A Detroit father of five said Thursday that he was “devastated” after his home and work truck were destroyed in a fire.
The man, identified by a local Fox affiliate as Roderick Reynolds, said he put all his money into the house. The report stated the Detroit Fire Department is still investigating the cause of the fire. (RELATED: Gretchen Whitmer Leads George Floyd Protest Without Social Distancing)
“I put my family first. I put every dollar I got into this house,” Reynolds told Fox. “It’s a lot of stuff that I want, but I prioritize for my family. Every dollar. Every dollar I get I put into my house, and I take care of my kids.”
“It’s devastating for me, but I mean, I’m a big boy, so I’m gonna just keep on pushing,” he continued.
Detroit father of five loses home he’d been fixing up & work truck after raging blaze: “I’ve done everything right. How am I gonna tell my kids?” MORE: @FOX2News 6PM. DONATE: https://t.co/dtL77dXTOk pic.twitter.com/j0lAN2SYLv
— Erika Erickson (@FOX2Erika) June 4, 2020
A GoFundMe was set up for Reynolds and his family, with the goal of raising $100,000. The goal was quickly surpassed, with 13,000 unique donors and over $300,000 in funds as of Friday morning.
In the Minneapolis area, where violent protests have emerged in response to the death of George Floyd, many businesses have set up GoFundMe pages of their own to help rebuild.
Despite the extensive damage, some have argued that property destruction should not be understood or spoken about in the same way as violence against persons. New York Times writer Nikole Hannah-Jones wrote earlier this week that property damage is “not violence” because property “can be replaced.”
“Destroying property which can be replaced is not violence,” she said. “I think any reasonable person would say we shouldn’t be destroying other people’s property. But these are not reasonable times.”