Trump LA Protests Situation Just Got Crazier, 700 Marines Mobilized, Greta Thunberg “Kidnapped”
PDS Published 06/09/2025
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We gotta talk about what’s happening in Los Angeles.
Right, small, scattered, and largely peaceful protests have grown bigger, more widespread, and in some cases, increasingly violent.
But this only after what’s been described as a heavyhanded response from law enforcement –
As well as the nearly unprecedented and possibly illegal decision by Donald Trump to send in the National Guard against the wishes of California Governor Gavin Newsom and other local officials.
Which has led to Newsom now announcing a lawsuit against the administration – also accusing the president of 1) manufacturing a crisis, 2) fanning the flames of violence, and 3) doing it all as a way of increasing his own power.
But with all that, there is a lot that has happened – and is continuing to happen – so let’s try and break it down.
Right, let’s take it day by day, starting with Friday, when you had ICE raiding three locations in LA – taking dozens of people into custody.
Notably, with this coming shortly after the White House set a goal for ICE to make at least 3,000 arrests per day –
Which has reportedly led to the agency increasingly targeting workplaces such as restaurants and retail shops to meet the new quota.
And so on Friday, as these raids were being carried out, you had Newsom writing on social media:
"Continued chaotic federal sweeps, across California, to meet an arbitrary arrest quota are as reckless as they are cruel.” []
And around the same time, a few dozen people gathered in LA’s Fashion District at one of the locations where ICE agents had showed up.
And soon enough, dozens of federal agents arrived in riot gear and threw flash-bangs to disperse the crowd and clear a path for two vans leaving the area.
And then, later in the afternoon, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Los Angeles Federal Building.
With officers from the Department of Homeland Security firing pepper balls at the protesters before the Los Angeles Police Department dispersed the crowd.
And overall, between the different protests, more than 100 people were arrested.
Including David Huerta, the president of Service Employees International Union California, who officials claimed was impeding federal agents by blocking their vehicle. []
Though, notably, video of the incident shows him being knocked down and lying with his head on the curb.
And with that, he was reportedly admitted to the hospital briefly, and remains in custody.
With the union leading or participating in rallies in cities all across the US on Monday and calling for his release.
But moving on to Saturday, the second day of the protests, there were reportedly rumors that immigration agents planned to raid a Home Depot in Paramount, a small city about 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles.
And we again saw clashes between law enforcement officers and protesters who showed up to oppose the raid.
With the LA County Sheriff’s Department eventually ordering protesters to disperse and warning they would face arrest or use of force if they did not.
With officers then shooting tear gas canisters into the crowd even as protesters retreated.[]
Still, with all that, we saw Newsom, along with the LA mayor Karen Bass, saying in separate comments that they believed local police could handle the protests.
But around 6pm local time, Trump signed a memo ordering 2,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles to protect federal officers conducting immigration operations.
With him also authorizing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to use regular federal troops “as necessary” to augment the work of the federalized National Guard units.
And with that, you had Hegesth writing on X:
“The @DeptofDefense is mobilizing the National Guard IMMEDIATELY to support federal law enforcement in Los Angeles.
And, if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert.” []
And of course, a key thing, whether or not you disagree with all that, this is highly unusual.
Right, normally, a state's National Guard force is activated at the request of the governor
And we’ve actually seen that several times in recent years.
During the pandemic, for example, we had National Guardsman helping to make face masks, field calls from concerned citizens, disinfecting facilities, and assembling testing kits.
And following the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, several states sent Guard members to Washington for additional security.
But Trump’s “federalization” of the guard troops is the first time an American president has used such power since the 1992 LA riots.
And what’s more, the last time a president sent national guard troops in to deal with civil unrest without the cooperation of a state governor?
It was reportedly in Alabama in 1965 when Lyndon Johnson dispatched them to protect a civil rights march led by Martin Luther King Jr.
And so with this being a very different situation here, you had Newsom arguing:
“[Trump’s]’s hoping for chaos so he can justify more crackdowns, more fear, more control.” []
And whatever the case may be, more chaos is definitely what we saw.
Right, with protesters and the Sheriff’s Department continuing to clash in Compton — which is across the LA River from Home Depot in Paramount. []
And again, you had officers firing flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets at the protesters, who threw rocks, glass bottles and fireworks at the officers.
And back in downtown LA, protesters had gathered outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center.
With, here, the police department setting up a barrier outside the building and declaring an unlawful assembly, ordering demonstrators to disperse.
