Tensions Grow Over Issues of Race, Fairness as Fundraiser for Teen Charged in Murder of Track Star, 17, Passes $400,000

An online fundraiser for the Texas teen accused of fatally stabbing fellow 17-year-old student athlete, Austin Metcalf, has surpassed $400,000, sparking calls for the platform to shut it down. Karmelo Anthothy was arrested on April 2 for allegedly stabbing and killing Metcalf, a junior at Memorial High School, during a track meet last week. The case, which involves the murder of a white teenager by a Black teenager, has ignited a debate over racial dynamics. By Sunday evening, Mr. Anthony’s family had neared its $500,000 goal on the faith-based fundraising platform GiveSendGo, which hosts controversial campaigns that GoFundMe won’t allow. The online support fund, which appears to have been set up by Mr. Anthony’s family, declares: “The narrative being spread is false, unjust, and harmful. As a family of faith, we are deeply grateful for all of your support during this trying period. Your prayers and assistance mean more to us now more than ever.” The existence of the fundraising page has sparked controversy, and several GoFundMe campaigns that were set up for the murder suspect were deleted. The co-founder of GiveSendGo, Heather Wilson, took to X to defend her platform’s decision to leave the page up, arguing that GiveSendGo does not “serve as a judge and a jury” nor is it meant “to decide who deserves a defense.” Rather, she writes, that is “the role of our justice system.” The online campaign for Karmelo Anthony has become a source of controversy. GiveSendGoShe pointed to her platform’s past history with controversial fundraisers, noting that they kept up campaigns for Kyle Rittenhouse and Daniel Penny — both of which were involved in high-profile murder cases — despite protest and outrage from the left. “In both of those cases, we upheld the principle that someone is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Ms. Wilson noted. “Shouldn’t that same standard apply here as well?” GiveSendGo campaigns more typically have benefited white men accused of racially charged crimes who’ve become causes celebres for the right. The campaign for Mr. Anthony is an outlier.Meanwhile, a GoFundMe started by Metcalf’s father, Jeff Metcalf, has drawn over $339,713 in donations, somewhat less than the funds raised for Mr. Anthony. The grieving parent wrote in the fundraiser that his son “was a bright young man with a great future ahead of him” whose “smile would light up the room.” Mr. Metcalf lamented that his son’s passion for football — which led him to be voted team MVP last season — was “unbelievable.” He added that Metcalf also was an honor student, having boasted a 4.0 GPA. “We will all remember him for the way he impacted others’ lives. I love you forever, son. It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later. God will take care of us till we meet again. RIP. Love, Dad,” he wrote. Mr. Metcalf has expressed sympathy for the suspect and his family, telling local news outlets that he feels for the Anthonys because “his life is over, his family will be devastated also.”A GoFundMe campaign in memory of Austin Metcalf has also raised a large sum. GoFundMeThe deadly altercation occurred on April 2 when Metcalf asked Mr. Anthony, who went to a different high school, to move from his place beneath a tent that was set up for Metcalf’s team. According to an arrest warrant affidavit, witnesses told investigators that Mr. Anthony responded by reaching into his backpack and warning, “touch me and see what happens,” which prompted Metcalf to touch him, and Mr. Anthony to dare Metcalf to punch him. As Metcalf went to grab Mr. Anthony to move him, Mr. Anthony allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed Metcalf in the chest. Metcalf’s twin, Hunter, said he tried to save his bleeding brother before he succumbed to his injuries in his arms. According to police filings Mr. Anthony allegedly admitted to the crime, telling the police that “I did it,” before asking if Metcalf would “be okay” and whether his actions constituted self defense. A relative of Mr. Anthony claimed that the teenager had “defended himself against violent aggressors” after the victim and his twin brother tried to “jump him.” The suspect’s father maintains that his son was also acting in self defense, telling the New York Post that “He was not the aggressor. He was not the one who started it.”The case has made national headlines, especially in conservative media where some commentators have claimed the case would have been the source of massive, media-fueled outrage if the races of the two parties were reversed. The incident has also been roiled by unverified rumors. The Frisco, Texas police have released several statements denouncing “fictitious” social media accounts that had been spreading false information about the case, including an account which posed as that of the police chief and another which shared a viral post falsely claiming that Metcalf died from an MDMA drug overdose. “Beware of those taking to social media to deliberately spread misinformation, hate, fear and division,” Frisco police chief, David Shilson stated, noting that they would be investigating the source of misinformation under third-degree felony charges of impersonation. Mr. Anthony’s family has also sought to dispel rumors that the suspect had been bullied by Metcalf prior to the attack. “The disinformation that is going online is hurting this case and it has to stop. As we know right now, Austin Metcalf and Karmelo Anthony did not know each other,” a spokesman for Mr. Anthony, Dominique Alexander, who works with Next Generation Action Network, said during a press conference. “Karmelo Anthony has a right to a fair trial, unbiased and removed of racial hate and bigotry,” Mr. Alexander added. He claimed that the Anthony family has been unable to leave their home after their address was leaked, prompting a barrage of “graphic and racist threats.” He reported that the family has been sent images of “Black children with knives stuck in their head.” Metcalf’s father has also spoken out against the misinformation campaign, insisting, “This is not a race issue,” he told WFAA. “This is not a Black and white issue. I don’t want someone stepping up on their soapbox trying to politicize this. Unless you were there, unless you saw it: don’t spread gossip.”Mr. Anthony is currently being held at the Collin County jail on a $1 million bond, which his legal team is seeking to reduce. Over the weekend, the suspect hired a new lawyer to lead his legal defense, Next Generation Action Network reported on Saturday. Mr. Anthony will appear in court on Monday for a hearing to discuss lowering his bond. Should he be convicted, Mr. Anthony is protected from facing the death penalty or life without parole given that he was only 17 during the stabbing.

Tensions Grow Over Issues of Race, Fairness as Fundraiser for Teen Charged in Murder of Track Star, 17, Passes $400,000

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