Black Lives Matter activists accuse executive of stealing $10 million in donor funds Organizers allege in a lawsuit that Shalomyah Bowers put the organization's finances in his "personal piggy. Khan was not an officer of the account or officer of the company. ', Cullors continued: 'I thought I was doing a service. Cullors, who was serving as BLM'sexecutive director at the time, has repeatedly denied claims that she took money from BLM for personal matters and stated all purchases and transactions made were legitimate. We were often scraping for money, and this year was the first year where we were resourced in the way we deserved to be.. Last month, the organization came under fire after it was revealed that BLM received over $90 million in response to the uprisings launched after the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and others, theGRIO reported. Jon Brown is a writer for Fox News Digital. What are we doing with it? "Make no mistake, the allegations of Melina Abdullah and BLM Grassroots (BLMGR) are false. Trump was impeached by the House for a second time onJanuary 13, 2021, a week before his term expired, on charges related to the US Capitol riot. In order to do that, we need to demonstrate that our financial house is in order.. 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I think theyve attempted to cancel us, but they have not been successful in canceling us, Abdullah said at another point in the conversation. The global foundation told the AP that $21.7 million was earmarked for grants to official and unofficial BLM chapters around the country, in addition to 30 black-led groups. But it was the 2014 death of Michael Brown at the hands of police in Ferguson, Missouri, that made the slogan 'Black lives matter' a rallying cry for progressives and a favorite target of derision for conservatives. All rights reserved. After Raising $90 Million in 2020, Black Lives Matter Has $42 Million in Assets The organization offered the first official accounting of its finances recently, disclosing a filing to the. BLMGNF was awarded tax-exempt status from the IRS in December 2020, two months after the houses purchase. You know, we'll pay other people to do this thing. "Your client acknowledges that the riot that occurred on January 6, 2021, caused as of May 17, 2021, approximately $1,495,326.55 damage to the United States Capitol," said a plea agreement signed by defendant Paul Hodgkins, a citizen who took selfies in the Capitol on Jan. 6, and his attorney. As a fledgling nonprofit, it had been under the fiscal sponsorship of a well-established charity, and wasnt required to publicly disclose its financials until it became an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit in December 2020. 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The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation has taken in about $90 million in 2020, when racial unrest exploded nationwide after the killing by police of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor,. In the summer of 2021, BLM Canada announced that it was purchasing a mansion in Toronto and hoped to establish a Black community hub. We have, you know, all these conversations about equal pay for black women. Jacob Harold, a nonprofit expert, said he was struck in particular by the number of paid employees listed on the form, which was just two, versus the number of volunteers, which was 49,275. After the transfer, Black Lives Matter leaders began using the house in various ways, including as a set for recording videos and staying overnight when they didnt feel safe at their own homes. The distinction meant the group would have to disclose information about donors and expenditures in an annual filing known as a 990. 'It was a major shock,' she told MSNBC's Into America podcast Monday. Twelve BLM chapters, including those in Boulder, Colorado; Boston; Washington, D.C.; Detroit; Los Angeles; Gary, Indiana; and Philadelphia, received pledges for grants of up to $500,000. She'll have her pick of white cops and white people to complain about. I dont need to be accountable to you, she said. The father of Cullors' child,Damon Turner, was paid nearly $970,000to help 'produce live events'. They purchased the property last year for $415,000, according to the report, two years after the publication of Cullors best-selling book, When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir.. Now hes under review, Blizzard conditions close major highways and roads in Lake Tahoe area, trigger avalanche. He serves with board chair Cicley Gay, a communications professional with more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, and 'DZhane Parker, a member of BLM's Los Angeles chapter whose work focuses on the impact of mass incarceration on families. A Massachusetts woman who accidentally tossed out a $1 million lottery ticket eventually collected her winnings thanks to the kindness and honesty of the owners of the convenience store where she . The memo notes: Holes in security story: Use in public YT videos.. He worked previously in New York City as the Brooklyn courts reporter for the New York Daily News, covering major criminal trials as well as working on enterprise stories. ', The Studio City, California compound includes a soundstage, six bedrooms, swimming pool and garden, The 6,500-square foot mansion in Studio City has seven bedrooms and parking for 20 cars, The studio is pictured above. She paid the foundation an additional $390 over her uses of the 6,500 square-foot Studio City property for two private events. Nonprofit experts say that any apparent intermingling of resources among BLMGNF, Cullors, and outside entities might jeopardize the charitys tax-exempt status. Upcoming Events. 