And actually, shortly before midnight, you had Trump bashing Newsom and Mayor Bass, but then complimenting the National Guard on doing “great job.” []
Though, notably, you had Newsom quickly pointing out:
“The National Guard wasn’t even deployed on the ground when Trump posted this.” []
And that’s not the only issue some have taken with Trump’s words, even just from that post on TruthSocial alone.
Right, for example, you had him going on to say:
“These Radical Left protests, by instigators and often paid troublemakers, will NOT BE TOLERATED.
Also, from now on, MASKS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to be worn at protests. What do these people have to hide, and why??? Again, thank you to the National Guard for a job well done!” []
But of course, when it comes to masks? ICE agents have been coming under a lot of criticism for masking up when making arrests – with a key difference being they’re federal law enforcement agents, not random protesters.
And then, this whole “outside agitator” narrative?
As you’ve had places like CNN pointing out, it’s got a long history of being used to try and delegitimize protests, including during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s.
Right, which isn’t to say there aren’t opportunists in the mix just excited for the chance to see a car on fire, but there are also a lot of people peacefully exercising their right to protest something they disagree with.
And I mean, moving on to Sunday, that’s something we saw on full display.
Right, with us seeing a lot more cases of apparent vandalism, property destruction, or violence on the part of protesters.
Right, for example, at one point, you had demonstrators throwing tree branches, scooters, fireworks and debris from a freeway overpass onto police below (BROLL: 0:29)
Somewhere else, a row of self-driving Waymo taxis had their tires slashed, windows smashed and exteriors spray painted before being set on fire. (BROLL)
And then, several businesses reported looting late in the night according to the LAPD.
But on the flip side, of course, there’s a lot going around to suggest the police haven’t exactly been calming things down.
Right, Sunday started with nearly 300 members of the California National Guard taking positions at three different sites around the city. [][]
With more than a dozen Homeland Security officers in riot gear joining them at the Metropolitan detention center downtown. []
And then, throughout the day, you had officers deploying crowd-control munitions like rubber and foam bullets and tear gas.
In one case, for example, an Australian news reporter was actually filmed being struck by what appeared to be a rubber bullet fired by law enforcement (BROLL)
And then, a British photographer reportedly underwent emergency surgery after also being struck in the leg by a non-lethal bullet.
And we’ve also seen the likes of Hasan Piker getting mixed up in all this.
In one clip, speaking to someone else who had been hit:
I had the Palestinian flag with the Shahada on it and they purposefully –
Shot you in the arm?
Yes, they said get the girl with the tan backpack, my comrade overhead, there’s the tan backpack, and they shot me point blank, direct.” (BYTE: 0:03-0:18)
And then, separately, we saw him part of a crowd being pushed away by cops and fleeing tear gas (BROLL)
With him writing alongside another clip:
“ppl who freak about retaliation to cops at these rallies need to attend one protest & they’ll quickly realize that the agitators are the armed dudes in riot gear tear gassing thousands of unarmed tax payers who are paying for the chemicals as well as their salaries & pensions.” []
You also had political leaders across the country speaking out here, with every single Democratic governor joining Newsom in signing a joint statement condemning Trump’s deployment of the California national guard as an “alarming abuse of power”.
Newsom also releasing a statement saying he “formally requested the Trump Administration rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles county and return them to [his] command” – adding:
“We didn’t have a problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty — inflaming tensions while pulling resources from where they’re actually needed.” []
You also had words by Trump’s Border Czar Tom Homan saying he would arrest anyone who obstructs immigration enforcement – with this being seen by some as a threat to arrest Newsom or other officials.
Which actually led to a pretty stark response from Newson himself:
“Come after me, arrest me, let’s just get it over with, tough guy. You know? I don’t give a damn. But I care about my community, I care about this community. What the hell are they doing? These guys need to grow up.” (0:06-0:19)
And when asked about this, Trump later said that California officials who stand in the way will face charges. []
So you had Newsom responding by claiming that Trump is:
“- Inciting and provoking violence
- Creating mass chaos
- Militarizing cities
- Arresting opponents
These are the acts of a dictator, not a President.” []
Newsom also had words for any “bad actors” attending the protests, saying:
“Violent acts will not be tolerated. You will be arrested. You will be prosecuted. Donald Trump is using you as an excuse to militarize a city and circumvent our democracy. To the many, many peaceful protesters —we want to keep you safe. We want you to exercise your fundamental rights.” []
With this all leading up to Newsom announcing today that his office will sue the Trump administration over its deployment of the National Guard, and warning his actions could happen anywhere in the country next. []
“He flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard.
