OPINION | This article contains commentary that reflects the author's opinion.
Following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF) was framed as a way to help people who were incarcerated.
The MFF was founded in 2016 by Simon Cecil, who was a graduate student at the University of Minnesota.
Cecil received a $5,000 grant from the university and another $5,000 from a business competition called the Acara Challenge.
Cecil explains, “I founded the first nonprofit bail fund in Minnesota.”
“What started out with $10,000 in fellowship funds transformed into a multimillion-dollar non-profit freeing over 1,000 people,” Cecil gloats.
The only problem is that this group is assisting with freeing individuals who are sometimes accused of horrific crimes, including rape and murder.
In fact, Britain’s largest newspaper called “The Sun” published an article titled, “Here are the ‘murderers & rapist’ freed by Kamala-backed bail fund.”
Vice President Kamala Harris has also promoted the fund, which has undoubtedly helped increase its funding given her influence.
Kamala Harris, who was a senator at the time, asked her supporters to donate to the MFF.
Kamala insisted this would help bail out protesters in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd.
A newly released statement reveals that someone who the MFF had bailed out is now charged with murder.
47-year-old George Howard of Minneapolis is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of the 38-year-old victim during a road rage incident.
Surveillance footage captures the confrontation, prompting police to arrest Howard.
The footage shows the victim, Luis Damian Martinez Ortiz, walking up to Howard’s car.
Howard drives off after Ortiz can be been falling down. The cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest.
To make matters worse, Howard has a prior conviction and it’s also illegal for him to possess a firearm.
The MFF bailed out Howard on August 6th, according to court records.
Howard was arrested on a domestic violence charge, but apparently the MFF believed it was a good idea to pay his bail and put Howard back on the streets.
The MFF is desperately trying to spin the story and plead that they have changed their policies.
The MFF says that “Under new leadership, MFF has implemented changes to its policies and procedures, and we will continue to assess them to ensure that we are being responsive to the safety and needs of our community.”
The MFF confirmed that they provided bail for Howard.
If you’re able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota. https://t.co/t8LXowKIbw
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 1, 2020
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MFF believes that every individual who has been arrested by the law enforcement is innocent until proven guilty, and if a judge deems them eligible for bail, they should not have to wait in jail simply because they don’t have the same income or access to resources as others.
Then-Sen. Kamala Harris asked her Twitter followers to donate to the MFF so they could bail out protesters in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd while in police custody, which sparked widespread and destructive riots in Minnesota and across the country. The main officer in question, Derek Chauvin, was found guilty this year for Floyd’s murder.
The MFF has come under intense criticism for bailing out few protesters, mostly because they do not need to bail out as often they are given a citation and released, and instead using the money raised for posting bail for people who have been charged with serious crimes, such as murder.
