by Anthony Gockowski
A St. Paul-based corporation encouraged its employees to donate money to a nonprofit that has bailed out countless violent criminals.
In an email to Alpha News, a spokesperson with Ecolab confirmed that the Ecolab Foundation provided a 50% match for employee donations to the Minnesota Freedom Fund.
“Ecolab employees donated to the Minnesota Freedom Fund through our employee giving campaign, and as part of the campaign, the Ecolab Foundation provided a 50% match,” the spokesperson said.
According to a screenshot provided to Alpha News, the Minnesota Freedom Fund was listed as a “featured charity” on the “Ecolab Giving Site” under a section titled “racial and social inequity.”
“Please see the list of suggested charities/NGOs in our communities that support equity, safety, healing and basic needs. If you choose to support one (or many) with a credit card or payroll donation, make sure to request the 50% match so your donation goes further,” the webpage states.
The webpage encourages employees to “click on an organization in the list on the right,” where the Minnesota Freedom Fund is prominently displayed.
The Minnesota Freedom Fund raked in more than $40 million in revenue after it was promoted by numerous celebrities during the George Floyd riots. The premise was that the money would be used to bail out protesters, but the group’s former executive director said only about a dozen protesters needed bail assistance.
Instead, the money has been used in many cases to bail out violent criminals, several of whom have been charged with new crimes while out on bail, including murder, sex offenses, and serious assaults, according to a Saturday report from Alpha News.
Most recently, the group bailed out a man who was arrested for attacking a woman in a bar bathroom. After being bailed out, he was charged with committing lewd acts in front of children outside of a school.
The Minnesota Freedom Fund seeks to “abolish cash bail in Minnesota” and believes the criminal justice system “was designed to maintain and uphold white supremacy.”
The Republican-controlled Senate passed legislation last year that sought to prevent organizations from posting bail on behalf of repeat violent offenders. Democratic senators criticized the proposal, in some cases praising the Minnesota Freedom Fund for “doing God’s work.”
– – –
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and reported for The Daily Caller.
Photo “Ecolab” by Ecolab.