The order he signed doesn’t just apply to CA.
It will allow him to go into ANY STATE and do the same thing.”
Though, notably, Trump has continued to defend the decision, posting today:
“If we had not done so, Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated.”
“Just one look at the pictures and videos of the Violence and Destruction tells you all you have to know.” []
And with that, I think it’s important to say, these pictures and videos? Actually, don’t just look at them and assume you know what’s going on.
Right, it may look like lawlessness and chaos depending on what you see, but it’s important to remember that as far as we can tell, most of these people are showing up and protesting peacefully.
And away from these few areas of clashes, life is going on as normal for most people in LA.
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Alex Cooper just opened up about being sexually harassed by her soccer coach at Boston University.
Right, she has a new documentary called “Call Her Alex” that will be released tomorrow on Hulu, but it just premiered yesterday at the Tribeca Film Festival.
And according to multiple outlets covering the fest, Alex claims her school did not help her as she was dealing with this harassment for years.
Right, she played soccer under coach Nancy Feldman, with her mom specifically being happy she chose a school with a female head coach.
So when that coach started paying extra attention to Alex, Alex thought it was because she was working really hard, but, according to her:
“My sophomore year, everything really shifted. I started to notice her really starting to fixate on me way more than any other teammate of mine. And it was confusing because the focus wasn’t like, ‘You’re doing so well. Let’s get you on the field. You’re going to be a starter.’ It was all based in her wanting to know who I was dating, her making comments about my body, and her always wanting to be alone with me.”
A teammate even corroborated this, and they claimed that when the coach would review game tapes, she would tell everyone to look at Alex’s legs or the way she looked in her uniform.
With Alex even adding that during preseason, the coach would:
“pull me in, just be staring at me, sit next to me on the couch, put her hand on my thigh. I felt so deeply uncomfortable. I was attending BU on a full-tuition scholarship. If I didn’t follow this woman’s rules, I was gone.”
“It was this psychotic game of, ‘You wanna play? Tell me about your sex life. I have to drive you to your night class, get in the car with me alone,’”
“Every time I tried to resist her, she would say, ‘There could be consequences.’ And there were.”
With Alex alleging the coach even benched her for most of a championship tournament after seeing a man drop her off on campus.
And so prior to Alex starting her senior year at BU, her parents contacted lawyers to discuss pursuing some kind of sexual harassment case, but Alex said the attorneys warned that the school could likely drag this out for years and years.
And Alex and her family say that they did give BU written documentation of her coach’s actions, but the athletics office declined to penalize the coach,
And even though Alex wanted to stay on the team, they basically told her instead of firing the coach, she could keep her scholarship without playing.
With Alex adding:
“No investigation. Within five minutes, they had entirely dismissed everything I had been through.”
“I felt a lot of anger—anger at my coach, anger at my school, and anger at the system that allowed this to happen. I don’t think anyone could’ve prepared me for the lasting effects that came from this experience. She turned something that I loved so much into something extremely painful.”
And this is something Alex kind of alluded to in the past, telling the New York Times back in 2022 that she dealt with a “traumatic experience” while playing college soccer, but declining to fully detail it. []
It is also similarly alluded to in the trailer for the documentary, and kind of pointed to as a turning point in her life that made her want to use her voice:
“I experienced something extremely painful. It was all taken away from me. It ignited this desperate rush to find my new purpose.” (0:59-1:11)
And while that coach got to keep her job and was celebrated throughout the city of Boston, she has since retired.
And neither she nor Boston University have responded to several outlets’ requests for comment. []
But during a Q&A at the film festival, Alex opened up about her decision to tell this story, revealing she is still scared to talk about it now, but:
“I actually think this is just the beginning. It’s really opened my eyes to how difficult the system is, and it’s so built against us as women, and we have to fight so fucking hard to have our voices heard, and we are denied, or we’re questioned, or you feel shame, and that started to really get in my head of, how am I about to not put this in the documentary?… I realized, holy shit, I have so much more work to do, and I’m going to use my platform to hopefully inspire other people to come forward and tell their stories, because conversation is the only way that we’re going to actually have change.”
So I would love to know your thoughts on this here, not just on the allegations, but on the choice for Alex to share them in this way, on the school’s alleged response and handling of it, anything at all.
