Most of what can be said about the untimely death of Austin Metcalf has been said by others. But there is much still to say about the public reaction to the death itself.

Austin Metcalf’s final moments

In the unlikely event that our readers aren’t familiar with the story, here’s the Grok condensed version:

Austin Metcalf, a 17-year-old student-athlete at Frisco Memorial High School, was fatally stabbed on April 2, 2025, during a track meet at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The incident occurred after a seating dispute with Karmelo Anthony, a 17-year-old from Frisco Centennial High School. Witnesses reported that Metcalf asked Anthony to move from Memorial’s team tent, leading to an altercation. Anthony allegedly stabbed Metcalf once in the chest and fled but was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Metcalf died in his twin brother Hunter’s arms despite attempts to save him. Anthony claimed self-defense, and his bond was reduced from $1 million to $250,000, allowing his release on house arrest. A viral claim suggesting Metcalf died of a drug overdose was debunked by police, confirming the stabbing as the cause of death. The case sparked racial debates online due to Metcalf being white and Anthony being black, though Metcalf’s father urged against politicizing the tragedy.

Those are the facts of the case. The response of the public is telling.

Crowdfunding for both families

Here is a GoFundMe apparently by the dead kid’s family, which has so far raised 365,766 USD.

I am Jeff Metcalf. My son, Austin Metcalf, was tragically stabbed today at a school track meet. They were not able to save him. He was a bright young man with a great future ahead of him. He was a leader of men. His smile would light up the room. His passion for football was unbelievable. Voted team MVP this past season and carried a 4.0 GPA. He was looking forward to taking his game to the next level. His commitment, dedication, leadership, and sheer grit made him rise to the level of success that he desired. His twin brother, Hunter, played beside him. We will all remember him for the way he impacted others’ lives. I love you forever, son. It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later. God will take care of us till we meet again. RIP. Love, Dad

Here’s the Give Send Go for the family of the accused, Karmelo Anthony. It has raised $441,084 for a young man accused of plunging a knife into the chest of an unarmed Austin Metcalf.

While legal defense is a critical part of this journey, we want to make it clear that this fund is not solely dedicated to legal expenses. The funds raised will also support a range of urgent and necessary needs that have emerged as a result of this situation, including — but not limited to — the safe relocation of the Anthony family due to escalating threats to their safety and well-being, as well as basic living costs, transportation, counseling, and other security measures.

We ask for your continued prayers, support, and solidarity. Your contribution not only helps protect and stabilize the family, but also serves as a powerful message of community care and resistance in the face of injustice.

Karmelo Anthony’s family is using the over $400,000 raised on GiveSendGo to move into a new home, according to The Sun.

Remarkable.

Anthony stabbed 17-year-old Austin Metcalf in the heart which is being praised by many throughout the country.

Now, Anthony is using funds from all his fans to move into a new home in a gated community. —CollinRugg

Uh-huh.

What message are they really sending?

Resistance in the face of injustice? Sure, whatever you gotta tell people to see the money roll in, I guess.

But the money rolling in IS saying something. Powerful or not, ‘community care’ or not, money dumped into a cause shows that there is a groundswell of support, for someone or something, even if it’s only coming from a narrow niche of motivated people.

More people gave money to the guy accused of stabbing an unarmed teen than they did to the family of the deceased.

Is this a one-off or a larger trend?

We’ve got Luigi…

The guy accused of murdering the CEO of a Health Care agency by shooting him in the back in broad daylight isn’t just a morally good heartthrob to the likes of Taylor Lorenz, he’s raised some $300k for his legal defense. Not like a guy whose family owns country clubs and a radio station really needs the money. But people are giving it anyway.

And Blake

Before that, we saw Jacob Blake — who was shot by police while reaching for a weapon — crowdfund more than $1M in a single day.

And a few hundred of Kamala’s closest friends

Which perfectly matched the sentiment of Vice-Presidential candidate Kamala raising money for rioters to be let out of jail, raising so much that many other people were set free, some of them to proceed directly to the commission of other crimes.

Conclusion…?

What are we to conclude from that pattern?

The takeaway message is simple, really.

It doesn’t matter what crime you are accused of committing, if someone can make you out to be either a victim, or valiant in striking out against someone from the ‘oppressor’ class, someone out there will support you.

Does that cut both ways?

What happens if the accused is NOT part of the acceptable ‘victim class’ category? Does he get support?

Looking at the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, whose self-defense claims held up in court, we see that the activist left not only abandons the accused, who they claim to champion, but they went out of their way to chase down, dox, and call for the firing of people who had donated to his defense fund.

It’s a kind of asymmetrical warfare.

They did the same sort of thing with the Trucker protest in Canada.