The Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF) has acknowledged in a comment published to Twitter recently that someone who they bailed out is now being charged with murder.
George Howard, a 47-year-old man from Minneapolis, is being charged with second-degree murder for the shooting of a person during a road rage incident last week, according to KSTP. Police arrested Howard after watching surveillance footage revealing the confrontation, where Luis Ortiz goes up to Howard’s car. Howard drives away after Ortiz is seen falling down. The death was caused by a gunshot wound to his chest. Due to a previous conviction, Howard is not able to possess a firearm.
Fox 9 said that the MFF bailed Howard out of jail on August 6, according to court documents, after he was arrested for a domestic violence charge.
The MFF confirmed that Howard was “previously provided with support for bail,” but said that, “Under new leadership, MFF has changed its policies and processes, and we will keep assessing them to guarantee that we are responsive to needs and safety of our community.”
The group said via Twitter:
“MFF believes that every person who gets arrested is innocent until he or she is proven guilty, and if a judge says they are eligible for bail, they should not be forced to wait simply because they do not have the same resources as other people.”
Then-Senator Kamala Harris asked her followers on Twitter to give money to the MFF so they could then bail out protesters after the death of George Floyd, which led to destructive and widespread riots in Minnesota and across the nation. The officer, Derek Chauvin, was ruled guilty earlier this year for Floyd’s murder.
Harris’ tweet supporting the MFF is still being featured on her account.
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
The MFF has been hit by criticism for bailing out only a few protesters, mostly due to them not needing to be bailed out since they are given only a citation and let go, and instead using their money for paying the bail of people who were charged with serious crimes, like murder.
Author: Blake Ambrose
