A new piece in the New York magazine looks into some pretty worrisome
financial issues involved in BLM, Black Lives Matter.
Now, there have been accusations against the founder,
Patrice Cullors involving, essentially self dealing using some of
the charity charitable donations to Black Lives Matter for her own purposes.
Those were stories that I mostly ignored, brushed off as we know,
BLM has been attacked and targeted by the right wing since the very beginning.
But all of a sudden the New York magazine came out with this piece that was well
researched, well sourced and was also written by an African American
journalist who has been a victim of police violence himself.
And so I wanted to hear what the what this story was and
what he found through his reporting.
And the findings are worrisome, but I will say this,
the biggest issue that I see is the lack of transparency in regard
to the money that was raised by Black Lives Matter.
And more importantly, where that money was spent,
there could be an explanation for a lot of what was written here.
But it's really difficult to find an explanation
when there's a lack of transparency in regard to the money.
So with that said, I do wanna give you some specific details,
some excerpts from the peace and we'll start with what local activists have
been saying about Black Lives Matter behind the scenes.
Some local activists contend that little of the money raised at the national
level makes its way to their organizations or
to the families of Black people killed by police.
In November of 2020,
10 chapters of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation
issued a public call for greater financial accountability.
In fact, their statement said this, they were very clear.
For years there has been inquiry regarding the financial operations of
Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation and
no acceptable process of either public or internal transparency
about the unknown millions of dollars donated to the organization.
Which has certainly increased during the time of pandemic and rebellion.
And we're gonna get to specific numbers in just a moment.
But in response to that criticism, in response to that statement,
Black Lives Matter did what I think is the right thing.
They finally were a little more transparent.
Now, here's what we learned through the report that they
released about a year ago.
So the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation said it had raised
more than $90 million in 2020.
It incurred 8.4 million in operating expenses distributed
21.7 million in grants to more than 30 organizations and
retained some 60 million dollars in its coffers.
So that did not quiet the critics.
In fact it led to more questions and
unfortunately it was not followed up with more transparency.
And so who were the critics?
What are they saying?
These two excerpts really stood out to me in the peace and I do want to give credit
to the reporter here Shawn Campbell who did the reporting, who wrote this story.
Please check out the full piece will include a link in the description box.
After the report was published two activists in Ferguson, Missouri,
Tory Russell and Michael Brown, Sr whose son was killed By a police officer
there in 2014 posted a video demanding $20 million dollars for
local programs and organizers.
The movement that has been catapulted into the limelight has
forgotten about Ferguson and the freedom fighters
who have literally given their lives to the struggle, Russell said.
So that was one of the criticisms following the release of that report.
This next one is the one I'm the most worried about.
So a few weeks later in March of 2021 to mothers of victims of police violence,
Lisa Simpson and Samaria Rice released a statement calling for
Black Lives Matter and others to stop capitalizing on their suffering.
We don't want or need, y'all parading in the streets accumulating donations,
platforms, movie deals, et cetera off the death of our loved ones.
While the families and communities are left clueless and broken, they wrote.
Don't say our loved ones names, period.
That's our truth.
So a lot of money was raised.
Where did the money go?
Why is there a lack of transparency in regard to those very questions?
And I think that the very victims of police brutality and
police violence deserve to know.
They deserve to know.
Now Patrice Cullors who was the head of Black Lives Matter has since stepped down.
She said she wanted to focus on other projects, speaking engagements,
she's working on a book and all of that.
And so there's the other issue of, well, who do we go to?
Where's the accountability?
This now feels like a leaderless movement.
Justin Hansford, who's a law professor at Howard University, he's also the executive
director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center argued this.
He said they tell a story that makes it seem like the creation of their hashtag
was the start of the movement.
I don't think they have directly told lies about their role, but
they have a really inflated sense of self importance in terms of the movement.
And so there's been this disconnect between this national organization and
the local chapters or the local activists and organizers.
And that disconnect that frustration, that lack of transparency has really
led to a splintering within Black Lives Matter according to this reporting.
So, there's also some issues in regard to possible self dealing.
Now that is something that is being speculated on,
that is not something that has been proven I want to be abundantly clear about that.
It's something that could have a clear explanation if there's more transparency,
but unfortunately there isn't transparency and people are left speculating or
guessing as to what's really going on here.
Aside from BLM Global Network Foundation Cullors has started or
helped lead several other organizations,
including three related to criminal justice reform and prisoners rights.
Dignity and power now, Justice LA and the justice teams network.
According to filings, money sometimes flows between the organizations.
And so when you see that happening and on top of that there's a lack of transparency
and a lack of accountability for the very activists and organizers on the ground
who want answers to these questions you're gonna run into problems.
So for instance in 2018 the Justice Teams Network received $400,000.
A $400,000 grant to support work for JusticeLA.
From its website, JusticeLA looks like an autonomous group, but users who
click to donate are directed to a PayPal account for dignity and power now.
So obviously the money is flowing from all these
various organizations that Cullors had founded.
The organizations are linked through a person named Chrisman Bowers.
He is listed as dignity and power now chief financial officer and
as the treasurer of a local political committee, Reform LA Jails.
In 2019 while working on an ultimately successful ballot initiative
Reform LA Jails collected more than $1.4 million dollars in contributions.
Now where did the money go?
$1.4 million dollars is a lot, and
people who donate deserve to know where that money is going.
How is that money helping to advance police reform, to protect communities.
To maybe even fund programs that help underprivileged youth?
Well, more than half was paid out to just four recipients.
The group sent more than $270,000 to Bowers consulting
company as well as some $211,000 to ASHA Bandele Lee,
a friend of Cullors who co wrote her memoir.
About $205,000 went to a company Cullors operates with her spouse.
And about 86 $1,000 was paid to Trap Heals, LLC,
an entertainment clothing and consulting company started by Damon Turner,
the father of Patrisse Cullors's child.
So that doesn't look good and it gives the impression of self dealing,
something that hasn't been proven again, want to be clear about that.
But if you don't want to give that impression,
you should have as some of the activists noted, radical transparency,
people deserve to know how that money is being utilized, where that money is going.
And so as a show that's been incredibly supportive of the movement,
we've defended Black Lives Matter multiple times in the past, especially
against ridiculous unfounded allegations and assaults from the right wing.
I do think it's important to also share this perspective with you,
especially because this perspective is coming from local activists on the ground.
They wanna know what's going on,
they wanna know who's leading this movement now?
Where is the money going?
And when can we finally get some transparency?
And I think they deserve to have all those answers given to them.