San Francisco dog walker alleges family stole $230K GoFundMe

Terry Williams has endured a year’s worth of horrors. Last April and May, he was targeted by a series of racist threats in the form of slur-covered blackface dolls left at his front door. 

Weeks later, his Alamo Square home caught fire, leaving his parents seriously injured, destroying decades of possessions, and nearly wiping out his dog-walking business.

Two GoFundMe campaigns started after the fire raised approximately $230,000 to help him and his parents turn the page on a chaotic life chapter. But the money, Williams says, is in the hands of his sister and niece, who control the accounts, and a year later, he hasn’t seen any of it.

“I am the beneficiary of it. My family stole it,” he said. “They didn’t give me a dime of the money.”

Williams’ life was turned upside down when the racist packages containing blackface dolls showed up outside his family’s Grove Street house. On May 21, a fire destroyed his home.

In September, the San Francisco Police Department identified April Martin Chartrand, 67, as a suspect in the racist threats. Chartrand, a resident of San Francisco, was reported missing in August and has not been located, police said.

An investigation into the fire is ongoing. In February, investigative reports requested by The Standard were listed as “unreleaseable” the San Francisco Fire Department said.

Because Williams didn’t have a bank account at the time the GoFundMe money became available, he directed the crowdfunding platform to transfer the money to his parents’ account last spring. His mother — who was badly injured in the house fire, exacerbating health issues — died in January. Soon after, his niece Asha Humphrey allegedly got power of attorney for Williams’ father, Luddie Williams — and access to the money.

Before the trouble started, Williams had a thriving dog-walking business and his own space to call home. Now he’s in temporary housing, arranged through an adult services program, at a Franklin Street apartment building less than a mile from his former home. He says he’s been able to hang onto half a dozen regular clients and hopes to “build back up steadily, little by little.”

“I never had access to the money,” Williams said. “God knows what they’re doing with it.”

When reached by phone Thursday, Humphrey initially said she has no relationship with Williams and was uncomfortable talking about the situation. In a follow-up call, Humphrey said she was prepared to yield to Williams’ claim and send the full amount by certified check by the end of next week.

“There’s a lot of things that are transpiring on the back end. It seems to be the root of all this,” Humphrey said. “We’re still dealing with the downfall of all this, rebuilding the house and all. There’s a lot of hurt here. As a family, there’s no healing happening going on, just a whole bunch of mess.”

Luddie Williams spoke frankly about his son, pointing out that “he didn’t own the house, I did. Me and my wife, we’re the only ones whose names are on it.

“It’s nobody’s business but me and my family,” he added. “It’s not helping me deal with my wife, and my house is not fixed yet.”

When told of Humphrey’s offer, Terry Williams said she had previously skipped out on a planned meeting to discuss the money.

“I told my dad four months ago the money needs to be transferred to me, because if you die, it goes to probate court,” he said Thursday. “She’s overstepping her boundaries. I have no faith in her. I don’t trust her.”

Williams’ sister Letisha Humphrey, who denied involvement in the matter, said she believed that one GoFundMe account was designed to help her brother, and the other was for her parents.

“That’s between Terry, my father, and all the people that he owed child support to, and why he wanted it in my daddy’s name,” she said.

A GoFundMe spokesperson said the funds were released after consultation with Williams.

“Our Trust & Safety team often works with organizers and beneficiaries to help ensure funds are delivered safely and quickly according to their withdrawal plan, which we did last spring,” the spokesperson wrote.

As frustrated as he feels about the lack of progress with the investigations and the unrepaired house, Williams says he feels even greater loss: the intent to show that he and his family belonged in the neighborhood.

“You can look at the account, with all the people saying ‘This is for Terry,’ all the emails and texts and stuff, so there won’t be any confusion,” Williams said.

These days, he has narrowed his circle to himself and his 12- and 28-year-old children.

“It’s got to change, man, because this is driving me nuts,” Williams said. “Ever since my mom passed, I don’t have any family anymore.”