The incarceration rate in Minneapolis, MN has gone up significantly this week due to the nationwide protests created in wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police brutality. A community effort to release these activists from jail has been set up through the Minnesota Freedom Fund: a non-profit that raises money to pay bail for those who can’t afford it. Several stars have made contributions to the fund, with Chrissy Teigen, Steve Carrell, Harry Styles, Don Cheadle, and Seth Rogen being just a few among them.
Teigen arguably got the ball rolling by tweeting that she would donate $100,000- later $200,000- to paying people’s bail, in response to President Trump’s proclamation that it was “MAGA Night” on Twitter. Other celebrities quickly jumped on the bandwagon, ardently matching donations and spurring others to do so. According to Minnesota Freedom Fund board member Steve Boland, the charity has raised over $20 million in just four days.
In celebration of whatever the fuck maga night is, I am committed to donating $100,000 to the bail outs of protestors across the country.
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) May 30, 2020
On Twitter, Harry Styles said, “I do things every day without fear, because I am privileged, and I am privileged every day because I am white. Being not racist is not enough, we must be anti racist. Social change is enacted when a society mobilizes. I stand in solidarity with all of those protesting.”