Christian site raises tens of thousands for Norfolk police lieutenant fired after donating to Kyle R

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: The Virginian-Pilot, via The Martinsville Bulletin

EDITOR'S PICK

Christian site raises tens of thousands for Norfolk police lieutenant fired after donating to Kyle Rittenhouse

BY RYAN MURPHY The Virginian-Pilot 6 hrs ago

Less than a week after a Norfolk police lieutenant was fired for publicly supporting a white Illinois man accused of shooting and killing Black Lives Matter protestors, more than 1,100 people have donated to a fundraiser for the ex-officer. ... As of Monday afternoon, a post on Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo in support of ex-Lt. Willam K. Kelly III had amassed north of $43,000.

Kelly was fired April 20, four days after it was revealed that he’d made an anonymous $25 donation to the legal defense of Kyle Rittenhouse via the same crowdfunding site. ... The fundraiser for Kelly was created by the site’s co-founders, siblings Jacob Wells and Heather Wilson.

“Regardless of how you feel regarding Kyle Rittenhouse, the fact is that Mr. Kelly’s individual rights have been grossly violated. He made an anonymous donation of a mere twenty-five dollars with his own money,” Wilson wrote in a statement.

Several comments from donors encouraged Kelly to sue the city and told him to “stand tall.” ... “Fight this and then apply for the chiefs (sic) job when you win,” wrote one donor.

{snip}

Read more: https://martinsvillebulletin.com/news/state-and-regional/christian-site-raises-tens-of-thousands-for-norfolk-police-lieutenant-fired-after-donating-to-kyle/article_3e2db6ce-1d34-5e65-bd07-379ba9fd8d9e.html

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Less than a week after a Norfolk police lieutenant was fired for publicly supporting a white Illinois man accused of shooting and killing Black Lives Matter protestors, more than 1,100 people have donated to a fundraiser for the ex-officer.

Link to tweet

[lark]

1. Yeah, wonder if the cop will even get one penny.

2nd wonder - what bad karma will come to this guy for this idiotic ploy?

[Ka-Dinh Oy]

2. So, what those so called Christians are saying is that

THEIR God hates black people and they should be murdered.

Quit calling yourselves Christians because you're NOT!!!

These people are vile.

[PortTack]

4. ☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️

[Thomas Hurt]

3. When do we all get a right to have/keep a job?

[marble falls]

5. I don't care how much he gets out of it, so long as he gets no civil job w/tax funded wages.

[mezame]

6. Geez DU...

fundraiser...created by the site’s co-founders, siblings Jacob Wells and Heather Wilson

These two should be the focus of your ire, probably more so than ex-officer Kelly.

Ya know, context people, c'mon!

[Mad Kirrua]

7. "Christian"

[Owl]

15. Exactly.

[COL Mustard]

8. Shows You Where These "Christians" Stand

Nothing about this seem Christlike to me, but then again I haven't been to church in a month of Sundays..hell, a year of Sundays.

[barbtries]

10. i'm atheist

and would argue that I am more christlike than these racist fascists.

[barbtries]

9. isn't it past time

to put some quotation marks around "christian"?

jeez

[Claire Oh Nette]

18. Christains?

[COL Mustard]

38. Did I Misspell It?

Or was it someone else???

[Claire Oh Nette]

43. Stain on Christianity, ergo

Christains...

[COL Mustard]

47. Ah.

Good one!!!

[maxrandb]

11. They may call themselves "Christian"

but they obviously haven't made it past the Book of Leviticus in Bible Study yet.

[jmowreader]

45. It's not even the whole Book of Leviticus

They only like two parts of the book: Lev. 18.22, which says homosexuality is an abomination, and the entire of Lev. 20, which tells you all the people you get to kill.

[Historic NY]

12. Nice to know that a kid with an illegal weapon

can cross state lines kill two and the Religious Right will fund-raise for him and support a criminal. The big mistake was the 2 individuals who tried to capture Kyle if he was black the police would have killed, The other armed person should have shot him rather than try to capture him. Kyle was running because he was pursued by those who saw him kill another victim.

