A wannabe social media influencer went viral this week when he handed out 18-inch machetes and booze to homeless folks in Austin and New Orleans in a weird stunt he insisted was for his or her profit.
Keith Castillo — who goes by “povwolfy” — posted a video on Thanksgiving to TikTok and Instagram that garnered greater than 14 million views.
“Right here, need considered one of these?” Castillo says as he distributed the possibly lethal weapons.
“Hell yeah, man,” one man responds as he accepts the free blade.
One lady asks for “yet another.”
A caption reads, “Preserving the homeless within the streets,” apparently mocking the plight of these with out a place to name their very own.
The stainless-steel Gordon-brand machetes have been nonetheless wrapped in packaging. Castillo advised The Submit he bought them in bulk from on-line retailer Harbor Freight for much less then $5 every.
In one other video posted on Nov. 22, Castillo palms out 4 unwrapped machetes alongside handles of vodka to folks on an unidentified Huge Straightforward again highway.
distributes an unsheathed machete and a deal with of vodka. povkarson/instagram
In a Nov. 20 publish, the influencer distributed seven machetes that he termed “massive ass swords” in what he claimed was an effort to maintain homeless people secure. Critics didn’t react kindly.
“Preserving them secure [no], making them harmful [yes],” Instagram person “xraydepartment254” commented.
The 29-year-old advised The Submit he was on a nationwide tour which started in October, and is presently in Little Rock, Ark., the place he’s as soon as once more “handing out alcohol and machetes to the homeless.”
“I’ve like 30 machetes in my automobile proper now,” he mentioned with amusing. “Dude, they’re low cost.”
“I journey round, bulk file in a single metropolis after which for my security go to a different metropolis, do the identical factor there for like two weeks and sort of like journey round,” Castillo mentioned.
To date, he’s armed homeless people in Austin, New Orleans, and Little Rock — however he has his sights set on bigger skylines.
“I’ve plans to go to Vegas, Skid Row [in L.A.] quickly,” Castillo mentioned.
“I must be in New York in January, I’ve plenty of mates on the market,” he mentioned. “Go hand out a bunch of machetes and fireballs there, too.” The fireballs he referred to are one-ounce bottles of 66-proof Cinnamon whisky.
something unlawful. povkarson/instagram
The Corpus Christi, Texas, native mentioned he spoke to police about handing out machetes and was assured he wasn’t doing something unlawful.
Castillo additionally doesn’t assume he’s doing something immoral and believes the homeless folks won’t use the blades to harm him or anybody else.
“These are for, like, device functions. They’ve zero intent for what individuals are claiming they wish to do with the [machetes],” Castillo mentioned.
He expressed no second ideas on handing out alcohol to potential substance abusers.
“Truthfully I actually don’t care bro, it’s good for the clicks and views, you recognize,” Castillo mentioned. “Gotta do what we’ve to take action we eat.”
The NYPD didn’t touch upon the approaching stunt or its legality. However legislation enforcement specialists have been aghast.
“That feels like a cocktail for catastrophe — alcohol and machetes. May we get any dumber?” mentioned retired NYPD Sgt. and John Jay Faculty of Felony Justice professor Joseph Giacalone, who added that “possession of a machete isn’t towards the legislation.”
The movies posted to Castillo’s authentic “povwolfy” Instagram account every have lengthy, pro-forma ads for betting firm Stake of their caption part.
Stake, the Austin Police Division, the Little Rock Police Division, and the New Orleans Police Division didn’t reply to requests for remark.
