Laugh Factory Chicago is crowdsourcing for legal funds to assist night manager Nathan Griffin, who was arrested after he allegedly interfered with federal agents attempting to carry out an immigration operation outside the comedy club.
Video from the arrest shows Griffin, an American citizen, being tackled to the ground by multiple agents and handcuffed. His mother, Elaine Plybon, was also briefly held down. People shouted, “Why are you doing this? Where are you taking him?” as Griffin was pushed into the backseat of a car.
A GoFundMe started by Griffin’s family has raised over $18,000 at time of writing.
“My brother in law Nathan was detained by border patrol officers today in Chicago, despite the fact that he is a natural-born American citizen,” the description reads. “After being arrested and hidden throughout the system, he finally resurfaced about 4 hours after his detainment in FBI custody awaiting a hearing for a federal assault charge which could carry 8 years in prison if convicted.”
“We are asking for donations to assist with his attorney costs, as fighting this won’t be cheap or quick despite the fact that there are videos of the entire incident.” The GoFundMe has a goal of $25,000.
Plybon also shared a video filmed after the arrest and shared it on Instagram.
“For those of you who don’t know, I was in Chicago visiting my son, and he was kidnapped by Border Patrol in front of my eyes,” she said.
“When I think about going out the door in the morning, I don’t want to,” Plybon also added. “Because I do not want to encounter the SUV, the screams, the crying and the horrific things that I saw before I was pulled into the fray when somebody tried to kidnap my son.”
