OPINION | This article contains commentary that reflects the author's opinion.
The Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF) is under fire for reportedly receiving over $30 million in donations, but spending far less on bail, The Daily Wire reports.
According to its website, the organization has brought in over $30 million in donations since the death of George Floyd. Only “well over” $200,000 in donations have actually been used to bail out protesters and rioters. This amounts to less than 1% of their funds.
A list of notable celebrities have promoted the fund and claim to have donated themselves. The charity has not shown transparency in its allocation of funds.
“Appreciate all those calling for transparency,” the fund wrote online. “We see y’all. Our values and mission have not changed since 2016. Be on the lookout for things coming on our end. Be well.”
They added, “Without jeopardizing the safety of the folks we bailed out we paid well over $200k in the weeks since the uprising alone. We are working on doing more.”
This post received many angry responses because $200k is far less than the reported amount of roughly $35 million, according to Newsweek.
Without jeopardizing the safety of the folks we bailed out we paid well over $200k in the weeks since the uprising alone. We are working on doing more.
— Minnesota Freedom Fund (@MNFreedomFund) June 16, 2020
SMH people love profiting off of the pain of black folk. Disgusting
— Mikah AKA Mike Baggz 𓂀 (@MikeBaggz) June 16, 2020
…and the remaining $34,800,000 went where? pic.twitter.com/A3fJewyB1h
— Ashley K. (@AshleyKSmalls) June 16, 2020
$200K is such a small portion of the 35 million donated. One thing you don't play with is folk's money. Better give that shxt back before Black Twitter wakes up pic.twitter.com/jkfuUIMeJX
— Joey ☝🏾 (@JoeySmith511) June 16, 2020
More from The Daily Wire:
According to a report from Newsweek, many online have “said that MFF had collected $35 million in donations in recent weeks and spent only a small fraction, prompting ’35 MILLION’ and ‘only 200k’ to start trending on Twitter.”
“It’s not clear exactly how much the fund has raised since protests began, but on the Frequently Asked Questions section of the MFF website, updated earlier this month, it said that more than $30 million had been donated to the fund in the wake of Floyd’s death,” the report added.
At the end of May, superstar Justin Timberlake announced that he’d be donating to MFF, hoping to bail out rioters.
“Please join me in supporting the Minneapolis protestors by donating to the @mnfreedomfund,” he tweeted. “The freedom fund is combating the harms of incarceration by paying bail for low income individuals who cannot otherwise afford: minnesoatafreedomfund.org.”
As noted by The Daily Wire, other celebrities, like Steve Carell, Seth Rogan, Janelle Monae, Ben Schwartz, and Don Cheadle also chipped in $1,000 each for suspected criminal rioters in Minneapolis by donating to MFF.