Liberal GoFundMe Takes Huge Action on Fundraisers for Arizona Rancher Being Held on $1 Million Bond

OPINION:  This article contains commentary which may reflect the author’s opinion

Left-leaning GoFundMe has made a stand on the Fundraisers for a 73-year-old Arizona Rancher who is being held on $1 Million Bond for allegedly killing an illegal immigrant who was trespassing on his property.

An active fundraiser for rancher George Alan Kelly remains on the Christian crowdfunding platform GiveSendGo. And his public defender appears to be sitting on her hands and not advocating for Kelly and his rights, watching as he gets abused by an out-of-control court system that is interested in protecting illegals over American the rights of American citizens and protecting their families and property.

According to local news, the community is outraged and calling and expressing their outrage at law enforcement.

“Neighbors say that he had been having difficulty keeping invaders out and say that Mr. Kelly would have acted in good faith,” the fundraiser’s organizer, Shannon Pritchard, wrote. “It is a tragedy that a simple farmer, who should be protected by the government has been abandoned and had to defend himself.”

Pritchard contended that holding Kelly on a $1 million bond is a “purely political” move. The campaign had raised more than $10,500 by midday Thursday.

In a statement Thursday to Fox News Digital, GiveSendGo co-founder Heather Wilson wrote, “This is exactly why GiveSendGo exists. To allow people to have a voice and gain support in times of need. At this time [we] do not know any more than what is being shared on the news, but we do know that in our country a legal defense is not just for the wealthy. We will continue to allow the raising of funds for legal defense on GiveSendGo, as the presumption of innocent until proven guilty is a bedrock to our Justice system.”

“We understand we are not the judge and jury; we will not take down campaigns based on own biases,” Wilson added. “We will be praying for all involved.”

GiveSendGo gained notoriety for allowing fundraisers to benefit Kyle Rittenhouse, as well as the so-called “Freedom Convoy” of truckers demonstrating against Canada’s COVID-19-related restrictions.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday that Kelly had already been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection to the Jan. 30 shooting of a man authorities believe to be 48-year-old Gabriel Cuen-Butimea, based on the Mexican voter registration card he carried. The shooting took place on a cattle ranch Kelly operates with his wife near Nogales, Arizona, by the U.S.-Mexico border.
According to NogalesInternational:

Santa Cruz County employees are receiving hostile, and at times racist, phone calls in response to the case of a Kino Springs man accused of the first-degree murder of a Mexican citizen, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested George Alan Kelly, 74, after he allegedly shot and killed 48-year-old Gabriel Cuen Buitimea on Kelly’s Kino Springs ranch property on or around Jan. 30.

Since then, staff at the Sheriff’s Office, as well as the county courthouse and main complex, have received aggressive calls from people sympathetic to Kelly, Chief Deputy Gerardo Castillo said.

“It’s just people calling, and, you know, expressing themselves. Cussing us out, basically,” Castillo told the NI on Thursday afternoon.

One caller, Castillo said, told him he “sounded Hispanic,” adding: “So I hope your family gets killed.”

A dispatch log shows that the Sheriff’s Office received a report on Wednesday of “harassing” emails and phone calls received at the courthouse.

Speaking Thursday, Court Administrator Paulina Lopez did not disclose details about the calls, or even confirm they were related to the Kelly case.

However, she said: “We have been receiving questionable communications that are not always welcoming.”

The callers, Castillo said, are not identifying themselves, and the area codes largely indicate out-of-state phone numbers. Castillo added that none of the calls seemed specific enough to constitute a criminal threat.

“They’ve been very vague,” he said.

If that changes, he said, the Sheriff’s Office would work with federal authorities such as the FBI to further investigate. But for now, the callers seem to be aiming the insults at any individual who happens to answer the phone.

“Just hang up,” Castillo said, offering his advice to county employees who might receive a similar call. “There’s no need to stay on the line and try to explain and try to reason with them.”

The case has already made its way into national and international news outlets, sparking a barrage of reactions on social media. On GiveSendGo, an online fundraising platform, a campaign pledging support for Kelly has already raised more than $74,645 toward the defendant.

“This man should not have to spend a night in jail,” the campaign organizer said.

John McCann reported for the Western Journal that the fundraising website GoFundMe “has seemingly picked a side in the ongoing legal case involving a rancher who is accused of killing an illegal immigrant who crossed onto his land,” adding:

“The site has removed multiple pages that were set up to support and raise money for the embattled  Kelly.

According to the Daily Mail, GoFundMe removed the fundraisers due to its policy of not defending those accused of “violent crime.”

“BREAKING REPORT: GoFundMe removes pages for 73 year-old Arizona rancher who was arrested after “shooting illegal immigrant while DEFENDED HIS FAMILY AND PROPERTY.

Kelly is being held on $1 – MILLION BOND.

Patriots can SUPPORT George here,” Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) posted on Twitter on February 9, 2023.

WJ went on with some more details:

Kelly, 73, committed the alleged crime on Jan. 30 when illegal immigrant Gabriel Cuen-Butimea was shot and killed on Kelly’s land near Nogales, Arizona.

Defenders of Kelly have pointed out that he has had issues with illegal aliens trekking across his ranch before and are pleading with the court to lower his bond.

The elderly rancher has tried to fight for his release so that he could aid his wife in tending to their livestock, as reported by the Daily Mail.

So far his court-appointed lawyer has yet to take steps to lower his bond or secure a release from custody until his next court date, according to the Daily Mail.

While Arizona law allows stand-your-ground and trespassing laws for personal and property defense, Kelly’s lawyer Brenna Larkin instead filed a two-week delay.

She cited the size of the case as the reason for the delay, claiming she needs more time to prepare for the upcoming trial where Kelly is being charged with first-degree murder.

During a Jan. 31 hearing, Kelly requested a lowering of his bond so that he could help his wife with the business of the ranch.

The judge refused, saying that his lawyer must make the formal request, which has yet to be done.

 

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