Friends of murdered social justice activist Ryan Carson have started a GoFundMe page so they can take time off work to mourn his passing. The page makes no mention of providing for Carson’s family, defraying the costs of his funeral or supporting the causes he worked to advance.
“We are a collective of Ryan’s close friends, reeling from a brutal loss. We are asking for your help on behalf of his partner in easing the burden and stress of this horrifying situation so that we can have space and time to grieve, and remember Ryan,” the page reads. “Immediate needs are to offset the costs of working class people taking time off of work to properly mourn,” the GoFundMe page.”
The page had raised over $66,000 of its $20,000 goal, as of Thursday afternoon.
BREAKING: A person of interest is in custody in connection with the stabbing of Brooklyn activist Ryan Carson, police sources said.
Carson, 31, died after being stabbed in the chest multiple times during an assault early Monday morning in Bedford–Stuyvesant, police said.
The… pic.twitter.com/xMDZtQbBno
— ABC News (@ABC) October 5, 2023
Carson was stabbed to death on the sidewalk in front of his girlfriend as the two returned from a wedding, CBS News reported. Surveillance video of the incident has circulated widely on social media.
On Thursday, police arrested 18-year-old Brian Dowling and charged him with Carson’s murder, ABC News reported.
“This is a rage homicide, it’s rare in NYC and thankfully so, but a terrible incident,” Robert Boyce, former NYPD Chief of Detectives, told ABC 7. Police confirmed to the outlet that there was no known prior interaction between the victim and the suspect.
Carson was a longtime organizer for the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), a self described “non-partisan, nonprofit, research and public education organization”, and was the founder of No OD NY, a campaign dedicated to raising awareness about drug overdose prevention centers, ABC reported.
“It’s incredibly tragic,” Blair Horner, Carson’s former boss at NYPIRG, told ABC 7.