Breaking News.


Invisible Children co-founder Jason Russell detained for being drunk in public

By Elizabeth Flock



A co-founder of Invisible Children was detained in San
Diego last night, accused of public drunkenness, according to the San
Diego police, NBC San Diego reports.
Jason Russell, 33, the filmmaker behind the very viral “Kony 2012”
campaign, was allegedly found masturbating in public and vandalizing
cars, and was possibly under the influence, Lt. Andra Brown told the
news organization. Brown said Russell was acting very strangely,
according to NBC San Diego.
In a statement, Invisible Children CEO Ben Keesey said:


“Jason Russell was unfortunately hospitalized yesterday
suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, and malnutrition. He is now
receiving medical care and is focused on getting better. The past two
weeks have taken a severe emotional toll on all of us, Jason
especially, and that toll manifested itself in an unfortunate incident
yesterday. Jason’s passion and his work have done so much to help so
many, and we are devastated to see him dealing with this personal
health issue. We will always love and support Jason, and we ask that
you give his entire family privacy during this difficult time.”
Police said they had received several calls Thursday morning of a man
in his underwear, running through traffic screaming, according to NBC
San Diego.
He cooperated with officers when they arrived at the scene, it said.


“He was no problem for the police department, however, during the
evaluation we learned that we probably needed to take care of him,” said
Brown at a news conference. “So officers detained him and transferred
him to a local medical facility for further evaluation and treatment.”
NBC San Diego initially reported that it was an arrest.


A call to the San Diego police was not immediately returned.


Russell’s film “Kony 2012,” which called for the capture of Ugandan
warlord Joseph Kony, went viral last week, with millions of views on
YouTube. Kony is the head of the Lord’s Resistance Army, a brutal group that kidnapped thousands of children over the last two decades.
The film received support from President Obama, celebrities like Oprah and public figures such as New York Times journalist Nic Kristof for drawing attention to the problems in Uganda. It also incurred criticism from both Ugandans and those who specialized
in the region; Invisible Children called the criticism “myopic.”