George Zimmerman is out of jail on a $150,000 dollar bail – but that did not stop the person accused of shooting dead Trayvon Martin two months ago from collecting money from donations.
Not just through any type of charity, mind you, but rather through PayPal!
With more than $200,000 in a PayPal account, George Zimmerman raises the question to the PayPal executives: should people under investigation – particularly that of a felony – be allowed to raise money through electronic means?
Zimmerman’s legal defense – at $400 per hour – is expected to cost more than one million dollars.
In a separate incident, Claire Squires, a female marathon runner who was raising funds for charity lost her own life during the London Marathon; donations made through the micropayments web site, JustGiving.com, have topped $1 million dollars.
Where should the limit be placed: Should a person who isn’t alive any longer be allowed to collect money through a donation fund they started?
These are questions that electronic payment web sites such as PayPal and JustGiving will most definitely address in their next update round of Terms and Conditions.
Should someone be allowed to receive money if they are accused of something? I cant think of one single reason why not? Can you?
Not according to Zimmerman’s lawyer:
http://www.wafb.com/story/17737613/george-zimmerman-website-shut-down
The issue is related to the potential complications money managers such as PayPal might face. I foresee a change in these terms and conditions to disallow such ‘charity’ funds in the future.
I don’t understand, what complications does paypal face in this situation that it does not face in any transfer of money? The entire process is exactly the same as if I were to send you money. It’s no different. The only difference is that Zimmerman is politically very unpopular with a great deal of pressure.
Do you mean something more along the lines of “Is it better for Paypal’s bottom line to not allow money to be sent to individuals that are politically unpopular?”
Troy