AUSTIN, Texas (WSVN) — A young Texas boy is facing criticism from his community after residents in his neighborhood took offense to his efforts to raise money for President Donald Trump’s border wall.
According to KXAN, 7-year-old Benton Stevens decided that he wanted to start a fundraiser to help raise funds for the president’s border wall, so he decided that he was going to sell hot chocolate.
The boy’s parents, Shane and Jennifer Stevens, said Benton came up with the idea after attending the inauguration and watching the State of the Union Address earlier this month.
“He wanted to know about the wall, so we explained what it was about and he (Benton) was like ‘I want to raise money for the wall,’” she told the station.
The couple said they are members of the Republican National Committee and they like to make sure their children are politically aware.
“People think he’s brainwashed,” she said. “Well, of course, he supports Trump because we do, and he hears how we talk and this and that. Call that brainwashing, but I call it parenting, because we instill our values in him.”
Saturday, Benton went on to set up the stand in front of a store and on his first day, he raised $231. But it was not without controversy.
The family said customers went into the store and complained about the stand.
“He was called a little Hitler yesterday,” Benton’s mother told KXAN. “A guy pointed at him in his car and then he said that we didn’t like brown people. I don’t understand that at all.”
The family eventually closed up shop, but after receiving support online, they set the stand up again.
Again, they were met with mixed reactions, but the family said they are committed to raising money. The family has also received donations and has so far raised $1,400. They plan to find a way to donate the funds towards the construction of the wall.
“We’re going to get it into the wall,” she said of their plans for the money. “There’s a GoFundMe page and we’re also part of the RNC and we’re pretty connected there so we will 100 percent make sure it goes towards the wall.”
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