On June 19, Desmond "Etika" Amofah went missing after uploading a video to YouTube that was essentially a suicide note. A few days later, the NYPD found Etika's belongings on the Manhattan bridge, and then on June 25, it was confirmed that the YouTuber had died, having committed suicide by drowning.

Prior to his death, Etika was known for making over-the-top YouTube reaction videos, typically about Nintendo games. In one of his videos, Etika requested that when he eventually died, he wanted to be buried at YouTube headquarters, located in San Bruno, California. Remembering this request, his fans have created a Change.org petition to bury Etika at YouTube HQ, and it has already been signed by nearly 2 million people at the time of this writing.

The petition to bury Etika at YouTube HQ isn't the only petition that has gained significant momentum since his death. Another Change.org petition asking YouTube to restore Etika's original account is quickly approaching 500,000 signatures. For the uninitiated, Etika's original YouTube channel was shut down in the midst of a previous mental health crisis, when he purposefully sabotaged it by uploading pornography.

nearly 2 million people sign petition to bury etika at youtube hq

Regardless of how many signatures are obtained, it's unlikely that either of the petition requests will be met. However, the one that has a more realistic chance of happening is YouTube restoring Etika's original channel. That being said, YouTube itself has yet to respond to either of the petitions, even as they continue to amass hundreds of thousands of signatures.

Judging by the support the petitions have received, it seems safe to say that many of Etika's fans approve of them. So even if YouTube never acknowledges the Etika petitions, at least they show that there were many people who supported the YouTuber and are mourning his death.

Etika's suicide has rocked the YouTube community, and has been commented on by various YouTubers. This includes PewDiePie, who expressed his sadness over Etika's death on Twitter. "Hard to grasp that he's actually gone, left us way too soon," he said. "You will continue to live on in our hearts. Rest in peace."