Killer cops shouldn't be allowed to profit from murdering Black people
[ [link removed] ][IMG]
Tell GoFundMe to drop the fundraiser
[ [link removed] ][IMG]
Dear John,
GoFundMe is continuing to allow police officers that murder Black people
to use its platform to profit!
I’m upset. Shortly after hearing the news that Daniel Pantaleo, the man
who killed Eric Garner, would finally be fired from his job as a New York
City police officer, I came across a GoFundMe fundraiser stating it was
raising money for Pantaleo and his family. This isn’t the first time
GoFundMe has allowed killer cops to profit from Black death. Back in 2014,
the site hosted numerous fundraisers for Darren Willson, the police
officer who shot and killed Mike Brown, an unarmed Black teenager. Back
then Color of Change members helped us gain over 400,000 petition
signatures and we got GoFundMe to donate all of the profits they made off
of the racially motivated fundraiser, to the Ferguson-Florissant School
District. This time we need them to do better for Eric Garner and his
family, by shutting down the fundraiser immediately and returning all the
funds back to donors ASAP.
[ [link removed] ]GoFundMe: Shut down the Pantaleo Fundraiser, and stop letting killer
cops profit!
Pantaleo’s fundraiser currently has over 2,500 donors and has raised over
$150,000, and I’m sure that both of those numbers will have increased by
the time you read this email. The description of the fundraiser reads like
a cruel joke, stating “Let's help an officer in need who was only doing
his job!” But no matter what kind of spin Pantaleo and his supporters
want to put on it, the facts are clear. Eric Garner’s death was ruled a
homicide, and the NYPD’s own investigation determined he lied and both
things led to him being rightfully fired from his job.
Daniel Pantaleo is now attempting to use GoFundMe to profit and skirt
responsibility for his own actions, instead of taking this time to do some
deep reflecting on his own actions and how they landed him in a position
of being unemployed with a newborn. I’m sure the irony isn’t lost on you,
that a man who choked another man to death as he exclaimed “ I can’t
breathe,” 11 times is asking for the compassion and kindness of strangers,
something he never afforded Eric Garner. This is a slap in the face of the
Garner family, organizers, and Color of Change members, who have fought to
get justice for Eric Garner over the last five years.
For GoFundMe to allow this fundraiser to continue is not only morally
indefensible, but it is also in clear violation of the platform's own
policy which clearly states that they prohibit, “items that promote hate,
violence, racial intolerance, or the financial exploitation of a crime.”^4
That’s why we need your help in telling GoFundMe to immediately suspend
the fundraiser and to stop letting killer cops profit!
[ [link removed] ]Tell GoFundMe to enforce its own policy, and shut this disgusting
fundraiser down!
We know that a fundraiser like this only exists to further demoralize
Black people in our pain and in our death. It’s a final grasp of power,
that says not only can the police kill Black folks and get away with it,
but that they can also profit from that death. But we know the only way to
stop the war against Black people, is to organize, take action, and fight
back! We won in 2014, and with your help, we can win again.
GoFundMe has the power to stop Daniel Pantaleo from profiting from his
crimes. I’m urging you to fight with me and demand GoFundMe act as a
leader in the digital crowdsourcing space, by telling GoFundMe to take a
stand against state-sanctioned violence against Black people and to
suspend Pantaleo’s disgusting fundraiser. If GoFundMe does not act, it
will send a dangerous message to Black people, our allies and those who
seek to harm us. So join in this fight for justice, because I refuse to
let Eric Garner down.
[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition now and make sure your voice is heard.
Until justice is real,
--Malachi, Rashad, Arisha, Scott, Erika, Clarise, Marybeth, Marena,
Madison, Leonard, Tamar, and the rest of the Color Of Change team
References:
1. “GoFundMe for Officer Who Killed Eric Garner Reaches Nearly $100,000
in 2 Days” The Root August 21,2019
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
2. “People Are Urging GoFundMe To Shut Down A $200,000 Campaign
Supporting The Officer Who Killed Michael Brown” Business Insider
August 22,
2014, [link removed]
3. “Daniel Pantaleo, Officer Who Held Eric Garner in Chokehold, Is Fired”
New York Times August
19,2019 [link removed]
4. “GoFundMe Terms & Condition” [ [link removed] ][link removed]
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[ [link removed] ]Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black
folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. [ [link removed] ]Help
keep our movement strong.
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