rapids. July 14, 2020. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://www.woodtv.com/news/target-8/200k-spent-to-post-bail-for-grand-rapids-riot-suspects/
5. Barrino, Marisa Kall. “A List of Detroit-Area Justice and Counseling Resources.” Detroit Metro Times. June 9, 2020. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2020/06/09/a-list-of-detroit-area-justice-and-counseling-resources
6. Barrino, Marisa Kall. “A List of Detroit-Area Justice and Counseling Resources.” Detroit Metro Times. June 9, 2020. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2020/06/09/a-list-of-detroit-area-justice-and-counseling-resources
7. Marini, Marriam. “Arrested by Police at a Protest? Here Are Local Bail, Legal Resources to Use.” Detroit Free Press. June 2, 2020. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/06/02/detroit-michigan-bail-legal-resources-arrest-jail-protests/3123841001/
8. Overview. Michigan Solidary Bail Fund. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://michigansolidaritybailfund.com/#bail_assistance
9. “Hundreds Protest White Nationalist Richard Spencer at Michigan State University.” CBS News. March 5, 2018. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/richard-spencer-msu-hundreds-protest-white-nationalist-event-2018-03-05/
10. Our Story. Michigan Solidarity Bail Fund. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://michigansolidaritybailfund.com/#our_story
11. Samples, Susan. “$200,000 Spent to Post Bail for Grand Rapids Riot Suspect.” WOOD-TV NBC 8 – Grand Rapids. July 14, 2020. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://www.woodtv.com/news/target-8/200k-spent-to-post-bail-for-grand-rapids-riot-suspects/
12. Overview. Michigan Solidary Bail Fund. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://michigansolidaritybailfund.com/#bail_assistance
13. Overview. Michigan Solidary Bail Fund. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://michigansolidaritybailfund.com/#bail_assistance
14. Samples, Susan. “$200,000 Spent to Post Bail for Grand Rapids Riot Suspect.” WOOD-TV NBC 8 – Grand Rapids. July 14, 2020. Accessed October 18, 2020. https://www.woodtv.com/news/target-8/200k-spent-to-post-bail-for-grand-rapids-riot-suspects/