GoFundMe pages raise millions for George Floyd family and looted businesses
by Zachary Halaschak
| June 01, 2020 05:13 PM
As the country responds to the death of George Floyd and the subsequent protests, people are opening their wallets to donate.
A fundraising campaign set up by Floyd’s brother is aimed at helping the family deal with funeral expenses, grief counseling, and court-related costs, and, according to the fundraiser, “to assist our family in the days to come as we continue to seek justice for George.†As of Monday afternoon, the page had raised more than $7.6 million from almost 300,000 donors in just five days.
Floyd died after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pinned Floyd’s neck down for almost three minutes after Floyd stopped responding. Chauvin has been fired and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
“My family and I watched in absolute horror as the now infamous and horrifying video began to spread quickly throughout social media. What we saw on that tape left us shell shocked,†the GoFundMe reads. “A portion of these funds will also go to the Estate of George Floyd for the benefit and care of his children and their educational fund.â€
Floyd’s death set off protests and riots in cities across the country. The rioting and looting first began in Minneapolis, where protesters stormed a police precinct and set buildings on fire. A fundraiser started by the Lake Street Council aims to help finance repairs to businesses damaged or destroyed. As of Thursday, about 32,000 people had chipped in to raise more than $2.5 million to help the area at the heart of the riots rebuild.
The Washington Examiner reached out to GoFundMe for comment.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/gofundme-pages-raise-millions-for-george-floyd-family-and-looted-businesses