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Greta Thunberg (Toon-Berg) says she has been kidnapped by Israeli forces.
“If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by Israeli occupational forces or forces that support Israel. I urge all my friends, family, and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.” 00:04 - 00:24
Right, that pre-recorded video was released today after Israeli forces seized a ship occupied by Toon-Berg and 11 other activists from several different countries.
And specifically, the ship in question was bound for Gaza after departing from Italy last week on a voyage organized by the pro-Palestine group Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
With the goal there being to deliver a small amount of food aid for Gaza and draw intentional attention to the humanitarian crisis.
Though, very notably here, the activists have described the food delivery as a symbolic amount of aid, making it clear that this trip was mostly about raising awareness for the issue and protesting Israel’s blockade.
Which has been in place in some fashion since Hamas took power in 2007.
With Israel arguing that the blockade is necessary to prevent Hamas from importing weapons, while critics say it unfairly punishes Palestinian civilians.
But, as we’ve talked about before, most recently, Israeli leaders have banned all international aid from reaching Gaza and enacted their own limited system of aid delivery under armed guard that has resulted in some violent confrontations.
And all this coming amid growing concerns over malnutrition and potential famine in the war-torn region.
But as the boat neared Israel, the country’s Defense Minister ordered the military to prevent the ship from reaching Gaza.
Claiming the mission was a propaganda effort in support of Hamas.
With the Israeli Foreign Ministry also posting a statement on X where they called the effort “a media gimmick for publicity.”[]
Claiming that the maritime zone off the coast of Gaza “is closed to unauthorized vessels under a legal naval blockade” and adding:
“Unauthorized attempts to breach the blockade are dangerous, unlawful, and undermine ongoing humanitarian efforts. We call on all actors to act responsibly and to channel humanitarian aid through legitimate, coordinated mechanisms, not through provocation.”
Right, and since then, the ministry has made numerous posts trying to undermine the voyage as a publicity stunt, repeatedly referring to the boat as “the selfie yacht.”
Sharing a video yesterday of an Israeli naval officer engaging with the ship and instructing it to change course as it approached the restricted area.[]
And then later confirming that the boat had been seized by Israeli forces, writing:
“The “selfie yacht” of the “celebrities” is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries.”[]
And once again going on to accuse Toon-Berg and the other activists of attempting to, quote, “stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity.”
Noting that the delivery “included less than a single truckload of aid,” and adding:
“There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve Instagram selfies. The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the “celebrities” will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels.”
Though, notably here, you had some people pushing back on that and noting that the activists themselves never painted this as some huge aid mission — right, from the start, they said it was a symbolic effort to raise awareness.[]
And… I mean… it really seems like Israel played right into their hands with that one by widely publicizing this whole ordeal…
Especially because the Foreign Ministry continued to post about it online, sharing a video of the activists that got over 27 million views on X and writing:
“All the passengers of the ‘selfie yacht’ are safe and unharmed. They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over.”[]
With the agency also posting a widely-viewed photo of Toon-Berg and claiming that she was “on her way to Israel, safe and in good spirits.”[]
So, you know, if their main mission was to draw attention to the humanitarian situation… seems like they succeeded, thanks in large part to the official accounts of the Israeli government.
With the Freedom Flotilla Coalition also capitalizing on that, issuing a statement reiterating Toon-Berg’s claim that the activists had been “kidnapped by Israeli forces” while trying to deliver aid.
Claiming that Israeli forces had acted illegally because they took the ship in international waters — about 120 miles from Gaza — and specifically stating:
“The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo — including baby formula, food and medical supplies — confiscated.”
And that was also echoed by a rights group in Israel that told reporters it was representing the activists,
Saying in a statement that Israel had “no legal authority” to seize the ship because it was in international waters and because it wasn’t headed to Israel but to the “territorial waters of the state of Palestine.”
And adding: “The arrest of the unarmed activists, who operated in a civilian manner to provide humanitarian aid, amounts to a serious breach of international law.”
But, as far as what happens next, Israeli officials have said that they will now sail the boat to an Israeli port.
But it still remains unclear what exactly will happen to the 12 activists and when they will be returned to their home countries.
So for now, we’ll just have to wait and see, but with all this, I’d love to know what you think in those comments down below.
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This leaked audio exposes the war going on inside the Democratic Party.
Right, and for context, you should know that back in February, the Democratic National Committee elected new leadership in the wake of its traumatizing defeat in November.
