LOS ANGELES - Fitting The Description is a non-profit organization established to help build awareness of the countless number of individuals who are wrongfully detained and/or arrested each day because they “fit the description.” Fitting The Description will help identify these teachable moments for educational purposes, and works to reform the criminal justice system and make the promise of fair treatment a reality for all people.
On a Friday, August 22, 2014, Fitting The Description, Inc. founder, Charles Belk, was wrongfully stopped, detained, handcuffed, arrested, denied a phone call, initially denied access to his attorney and held for 6 hours under a $100,000 dollars bail, all because he “fit the description” of a tall, bald, black armed bank robber.
Since that time, the world became aware and helped turn the awful incident into action. The incident received approximately 40,000 Shares, 38,000 Likes and over 10,000 Comments on Facebook. It was covered by over 50 national and international media outlets, including appearances on CNN, Headline News, MSNBC, Inside Edition and NBC just to mention a few.
Since that time, the incident has helped to give a voice to the voiceless -- the many men and women who have faced the same and worse, but were unable to tell their story.
Since that time, the incident has been used as a teachable moment for students, law enforcement agencies, and the general public.
The goal of Fitting The Description will be to continue to build awareness and to present teachable moments for education purposes, and to avocated on behalf of those wrongfully arrested or detained each day, to help create a change in our criminal justice system.
Monies raised will be used as following for the remainder of 2014:
Start-Up Costs $ 1,400
Programs $ 2,100
Advocacy $ 3,300
Equipment $ 3,100
Supplies $ 300
Office Space $ 2,500
Staffing $31,700
(1. Interim Exec Director, 2. Asst, 3. Grant Writer)
Insurance $ 900
Contingency / Misc $ 4,500
TOTAL: $49,800
Fitting the Description will become self sustaining through corporate and individual donations and private grants. But to get this effort started right away, click now and donate.