Former Georgia Democratic state representative-turned-Trump supporter, Vernon Jones, has joined a fundraising effort vowing to rebuild black-owned businesses damaged or destroyed during rioting amid demonstrations protesting the killing of George Floyd.
“I’m proud to join @thecjpearson in raising money for the black businesses – restaurants, barber shops, etc – that ANTIFA has BURNED to the ground,” Jones said. “We’ve raised $17k in less than three hours. I thought conservatives were real racists?”
I’m proud to join @thecjpearson in raising money for the black businesses – restaurants, barber shops, etc – that ANTIFA has BURNED to the ground.
We’ve raised $17k in less than three hours. I thought conservatives were real racists?https://t.co/UDQtRUuUth
— Vernon Jones (@RepVernonJones) June 1, 2020
Jones, who in late April announced he was “leaving the plantation” and supporting President Trump, shared a link to a GoFundMe website that had raised more than $28,000 as of Monday afternoon.
“They are hijacking the memory and legacy of George Floyd – who’s life was wrongfully taken – in an attempt to push and advance their own agenda,” the page description reads. “They’re looting and vandalizing black-owned establishments and blaming black people for doing it.”
Since demonstrations began in dozens of cities across the country last week, images of looting, vandalism, and arson have surfaced each day. Local law enforcement in America’s biggest cities say the vast majority of people who have taken to the streets to protest Floyd’s killing are peaceful, but many others are using the chaos to steal and destroy personal property.
Floyd’s family has called for an end to the violent demonstrations.
Trump has blamed the violence on antifa, a loose network of liberal protesters, declaring it a terrorist organization over the weekend.
Some prominent Democrats and media pundits said white supremacists have infiltrated the Black Lives Matter protests with the goal of destroying black infrastructure during the rioting.
“This is an opportunity for conservatives to show the black community that we stand in support of them, capitalism, and the sacrifices they made to become entrepreneurs in the first place,” the GoFundMe says.