With Democrats voting in two people who now represent opposing perspectives about how to move the party forward during the second Trump term.
51-year-old Ken Martin, the new DNC chair, and 25-year-old David Hogg, one of five new vice chairs. [Image and Image]
Right, Martin’s a real nuts-and-bolts, experienced party man, having led the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party for some 14 years and cultivated relationships with leaders around the country.
Whereas Hogg, by contrast, is a much younger, much more militant voice from the activist wing of the party.
Right, he emerged as a leading advocate for gun control after the 2018 Parkland school shooting, which he survived. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 01:59 - 02:06]
And when he secured a seat in the actual party leadership, a lot of more moderate Dems were worried because they thought he was too far left.
With them digging up tweets in which he said stuff like “I’m one of the most politically toxic people in the country and I’m too radical for American politics.” [Post]
As well as saying billionaires shouldn’t exist, all drugs should be legal, college should be free and healthcare should be universal. [Post]
But then, in April, he really crossed a line that finally brought him into conflict with Ken Martin.
With his private group, Leaders We Deserve, which he co-founded in 2023, announcing plans to spend 20 million dollars funding primaries against sitting House Democrats. [Quote, find “20 million”]
With him explaining, “We have a culture of seniority politics that has created a litmus test of who deserves to be here. We need people, regardless of their age, that are here to fight.” [Quote]
Adding, “People say they want change in the Democratic Party, but really they want change so long as it doesn’t potentially endanger their position of power. That’s not actually wanting change. That’s selfishness.” [Quote]
[Clip, 04:40 - 04:55] Caption: “I think having members face a challenge in a safe seat — there are only potential benefits that can come from that, because we’re holding our members to a higher standard, we’re holding our party to a higher standard, and we’re embracing the true Democratic values that our party is named after.”
But this move stirred up a lot of controversy within the party, with some backing Hogg, saying he’s pushing Democrats to take a more aggressive posture towards Trump,
And others opposing him, arguing that it doesn’t make sense for a top party official to be undermining elected representatives in that very party.
With Martin, the DNC chair, saying:
“In order to ensure we are as effective as possible at electing Democrats to office, it is the D.N.C.’s longstanding position that primary voters — not the national party — determine their Democratic candidates for the general election.” [Quote]
Then adding, “when you lead the institution tasked with calling the balls and strikes, you don't get to also swing the bat.” [Post]
“Our role is clear: let the voters decide, then work like hell to support the nominee they choose.” [Post]
Then reportedly Hogg proposed a compromise, suggesting an internal “firewall” that would bar him from access to sensitive information in the primaries his group is involved in. [Quote, find “firewall”]
But reportedly Martin shot down the idea, instead backing a proposed rule to mandate neutrality from party officials in primaries. [Quote same link, find “shot down”]
Which would effectively force Hogg to either abandon his outside group or step down from the DNC.
Meanwhile, he faced another threat to his position from a different direction: Oklahoma DNC member Kalyn [Cay-lin] Free.
With her filing a complaint back in February claiming that Hogg’s election violated DNC rules, making it harder for a woman to be elected vice chair. [Quote, find “Kalyn”]
Then, last month, a DNC panel recommended holding new elections for Hogg and another vice chair, Malcolm Kenyatta [Pronounce 00:29].
With Hogg responding that it’s “impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote” and that the “DNC has pledged to remove me, and this vote has provided an avenue to fasth-track that effort.” [Quote]
Then, a few days later, roughly 10 DNC officers and staff reportedly held a Zoom meeting, a clip of which was obtained by Politico, where Martin said this to Hogg:
[Clip, 00:14 - 00:40, 01:18 - 01:40] Caption: “I deeply respect you, David. I too was looking forward to working with you, but this has created a situation, and I’ll be very honest with you, for the first time in my hundred days on this job, and Jessica knows this, the other night I said to myself for the first time, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this anymore.’ … No one knows who the hell I am. Right? I’m trying to get my sea legs underneath me and actually develop any amount of credibility so I can go out there and raise the money and do the job that I need to to put ourselves in a position to win. And again, I don’t think you intended this but you essentially destroyed any chance I have to show the leadership that I need to.”
Now after that leaked yesterday, it totally blew up online, for pretty obvious reasons.
Right, it’s not every day that you hear a DNC chair telling a DNC vice chair he might have to resign because his capacity for leadership has been destroyed.