[keithbvadu2]

13. Political Christians rather than Christians of faith.

They support Trump who says he is so perfect that he does not need Christ or his forgiveness.

Like today's evangelical/religious right supporters, Trump is a Political Christian, not a Christian of faith.

Evangelicals/religious right are easily able to spin their beliefs for political expediency.

The Donald who does not have to ask Jesus for forgiveness.

The Donald who ridicules Holy Communion.

Trump: Drink my little wine, have my little cracker

http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2015/08/13/donald-trump-religion-serfaty-dnt-erin.cnn

[Claire Oh Nette]

19. Christian Nationalism vs. Cristians vs. WHite Supremacists.

Too much overlap in that Venn diagram.

[RobertDevereaux]

14. "more than 1,100 people"?

“People”? You misspelled “human monsters.”

[orangecrush]

16. We have a storefront church here

In rural NW Pa. that tells it's members how to think on current events (extreme right wing anti mask anti vaccine etc.), and tells them how to vote - republican, of course.

It is literally a closed down grocery store.

I once saw the "pastor" in the parking lot with two local repub operatives.

I suspect this is the mo in many areas decimated by outsourcing.

[RobertDevereaux]

17. Horrendous website...

https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-the-christian-crowdfunding-site-givesendgo-became-the-go-to-site-for-trumpist-rage

[RobertDevereaux]

20. And here, they offer weak-tea excuses for what they do...

https://www.givesendgo.com/blog/Political_Pawn?fbclid=IwAR19beYW-rXJSUAEbABYfxg1h5VcLTSsWiT4QVtQxbVbtIdoGRzhz710PN4

[Bernardo de La Paz]

21. Let them drain their bank accounts to avoid helping an immigrant or a sick child or a PTSD vet. . nt

[DanieRains]

22. That's Why I Am A Follower Of Christ And Not A Christian

It appears a majority of today's christians simply serve Satan.

Don't want to be associated with them.

[ripcord]

23. The sad thing is that he will also win a lawsuit against the city for firing him.

[Jedi Guy]

29. Most probably, yep.

Odds are he'll win the lawsuit and get reinstated in his position, with back pay for the time he wasn't working plus penalties from the suit. His pension will be untouched, and he'll probably still get whatever portion of this pot of money the website doesn't keep for itself.

[Evolve Dammit]

24. The "civil war" has started. And it will be far from cival. I have never questioned our future.

Until now. I really fear a very dark chapter is unfolding. I hope I am totally wrong, but the discourse and obvious radicalization of white, right-wing assholes is undeniable. They are as the GOP gubanatorial candidate in VA says proudly, "Locked and loaded." So do we have to hope the police will combat this, given their deference to white, right-wing assholes?? Just asking.

[Wuddles440]

41. I too share your fears...

where our country is heading - actually careening towards total fascism. The GOPppers will not rest until they have absolute and unfettered control over every facet of our society. Prepare to defend yourself and any loved ones because they've spent decades infiltrating and compromising the public safety institutions. This is not the time to be comfortable or complacent, because Biden and company offer only a temporary reprieve from the hellish tsunami of authoritarianism that's heading our way in the very near future.

[Evolve Dammit]

44. I wish we could envision a better future, but it is unfolding. Fight like hell for democracy. nt

[Galraedia]

25. Sue for what? His rights were NOT violated.

He sent the following message along with his donation:

“You’ve done nothing wrong. Every rank and file police officer supports you. Don’t be discouraged by actions of the political class of law enforcement leadership.”

He decided to act as a representative of law enforcement and the department where he worked decided that they don't share his values.

[11 Bravo]

26. I'm hoping that's what they can metaphorically hang him with.

If he had just sent a donation, as abhorrently stupid as I believe that to have been, I would strongly object to his firing. Free speech does not only apply to speech of which I approve.
But he took that extra step, and tried to tie the department to his actions.
So fuck him.

[ripcord]

28. He will win a lawsuit

A government agency is not going to be allowed to fire someone for supporting a person who has been accused of crime but not convicted, I can see many ways that could be abused.

