The Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF) saw a spike in donations during the Minneapolis protests and riots that enabled the nonprofit group to bail out some accused of committing violent crimes.
Some of those released from prison were accused of committing sexual assault, attempted murder and murder, FOX 9 reported Monday. The MFF has reportedly raised $35 million for its work since George Floyd died after being arrested by Minneapolis police.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey leaves after coming out of his home to speak during a demonstration calling for the Minneapolis Police Department to be defunded on June 6, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
FOX 9 said the MFF bailed out Darnika Floyd, who was charged with second-degree murder for allegedly killing a friend by stabbing and Christopher Boswell, charged with sexual assault and kidnapping. The MFF who is facing charges of sexual assault and kidnapping. The group put up $100,000 on behalf of Floyd and $350,000 on behalf of Boswell.(RELATED: Minneapolis City Council Unanimously Votes To Get Rid Of Police)
The outlet also said the MFF donated $75,000 to bail out Jaleel Stallings, accused of shooting at a police SWAT team.
MMF said in June that it had only spent $200,000 of its donations on bailing out protesters.
Celebrities and several Biden campaign staffers have donated to the MMF, according to a Reuters report from May.
President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign reacted to MFF’s activities Monday in a statement reported by Fox News.
“As vice president, Joe Biden oversaw cuts to police funding and now as a candidate he says he wants to redirect funding away from police,” Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said. (RELATED: Armed Citizens Stand Guard Against Looters In Minneapolis)
Democratic presidential candidate and former vice president Joe Biden holds a campaign event at the Veterans Memorial Building on April 30, 2019 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Biden is on his first visit to the state since announcing that he was officially seeking the Democratic nomination for president. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Biden does oppose the cash bail system. On his campaign website he calls it “the modern-day debtors’ prison.”
The website suggests, “The cash bail system incarcerates people who are presumed innocent. And, it disproportionately harms low-income individuals. Biden will lead a national effort to end cash bail and reform our pretrial system by putting in place, instead, a system that is fair and does not inject further discrimination or bias into the process.”