Being in the public eye brings many challenges, and the Pollack family knows this all too well. In 2018, they lost their daughter, Meadow, in the horrific shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. This devastating event changed their lives forever, and they dedicated their lives to speaking out for school safety and working with law enforcement. But since then, Andrew Pollack and his son, Hunter, have faced relentless harassment and threats.
While people will likely know Andrew from his frequent fights over school safety, few realize the personal cost this fight has entailed.
After losing his daughter, Andrew Pollack moved to rural Oregon but continued to speak out on school safety, particularly criticizing Obama administration policies that prevented violent young people from being arrested. These policies prevented authorities from dealing with the Parkland school murderer before the attack despite numerous warning signs. His conservative views and doing things such as speaking at the 2020 Republican National Convention angered his liberal neighbors, who tried to silence him through legal actions.
First, with the support of a left-wing group, 1000 Friends of Oregon, the neighbors fought a legal dispute over their property line with Andrew. The neighbors filed dozens of complaints with government agencies, including building inspectors, animal control, water control authorities, and the sheriff’s department, which involved constant visits from these government agencies.
When those tactics failed, the neighbors escalated their efforts by filing an Extreme Risk Protection Order, also known as Red Flag laws, against Andrew. They disarmed him by claiming he was a danger and making threats. However, when Andrew finally went to court, the judge dismissed the case without even hearing his defense because the neighbors failed to provide any evidence that he had threatened anyone.
Disarming Andrew also left him vulnerable. During this time, he encountered a mountain lion that was killing his goats outside his rural home. His dog bravely fought off the mountain lion but suffered injuries that required stitches.
Despite these losses in court, the neighbors didn’t stop. They brought claims that resulted in 15 criminal charges against Andrew, half asserting that he had been on their property even though he was on the property they had lost in the property line dispute. Again, the court dismissed all the complaints without a trial due to a lack of evidence. Still, Andrew had to spend a significant amount of money on legal defense fees. The neighbors faced no consequences for making false claims.
Now, Hunter Pollack is dealing with his own threats. In early February, a week before the seventh anniversary of the Parkland school massacre, 27-year-old Bryan Sajous sent Hunter pages of disturbing private messages on Instagram. Sajous had been sending Hunter strange messages for a couple of years, using different accounts, though that wasn’t clear until after his arrest and the sheriff’s department had examined his phone.
But in February, the messages escalated into direct death threats. Some of his chilling messages included: “I send u to ur dead sister,” “u gonna die,” “Imma kill you,” and “I guarantee u of Nicolas didn’t shoot her id probably kill her.”
Although Sajous mainly targeted Hunter, he also mentioned Hunter’s father, Andrew, in his messages. Hunter spends significant time with his family, so any threat against him might endanger them. That made the situation even more alarming because it threatened his entire family.
Thankfully, the Broward County Sheriff acted quickly and arrested Sajous within five hours of learning about the threats. Authorities charged Sajous with aggravated stalking after an injunction for protection and intimidation for writing and sending death threats.
At the bond court hearing, Hunter spoke about his fears for his and his family’s safety. “There were a lot of warnings about my sister’s killer where no one took action, no one thought he could carry out such an act, and he did and he killed 17 people,” he said. “And my family have been forever traumatized. … To be receiving threats and unsolicited messages from someone who was going to kill me and put me with my sister is very concerning. I feel very threatened, and not only do I need to protect myself but you need to protect my family. … He lives in close proximity to my family and I.”
With the anniversary of Parkland approaching and Sajous saying he would have killed Hunter’s sister, Hunter worried that the Feb. 14 anniversary might serve as a trigger for violence.
Hunter’s lawyer, Eric Schwartzreich, asked the court to keep Sajous in jail, saying, “It’s scary and concerning. Hunter is worried not only about himself but also about his father, his mother, and his whole family.”
The court set Sajous’ bond at $1 million, with $500,000 for each charge. This high bond amount shows how seriously the court takes the situation.
The Pollack family’s story highlights the ongoing challenges they face as public figures who have already endured unimaginable loss. Despite the harassment and threats, they continue to speak out for school safety and justice.
