Meet our Staff
Philadelphia Community Bail Fund was started in May 2017 as a grassroots all volunteer collective. During that first year, we spent about $49,000 in bail to free 27 people. By May 2020, that amount grew to $1.5 million with 386 people freed. Our work is bottom-lined by a core group of dedicated (and over worked) volunteers, mostly Black women, queer folk, and gender non-conforming people. In 2019, we realized that we needed to engage full-time staff in order to complete our mission in a sustainable way. In 2020, we brought on board three full time staff people to help hold down the essential work of PCBF. These positions are supported by grants and an ongoing fundraising campaign separate from our general bail fund. To donate to support our staff, you can donate here. PCBF is still governed and driven by a group of volunteer Core Organizers who are mostly Black, women, queer and gender nonconforming folk including formerly incarcerated people bailed out by PCBF.
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Candace McKinley, Lead Organizer
Candace began organizing with PCBF at its beginning in May 2017 as a volunteer through Black Lives Matter Philadelphia. A former attorney, Candace brings over 12 years experience in nonprofit management and development as well as 8 years experience as an organizer in Philadelphia with groups such as Up Against the Law Legal Collective and Philly REAL Justice. Candace is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Chicago School of Law. Email: candace@phillybailout.org |
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LaTonya Myers, Support Coordinator LaTonya is a community organizer and activist native to Philadelphia who is dedicated to abolishing the prison system. LaTonya began organizing with Philadelphia Community Bail Fund in 2017 after being imprisoned pretrial for nine months. LaTonya channels her lived experience to uplift the voices of her neighbors and to empower those who are experiencing the horrific impact of cash bail on their lives. Email: latonya@phillybailout.org |
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Steven Brice, Operations Coordinator Steven is a Philadelphia based public speaker, preacher, and teacher whose purpose is "to be liberated and to liberate for a better social world." A dedicated practitioner of yoga and meditation, Steven is the founder and president of Yoga 4 Philly, a nonprofit dedicated to creating a safer, more supportive society in Philadelphia by making peace, love, and healing accessible through yoga and meditation. Steven is also a co-facilitator and group counselor with the Liberation Foundation which assists people with reentry after incarceration. Steven has been organizing with PCBF since 2020. Email: steven@phillybailout.org
Veronica Rex, Support Coordinator Veronica is a community organizer, activist, and native of Philadelphia. Veronica began organizing with the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund in 2018 after being imprisoned pretrial for 90 days. Veronica was bailed out as part of the 2018 Black Mama's Bail Out and has been working to free her neighbors ever since. Veronica's lived experience inspired her to bring information and knowledge to her community about the inhumane treatment of incarceration as well as building community together as a way to end cash bail. Email: veronica@phillybailout.org |