A woman claims that an Instacart driver ran over her elderly relatives’ groceries because they had a pro-police sign in their yard. The tale is one of woe and loss and political polarization—if you believe it. Many have doubts.
According to multiple reports, an elderly couple in Minnesota recently ordered roughly $50 worth of groceries. A GoFundMe created by one of their relatives claims that the driver ran over the groceries and stuck a note in their Christmas wreath explaining her motives.
The note reportedly reads, “Instacart doesn’t pay employees. […] Find another slave. Fuck the racist pig police.” The GoFundMe includes a picture of the note written on the front of a receipt.
The couple reportedly had a sign in their yard that thanked the local police force and included the “thin blue line” flag that some view as a rebuke of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“A short time later they discovered their groceries in the driveway, casualties of [the driver’s] hateful act,” the fundraiser says.
Local media covered the sad story, which then made its way to the Daily Mail and the Washington Post. Instacart reportedly said that the driver was fired over the incident. The company also said it refunded the couple’s money.
Comments about the Daily Mail version of the story were overwhelmingly critical of the driver. Based on the note and her purple hair, many assumed to know her political views.
“Why does BLM and ANTIFA hurt the elderly?” tweeted one. “Weak, dangerous thugs.”
Right-wing mouthpiece Jack Posobiec also posted the story, prompting comments like, “Anyone surprised by the driver’s hair color? No? Didn’t think so.”
As the story spread, the GoFundMe jumped over its goal of $500 to replace $50 worth of groceries and help with rent and monthly bills. It’s raised nearly $13,000 as of this writing.
More recently, some have become skeptical. To them, the story seems outlandish and overly sympathetic.
It’s also noteworthy that the elderly couple isn’t named in either coverage of the incident or the fundraiser, which alludes to a medical diagnosis that similarly isn’t identified.
Some further opined that the groceries in the photo look suspiciously intact for having been run over several times, as the fundraiser claims.
“Hahaha this is so fake! So incredibly fake! Nobody did this!” @edzitron tweeted. “An Instacart [driver] did not run over groceries because of your thin blue line flag, and that note is absolutely a cop writing what they imagine ‘antifa’ would write lol.”
“Old people forget they had delivery, run [over] groceries, blame shopper. More at 11,” commented another.
It reminded some of other purported hoaxes, such as when an elderly white man claimed someone spray-painted “Blacks rule” in his driveway. His allegations were widely derided as false.
While most believed the story, including local police, there were plenty of doubters.
“They couldn’t have made that note more staged unless they added a phone number and e-mail to contact the CEO of Antifa,” @MichaelCarusi quipped.
According to the Post, police are considering charging the alleged driver with disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property.