Holly Zoller (also known as Holly McGlawn-Zoller) is a left-wing activist who works as a “bail disruptor” for the Bail Project, a left-wing nonprofit which claims to combat systematic racism by paying bail for accused suspects. She also founded Louisville Books to Prisoners and volunteers at Food Not Bombs.

Zoller came to national attention in September 2020 when she distributed alleged riot equipment from a U-Haul to Black Lives Matter activists during unrest in Louisville after a grand jury decided not to charge three police officers with homicide in the controversial killing of Breonna Taylor.

Activism

Holly Zoller identifies as a member of the Antifa movement. In 2017, she attended Antifa’s counter-protest at the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. In an interview, Zoller said that her leg was injured in the fatal vehicle ramming attack by James Fields. Zoller also claimed that the police refused to arrest far-right protesters at the rally due to pro-white systematic racism in the legal system. ¹

Career

Holly Zoller has worked as a sous chef and a professional organizer. ² She ran Victory Gardens of Kentucky, a gardening company, in Louisville with her ex-husband,³ David Zoller. ⁴

Zoller founded Louisville Books to Prisoners, a nonprofit that donates books to prisoners in Kentucky and Virginia. ⁵

Zoller is a volunteer coordinator for Food not Bombs, an international food aid organization which distributes vegan and vegetarian meals. Zoller works in the Louisville chapter, which distributes food in local “food deserts,” zones with little access to grocery stores. ⁶⁷

Bail Project

Holly Zoller is a “bail disruptor” for the Bail Project, a left-wing organization that pays bail for accused suspects. Since 2018, Bail Project has received $10 million per year from the Audacious Project, a $250 million charity initiative from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Skoll Foundation, and Dalio Philanthropies. ⁸

U-Haul Incident at Louisville Protests

On or around September 22, 2020, Zoller rented a U-Haul, which she filled with demonstration supplies, including shields, helmets, masks, goggles, umbrellas, gloves, water, and signs advocating for Black Lives Matter, Antifa, anarchy, and abolishing the police. ⁹¹⁰

On September 23, 2020, a grand jury declined to charge police officers involved in the controversial officer-involved fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor. As unrest broke out across Louisville, Zoller parked the U-Haul in the middle of the riots and began distributing equipment. Numerous bystanders filmed Zoller passing out shields, signs, and other supplies to the crowd. ¹¹¹² Two police officers were shot in the ensuing riot. ¹³

After the incident, individuals pretending to work for U-Haul called Zoller and asked about her actions. She admitted to using the U-Haul to distribute equipment but denied any involvement in the rioting or responsibility for any damages done to the city. ¹⁴

Many outlets alleged that Zoller’s actions indicated that left-wing billionaire George Soros was fueling the riots through Bail Project. ¹⁵¹⁶ It is not known how Zoller funded renting the U-Haul and purchased the riot equipment. However, no evidence indicates that she acted on behalf of Bail Project, and aside from a single employee at Bail Project being a former Soros Justice Fellow,¹⁷ there does not appear to be any connection between Soros and Bail Project or Zoller. At least as of 2018, Soros’s Open Society Foundations had not contributed to Bail Project. ¹⁸

1. Bishop, Syd. “The story of two Louisville antifa in Charlottesville.” Leo Weekly. August 25, 2017. Accessed October 10, 2020. https://www.leoweekly.com/2017/08/story-two-louisville-antifa-charlottesville/.
2. “Holly Zoller.” The Bail Project. Accessed October 10, 2020. https://bailproject.org/team/holly-zoller/.
3. “Holy Zoller.” Facebook. Accessed October 10, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008367706385.
4. “Victory Gardens of Kentucky.” Better Business Bureau. Accessed October 10, 2020. https://www.bbb.org/us/ky/louisville/profile/lawn-maintenance/victory-gardens-of-kentucky-0402-159133734.
5. “Holly Zoller.” The Bail Project. Accessed October 10, 2020. https://bailproject.org/team/holly-zoller/.
6. “Holly Zoller.” The Bail Project. Accessed October 10, 2020. https://bailproject.org/team/holly-zoller/.
7. “Food not Bombs.” Food not Bombs. Accessed October 10, 2020. http://foodnotbombs.net/new_site/.
8. “’Audacious Project’ Announces Grants Totaling $406 Million.” Candid. April 13, 2018. Accessed October 10, 2020. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/audacious-project-announces-grants-totaling-406-million.
9. Fairbanks, Casandra. “U-Haul Seen Distributing Shields, Potential Weapon to Louisville Rioters Rented to Holly Zoller of Soros-Connected Louisville Bail Project.” Gateway Pundit. September 23, 2020. Accessed October 10, 2020. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/09/u-haul-seen-distributing-shields-weapons-louisville-rioters-rented-holly-zoller-louisville-bail-project/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=websitesharingbuttons.
10. “Ian Miles Cheong.” Twitter. September 23. Accessed October 10, 2020. https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1308860848685887489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1308860848685887489%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.somebitchtoldme.com%2Fpost%2Fholly-zoller-danielle-muscato-other-curiosities.
11. Fairbanks, Casandra. “U-Haul Seen Distributing Shields, Potential Weapon to Louisville Rioters Rented to Holly Zoller of Soros-Connected Louisville Bail Project.” Gateway Pundit. September 23, 2020. Accessed October 10, 2020. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/09/u-haul-seen-distributing-shields-weapons-louisville-rioters-rented-holly-zoller-louisville-bail-project/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=websitesharingbuttons.
12. “Ian Miles Cheong.” Twitter. September 23. Accessed October 10, 2020. https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1308860848685887489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1308860848685887489%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.somebitchtoldme.com%2Fpost%2Fholly-zoller-danielle-muscato-other-curiosities.
13. “A U-Haul operated by antifa activists distributed “shields, weapons & black bloc” to protestors in Louisville, KY., and is linked to “a George Soros-funded initiative.”” Politifact. September 23, 2020. Accessed October 10, 2020. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/sep/24/facebook-posts/fact-checking-disinformation-about-louisville-u-ha/.
14. Fairbanks, Casandra. “U-Haul Seen Distributing Shields, Potential Weapon to Louisville Rioters Rented to Holly Zoller of Soros-Connected Louisville Bail Project.” Gateway Pundit. September 23, 2020. Accessed October 10, 2020. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/09/u-haul-seen-distributing-shields-weapons-louisville-rioters-rented-holly-zoller-louisville-bail-project/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=websitesharingbuttons.
15. Hadfield, Jack. “Bail Project Linked to Antifa U-Haul Got Up To $1 Million in Federal COVID Funds.” National File. September 24, 2020. Accessed October 10, 2020. https://nationalfile.com/bail-project-linked-to-antifa-u-haul-got-up-to-1m-in-federal-covid-funds/.
16. “A U-Haul operated by antifa activists distributed “shields, weapons & black bloc” to protestors in Louisville, KY., and is linked to “a George Soros-funded initiative.”” Politifact. September 23, 2020. Accessed October 10, 2020. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/sep/24/facebook-posts/fact-checking-disinformation-about-louisville-u-ha/.
17. “Dolores Canales.” Bail Project. Accessed October 10, 2020. https://bailproject.org/team/dolores-canales.
18. “A U-Haul operated by antifa activists distributed “shields, weapons & black bloc” to protestors in Louisville, KY., and is linked to “a George Soros-funded initiative.”” Politifact. September 23, 2020. Accessed October 10, 2020. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/sep/24/facebook-posts/fact-checking-disinformation-about-louisville-u-ha/.