Source: San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images / Getty
To say that Shaun King is a divisive figure would be an understatement. The infamous political activist is seeking help from his followers to pay for some medical procedures, but the cloud of “funny with the money” that has followed him for years has Twitter questioning his motivations.
As NewsOne reports, King has been diagnosed with a nerve condition that he claims leavies him unable to do even the most routine movements without “excruciating” pain. He took to Instagram to explain his predicament.
“On most days I’m asking for help for someone else, but today I’m asking for some help for myself,” wrote King as the caption of a selfie from a hospital bed from his official Instagram account. “As you can see, I’ve been in the hospital a lot – trying anything I can to relieve the excruciating pain I’m experiencing after a lifetime of spinal injuries.”
He added, “I’ve now been diagnosed with something called occipital neuralgia, which is actually the worst pain I’ve experienced in my adult life. It’s so extreme that my own doctor and others that have experienced this warned me of suicidal ideation that often accompanies it. It’s that bad.”
Unfortunately, King says that his insurance doesn’t cover potential treatments, so he’s seeking help via donations.
“So I just met with my doctors and they want us to try several promising procedures that aren’t covered by my health insurance. And I just can’t afford to do them on my own, but I damn sure refuse to stay like this.,” he wrote, while sharing his CashApp, Venmo and Zelle.
And there lies the rub.
King has been repeatedly accused of essentially scamming people out of their money, whether it be allegedly skimming off donations to activist causes for his own personal gain or selling clothing at a premium ($150 hoodies) and supposedly not delivering the products. While it seems that King has never been convicted in a court of law of being a fraudster (the Daily Beast did take a damning look at his non-profit last year), the fact that his name constantly comes up for such allegations has Twitter questioning the credibility of his suffering and whether or not people should send any of their hard-earned coin his way.
For example, several Twitter users have noted despite his allegedly chronic back problems, King actually solicited donation to go…mountain climbing.
Don’t blame the messenger, you can see some of the passionate reactions below. Hip-Hop Wired does not condone any of this potent slander, respectfully.