In a viral video, a man responds to anti-vax protesters marching on Hollywood Walk of Fame. Andrew Zarivny/Shutterstock
The clip shows a man responding to a protester asking why homeless people aren't dead from COVID-19.
A man pushing a shopping bag said, "Because my'm vaccinated," in his response.
William Gude shot the video, and said that the respondent was experiencing homelessness.
Twitter viral video shows a man calling out an antivaccine protester, who asks why homeless people aren't "dead on the streets" due to COVID-19.
William Gude, a police documentarian and activist, posted the 28-second clip to Twitter. He also runs the Film the Police LA account, which has more than 15,000 followers. This video has been viewed over 4.2 million times, received 150,000 likes and 55,000 retweets. It was posted on Saturday, according to the caption.
-Film The Police LA, @FilmThePoliceLA October 6, 2021
Gude's viral video begins with a group of protesters holding colorful signs that read "where there is risk, should be an option" and American flags marching down the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Los Angeles, California. According to Independent, the protesters were anti-vaccine activists.
"Do you see all these homeless people?" One protester said it through a bullhorn. "Are they dead on the streets with COVID?" Hell no! "Why?"
A person may respond by saying "Because my vaccine is good for me, dumb fuck."
The camera pans to the right to show a man pushing a cart down the street. Gude captioned that the man was homeless. After a brief silence, the protester does not reply to the comment.
Gude didn't respond to a request for comments.
All COVID-19 vaccinations are available for free to everyone, even those who are homeless. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health released a statement in late September stating that COVID-19 rates among those experiencing homelessness had decreased in recent weeks, as compared to an increase in cases in August and July. The LADPH didn't respond to a request for updated figures.
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The COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be highly effective in preventing severe symptoms and illness. While some people who were vaccinated have died from the virus and others have had breakthrough cases, Insider reported that vaccination greatly reduces one's risk of contracting it.
Gude replied to the tweet by stating that Ray was the man's real name. Gude uploaded a 26 second video of him talking to Ray, who he claimed was from Denver, Colorado and has been living without a house for seven years.
October 6, 2021 -Film The Police LA @FilmThePoliceLA
Gude tweeted Thursday the link for a GoFundMe fundraising campaign to help the man. It raised more than $17,000 in less than 24 hours, surpassing its goal of $15,000.
-Film The Police LA, @FilmThePoliceLA October 7, 2021
"Ray was the man who owned Hollywood anti-vaxers with just one comment. In result, he brought so many smiles to all of our faces and we hope that we can bring him a smile and some joy," states the GoFundMe description.
Sharon Montenegro, the GoFundMe organizer, did not respond when asked. According to the description of the fund, "William G" is the name given to the fund. This appears to be the same William Gude that filmed the video. He coordinated with others to locate the man and set him up with a bank account and a phone.
Gude tweeted Friday morning, saying that Gude was "sleeping inside tonight" - the first time this has happened in many years.
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Insider has the original article.
