Free the people, free the courts, free the vote

In 2016, University of Minnesota student Simon Cecil was actively engaged in learning about pre-trial detention. “He raised a little money and started raising bail for folks and founded Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF),” said Lauren Dees-Erickson, deputy executive director of the organization.

“It grew from there. The vast majority of our funding came from donations, and only in the last year have we received foundation funds.

“To build on history,” she continued, “MFF started paying small bails of about $75. From there it has grown incrementally. In May 2020, with the George Floyd murder, we had an influx of funding”
The organization expanded, paying immigration bonds and bail for protesters.

The organization’s advocacy work also expanded. “We always felt we had to cope with advocacy and system change. We added policy and immigration work, and reentry programs as well,” said Dees-Erickson.

PIVOT FROM PAYING BAIL TO OTHER INITIATIVES
Then, in 2025, MFF paused and reflected on its accomplishments and in what direction the organization wanted to go.

“We made the decision to stop paying bail,” Dees-Erickson stated. “We recognized that for every person we bailed out, that space would be filled over and over and over again.” MFF began to focus on three campaigns: Free the People, Free the Courts and Free the Vote.

Free the People is designed to work with people’s reentry into the community from incarceration and helping them lead a life of dignity and purpose. MFF will fight for policy changes to end cash bail and eliminate the harms of immigration detention.

Under Free the Courts, MFF fights for legal accountability and transparency. “Court Watch is an ongoing program that helps with that,” said David Doody, communications director for MFF. He added that advocacy and education are also a part of all the campaigns.

“The Court Watch program shines a light on the justice system and what is happening in the courts,” Dees-Erickson said.

With the Court Watch program, MFF sends volunteers to bail hearings and monitors the treatment of defendants in the court room by judges and attorneys.

MFF works to educate and engage the community in Free the Vote, especially reaching out to disenfranchised communities. This includes door knocking and other forms of civic participation. “We want the community to understand the power they have, so we go knocking on doors, canvassing and talking to people about the things they can vote on,” Dees-Erickson said. They work with justice-impacted groups on this campaign.

“We are also trying to focus on connecting to other resources, and connect clients to resources already in the community,” said Doody. “We are not trying to reinvent the wheel, but spreading the word and building relationships.”

ICE ARRESTS
According to Dees-Erickson, MFF provides resources about what the justice system is and what process people have to go through if arrested by ICE. “I think we all feel the weight of our members targeted,” she said. The organization has not paid bails since June, but if someone needs help with bail, MFF can connect them with the People’s Bail Fund for support. “We can direct them to our website resources about knowing your rights and also to other organizations,” she said.

Doody said MFF also directs people with misdemeanors or low level felonies to attorneys and legal help.

DAY OF EMPATHY
An example of one of the programs MFF hosted recently was Day of Empathy, that featured panelists and speakers discussing the Restore the Vote (RTV) Act that passed in Minnesota in 2023. Under the act, anyone who is 18 and a U.S. citizen is automatically eligible to vote who has committed a felony but is currently not incarcerated, is on parole or probation or supervised release. The participants talked about their incarceration and what it meant for them to regain the ability to vote.

Dees-Erickson said MFF uses its 501-c3 to do most of its work; its c4 to work on bills and legislative policy; and its LLC to work on reentry and housing support. She said the organization has been able to provide $250,000 in grants to smaller community agencies in the past year.

MFF is currently located in Minneapolis but will be moving to the Wright Building in the Midway in St. Paul soon.

“We have 30 full-time and part-time employees,” Doody said. “Our advocacy unit is constantly looking for volunteers. There are many ways for people to get involved."
Check the website at Mnfreedomfund.org.

“I think that when we did our pause and reflected on our history, what we had accomplished and what we hope to accomplish, it was hard. I think the outcome has been positive. It allowed us to clarify our work and outcomes. We have been connected to the community for so long, and it was a big shift when we stopped paying bail. But we are just growing and changing and maturing.”