[Jedi Guy]

30. The donation was anonymous.

So he didn't present himself as speaking for the department.

[Martin68]

27. So that's what Jesus would do. Huh. I would never have guessed.

[Miguelito Loveless]

31. Judas Iscariot must be kicking himself

for missing out on this kind of Christian.

[SWBTATTReg]

32. How nice to support a murderer, eh? Sarcasm dripping w/ these so called 'Christians'. Yeah, right.

It's as pathetic as it comes.

[lonely bird]

33. Do you think I could get them to raise money for Pontius Pilate?

[joetheman]

34. He supported a murderer and Christians supported him. What's to see? They are scum using religion.

[Marcuse]

35. "Thou shalt hate, smite and kill your neighbor."

[twodogsbarking]

37. And covet thy neighbor's wife too.

Next Dateline.

[YoshidaYui]

36. Imma be smug....here..

I have never been so happy to be Buddhist in this country.

[BobTheSubgenius]

39. Yet another aberration of "Christian" values.

Great. Just f'ing great. I'm sure they see absolutely no conflict, either.

[MrModerate]

40. Christian? I'm not even religious, but I can tell you...

That bailing out bad cops is not a proper Christian act.

[caraher]

42. The Nation recently did a piece on this site

Crowdfunding Hate in the Name of Christ

When asked about the consistent pattern of hate group members fundraising on the site, Wells expressed doubt that the Proud Boys really were a hate group, explaining that he had visited their website and found it lacking in statements explicitly embracing discrimination. “Unfortunately, the media does have an agenda with the things they portray, whether it’s social media or other forms of media,” Wells said. “What are their core beliefs? Is it misconstrued by the media?” When I pointed out that the Canadian government had recently designated the Proud Boys as a terrorist group, Wells answered that this should be just one factor to consider. “We are learning just like everyone else,” he added.

The other core principle embraced by Wells and Wilson tracks with a doctrine known as “total depravity” in Christian religious discourse: the idea that all human beings are created sinners, damned without the grace of God. In this moral framework, all sin is equal, and the path to resolution is the love of Christ.

On GiveSendGo, this plays out as a curious flattening. When I brought up the Rittenhouse campaign and its massive cash influx, Wilson countered with the fact that the site had allowed an LGBTQ fundraiser. A search for “LGBTQ” on the site brought up three pages: two for a group of “former lgbtq individuals who have left the lifestyle of homosexuality to follow Jesus Christ” (sum raised: $7,900) and the other for the LGBTQ Freedom Fund, a nationwide nonprofit (sum raised: $0). “‘Politics, schmolitics,’ says GiveSendGo while at the same time giving a fundraising platform on behalf of Mr. Rittenhouse,” writes Joanna Galuszka, who set up the LGBTQ Freedom Fund page. Though the campaign hasn’t raised any money to date, it has garnered 25 prayers. When I asked whether raising funds for an LGBTQ charity was morally equivalent to raising bail for an alleged multiple murderer, Wilson replied, “We believe that anytime we disobey God, whatever it is, there’s no judgment as who’s worse.” In this moral view, causing death and being queer are not only on the same spectrum, they are identical.

The writer asked the founders whether they'd accept a KKK fundraiser...

Toward the end of our conversation, Wells returned to the question I’d asked earlier about the Ku Klux Klan. He had rid himself of hesitation: “If the KKK or any other group of people, if what they’re doing is within the law,” he told me, “I would consider it an honor to have them use the platform and share the hope of Jesus with them.”

[monkeyman1]

46. pass the plate & amen ! but legal. waiting for donny to start a church!

[Grins]

48. How much did the "Christians" raise for Rittenhouse's victim's families...?

Or the family of Jacob Black, the guy paralyzed because he was shot by Kenosha Police?
Seven times.
In the back.
Who was unarmed.
In the initial event that ultimately incited Rittenhouse to commit murder.

Black has three minor children who witnessed ALL of that shooting.
What about them, "Christians"?

Lemmee guess.... (Sound of crickets....)