On June 8th of 2024 my good friend Maurice Byrd (41) was involved in a Stand your Ground incident in the state of Pennsylvania, where a 37 year old man lost his life. 

Stephen Straussburg (the man who was shot) was caught on video attacking Mr. Byrd in the parking lot outside of his Barber Shop called Razor Reese. Strausburg, who is white, was upset over something small and petty (witnesses mention a parking space, stating Straussburg owns an apartment above Byrd’s shop.), and this parking issue caused him to begin calling Byrd (who is black) racial slurs and epithets from his apartment window.

Straussburg was apparently unsatisfied with the efforts taking place from his window and came downstairs to comfront Byrd. Razor Reese tried several times to deescalate and avoid the situation, even attempting to run from Stephen in the parking lot (as was caught on video). Straussburg continued to badger and threaten Byrd, until Byrd felt he had no other choice but to defend himself. 

Straussburg had grabbed Byrd’s shirt and was threatening him saying, “what are you going to do, shoot me N!**er” while his fist was in the air ready to strike Maurice Byrd in the face. Suddenly, Mr Byrd removed his fire arm from his holster and fired several shots. Some bullets connected and took the life of Stephen Straussburg. 

Maurice Byrd now sits in jail awaiting trial. He has been given no bond, and has had to close down his shop due to his inability to be bonded to continue managing it. The prosecution is attempting to have Maurice take a plea deal; or charge him with life sentences for a slew of charges anywhere from 1st degree murder to manslaughter and anything in between they can find.

Stand your ground is legal in the state of Pennsylvania. This man, Stephen Straussburg, was harassing Mr. Byrd and putting his life in danger. Maurice did all he could to avoid the situation, and yet the man continued to harass and berate Byrd. Stephen’s family is making untrue claims that these two have been feuding for a long time, and that Maurice planned this. There is no such evidence to prove these illustrious claims. 

Because this case has racial undertones, and this white man’s family seeks “justice,” the courts and police seem to be catering toward appeasing the assailants family over the defendant Maurice Byrd. We all remember the Trayvon Martin case. Trayvon’s family needed justice for their son, but the stand your ground rule was upheld because there was a brawl between the two. They could not prove that Zimmerman’s intentions were to take Trayvon’s life initially. And so the family was not given justice for the loss of their son by sending Zimmerman to jail. 

This is a similar incident. There is no proof that Maurice’s intentions were to take Stephen’s life. An altercation ensued and his life was lost because Stand Your Ground law is legal in Pennsylvania, so Maurice is allowed to use a weapon to defend himself. 

So, we need your help in making sure Maurice can secure the best attorneys to prove his case. Maurice should not lose his freedom for defending himself by standing his ground against a person who could not stop charging at and attacking him. Please donate as you feel led toward helping free Maurice Byrd! His freedom and innocence are at stake here! Please don’t allow another innocent black man to fall prey to yet another attempt to use the United States justice system in a discriminatory manner. Stand Your Ground applies to every American, not just white Americans.

I am sorry the Straussburg family lost their loved one, but he made choices that put his life in danger. A innocent man should not be held liable for his choices. Free and vindicate Maurice Razor Reese Byrd!