Bianca Harkless
Editor-In-Chief
Recently an Arizona student group was slammed for raising money for a gunman who opened fire at a Black Lives Matter, BLM, protest. A student republican group from Arizona State University is receiving a large amount of backlash for donating money to a 17 year-old gunman who fatally shot two protesters in Wisconsin. The Arizona State University, ASU, College Republican United group said that they would be giving half of any funds they raised/were given during the semester would be going to Kyle Rittenhouse’s, the gunman’s, legal defense.
In Kenosha, Wisconsin, Rittenhouse is suspected of shooting and killing two people and seriously wounding a third with an AR-15 rifle. He said that he was just trying to defend the businesses and the people around him, therefore making his act self-defense. For his actions, he is facing charges of 1st degree murder, as well as a felony charge for attempted homicide.
When College Republican United stated they would be giving money to the 17-year-old, they said, “He does not deserve to have his entire life destroyed because of the actions of violent anarchists during a lawless riot.” through a tweet. Since the group tweeted the statement mentioned prior, the ASU College Republicans, the original republican group on campus, publicly denounced the other group. The ASU College Republicans claimed them to be a “radical, far-right extremist group.” The ASU College Republicans also called for an investigation of the group. The ASU president Michael M. Crow said that the university considers the actions of the group “appealing and misguided.”
ASU officials said that they are unable to stop the group from fundraising but they do not endorse the action or the fundraising. College Republicans United is not the only group fundraising to help raise money for the shooter. On the Chirstian fundraising site, GiveSendGo.com, says it has raised $100,000 dollars in order to help with Rittenhouse’s defense expenses.
College Republicans United has a long history of anti-semetic and problematic views. This does not mean views that others would not agree with but views that cause people to feel unsafe and promote harm on a number of different groups according to a list of complaints against the group.
Although what people believe is up to them. The College Republicans United has a long history with upsetting people and their extreme beliefs revolving around Kyle Rittenhouse, they have the right to believe what they would like to believe. Although this is a unique case, it does not seem that ASU can do much about it, but hopefully a just, unbiased decision can come out for that trial.
Image Credit: Patrick Fore on Unsplash
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