Minneapolis, MN — GoFundMe is drawing intense scrutiny for allowing an online fundraiser connected to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer involved in the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good to remain active, even though the platform’s own policies explicitly ban campaigns tied to violent wrongdoing.
The campaign — widely shared on social media and drawing thousands of contributors — seeks support for Minnesota ICE agent Jonathan Ross, who authorities say fatally shot Good during an encounter in south Minneapolis earlier this month. Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was killed on January 7 in a confrontation that has since sparked protests, legal debates, and political outrage.
Terms of Service Versus Fundraiser Reality
GoFundMe’s Terms of Service clearly state that users may not create fundraisers “intended to support the legal defense of financial or violent crimes, including murder, robbery, assault, battery, s*x crimes or crimes against minors.”
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Yet the Jonathan Ross campaign — initially titled “ICE OFFICER Jonathan Ross” and purporting to collect funds for his legal support — has amassed hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some backers have described the donations as support for due process, while others explicitly frame the campaign as backing an officer whose actions they believe were justified.
GoFundMe says its Trust & Safety team is reviewing all shooting-related fundraisers to ensure compliance, and that funds are temporarily held by payment processors during this review. The company told media outlets that any campaign found to violate its rules “will be removed.”
Billionaire Donation Sparks Firestorm
The controversy heightened when hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman publicly donated $10,000 to the fundraiser for the ICE agent, saying he supports the principle that every person is “innocent until proven guilty.” Ackman also stated he had intended to give to the fundraiser for Good’s family — which raised more than $1.5 million before being closed — but arrived too late to donate.
Critics argue that accepting money for someone connected to a killing — regardless of legal status — contravenes the platform’s stated commitment to prohibit fundraisers tied to violent wrongdoing. Advocates for platform accountability have urged GoFundMe to enforce its policies consistently, pointing to prior removals of campaigns tied to police shootings.
Dual Fundraisers Highlight Public Divide
The co-existence of two vastly different fundraising efforts — one for Good’s grieving family and one tied to the agent who shot her — has underscored fierce national divisions over law enforcement, accountability, and narrative framing in high-profile use-of-force cases.
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Supporters of Good’s family have built a large base of small donors and public sympathy, while the controversial campaign for Ross draws backing largely from ideological allies and as a statement of support for law enforcement personnel.
As debate intensifies, civil rights advocates, legal experts, and digital watchdogs are calling for transparent enforcement of crowdfunding policies so that rules governing violent-crime fundraisers apply equally to all users — not just to the powerless or unconnected.
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