If a politician request financial assistants from the public to put law breaks back on our streets, do they have any responsibility to...
If a politician request financial assistants from the public to put law breaks back on our streets, do they have any responsibility to crimes those individuals commit? I would encourage you to read her actual tweet in this article, she urges anyone able to “chip” in.
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MFF’s 2018 tax filing shows it raised only about $100,000 that year. Just weeks after Floyd’s death, it raised an astonishing $35 million, in part because of tweets such as the one by Harris, who is now the Democratic vice-presidential nominee. That influx has put a strain on an organization that at the time had only one full-time staff member.
For the purposes of this fact-check, we are going to mostly focus on Cotton’s claim that “violent rioters” were bailed out in order “to do more damage.” But we will also address Trump’s comment.
Former vice president Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, also has proposed eliminating cash bail. Critics of the current bail system say it mainly harms people of color, who are poorer and less able to afford bail, forcing them to lose jobs and income as they await trial. MFF says 60 percent of the people incarcerated in Minnesota are being held in pretrial detention — and that Black people make up 7 percent of the state population but 31 percent of the prison and jail population.
According to an accounting by the American Bail Coalition, verified by The Fact Checker with a review of Hennepin County jail records, all but three of the 170 people arrested during the protests between May 26 and June 2 were released from jail within a week. Of the 167 released, only 10 had to put up a monetary bond to be released; in most cases, the amounts were nominal, such as $78 or $100. In fact, 92 percent of those arrested had to pay no bail — and 29 percent of those arrested did not face charges.
One defendant, Jaleel Stallings, was charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting at police during protests on May 30, county records show. MFF paid $75,000 in cash to get Stallings out of jail, according to MFF interim director Greg Lewin.
The probable charge statement against Stallings says officers wore their uniforms, as well as SWAT vests and helmets, as they fired 40 mm plastic projectiles to disperse crowds. As police officers patrolled in an unmarked white van, a group of people ran away, but Stallings allegedly approached the vehicle and appeared to fire three or four rounds from a AK-47-style mini Draco pistol after an officer fired a plastic projectile in his direction.
MFF also paid $750 toward a bond for Chylen Evans, who was charged with looting a liquor store, clothing store and mobile store.
On Aug. 10, Minneapolis television station KMSP aired a report documenting how, after receiving the torrent of donations, MFF had bailed out a number of people charged with violent crimes, including posting $100,000 for a woman accused of killing a friend and $350,000 for a twice-convicted rapist charged with kidnapping, assault and sexual assault in two separate cases.
After Lyden’s report aired, Lionel Timms, a man whom MFF bailed out on an assault charge in July, was charged with committing third-degree assault on Aug. 14, leaving the victim with a traumatic brain injury and a fractured skull.
MFF issued a statement that it was “deeply saddened and troubled” by the arrest and that not enough support was given to Timms “to safely come back to the community,” including promised housing.
Aaron MacLean, a spokesman for Cotton, said the Timms case backs up the message of Cotton’s tweet. “Anyone who donated/solicited donations to the Minnesota Freedom Fund shares responsibility for how the money is used — in this case, to bail out a violent criminal who went on to commit a further act of violence,” he said in an email. “Indeed, no one should be soliciting donations for (or, in the case of Joe Biden's staff, actually donating to) an organization that takes an incredibly reckless approach to public safety.”
Cotton’s claim that “violent rioters” were released with MFF funds has some basis in fact. But we stumble over Cotton’s additional claim that violent rioters were let out of jail to do more damage. MFF did bail out at least two people charged with attempted murder or burglary during the protests.
In theory, Cotton would have been eligible for one Pinocchio because of the second part of his sentence but we will leave this unrated.
#USA #TheChubbyCaucasianChristianClosetedConservative #BLM #SummerOfLove #KamalaHarris
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