An influencer seeking attention has sparked a social media storm after distributing machetes and alcohol to homeless individuals in a controversial stunt.
Keith Castillo, a content creator from Texas, found himself in the spotlight for unfavorable reasons after sharing videos of himself handing out these dangerous items to people on the streets during Thanksgiving. The footage was posted on Instagram and TikTok.
Although his TikTok account seems to have been deleted, The New York Post reported that the video amassed over 14 million views.
In the video, which is still posted on Instagram under his other account, Castillo is seen passing out the deadly gifts to his eager recipients.
‘Keeping the homeless in the streets,’ he captioned the bizarre video.
Castillo revealed to The Post that he bought the knives in bulk, with each costing less than $5.
In a separate recording from the same day, Castillo is seen distributing handfuls of Fireball whiskey shooters to the homeless community.
These shocking incidents are part of a pattern, as Castillo’s social media accounts are filled with unsettling videos showing him giving out potentially harmful items to the homeless in Austin, Texas, and New Orleans, Louisiana.
Keith Castillo, a Texas-based content creator, said he is not concerned that his stunts may be threatening public safety
Castillo handed out machetes to homeless people in a video he shared on Thanksgiving
The videos all have ‘keeping the homeless on the streets’ as the caption.
Castillo, 29, has primarily gifted weapons and liquor to the homeless communities in these major cities, but he has also handed out loose cigarettes.
He told the Post that he embarked on a nationwide tour in October and is currently in Little Rock, Arkansas.
‘I have like 30 machetes in my car right now,’ he told the Post as he chuckled. ‘Dude, they’re cheap.’
He has been seemingly set off on this strange endeavor in an attempt to gain internet notoriety. He has about 53,000 followers on his Instagram account and more than 147,000 on another.
‘I travel around, bulk record in one city and then for my safety go to another city, do the same thing there for like two weeks and kind of like travel around,’ he told the outlet.
He has plans to visit Las Vegas and New York – and claimed he has even checked with law enforcement that he is doing nothing wrong.
Castillo told the Post that police told him it was fine to be handing out machetes.
‘These are for, like, tool purposes. They have zero intent for what people are claiming they want to do with the [machetes],’ he told the outlet, explaining that they are not for violence, but for safety.
He said the fact that he could be giving alcohol to substance abusers never crossed his mind.
‘Honestly, I really don’t care bro, it’s good for the clicks and views, you know. Gotta do what we have to do so we eat,’ he bluntly told the Post.
Castillo has previously filmed himself handing out handles of vodka to homeless people
The possession of a machete is legal in most states – as there is no federal laws banning them because they are considered agricultural tools.
The same goes for alcohol. Castillo can hand it out, but in many states, including New York – where Castillo plans to visit – possessing an open container of alcohol in public spaces, like parks or on the street, is illegal.
This means that if a homeless person is seen drinking the liquor Castillo provided them, they could get in trouble with the law.
‘That sounds like a cocktail for disaster – alcohol and machetes. Could we get any dumber?’ retired NYPD Sergeant and John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor Joseph Giacalone told the Post.
Viewers had similar reactions to Giacalone.
‘Keeping them safe [no], making them dangerous [yes],’ one Instagram user commented on the machete video.
‘How does this seem like a good idea?’ another asked.
‘Did you want them to be killing each other or killing people with the weapons you’re sharing with them?’ someone added. ‘What’s the purpose of this?’
In a statement to the Daily Mail, Castillo claimed that the videos he films are all skits and that he gets the machetes back from the homeless after he records.
He also said that the negative feedback his videos receive is the result of a negative public perception of homeless people.
