Online donations to the Ferguson police officer responsible for shooting and killing unarmed black teenager Michael Brown have surpassed the amount of donations to Brown's family.
Supporters of Darren Wilson, the police officer, have raised about $350,000 on two GoFundMe crowdfunding campaigns for Wilson and his family. The first of those campaigns, launched on Monday, raised $234,910 before ending. A second crowdfunding campaign has so far raised more than $129,000 with three days to go.
In comparison, a crowdfunding campaign on the same site for Brown's family raised just over $220,000 at the time of this writing.
Support for Wilson has grown in recent days, with thousands joining the "Support Darren Wilson" Facebook page, and donating money on GoFundMe. Some in the St. Louis area staged a pro-Wilson rally on Saturday.
“I don’t know him. The people here don’t know him, but law enforcement is family,” Rhea Rodebaugh, owner of Barney's Sports Pub in St. Louis where the rally was held, said about Wilson. “The poor guy is in hiding. He was doing his job. People who become police officers, they do it because they love it.”
Some also voiced support for Wilson on Twitter using the hashtag #IAmDarrenWilson, although the hashtag was quickly turned into a way to criticize the officer and the police force more broadly.
Until all of the facts are out & the FULL truth is know, I support Darren Wilson. Hate without facts shows bias. #NoRacism #iamdarrenwilson— Bob Hedrick (@BobHedrick) August 23, 2014
#iamdarrenwilson Support from LI for a cop to defend himself when assaulted & reasonably fearing for his own life. F the media & their bias.— nyijedi (@nyijedi) August 23, 2014
I straight up murdered someone. #iamdarrenwilson— a. spaceman (@adamrensch) August 23, 2014
Ferguson has been engulfed in violent protests for days following the shooting of 18-year-old Brown on Aug. 9. An autopsy later revealed that Brown was shot by Wilson six times, including two shots to the head. The incident, and the clashes between local authorities and protestors that followed, has sparked a debate over race relations, police violence and militarization.
Clashes have eased in Ferguson in recent days, with Friday marking the first night with no arrests. At least three people were arrested on Saturday before midnight.
Brown's funeral service is scheduled to take place in Ferguson on Monday. U.S. President Barack Obama is sending three White House aides to the service. Meanwhile, Brown's father has asked for protests to cease on the day of the funeral.
“I would like for no protesting going on,” Michael Brown, Sr. said during a local radio interview, according to BuzzFeed. “We just want a moment of silence that whole day. Just out of respect for our son.”
Additional reporting by The Associated Press