A bail fund promoted by Vice President Kamala Harris let free an alleged domestic abuser weeks before authorities arrested him and charged him with murder, the group announced Friday.
The organization, the Minnesota Freedom Fund, said it was aware of reports “of the tragic and fatal shooting” in Minneapolis involving 48-year-old George Howard, who was charged in the Hennepin County District Court with two counts of second-degree murder in connection with a shooting that occurred on Aug. 31, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Star Tribune.
“MFF believes that every individual who has been arrested by the law enforcement is innocent until proven guilty, and if a judge deems them eligible for bail, they should not have to wait in jail simply because they don’t have the same income or access to resources as others,” the organization wrote in a now-deleted statement on Sept. 3, preserved by the Internet Archive.
BAIL FUND TOUTED BY KAMALA HARRIS HELPED FREE MAN BEFORE HE WAS CHARGED ONCE AGAIN
Harris, who had dropped out of the presidential race but had yet to be selected as President Joe Biden‘s running mate at the time, tweeted in support of the bail fund in June 2020.
“If you’re able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota,” Harris wrote last summer. Several celebrities also highlighted donations to the MFF around the same time, including Seth Rogen, Don Cheadle, and Patton Oswalt.
If you’re able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota. https://t.co/t8LXowKIbw
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 1, 2020
The MFF tweeted an image of a document on June 15, 2020, revealing the organization received over “$25 million” in donations as “thousands of people” contributed to the organization during the summer of unrest, as numerous protesters across the country faced arrests during demonstrations over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.
The organization added at the time that “we paid well over $200k in the weeks since the uprising alone,” saying it would work to do more.
Howard was allegedly involved in a road rage-related incident on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis last month with a victim identified as 38-year-old Luis Martinez Ortiz, who was declared dead at North Memorial Health Hospital soon after he was shot in the chest, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The MFF released an updated statement after deleting its initial comments Friday, saying, “Under new leadership, MFF has implemented changes to its policies and procedures, and we will continue to assess them to ensure that we are being responsive to the safety and needs of our community,” Fox 9 reported.
Howard was received by authorities on a misdemeanor charge of domestic assault on Aug. 5 before being released on Aug. 11 after posting a $1,500 bail, Hennepin County records show.
Greg Lewin, interim executive director of the bail fund, said the MFF is not focused on the allegations themselves but is a response to the “system we are fighting,” according to the local Fox outlet.
“I often don’t even look at a charge when I bail someone out,” Lewin said in August 2020. “I will see it after I pay the bill because it is not the point.”
The MFF has faced criticism from Republican lawmakers such as Minnesota state Sen. Mark Koran, who said the result of the organization’s effort has placed “violent criminals back on the streets.”
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The White House declined to comment to the Washington Examiner. The MFF and the Hennepin County District Court did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
