Friends of murdered Brooklyn social justice activist Ryan Carson have raised over $68,000 to help the group “take time off from work to grieve appropriately.”
A “collective” of Ryan’s close friends described themselves as “working class people” and launched the fundraiser in response to the activist’s murder at 3:50 a.m. Monday.
As they are still “reeling from a brutal loss,” the GoFundMe is asking for donations to “ease the burden and stress of this terrible situation so that we have space and time to grieve and remember Ryan.”
“The immediate need is to offset the costs of working-class people taking time off from work to grieve appropriately,” the site continues.
The action comes as Carson’s suspected killer, Brian Dowling, 18, was paraded outside an NYPD precinct on Thursday after being charged with murder.
Ryan Carson, 32, was stabbed in the heart in a horror attack in Brooklyn in the early hours of Monday morning
The teenager accused of Carson’s murder, Brian Dowling, 18, had tears in his eyes as he was led away from a New York police station Thursday morning following his murder arraignment
According to the fundraiser, the page was set up by Carson’s girlfriend Claudia Morales, who was with Carson when he was stabbed in the heart, and a friend named Tammie Marie David.
In response to her request for paid leave, a group of friends responded with a touching tribute highlighting Carson’s commitment to left-wing social causes, which included environmental protection and the establishment of supervised drug consumption centers throughout New York City.
“If you Google ‘Ryan Carson,’ you will learn about (and now see) the tragedy that occurred early Monday morning,” the fundraiser said.
“But if you look beyond the breaking news, you will see news of his legislative victories, you will likely find his social media accounts full of thoughts and memories, and you will find collections of his past artistic works.”
“We hope you find his thoughts on mutual aid and advocacy and understand that his radical principles of community care, justice and dismantling an individualized, for-profit way of life are worth pursuing in our own communities.”
“It is this time of remembrance and healing that is thought-provoking.”
Some reacted angrily to the fundraiser online, appearing confused by the request to help them take time off work because they are “working class people.”
“What a strange way to ask for money for a bereavement,” said one person on X, formerly Twitter.
“Not even money for the funeral,” said another, adding that the petition gave the impression that the friends were “not upset at all.”
Carson worked for the New York Public Interest Research Group, a nonprofit organization whose work focused on environmental issues.
According to now-blocked social media profiles, his girlfriend Morales was also an avid BLM activist who used the cop-hating acronym ACAB in some posts, among other things.
On Wednesday, the activist’s friends raised eyebrows again when they claimed he felt sorry for the teenager who allegedly stabbed him and wanted his murder to be used to promote left-wing politics.
“I know he would have wanted people to use his death as a tool to talk about structural injustices in the city,” New York State Assembly member Emily Gallagher told The Gothamist.
“I’m absolutely certain that he would immediately recognize that this is an individual who is suffering from a lack of resources in our community and probably needs better mental health support, possibly housing, possibly drug support or drug treatment.”
“To avenge his death, he wants us to fix how broken this city is.”
Carson was returning home from a wedding when horror struck – and his girlfriend Claudia posted a picture of them smiling together just hours before the tragedy. They wear the same outfits as in the security footage
Dowling was taken to Central Booking this afternoon after being arrested in Bedford Stuysevant earlier in the day
Dowling, 18, cried as he was transported from the 81st Precinct in Brooklyn today
The comments came before the 18-year-old accused of Carson’s murder publicly walked outside a New York police station on Thursday after being charged with murder.
Dowling, 18, was arrested Thursday morning at an apartment in Bedford Stuyvesant for the brutal attack that was caught on camera.
That same day, police recovered from Dowling’s home a sweatshirt that matched the type worn by the suspect in the video, as well as a knife believed to have been used in the attack.
While some have described Dowling as “emotionally disturbed,” neighbors told he was the “sweetest boy” who came from a “good” and “respectful” family.
The teenager, believed to work at a school in Clinton Hill, was reported to police by his aunt two months ago after he destroyed his girlfriend’s belongings in a fight.
Shocking footage of the attack, for which a motive has not yet been determined, showed a man believed to be Dowling walking past Carson and Morales before turning back.
Carson was returning home from a wedding when the horrific stabbing occurred – and his girlfriend Claudia posted a picture of them smiling together just hours before the tragedy.
After a brief back and forth, Carson was seen pushing his attacker in the chest several times, prompting the attacker to swing the knife at Carson.
At one point, the suspect asks, “What the hell are you looking at?” before violently stabbing Carson in the chest.
The surveillance video ends with Carson lying on the floor as his girlfriend screams, “Brian!” as the attacker fled the scene.