Controversial Fundraising Campaign for Karmelo Anthony Nears $600,000 Mark Amid Growing Criticism and Revelations
A fundraising campaign on the GiveSendGo platform for Karmelo Anthony, a young man who admitted to taking the life of Austin Metaf, has now surpassed $515,000, nearing a total of $600,000. The campaign continues to draw donations despite Karmelo’s admission to police that he “did it”.
The decision by GiveSendGo to host the fundraiser has sparked significant backlash. GiveSendGo founder Jacob Wells stated that he would not say he is “proud” of the campaign, acknowledging that he has “no pride in having this being on Gives Go”. However, Wells defends the platform’s decision, citing the principles of free societies, which he argues allow for actions that “might not be good”. He suggests this is a consequence of living in a free society. Wells maintains that the platform stands on principle and aims to love people even in difficult circumstances.
Critics argue that hosting the campaign is disingenuous, especially given Karmelo’s admission of the crime, which allowed him and potentially others around him to enrich themselves. While Wells claims GiveSendGo only removes campaigns for illegal causes or fraudulent activities and states leadership supports keeping the Anthony campaign, detractors point out that he could close the donation down and refund donors, a practice that has occurred previously for other campaigns. This suggests that the decision not to remove the fundraiser may be driven by profit, rather than solely principle.
The campaign has become a flashpoint for racial division. Comments on the fundraiser page include donors explicitly stating happiness that Karmelo “took out a white guy”. Wells acknowledges that people donate for “wrong reasons,” including promoting racial division, and that comments can be “divisive and not unifying”. We believe that comments expressing satisfaction based on the victim’s race should, at the very least, disqualify those specific donations. The fundraiser is seen as actively fueling racial flames and championing a divisive racial narrative. Conversely, individuals on the opposite side of the political spectrum have also donated minimum amounts ($5) solely to post derogatory comments about Karmelo or the Anthony family.
Our investigation has also uncovered concerning connections surrounding those advocating for Karmelo Anthony. Dominique Alexander, described as a felon who leads a “fraudulent organization” called the Next Generation Action Network (NGAN), is reportedly acting as an “advocate” for Karmelo. Alexander has ties to local Dallas politics. He is associated with Maxi Johnson, who is currently running for Dallas City Council District 4 and serves as a trustee for Dallas ISD. NGAN has endorsed Johnson’s campaign, and Alexander has appeared in photographs with Johnson’s family. Furthermore, Alexander has connections to District Attorney John Cruz, who previously released an individual who had taken a life in Dallas County. Notably, Maxi Johnson’s daughter was also charged and indicted on taking someone’s life in late 2019. Alexander has reportedly attempted to pressure media outlets to remove articles concerning Tyler Johnson and appears to engage in efforts to “cover up crimes from his community”. These findings highlight numerous “weird connections” between those defending Karmelo Anthony and local government figures.
Amidst these developments, a video purportedly showing Karmelo Anthony “headstomping somebody” during a basketball game has circulated online. However, our review confirms that this video is explicitly fake news and does not depict Karmelo Anthony.
Donor messages on the GiveSendGo page often portray Karmelo as an “upstanding young man” or a “brave kid” who “stood up to bullies”. However, it is crucial to remember that Karmelo Anthony admitted to taking another kid’s life. The victim’s family – his father, brother, and others – will never have the opportunity to move on.
