Two Arkansas sisters who were arrested for vandalising a memorial to slain Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk are asking the public for money to pay their legal bills.Kerri Rollo, 23, and Kaylee Rollo, 22, launched a GoFundMe page last week seeking $18,000 for court expenses after they were filmed trashing a makeshift tribute on the steps of the Benton County Courthouse. The memorial of candles and signs had been placed after Kirk, a father of two, was assassinated on September 10.Video that circulated online showed Kerri ripping signs, kicking over candles and shouting, “F**k Charlie Kirk,” while raising two middle fingers. “Charlie Kirk died as he lived, promoting violence,” Kerri added in the clip, before leaving with her sister. According to police, CCTV also showed Kaylee participating in the vandalism, reported the Daily Mail.The pair were arrested on September 17 and charged with first-degree criminal mischief, a misdemeanour. Kerri’s bond was set at $15,000 and she requested a public defender, while Kaylee’s bond was $7,500 and she retained her own attorney; both were released from jail on Friday, the Daily Mail reported.They are due back in court on October 22.In their fundraising appeal, Kaylee claimed, “My sibling and I are being doxxed online and my sibling was fired from their job. This is direct violation of their first amendment rights and unconstitutional.” She added, “This is unfortunate, but anything helps. Please help my sibling while they look for another job and stand against the tyranny that is creeping into the country.”As of Thursday, the sisters had raised more than $17,700. Donations appeared split between supporters and critics, with some contributing the minimum amount simply to post angry comments such as “You got what you deserved,” according to the New York Post. Others defended the sisters, with one donor writing, “Take those losers all the way to the bank girls!!!”, as per the Daily Mail.The fallout has been swift. Kerri was fired from the Arkansas restaurant Bella’s Table, which distanced itself from her in a statement stressing her actions did not reflect the company’s “standards, values, or culture.” Kaylee, meanwhile, was asked to leave her boyfriend’s home by his mother, Lacy Christian. “I will never allow someone to live in my home who is OK with destroying a memorial for someone else,” Christian said, as per the New York Post.Benton County Justice of the Peace Joseph Bollinger condemned the vandalism, telling 40/29 News, “You’re not just trampling on their freedom of expression, you’re trampling on the memory of a person. You’re trampling on our Benton County values.”Sheriff Shawn Holloway also weighed in, saying his office “takes acts of vandalism, particularly those directed toward community memorials, very seriously.”
