FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 11, 2020
Media Contacts:
Rina Kowalski
(907)720-0940
Kathleen Bonnar
(415)793-1880

Alaskan Women Assaulted at Sen. Dan Sullivan Campaign Kick Off Event in Anchorage
On Saturday, July 11 at 6:18 p.m., a group of Alaskan women were assaulted at a Dan Sullivan
Campaign event when attempting to establish a dialogue about Sullivan’s record against Alaska
Native interests. Assault charges have been filed. Residents attended Senator Dan Sullivan’s
Kick-Off Campaign Event to raise concern regarding his controversial votes, such as the
promotion of oil development in ANWR and redirecting $102 Million dollars from Fairbanks-area
Eielson Air Force Base to fund the Border Wall. This action was led by Rina Kowalski, Local
Native American Community Leader and founder of Indigenous Lives Matter, and her cohorts
Will Bean, Erin Jackson, Kathleen Bonnar, and Crystal Berwick.
The intended action was to bestow Alaska State Senator Dan Sullivan a traditional gift and the
release of an original music track dedicated to the senator. However, the nonviolent action was
disrupted by the senator’s supporters, including Steve Strait, Mike Robbins and Dan Sullivan's
Campaign Manager Matt Shuckerow. Sullivan’s staff and others responded violently to the
nonviolent action, resulting in the assault of at least three Alaskan women.
Kathleen Bonnar, an Iñupiaq woman who presented on behalf of a Gwich’in cohort Samuel
Johns, who was unable to attend, went on stage and informed Senator Sullivan she had a gift
she would like to present to him and requested permission to do so. Before Bonnar could
complete her inquiry, she was grabbed by Shuckerow and another person. Bonnar was grabbed
by both arms and pulled to the exit. Bonnar reached for a caribou heart in her bag, which was
meant to act as medicine to heal Sullivan’s heartlessness regarding Alaska Native issues.
Crystal Berwick, a TSA officer, attended the event in support of Bonnar and other Indigenous
cohorts, “I felt Alaskans needed to be represented.” Berwick was in the crowd, “When Kathleen
first approached the stage, it was an immediate response from the campaign manager. It was
actually terrifying to see this grown man run after Kathleen.” Berwick decided to intervene, “I
was very nervous, I had to get between them” Berwick feared for Bonnar’s safety, “I thought he
[the campaign manager] was going to dive on top of her and tackle her. I’m not so certain that
he wouldn’t have if I didn’t slow his momentum.” Berwick recalls the assault from Matt
Shuckerow, “When I tried to get between him [Shuckerow] and Kathleen, he grabbed me by the
shoulder. I felt like I was trying to bathe a wet cat. I’ve never seen such force. He grabbed me
by my left shoulder and threw me down. Before he did that, he put his foot behind my ankle. I
felt myself go back, then smacking my head on the concrete ground.”

 Rina Kowalski had originally planned to unfurl a “Heartless Sullivan” banner as a peaceful silent
protest against Dan Sullivans heartless actions towards Alaska's Indigenous population.
Kowalski, is an assault survivor who felt compelled to act when she saw all the men forcefully
descending upon Bonnar. With Bonnar’s safety in mind, Kowalski also attempted to intervene in
the aggressive attack against Bonnar. Kowalski recalls, “They [campaign staff] didn’t ask us to
leave, they immediately put hands on us. I didn’t hear one person say, You have to leave, can
you please leave? It was immediately physical force. The fact that Dan Sullivan showed this
campaign video where he claims to address violence against women is actually a lie, because it
was women who were assaulted today as he stood by. We didn’t expect to be met with violence
and force like that.”
The organizers leading the event felt disgusted by the actions of Senator Dan Sullivan and his
staff as they tried to exercise their right to free speech and offer Dan a gift. “We can't stand this.
We have to be able to tell our political leaders what we think of what they're doing. Just shoving
people to the side is what Dan Sullivan is doing to Alaskans. Exactly what happened to us is
what Dan Sullivan is doing to Alaskans. Shoving us to the side, acting like we dont matter, trying
to push us all out of the state that we love. It cannot stand. We cannot stand for this.” Erin
Jackson, Anchorage Community Organizer.

The individuals who participated in the public action at Dan Sullivan’s Campaign event on July
11, 2020 were Alaska residents who acted on their own behalf and did not act as a coordinated
effort of any organization or corporation. Video footage of the incident and interviews with
victims of the assault have been recorded and are available upon request.