Donations to help Charlottesville victims approach $900K and continue to rise

Melanie Eversley | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Charlottesville police: 'we were hoping for a peaceful event' Charlottesville Police Chief Al Thomas tells a news conference Monday that his department was hoping for 'a peaceful event,' at Saturday's rally. (Aug. 14)

The public is stepping forward with an outpouring of financial donations to help the people hurt Saturday when a car rammed into counter-protesters during an alt-right demonstration in Charlottesville, Va.

The funds that totaled $885,984 as of early Wednesday evening are also going toward helping the family of Heather Heyer, the 32-year-old woman who died after being struck by the car. The donations are coming through the crowd-funding website www.GoFundMe.com.

The largest of the campaigns, one set up to help Heyer's family, was shut down by Tuesday evening because it reached its goal. That campaign raised $224,870. Another campaign for Dre Harris -- a black man who was hit with water bottles, sprayed with pepper spray and beaten with metal poles -- raised $146,206 as of Tuesday evening, just about three times its goal of $50,000.

Rob Solomon, GoFundMe CEO, said in an e-mail to USA TODAY that the response to the Charlottesville incident was similar to that of what the crowdfunding website saw in the wake of the Pulse nightclub shooting in June 2016 in Orlando in which security guard Omar Mateen shot and killed 49 people, including himself.

"This past weekend, the whole country was rocked by the senseless violence and acts of hatred in Charlottesville," Solomon said. "In the wake of these horrific events, donations have poured in to provide support and assistance to the victims of the attacks. More than 20,000 donors from all 50 states have made it clear: They stand on the side of love and unity in the face of bigotry and fear."

Heyer's campaign was set up by a friend, according to the Recode website. Heyer was a resident of Charlottesville and was demonstrating against the Unite the Right rally.

"It was important for her to speak up for people who she felt were not being heard," her mother, Susan Bro, told NBC News.

Other campaigns were raising money for a woman who required pelvic surgery for her injuries in the violence, a 20-year-old from Houston hospitalized for her injuries, a community group raising funds to help the victims, an organization setting up a medical fund for the victims and a young man injured in the melee while pushing his fiancee out of the way of the carnage.

As public interest in helping the victims seemed to be growing, Charity Navigator issued a list of reputable organizations serving ideals that might interest people empathizing with the victims.

The list included the National Center for Law and Economic Justice, the National Urban League, the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

The interest in philanthropy, however, prompted one Virginia official to warn people to beware.

"We have to be cautious and smart about it because the sad truth is there are pathetic people out there who will try to exploit a tragedy like this to line their own pockets," Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said in a statement.

"Take the time to vet the organization, campaign, or page organizer before contributing," he said. "As we come together to help our fellow citizens heal, we don't want anyone to worry about whether their money will be used for good."



