Anyone who knows Crystal Johnson, knows what she's about. She is a force for justice, she is a voice for the voiceless, she advocates for those who are going up against insurmountable odds. She takes on issues and challenges for her community without giving it a second thought. Her heart is fiercer and her spirit is stronger than the biggest of those challenges, that's why she takes on even the ones she knows she cannot win.

Right now, in the midst of this pandemic, when she should be able to just focus on protecting herself and her family from the virus, she is facing down some of those battles in her own life. She can't win these on her own, and she shouldn't even have to try. That's why I asked her permission to start this fundraiser.

In January, Crystal's landlord told her he was placing the house that she and her children have called home for the last few years on the market. Affordable housing in Fort Myers is almost non-existent, however, a couple of weeks before the pandemic landed in our front yards, she was able to find another house to move into. If she doesn't move forward with this new rental, the odds that she'll be able to find another any time soon, are very slim. She does not want to move in the middle of this pandemic, she simply has no better options.

On top of this, a few months ago, Crystal's 20 year old son was arrested. He has been struggling with addiction and PTSD since the young age of 15, when he witnessed a double homicide. For years, she has tried to find adequate mental health care and resources to help address his addiction. Unfortunately, young black men are not prioritized until they become criminalized in our society. He was released on bond wearing an ankle monitor that costs $300 a month. The fees have now racked up to over $1500. On Friday, April 17th, his bond was revoked. The official reason given is that he failed to charge the battery in the monitor because it was "offline" for a couple of hours in the middle of the night. Prior to him being taken into custody, she was being called and pressured everyday by the authorities in an attempt to collect the $1500 in fees. She has had to hire an attorney, this has depleted the small amount that she had set aside for a security deposit.

I know that so many people are struggling right now. I also know what Crystal means to so many of us and to the community she works so tirelessly for. This is an opportunity for us to truly have her back the way she has always had all of ours. Please give generously and ask others to do the same.