Black Lives Matter Global circling the drain as it runs out of cash: report
'BLM’s leaders exploited George Floyd’s murder to raise millions that they then put into their own pockets,' Sean Patrick Cooper wrote
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is running out of cash and nearing its end "unless something changes dramatically," according to a new report.
The Free Press, an independent news organization founded by former New York Times journalist Bari Weiss, on Tuesday published a scathing deep dive into the "scrappy start-up that struck gold in 2020" headlined "BLM Collected Over $90 Million in Donations. Where Did It Go?"
"Capitalizing on the lucrative opportunities afforded to them as high-profile progressives, the three celebrity founders moved on, leaving the operation to wither in the hands of deputies who, sadly, turned on each other. A remarkable spate of legal trouble, brushes with law enforcement, and tangles with the Internal Revenue Service have all but spelled the death of the enterprise that you probably know best as Black Lives Matter," Free Press reporter Sean Patrick Cooper wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The spectacular rise and fall of BLM has surprisingly little in common with earlier civil rights campaigns, other than, perhaps, good intentions," he continued. "How BLM’s leaders exploited George Floyd’s murder to raise millions that they then put into their own pockets more closely resembles the stories of famous grifters like Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos or Sam Bankman-Fried’s foray into ‘effective altruism.’"
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Donations to BLM Global "have gone from a torrent to a trickle," according to the Free Press. (Getty Images)
Cooper noted that in 2020, at the height of activism related to the death of George Floyd, corporations "revved up their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and threw millions of dollars at BLM" but four years later "DEI programs are in retreat" and the left cares more about Israel than police reform.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"And BLM four years later? It looks like little more than a hustle," Cooper wrote.
He feels the "latest proof" is that Sir Maejor Page, also known as Tyree Conyers-Page, a former leader of the Atlanta area BLM chapter, was sentenced to 3-and-a-half years in federal prison for money laundering and wire fraud earlier this month.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Black Lives Matter leaders "exploited George Floyd’s murder to raise millions that they then put into their own pockets," The Free Press reported. (Kerem Yucel / AFP via Getty Images)
But Page isn’t the only former BLM leader to face unflattering accusations.
"For years, local chapters have fought national parent BLM organizations in disputes over who actually represents the movement and are thus the rightful heirs to tens of millions of dollars in donations. You’ll note that I mentioned parent organizations. There are actually two of them: BLM Global Network Foundation and BLM Grassroots. The latter was formed in 2019 as an umbrella organization of local chapters of the group and is co-directed by Melina Abdullah. Since then, media reports have accused Abdullah and other chapter leaders of using Grassroots’ coffers to pay for vacations to Jamaica and her own personal expenses. (She hasn’t been charged with a crime," Cooper wrote.
"Abdullah has denied the allegations, but at least $8.7 million in donations is unaccounted for. The answer to where the money went may come soon," he continued. "California attorney general Rob Bonta has demanded that Grassroots turn over delinquent tax filings and late fees before Sunday, October 27. If it doesn’t, the organization’s tax-exempt status will be revoked."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Free Press report declared that "charting the entire implosion of BLM is a confusing, chaotic endeavor," made even more confusing by legal disputes between BLM Global and BLM Grassroots. It detailed how BLM Global founders acquired a Los Angeles mansion, another mansion in Canada billed as a "transfeminist, queer affirming space politically aligned with supporting Black liberation work across Canada," and additional real estate including a Georgia property big enough for a private runway.
Cooper reported that co-founder Patrisse Cullors, who has long denied misusing funds, also paid several friends and relatives hundreds of thousands of dollars for things like security "services."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors. (Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Viacom)
"But lately, donations to BLM Global have gone from a torrent to a trickle. In the fiscal year that ended in June 2023, BLM Global collected $4.6 million while spending $10.8 million, according to its federal filings. And while it still has $25 million in assets, its cash is dwindling. Unless something changes dramatically, the end is likely nigh," Cooper wrote.
"Maybe, if the founders had been as committed to social justice as to enriching themselves, BLM could have enjoyed a long life as a progressive institution," he added. "But it wasn’t to be."
Cullors did not immediately respond to a request for comment. She has long denied any wrongdoing related to misusing funds.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Black Lives Matter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.