But the reaction to this mostly seems to be sympathetic to Martin.
With six people who were on the call defending Martin in statements to Politico, and some also attacking Hogg.
Like Jane Kleeb, president of the Association of State Democratic Committees, saying:
“Instead of helping to rebuild the party he’s supposed to serve, he’s attacking it for personal gain. That might boost his PAC’s fundraising, but it erodes trust in the very institution we’re trying to reform and strengthen.” [Quote]
And the DNC Associate Chair Stuart Appelbaum adding:
“The stakes are so high right now that we can’t afford distractions like the ones that David is creating.” [Quote same link]
Now as for Martin himself, he told the outlet, “I’m not going anywhere. … I took this job to fight Republicans, not Democrats.” [Quotes]
But as for Hogg, he may be going somewhere, because this week DNC members will vote on whether to hold new elections for his and Kenyatta’s posts.
So we’ll see what happens there, but for now, what are your thoughts on everything that’s happened so far?
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For your daily dose of good news today, I’d like you to meet My-kale Baker - he’s a teenager who just graduated from Mill Creek High School in Georgia.
And on the day of his graduation, he walked across the stage, got the diploma, took the pictures, did all the normal graduation day stuff. [B Roll 0:08-0:12]
Then he and his family decided to go get dinner at the Burger King My-kale had been working at for the last few months.
But when they walked in, My-kale saw that the store was shorthanded for the day so he decided to jump in and help for a bit. []
So he’s behind the counter, still wearing his graduation sash and medals, filling orders and serving customers - not even clocked in, just ready to help. [B Roll 0:10-0:16]
And a few minutes later, Maria Mendoza pulls up in the drive through.
You see, Maria’s daughter Daizie had also just graduated from Mill Creek High School and Maria was going through Burger King to take some dinner home and celebrate.
But then she saw My-kale - saying in an interview,
“My whole world froze. My first thought was, he’s working. He’s not out celebrating like the rest of the kids. My child gets to be with me after the ceremony, and he’s here.” []
So she whips out her phone and gets a quick video of My-kale in action, posting it on TikTok.
Where she called on Burger King to give him a scholarship.
And that video went absolutely viral - getting over 4 million views with countless people asking for ways to donate to him. []
So Maria set up a GoFundMe with the goal of $5,000 to kickstart Mykale’s education fund. []
But donations surpassed that within days - by the time Maria had the chance to even tell My-kale about the video and the fundraiser, they had already hit more than 6 grand.
[“Maria: So I did a GoFundMe for you and so far, it’s raised over $6,000. Over $6,000. Offscreen: I told you it was worth it, buddy. I told you!” 1:12-1:26]
With My-kale telling the Washington Post,
“I didn’t realize she was recording me. I felt very happy. I was surprised; I had never seen that much money in my life.” []
But that was just the beginning.
My-kale’s story caught the attention of local outlets and then national outlets and at this point, that fundraiser has hit more than $220,000.
And on top of that, the Burger King Foundation also got onboard - giving Mykale a $10,000 scholarship, saying,
“For him to come by the restaurant on one of the biggest days of his life to share the moment with his BK family and choose to jump in and help is a testament to his character.” []
They also gave Maria’s daughter Daizie the same $10,000 scholarship as she gears up to attend Georgia State University to study neuroscience - adding,
“It was Maria’s kindness and empathy that helped bring Mykale’s story to the world, so we are excited to also celebrate her daughter Daizie with a scholarship for her studies.” []
With Maria saying she was moved to tears and adding,
“Seeing the excitement on my daughter’s face was amazing. I’m very thankful.” []
As for My-kale, he’s been working since he was 16 and his original plan was to take a gap year to save money before going to college to study automotive technology. []
And if he couldn’t come up with the money, his plan was to join the Army, which would cover the cost of his tuition.
But with this miracle, he’s looking forward to going to trade school this fall and the rest of the money will go to fixing up his car and then into a trust. []
With My-kale saying,
“The kindness that you put out there always has a way of coming back to you. I’m very thankful to everyone who has donated and supported me through this journey.” []
And he has been singing Maria’s praises - saying this whole situation has brought their families together, adding,
“She’s a part of my family, and I’m a part of hers now.” []
With Maria adding,
“There’s still a lot of humanity out there; there’s still a lot of hope. We can help out each other without expecting anything in return.” []
So for being just genuinely good people through and through, we’re calling My-kale and Maria our BAMFs of the Day!
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