By: Kali Nicole
knicole@klkntv.com
The news that police say Charlie Rogers made up the alleged hate crime was a shock to so many, including those who didn't know Rogers.
Total strangers stood up in support of Rogers after news emerged of a hate crime. Some going as far to even raise money for her. Over at Hartland Tattoo at 10th and South, owner Adam Hart and his artists tattooed no hate for customers at a discounted rate. They also donated 10 dollars for every no hate tattoo to a fund in Rogers name. Hart says they raised more than 500 dollars! Luckily, he says the money wasn't to be released to her until the investigation closed.
"I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. I mean, ugh, that's the one fear I had doing this is that it would turn out to be a hoax, but I still don't want this to take a way from the no hate movement and the love movement that this started," Hart said.
The LGBT community also had a huge part in supporting Rogers. Thousands of people attending several rallies, including one on the state capitol steps. They released this statement, "It is important not to focus on the actions of any single individual. As residents of Lincoln we must continue to bring our community together to declare that violence and hate are not the values of our city."
All the organizations and individuals we spoke to say they don't want the public to criticize those who do report hate crimes. They say not believing those individuals in the future could be the biggest tragedy to come from all of this.
