Some Democrats Raised Over $13,000 To Reopen The Firebombed North Carolina GOP Headquarters

Saturday night’s firebombing of the North Carolina GOP headquarters left the building in a charred mess. Governor Pat McCrory has called the act one of “political terrorism” and “an attack on our democracy.” Hillsborough police still don’t have a suspect for this arson attack, but while Donald Trump was quick to blame “animals representing Hillary Clinton” for the firebombing, some Democrats quickly raised money for their political opponents.

This isn’t an official act on behalf of the Democratic National Committee. But rather, a group of self-declared Democrats opened a GoFundMe page and raised over $13,000 from the Internet in a matter of hours. This money was not only intended to erase the “Nazi Republicans leave town or else” graffiti from a nearby business but also to help reopen the headquarters office.

In less than an hour, donors quickly smashed the original $10,000 goal amount with more dollars continuing to trickle forth. Campaign creator David Weinberger celebrated donors’ “thirst for civility and democracy.”

On social media, some users are seeing this charitable act as an echo of Michelle Obama’s campaign trail speech mantra, “Going high when they go low.” (Then again, no one knows who perpetrated this act, so no one really knows who went “low” here.) Others are seeing open wallets as a waste since the building was undoubtedly insured. They’re also furious at Democrats who are handing money to the GOP office of a state that has actively restricted voting rights and set up “racially gerrymandered” voting districts.

However, the donations were meant as a gesture from those who believe violence is never a solution. It’s about the message, not necessarily the money.