Bill Murray takes stingy fan to task while exchanging Puerto Rico donations for autographs
He told a fan to take a hike when he offered just $3 for Puerto Rico relief
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Bill Murray is using his fame to help raise money for Puerto Rico relief, and he’s not abiding by cheapskates.
A TMZ video shows the movie star signing autographs in exchange for $20 donations in Washington, but he wasn’t about to bargain for negotiate the price.
“Three dollars? OK, go get a job and come back,” Murray says at one point after flipping through three singles.
Some of the fans nearby were apparently pretty excited that Murray was using his fame for good, telling the star that Puerto Rico was going to be alright. Murray, true to his general low-key approach when meeting fans, didn’t comment on the significance of his attempts at fundraising.
Much of Puerto Rico remains in dire conditions more than a month after Hurricane Maria made landfall on the US territory. Immediately after landfall, Puerto Rico was left without power or potable running water. Many of those conditions remained weeks after the storm hit, with reports indicating that as much as 80 per cent of the island remained without power late last month.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency says that it has focused 16,500 federal employees on the issue, and has corresponded with 74 voluntary agencies to help deliver meals and water, while working toward reestablishing necessary infrastructure there.
But, the length of time that the island has gone without access to those necessities has been devastating. Hospitals and communities that are cut off from the areas of focus have faced potentially dire consequences as they work to help patients with critical conditions that rely on regular access to electricity, or to medicines that are increasingly difficult to access.
The official death toll has reached at least 48 following the disaster, but there are still dozens missing on the island, and it is possible that the count isn’t truly reflective of the number of deaths that actually occurred on the island.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments