blm $90 million dollars stolen

The tax form indicated that Ms. Cullors received no compensation during the fiscal year but instead served as an unpaid volunteer. A family member, Paul Cullors, was listed on the tax form as receiving payment for professional security services amounting to $840,993. This 990 tells a story of weak nonprofit governance, he said. ', Cullorshad said previously that her sister, mother, and brother were employed with BLM, D'Zhane Parker, left, Cicley Gay, center, and Shalomyah Bowers pose for a portrait on Friday, May 13, 2022, in Atlanta. In February 2021, BLM financial documents revealed. Its not a critique that says what youre doing is illegal or even unethical; it might just be unstrategic. Leaders have attempted to justify the expenseby saying the foundation's protection could not be entrusted to former police professionals who typically run security firms because the BLM movement is known for vehemently protesting law enforcement organizations. Defense attorney Joshua Ritter on why prosecutors have a tough path to conviction. The documents also show how Cullors used charity funds to pay her friends and family large sums for various 'consulting' services, as well as charter a private flight. Anyone can read what you share. Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is an administrative organization that raises funds to distribute to Black Lives Matter Grassroots, the umbrella organization for local chapters of the group. The propertys upkeep cleaning, pool maintenance, security has been handled by a loose mixture of people working for BLMGNF, Janaya and Patrisse Consulting, the Bowers Consulting Firm, or other entities. An executive at Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (GNF), is accused of "syphoning" more than $10 million from donors, the grassroots arm of the BLM organization said a court filing. He said that investigations by state and federal agencies could be warranted. Many local groups that are part of the movement have called for more transparency and a greater role in making decisions, as well as more money for the organizations led by activists on the ground. And then there was a flurry around where did the money go, She added: 'I think that part of the issue has been and was that there wasn't a clear sense of how do we talk about this money? By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. And a linguist named Emily M. Bender is very worried what will happen when we forget this. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson), Bowers and his group went on to scold those who are suing him, accusing them of "falling victim to the carceral logic and social violence that fuels the legal system.". Were making it clear to Black people that were an institution and that were here to stay, said Mr. Bowers. "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. Biden Dares Republicans to Go After Obamacare and Medicaid. Mike Browns father, Ferguson organizers request $20M from BLM, Devale Ellis pens childrens book on #BLM: Its my lifes journey, Tensions erupt near Minneapolis after police kill 20-year-old Duante Wright, BLM founder Patrisse Cullors $1.4M home draws criticism, call for investigation, Chicago Mayor Lightfoot ousted; Vallas, Johnson in runoff, King asks Duke and Duchess of Sussex to move out of Frogmore so Prince Andrew can move in, Biden Mocks Marjorie Taylor Greene With 1 Simple Hand Gesture, A Nebraska high-school cheerleader competed on her own after the rest of her squad quit. The organizations executive director stepped down just months after the nonprofit declared it had raised over $90 million, and in the year since, theres been no one at the helm, according to a Washington Examiner investigation. Imagine you have the equivalent of a cruise ship with no one at the helm, you have a massive organization, massive amounts of money, no structure, no accountability, no staff, said Ashley Yates, a St. Louis-born activist who was involved with Black Lives Matter nationally in its early years but has since spoken critically about lack of transparency within the group. Prepare to be gobsmacked. is wishing that we could have paused for one to two years, to just not do any work and just focus on the infrastructure, she said in the interview. The organizations leadership remains a question mark. Their unwillingness to demand accountability and transparency of Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, a $90 million organization that publicly promised social justice to its millions. The foundation ended its last fiscal year - from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 - with nearly $42 million in net assets. In Tennessee, Even Abortion to Save a Womans Life May Be Illegal. The BLM movement first emerged in 2013, after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida. That was a lot of white guilt money. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. It had an operating budget of about $4 million. The newly released tax filings showed how Cullors used charity funds to pay her friends and family large sums for various 'consulting' services, as well as charter a private flight. The documents show that about $26 million was used on grants to organizations, local chapters, and families. Kara Swisher talks with the Council on Foreign Relations president about Bidens spy-balloon-size missed opportunity. We have, you know, all these conversations about equal pay for black women. Black Lives Matter of Greater New York chair Hawk Newsome questions how much Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors has contributed to charity. Im some weeks out now from a lot of the noise, so I have more perspective, right? What are we doing with it? In 2021, the foundation released its own report, not a mandatory federal tax filing but a voluntary accounting of its funds, in which it said that it raised $90 million in 2020, with the average donation being $30.64. So far neither bill has passed both chambers of Congress. They deserve to have equal compensation. Hawk Newsome, the head of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, is calling for a probe into Cullors' finances. AmazonSmile suspended the organization from its platform in February 2022, and BLMGNF has removed donation links from its own website. That lack of funding came despite BLM getting donations from A-list celebrities such as Beyonc, Jay-Z and prior to his death in 2016 Prince, The Associated Press noted. The foundation also paid nearly $140,000 in severance to a former managing director who had been at odds with local BLM chapter organizers, prior to Cullors' tenure as director. The size of the acquisition could expose the group to criticism. Attorney Walter Mosley, representing the plaintiffs in the case, alleges that Bowers instead engaged in self-dealing, giving grants to his own consultant firm and charging exorbitant fees reaching eight figures. The sport desperately needs to change, no matter how loudly purists complain. The Michael O.D. The BLM movement first emerged in 2013, after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida. Publicly available tax filings for the group list Kailee Scales as the keeper of BLMGNFs books. But just three years into existence, Cullors was the only movement founder involved in the organization. During the height of the protests around the murder of George Floyd, when donations topping $90 million were pouring in, the group that runs Black Lives Matter was closing a cash deal on a $6. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. . The BLM foundation raised more than $90 million last year. Black Lives Matter became a rallying cry in the wake of several high-profile killings of black Americans at the hands of police. We knew that it needed some repairs, and it needed fixing, and that it would need to be shared,' Cullors explained. In 2020, the BLM foundation ended with a balance of more than $60 million after committing $21.7 million in grant funding to both official and unofficial BLM chapters, in addition to 30 Black-led local organizations. BLMGNF has since retained the high-profile Democratic lawyer Marc Elias and maneuvered to get more time to formally submit data from 2020 by switching from calendar-year to fiscal-year tracking. Earlier entries in the Signal chat show him performing the same role for properties Cullors purchased with her own funds, which she has said came from book and media deals. BLM co-founders Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Ay Tometi had pledged to build a decentralized organization governed by the consensus of BLM chapters. Terms of Service apply. If you go around calling yourself a socialist, you have to ask how much of her own personal money is going to charitable causes, he told the Post. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. BLM released its 2020 impact report, which showed that the organization granted $21.7 million to multiple Black local organizations and BLM chapters. Also raising eyebrows was the fact that during the last fiscal year, Cullors was the foundation board's sole voting director and held no board meetings, according to the filing. She paid the foundation an additional $390 over her uses of the 6,500 square-foot Studio City property for two private events. Trending: Cullors, who resigned from BLM last year after it was revealed she amassed a $3.2 million property portfolio, argues that her biggest mistake in regard to her financials was not drawing a salary from the foundation. BLMGNF also dished out $2.1 million to Bowers's firm, Bowers Consulting, between July 2020 and June 2021, according to tax forms the BLMGNF provided to the Associated Press. My car was stolen from a repair shop then used in a series of break-ins that same night by a guy who was released from prison less than a month prior. 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. RNC Loyalty Test Only Punishes Honest Candidates, Not Trump. ', 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. The donations exploded following the May 2020 death of George Floyd, whose death under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer sparked protests across the US and around the world, the foundation said. Its extremely important to have transparency and good governance at any organization with this level of global fame, said Mr. Hansford, who is also executive director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center. Stuart Villanueva /The Galveston County Daily News via AP. The foundation will launch a 'transparency and accountability center' on its website to make its financial documents available for public inspection, Bowers added. While Black Lives Matter at the national level is flush, hes seen local activists fall into poverty and become homeless. The statement continues: Patrisses work for Black people over the years has made her and others who align with the fight for Black liberation targets of racist violence. The organization cannot and did not commit any organizational resources toward the purchase of personal property by any employee or volunteer. The statement did not address why, if the house was primarily intended to be a creative space, relatively little content has been produced there over the course of 17 months. This right-wing offensive not only puts Patrisse, her child and her loved ones in harms way, it also continues a tradition of terror by white supremacists against Black activists. Bowers is a close associate of BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors, who resigned from BLMGNF in May 2021 after allegations she misused millions of dollars in donation money. Ryan Mac BuzzFeed News Reporter Brianna Sacks BuzzFeed News Reporter Its an example of how Cullors acted as both the head of BLMGNF and cultivated a lucrative public profile at the same time; when she quit the organization, she said it was to focus on media deals shed signed with a book publisher and Warner Bros. (A lawyer for Cullors declined to comment on the record.). An all-woman crew wasn't always the plan, with a handful of men picked and "very, very excited" for the flyover before they were abruptly told they were being replaced, an aircrew member told Fox News Digital. She serves in this role in a volunteer capacity and does not receive a salary or benefits. We gonna cancel her. Garza cut in with a comment seemingly addressed to critics: Yall dont know shit about what it takes to live in a box here.. This article was featured in One Great Story, New Yorks reading recommendation newsletter. After accounting for expenses and grant disbursements, the organization. The lawsuit demands that they return the peoples funds and stop impersonating Black Lives Matter, Mosley said in a statement. It creates the impression that money donated to the cause of racial justice has been spent in ways that benefit the leaders of Black Lives Matter personally. The city threw out a Democratic mayor for the first time in decades. The Post report sparked debate on social media among BLM supporters and critics of Cullors. 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. A recent tax filing from the group shows that by the middle of last year, more than half of that money had been granted to smaller organizations or spent on consultants and real estate, leaving the foundation with $42 million in assets. Its part of campaign to smoke out and then attack unpopular Republican cuts. . A Huge Majority of Voters in George Santoss Own District Think He Should Resign. "Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) is here to give light and fight for Black liberation," the statement said in part. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. YahN Ndgo, an activist and former organizer with the BLM chapter in Philadelphia, said Cullors reneged on a promise to hand over control of the foundation's resources to grassroots organizers. As protesters suddenly given a windfall of money, they had to learn how to manage a large nonprofit on the fly, and its a lot to ask., After Raising $90 Million in 2020, Black Lives Matter Has $42 Million in Assets, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/17/business/blm-black-lives-matter-finances.html. But critics say the BLM Global Network Foundation has increasingly moved away from being a black organizing network and has become a philanthropic and political organization run without democratic input. Fellow BLM directorShalomyah Bowers was paid more than $2.1 million for providing operational support. The documents also show that she used charity funds to pay her friends and family large sums for various 'consulting' services, as well as charter a private flight. The city will see multiple inches of something apparently called snow., Richard Haass on Americas Relationship Problems With China. Patrisse Cullors is the Executive Director of Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF). 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,. Bowers was named as one of three members of BLM's board of directors earlier this month. Into existence, Cullors was the only movement founder involved in the wake of several high-profile killings of Lives... That investigations by state and federal agencies could be warranted talks with the Council Foreign... Greater New York chair Hawk Newsome questions how much Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors, Alicia and. City threw out a Democratic mayor for the first time in decades email... 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