Homeless Man Calls Out Anti-Vax Protester in LA

• A clip showed a man replying to a protester who asked why the homeless aren’t “dead” from COVID-19.
• “Because I’m vaccinated, dumb fuck,” a man pushing a shopping cart said in response.
• The video was shot by William Gude, who said the respondent was a man experiencing homelessness.

A viral video on Twitter showed a man calling out an anti-vaccine protester who asked why homeless people weren’t “dead in the streets” because of COVID-19. 

The 28-second clip was posted by the police documentarian William Gude, an activist who runs the Twitter account Film the Police LA, which has over 15,000 followers. The video has amassed over 4.2 million views, 150,000 likes, and 55,000 retweets. The tweet’s caption says it was shot on Saturday. 

https://twitter.com/FilmThePoliceLA/status/1445865460738629641″ data-analytics-module=”body_link

Gude tweeted on Thursday the link to a GoFundMe fundraiser to support the man. It has raised over $17,000 in under 24 hours, exceeding its goal of $15,000. 

—Film The Police LA (@FilmThePoliceLA) October 7, 2021

“Ray is the man who owned the anti-vaxers on Hollywood blvd with one comment and in result brought so many smiles and laughs to all of us and now we hope we can bring a smile and some happiness to him,” the GoFundMe’s description states.

The GoFundMe’s organizer — listed on the page as Sharon Montenegro — did not respond to a request for comment. The fund’s description states that “William G,” which appears to be the same William Gude who filmed the video, coordinated with others to find the man and help set him up with a phone and bank account.

Gude tweeted on Friday morning that the man was “sleeping inside tonight” for the first time in years. 

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