The bail fund for which Vice President Kamala Harris served as an ex-officio fundraiser sprung a violent criminal from jail last month. Weeks later, police charged him with murder.
The inaptly named Minnesota Freedom Fund, which raised millions after George Floyd died of a drug overdose while resisting arrest, will review its policies, it says, given the charges against MFF beneficiary George Howard. Police allege that Howard shot a man to death during a road-rage confrontation.
Howard isn’t the first dangerous criminal MFF has sprung from the slammer, and he won’t be the last. The group’s goal is to free as many criminals as it can to “fight the system.”
The Crime
Howard, 47, faces two counts of second-degree murder in connection with the shooting of Damian Ortiz, 35, on August 29, reported KTPS5, the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis:
Surveillance video reportedly showed Ortiz, in a blue BMW, and Howard, in a white Volvo, “get into a road rage incident” on the ramp entering the interstate.
Ortiz could be seen getting out of his vehicle and approaching Howard’s vehicle. Ortiz then collapsed and Howard could be seen driving away. Ortiz got back into his vehicle, drove down the ramp and subsequently crashed, surveillance video showed.
Investigators were able to get the Volvo’s license plate via surveillance video and were able to track Howard to a nearby gas station. Surveillance video showed Howard exiting the Volvo and a passenger inside the Volvo taking the driver’s seat, then driving away from the gas station.
The getaway driver told cops that Ortiz punched Howard before Howard fired the fatal bullet.
Howard said a third person in the Volvo was the triggerman.
Get Out Of Jail Free
Fox News reported that MFF bailed Howard out of the slammer on August 6. The bond was $11,500.
MFF tweeted its mea culpa, then deleted it.
“We are aware of reports of the tragic and fatal shooting in Minneapolis earlier this week allegedly involving George Howard, an individual the Minnesota Freedom Fund had previously provided with bail support,” the group confessed:
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.
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.
The group said it “is closely monitoring developments in the case.”
Maybe Harris should monitor developments, too, given that she encouraged Americans to donate to the pro-criminal group.
“If you’re able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota,” the veep tweeted in June of 2020.
But “protesters” aren’t the only criminals MFF helps, the Fox affiliate in Minneapolis reported last year.
“A Minnesota nonprofit has bailed out defendants from Twin Cities jails charged with murder, violent felonies, and sex crimes, as it seeks to address a system that disproportionately incarcerates Black people and people of color,” the station reported.
The windfall from Floyd’s overdose death, along with help from Harris and leftist Hollywood celebrities, boosted donations to the group from about $100,000 in 2017 and 2018 to $35 million.
Reported Fox 9:
Among those bailed out by the Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF) is a suspect who shot at police, a woman accused of killing a friend, and a twice convicted sex offender, according to court records reviewed by the FOX 9 Investigators.
According to attempted murder charges, Jaleel Stallings shot at members of a SWAT Team during the riots in May. Police recovered a modified pistol that looks like an AK-47. MFF paid $75,000 in cash to get Stallings out of jail.
Darnika Floyd is charged with second degree murder, for stabbing a friend to death. MFF paid $100,000 cash for her release.
Christopher Boswell, a twice convicted rapist, is currently charged with kidnapping, assault, and sexual assault in two separate cases. MFF paid $350,000 in cash for his release.
Court clerks complained directly to MFF about bailing out sex offenders. MFF was spending $100,000 a day to spring dangerous criminals, who then wreaked havoc upon the unsuspecting residents of the Twin Cities.
“I often don’t even look at a charge when I bail someone out,” Lewin said. “I will see it after I pay the bill because it is not the point. The point is the system we are fighting.”
The Ortiz family will be glad to know that.
