Karmelo Anthony’s Family ‘Reveals’ $600K Donation ‘Not Enough’ To Save Karmelo, Called Out - HP News

[00:00:00]Reporting live from Ibish Club 5 Plus News, I'm John Aba. It's been close to 2 weeks since the trial of Carmela Anthony would come to an end, but people are still continuing to follow the case. As you should know, 19-year-old Carmela Anthony would be found guilty of murder over an incident between he and fellow high school student Austin Metaf at a track meet last year. Now, according to reports, Anthony would be requested to move from a tent and upon his refusal would be then pushed by Metaf and that's when Anthony would bring out a knifeike weapon to stab Metaf once in the chest.

[00:00:30]Now, the story has went on to create a large amount of emotion and racial divide as many people believe that Anthony was defending himself from Metaf and others.

[00:00:38]>> My brother was jumped and stabbed to death 20 years ago. So, naturally, people ask how I feel about Carmelo Anthony. 35 years. And my answer might make some people uncomfortable. I don't see a monster. I see a kid who was scared. My brother was jumped. He was stabbed to death. And he was the one being attacked and he didn't have a thing in his hands to stop it. Now, I have spent the last 20 years asking a question that I can't put down. What if my brother had a knife that night? Would he be alive? Would he have been the one who walked away because he protected himself? And if he had, would they have called him a murderer? Would they have given him 35 years? And that's what I see in Carmelo. A kid who was being jumped. A kid who was being antagonized.

[00:01:26]A scared kid who reached for the only thing that meant he might make it home.

[00:01:30]He lived. And living got him 35 years.

[00:01:33]And that's a sentence I don't believe that his white peers would get in that same state. What was he supposed to do?

[00:01:39]What if they had a knife and they tried to kill him? He was obviously terrified.

[00:01:43]They can't walk away because Cyrus tried that. Didn't work for him very well, did it? They can't defend themsel because 35 years for a child who was trying to protect himself.

[00:01:57]We need to have broader conversations.

[00:01:59]Carmelo was a terrified kid, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. Part of that wave of people feeling that Anthony is innocent, he and his family would end up raising a little over $600,000 to help cover legal fees as well as other necessary expenses. Now, as those funds first began to surpass into the hundreds of thousands, many who were against Anthony would call out his supporters and would later accuse the family of mismanaging the funds before his trial would even take place.

[00:02:24]>> If you all DON'T KNOW BY NOW, THAT FAMILY HAVE RAISED OVER A HALF a million dollars. And that's JUST WHAT WE KNOW.

[00:02:31]THAT'S JUST WHAT WE KNOW. WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE OTHER STUFF. WE DON'T KNOW IF THEM TWO UH PARENTS WERE STILL WORKING OR NOT. BUT WHAT WE KNOW, THEY RAISED OVER A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SENT TO THE BOY attorney fee.

[00:02:44]>> Fast forward to now as Carmela has just submitted a notice to appeal against his recent trial. It appears that the Anthony family is in need of more money.

[00:02:52]Over on his Facebook page, Carmemella's father, Drew Anthony, would reveal that the family is working to get more funds as Carmelo's original Gibson go donation page would be taken down now that the trial has come to an end. A part of his Facebook message he would go on to share that a new platform they tried using called Spot Fund would ultimately decide to not allow them to raise any funds on their platform because according to them, their new fund falls out of their acceptable use policy. This would go on to prompt Anony's father to send out an alarming message. In all caps, he would write, "People, we are under attack. All money will be refunded. We want to make another attempt without verification.

[00:03:29]Thank you in advance. Please be patient." As far as the email denying them from using Spotfund, it will go on to read, "Hi, Kayla. Kayla Hayes, who was Anony's mother. This is Maria from Spotfund. I hope you're doing well.

[00:03:43]After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to remove your fundraiser from our platform as it falls outside of our acceptable use policy terms and conditions section 3E.

[00:03:54]Please know that this decision is not a reflection on the hardships your family may be experiencing. We understand that this is an incredibly difficult and emotional time. Any donations received through the campaign will be refunded to the respective donors in accordance with our policies. We recognize that the outcome may be disappointing and we are truly sorry for any additional stress this may cause. We wish you the best moving forward. Thank you again for your understanding. Warm regards, Maria. Now, as mentioned, Anthony has submitted a notice of appeal to begin the process of fighting against his case. For some, they feel that due to the fact that Anthony had an all-white jury and the way his hired attorney failed to properly defend him makes the appeal necessary. Now, in the notice, Anthony would further reveal and confirm that he and his family don't have any money to bring on a new lawyer, as he would describe himself as penniless, destitute, and indigent person, too poor to employ counsel. As he's now hoping that the court will provide him with free representation as things move forward. As far as his previous attorney, Mike Howard, he is a private for hired defense attorney despite some claiming that the Anony's pocketed original donation money by using a public defender. Following the outcome of the trial, Carmemella's father would admit that he too believed that Howard failed them and regret going with Howard as their son's attorney.

[00:05:16]>> As parents, have you all struggled with guilt? You know, asking yourselves, is there anything differently? I know Kaylee, you said you wish you had gone to that track meet. Is there anything that you both wish you could have done differently?

[00:05:27]>> I wish I would have just been rebellious. I was told, don't talk to this person. Don't talk to this person.

[00:05:34]I feel like it was just a setup now.

[00:05:36]said they told us go get white attorneys. Every black person I went to white attorney. No white attorney. They said them, pushed them. Hey, here you go. I mean, no objections.

[00:05:45]>> Over on social media, many have continued sharing their thoughts about the Anony's handling of their son's serious case. They're now alleged financial troubles and some are even calling out his parents with more accusations.

[00:05:57]>> Carmelo Anony's parents are not banding together for justice. They are banding together for their pockets. They don't give a [ __ ] about their son. They don't care about the justice system doing their son wrong. They care about using this as a political pawn so they could [ __ ] pat their [ __ ] pockets. So why in the [ __ ] am I going to band together for a young man when his parents won't ban together for him? I'm sorry to say it, but it's it's the truth. They don't give a [ __ ] about their son. Now, do I think Andrew Anthony and Kayla Hayes misappropriated any funds in relation to Carmelo Anthony? No.

[00:06:38]I watched Andrew Anthony. He's not a thug. He's not a thug.

[00:06:44]He's a what they would call a a kindhearted uh gentle man. So for ignorant, thuggish, um, dogmatic black men that may come across as weak, but if you've never been to jail, never been pulled over, had a ticket, or been in trouble, or been fingerprinted, you wouldn't understand his mannerism. So to you, he's weak. So he has other small children. So, if he used any of the money to help keep the family together, that's not misappropriating funds. If you never had your back up against the wall, please don't judge. As of now, it's unclear if Carmemella's parents have found a platform to host a new fund, but his uncle Kevin Hayes has shared the most recent update on behalf of the family.

[00:07:35]on Wednesday over on his Facebook page, he would write, "We just wanted to officially let everyone know that we've been working tirelessly behind the scenes to get everything squared away for Carmelo. We also want to make it clear that no one has been authorized to collect funds on behalf of Carmelo or our family. When the official fundraising efforts are established, we will announce them ourselves through our official channels. Thank you all for the continued love, prayers, encouragement, and unwavering support. It truly means more than words can express. Just know that our spirits are high, our faith is strong, and the fight has only just begun. Let's talk about it more in the comments below. And for more news in comedy, culture, and sports, be sure to subscribe here to our YouTube channel and follow Hype Plus across all social media. Reporting live from H Highish Club for Hype Plus News, I'm John Aba.