(OPINION) ETH – A new report from the Washington Post has concerned me as a Christian. That is because according to the report, Henry “Enrique” Tarrio who is the 36-year-old Miami resident and national chairman of the “Proud Boys” was recently arrested by police when he arrived in D.C. on Jan. 4th ahead of the scheduled demonstrations that would take place in Washington.
Tarrio claims, “15 cop cars” swarmed his Honda Crosstour soon after he passed through the Third Street Tunnel and that he was wanted on a misdemeanor charge from back in December where he was accused of setting fire to a historic Black church’s Black Lives Matter banner.
According to the report, in the traffic stop, authorities found high-capacity firearm magazines in his backpack, resulting in felony weapons charges, and resulted in him sitting in a jail cell for 24 hours, Tarrio needed funds quick and it was then that his family members reportedly used a Christian fundraising site called “GiveSendGo.com”.
The fundraising website bills itself as “a place to fund hope.” Within a week, the “Enrique Tarrio Defense Fund” had amassed more than $113,000 from 2,359 donors, according to the site. Tarrio has pleaded not guilty. “It’s not just Proud Boys that are raising money there,” Tarrio said in an interview Thursday, noting that his group’s chapters nationwide have used the site to fund their cause.
“There’s just so many people that are raising money there.” According to The Washington Post, this self-described Christian website has become a refuge of sorts for outcasts and extremists, including fringe groups such as the Proud Boys as well as conspiracy theorists who seek to undercut the results of the presidential election by promoting debunked claims of fraud.
So what is concerning to me? As a Christian myself, this concerns me because it is making ALL Christians look like extremists or crazy conspiracy theorists, and I just want to emphasize that these groups DO NOT reflect the heartbeat of the Church and the majority of believers I know personally do not advocate violence at all and are law-abiding citizens who uphold our democracy and freedoms in America..
