Defending William
His Story
William's Story
William Isaacs is a 21 year-old student/firefighter trainee who has been charged in the Indictment issued in a case that CNN refers to as the “epicenter of the Capitol Hill Riot Prosecutions.” United States v. Caldwell, et al.
William and the co-defendants in that case share a common bond: they were all members of the Oathkeepers. Indeed, it can be fairly inferred from the Indictment that it is only because of William’s membership in the Oathkeepers that he was charged at all.
William is a firefighter in training and he comes from a family of firefighters: his grandmother retired as a firefighter and paramedic, his great uncle was a retired fire chief and medic in the Korean war, his father was a decorated EMS Fire Captain when he passed two years ago, and his aunt is a former firefighter and paramedic.
Last year, William obtained an A.S. in Fire Science and had planned to attend his Fire Standards class this summer. He graduated Summa Cum Laude and made the President's List. He was days away from entering the final stage, Fire Standards, when the federal government decided to prosecute him.
William is now fighting for his freedom and his future. The rest of his life is on hold, while he tries to mount a defense against the overwhelming resources of a federal government, that seems intent on selectively branding William and other Oathkeepers as Domestic Terrorists.
Neither William nor his family have the financial wherewithal to defend him. They need support.
William has Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of Autism that makes it hard for him to fully understand social cues and nonverbal communication. People with Asperger’s Syndrome commonly repeat the things people say and do around them. Perhaps significantly, they do not have the ability to split off from group behavior.
William’s father passed away prematurely in December of 2019. Since his father’s passing, William has resided with his grandmother and been a caregiver for her.
In 2020, with the encouragement of his retired firefighting aunt, William joined the Oathkeepers, which he understood was largely comprised of former firefighters, law enforcement officers, and military personnel.
William’s family urged him to join the Oathkeepers, because he had become more socially distant after his father’s passing. In early January, the Oathkeepers asked for volunteers to help provide security for speakers who were going to appear at the “Stop the Steal” event scheduled for January 5-6. Because of recent violence against Trump supporters, it was anticipated that the Oathkeepers could help provide a “wall of people” to protect the speakers if rocks and bricks were thrown at them, as had occurred in other parts of the country. No one encouraged William to bring arms of any kind and he did not do so. He understood he would be part of a purely defensive security group protecting speakers because D.C. law enforcement would not.
William’s aunt, who planned to attend the event, also encouraged him to volunteer. She told him he might be able to receive EMT experience that could aid his firefighter training. She told William he could travel with her. Thus, William, who thought the experience could be valuable, and who also hoped to visit the Smithsonian Museum while in D.C., volunteered.
On January 5, William traveled to Washington, D.C. with his aunt and uncle. After arriving, he found the Oathkeepers were only loosely organized. On January 6, William had the privilege of watching President Trump's speech from the VIP area of the Ellipse on the White House lawn. His family was excited for him, a college kid, getting the opportunity to stand so close to the President of the United States!
After the President’s speech, William followed people far more senior in age and rank into the Capitol, something he would naturally be inclined to do given his lack of real-world experience and his disability. He did not hurt anyone, he did not steal anything, he did not commit violence. He has never been in trouble with the law, ever. He is not a violent person and a good kid who spends most of his free time playing video games, being with family, or studying for school.
William's stable and secure home life was suddenly taken from him when his father died. He and his siblings - minors at the time - were split apart just when they most needed each other.
The entire Isaacs family has been through tremendous heartbreak during the last several years, suffering the deaths of William’s father, grandfather, and other grandmother. William is struggling to rebuild a life without his father, brothers, and the childhood lake home he always knew. William now lives with his grandmother who is still grieving the death of her son. She is unable to drive and depends on William for transportation. She was hanging on to see him graduate and even took out a $3,000 loan to pay for his fire standards training.
William didn't have the heart to explain to his grandmother what was happening because she is psychologically and medically fragile, suffering from night terrors and PTSD from her long career in emergency medical services and her son's death. Losing her grandson to prison, the Isaacs family feels, would be more than she could take. If William is taken from her, they are afraid she will simply give up and stop taking the medication necessary to sustain her life. William deserves a chance to rebuild his life from all the tragedy he has experienced in just 21 years. His father is no longer here to lead him through this frightening legal battle.
Please help us raise money to save William's life. He will return the gift 1,000 times over in a fire service career just as his family before him.
- The Isaacs Family
The entire Isaacs family has been through tremendous heartbreak during the last several years, suffering the deaths of William’s father, grandfather, and other grandmother. William is struggling to rebuild a life without his father, brothers, and the childhood lake home he always knew. William now lives with his grandmother who is still grieving the death of her son. She is unable to drive and depends on William for transportation. She was hanging on to see him graduate and even took out a $3,000 loan to pay for his fire standards training.
William didn't have the heart to explain to his grandmother what was happening because she is psychologically and medically fragile, suffering from night terrors and PTSD from her long career in emergency medical services and her son's death. Losing her grandson to prison, the Isaacs family feels, would be more than she could take. If William is taken from her, they are afraid she will simply give up and stop taking the medication necessary to sustain her life. William deserves a chance to rebuild his life from all the tragedy he has experienced in just 21 years. His father is no longer here to lead him through this frightening legal battle.
Please help us raise money to save William's life. He will return the gift 1,000 times over in a fire service career just as his family before him.
- The Isaacs Family
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