Jacob Blake, the Kenosha man who was shot by police as he attempted to walk away from an arrest, has raised more than twice the crowdfunding revenue raised by the family of Cannon Hinnant, a murdered 5-year-old boy, in a matter of days.
“Within 48 hours, Jacob Blake, a man who was wanted on charges of felony sexual assault, received more donations than Cannon Hinnant, a 5-year-old who was murdered in his own front yard,” tweeted Ian Miles Cheong.
Within 48 hours, Jacob Blake, a man who was wanted on charges of felony sexual assault, received more donations than Cannon Hinnant, a 5-year-old who was murdered in his own front yard. pic.twitter.com/3TWexPOrfE
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 27, 2020
At this time, Blake’s primary crowdfunding has amassed over $2M while Cannon Hinnant–the 5-year-old boy who was murdered by his father’s neighbor–had a GoFundMe that raised a little over $800,000.
“On August 23rd my son was shot multiple times in the back by a Kenosha Police Department officer, after my son broke up an altercation by an unrelated party,” Blake’s GoFundMe post read. “The shooting has now left my son critically injured as he fights for his life. The extent of my son’s injuries is unknown, but we remain prayerful as he continues to undergo multiple rounds of operations to save his life.”
“This fund is established to cover my son’s medical expenses, mental and grief counseling for our family and to assist our family in the days to come, as we continue to seek justice for Jacob. A portion of these proceeds will also be used to benefit my son’s six children, some of whom witnessed this horrific act of violence,” the post adds.
GoFundMe has previously been accused of pulling causes down political lines as some causes are swiftly pulled from the platform.
Via National File:
A GoFundMe page raising legal defense funds for 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who video suggests shot two men in self defense Tuesday during the Kenosha riots but has been charged with first-degree murder, has been removed from the site within minutes of going live.
Users who wanted to donate to the page were greeted by a message that read “We’re sorry, but that campaign cannot be found.”
They took it down 😡 pic.twitter.com/VMShj0nXG2
— Be Pure (@HerbalGoddess) August 26, 2020
In contrast, the GoFundMe page for Black Lives Matter rioters arrested by police in Portland has been allowed to accumulate over $1.3 million in donations.
Other pages asking for bail money for jailed rioters across the country have accumulated hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Blake’s interaction with police provoked nights of protests in Kenosha, despite the Wisconsin Department of Justice determining that Blake indeed had a weapon on his vehicle’s floorboard as he approached it, turning his back to officers.
Blake was left paralyzed below the waist after being shot four times in the back at close range by Kenosha police officers.