'Our firm stepped in when Black Lives Matter had no structure and no staff,' he said. "For us, getting to do flyovers is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said the member who spoke on the condition of anonymity . Why hasnt my familys foundation received any assistance from the movement? he asked in a statement last month. At that time, the group said that it spent $8.4 million on operating expenses while disbursing $21.7 million in grants to about 30 organizations and to 11 Black Lives Matter chapters around the country. Black Lives Matter spent $1.2M lobbying Congress: Pushed for Trump's IMPEACHMENT over Jan. 6, tried to abolish the DEA and end life sentences, bombshell tax filings show. On March 30, I asked the organization questions about the house, which is known internally as Campus. Afterward, leaders circulated an internal strategy memo with possible responses, ranging from Can we kill the story? to Our angle needs to be to deflate ownership of the property. The memo includes bullet points explaining that Campus is part of cultural arm of the org potentially as an influencer house, where abolition+ based content is produced by artists & creatives. Another bullet is headed Accounting/990 modifications and reads in part: need to first make sure its legally okay to use as we plan to use it. The memo also describes the property as a safehouse for leaders whose safety has been threatened. Bowers, who also serves as BLMGNFs deputy executive director, has in the past overseen payments to Trap Heals from entities that Cullors leads, including an $86,000 fee from a nonprofit called Reform LA Jails and a nearly $150,000 fee from the Black Lives Matter Political Action Committee. The credibility of the entire movement is at stake based on these choices, for better or worse., But he added, They deserve a little grace here. Bowers was hired by Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors in 2020 to help raise and distribute money to groups within the foundation. At the same time, opponents of Black Lives Matter have tried to portray spending by one of the groups founders as evidence of widespread mismanagement in a manner that appears intended to impugn the cause of racial justice as well as the group. Gay was one of three new board members that the group announced last month. BLM group raked in $90MILLION in donations last year: Leaders disclose finances for the first time - but angry local chapters say they are not being given any of the money Black Lives Matter. However, she argues that the decision not to receive an annual wage from BLM actually came from a place of good intention. 'This 990 reveals that (the BLM foundation) is the largest black abolitionist nonprofit organization that has ever existed in the nation's history. Market data provided by Factset. A lawsuit filed on behalf of 26 grassroots Black Lives Matter (BLM) chapters last week alleged that the leader of the national organization siphoned $10 million in charitable contributions to. This is the BLM foundations first public accounting of its finances since incorporating in 2017. The all-cash deal closed five months after George Floyd's murder sparked nationwide protests and widespread donations to various BLM chapters. Other lobbying priorities listed in the new tax filing included campaigning against the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which BLM organizers argued did not go far enough in reforming policing. (Other videos from Cullorss personal YouTube channel also appear to match images of the houses interior shown in real-estate listings.) The two notions that the house is simultaneously a confidential refuge and a place for broadcasting to the widest possible audience are somewhat in tension. In an emailed statement on April 1, Shalomyah Bowers, a BLMGNF board member, said that the organization bought Campus with the intention for it to serve as housing and studio space for recipients of the Black Joy Creators Fellowship. The fellowship, which provides recording resources and dedicated space for Black creatives to launch content online and in real life focused on abolition, healing justice, urban agriculture and food justice, pop culture, activism, and politics, was announced the following morning. It incurred $8.4 million in operating expenses, distributed $21.7 million in grants to more than 30 organizations, and retained some. And that didn't happen. I feel like Im really thriving., Update: After this article was published, a spokesperson for Khan said in a statement, Janaya Future Khan has no knowledge of this house and has never had access to the financials of BLM. Millions were. 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