GoFundMe Restores My Campaign, But the Fight Is FAR From Over...
Another victory is in the books for us as the GoFundMe campaign has officially been restored! After a brief suspension that had me questioning the safety and reliability of crowdfunding platforms, I'm happy to be able to announce that GoFundMe has cleared me of any wrongdoing. It’s a moment of relief—but it also raises some serious concerns about the power of online detractors and the platform’s policy enforcement...
The email I received from GoFundMe’s Trust & Safety team went as follows:
Thank you for following up and for your cooperation on this.
I have reviewed your GoFundMe and have cleared you to continue raising funds. Your fundraiser is now live once again here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-cover-legal-expenses-against-alyssa-mercantes-attacks.
If no further assistance is required, there is no need to reply to this email.
If any other questions come up, please visit our Help Center.
It’s nice to see GoFundMe ultimately doing the right thing, and I appreciate their willingness to look into the matter fairly. However, what remains far more deeply troubling is just how easy it was for my campaign to be taken down—even temporarily—by haters. Thankfully, the GoFundMe campaign was suspended after I had already closed the ability for anyone to donate more, as the goal had been more than exceeded thanks to an incredible outpouring of support from the community... Yet, despite reaching that goal, and despite being transparent and above board, some people with malicious intentions still managed to get the campaign flagged and temporarily removed.
Let’s be honest: platforms (ESPECIALLY) like GoFundMe have their own vested interests. They take a portion of the funds that are raised, and there may even be potential tax implications on my end (which I’m still figuring out).
For full transparency here, let's breakdown what the donations looked like:
Despite these challenges, the campaign managed to collect well over the original $2,500 goal I set to cover the legal fees associated with defending myself against Alyssa Mercante's attacks on my freedom of speech.
Totaling over $6,400 in less than a day!! I can’t begin to express my gratitude enough for the overwhelming support from all of you. All funds have officially been sent away from GoFundMe and to my bank account to fight this battle.
This victory isn't just mine—it's ours. We showed that as a community, we can come together and fight back when things get tough... and I honestly again, cannot thank you enough.
All that said, while I celebrate this win, the larger issue looms: why was it so easy for my campaign to be derailed by detractors in the first place? GoFundMe needs to rethink their policies and safeguards... This should NEVER be allowed to happen. If a campaign that was closed for donations, had already met its goals, and followed all the rules can still be flagged and taken down due to false claims, then what does that say about the security of anyone else using the platform? How many others have been subjected to the same unjustified scrutiny, and how many campaigns never make it back online?
The system isn’t perfect, far from it.. and we just saw firsthand how vulnerable legitimate fundraisers can be to bad-faith attacks. But for now, the important thing is that we're back - and we're still winning! My legal expenses thus far are more than covered, and that’s all thanks to each and every one of you who pitched in, shared the campaign, and offered support in other ways. You turned a difficult situation into a rallying cry, and we came out victorious on the other side. Whether it was financial, or getting the word out - It was amazing all the same.
So, here’s to all of you. Thank you for believing in me, for helping to fund the defense, and for standing up against the nonsense. We made this happen together, and I couldn’t be prouder of the community we’ve built. Let's keep pushing forward. Let's keep winning.
~Smash
