GoFundMe removed a page that was set up by someone under the name James Norton of Waukesha. The page attempted to raise five million dollars for bail for Darrell Brooks, who has been arrested as the suspect who drove a red SUV through a holiday parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin killing five and injuring many on Sunday.
Brooks was charged with five counts of homicide and was arraigned on Tuesday. Bail was set at $5 million and this created anger as he has a long rap sheet. He had been out on bail earlier this month after being accused of intentionally trying to run over a woman with his car.
The GoFundMe page that was removed stated that Darrell would never do such a thing and that he was innocent of the charges. The page said that there was more to the story and that funds needed to be raised so that Darrell could tell his side of the story. The page ended with hashtags of BLM and IStandWith Darrell and more.
A spokesperson for GoFundMe told several news outlets that the page had been taken down as it had violated its terms of service. Norton had also been banned from the site.
The spokesperson also said that fundraisers with misuse were very rare and the site took all complaints very seriously. They also worked with law enforcement to report issues and had assisted them in any investigations that were deemed necessary by law enforcers.
The company also noted that its terms of service “prohibit raising money for the legal defense of an alleged crime.”
Earlier, five people between the ages of 52 to 81 had died within hours after a Red SUV allegedly driven by Darrell Brooks sped right into a holiday parade on November 21 and killed five persons and injured 48, many of whom were children and the elderly. A sixth person–an 8-year old boy, died on Tuesday and the number of injured persons is now at 62.
