After accounting for expenses and grant disbursements, the organization. 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. Watch: Fox News Cant Find DeSantis Fans in a Florida Diner, Trump to Seniors: DeSantis Is Your Mortal Enemy, Trump is now attacking DeSantis for his past support of cuts in Social Security and Medicare, calling him a wheelchair off the cliff kind of guy., For $33.09, You Can Hear Prince Harry Unpack His Trauma Again. Its part of campaign to smoke out and then attack unpopular Republican cuts. Cullors now owns three properties in Los Angeles - including this one in the hills above the city. BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors received $120,000 for 'consulting fees' andreimbursed BLM $73,523 for a charter flight. Any insinuation or assertion to the contrary is categorically false, the spokesperson said. Two weeks later, a man named Dyane Pascall purchased the seven-bedroom house that would become known as Campus. While such a structure is legal in Delaware, where the group is incorporated, charity experts say it is far from best practices, especially for a group with tens of millions of dollars in its coffers. The Janaya and Patrisse LLC was created and controlled by Patrisse Cullors. According to the tax filing, Ms. Cullors also paid the organization back for charter travel, saying that she voluntarily reimbursed subsequent to year end. She also repaid the nonprofit for personal use of its real estate, which appeared to refer to a birthday party for her son held at the $6 million house. Theyre trying to be transparent. RNC Loyalty Test Only Punishes Honest Candidates, Not Trump. That was a lot of white guilt money. Its currently not possible to share the Posts article on Cullorss home purchases on Facebook because the sites parent company, Meta, has labeled the content abusive. At other points, Bowers and his associates direct a private investigator to look into BLMGNF detractors and journalists, including me. In the summer of 2021, BLM Canada announced that it was purchasing a mansion in Toronto and hoped to establish a Black community hub. Black folks have waited over 400 yearsto be seen, to be heard, to live in a world where their lives are fundamentally valued, the report stated. Were making it clear to Black people that were an institution and that were here to stay, said Mr. Bowers. After accounting for expenses and grant disbursements, the organization said, it had $60 million on hand. If there are problems with the groups tax filings, there could be civil and criminal liabilities for the people and organizations involved. Our demands continue to go ignored. Republicans are making their 2024 candidates promise to support eventual nominee. 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. Cullors, 37, has reportedly purchased four high-end homes for $3.2 million in the U.S. alone, per New York Post, including property in a Topanga Canyon in Los Angeles County for $1.4 million. Among its stated goals, the organization distributes grant money to so called chapter organizations in 2020 BLMGNF said it distributed over $21 million to local non-profits aligned with the Black Lives Matter movement. So far neither bill has passed both chambers of Congress. We were told that concerns about financial transparency and community accountability were rumours, not a big deal, and whispers from so-called counter-organizers., Tory Russell, a prominent activist in Ferguson, Missouri, said that he felt depressed whenhe learnedabout about the California property. 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. According to public records, the property was . In the meantime, contributions to the group have been essentially shut down. Who even makes the decision on who writes the checks?, Ms. Cullors, who stepped down as executive director in May 2021, said in an interview last week with The Associated Press that within the group, they often referred to the experience of the past few years as building the plane while flying it.. The group had said it was planning to use the property as main headquarters in Canada, and it has now been named the Wilseed Center for Arts and Activism. Additionally, the Post claims that in recent years, Cullors, a self-described Marxist, paid $510,000 for a three-bedroom home in Inglewood, California. I think they are doing what a lawyer in this situation would advise them to do, which is be as open as you possibly can be and be as accurate as you possibly can be, said Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame who specializes in nonprofits. Things you buy through our links may earn New York a commission. This story has been shared 102,555 times. Legal Statement. BLMGNF received backlash following the purchase, including from some of the organization's supporters. Any insinuation or assertion to the contrary is categorically false. This story has been shared 129,654 times. 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,. Kate Bedingfield, Bidens Translator, Leaves the White House. A: No. Sirhan's lawyer, Angela Berry, says: Berry has said the 78-year-old man, who has spent more than 54 years in prison, is not a danger to society and should be released. This 990 tells a story of weak nonprofit governance, he said. The foundation had an operating budget of about $4 million, according to a board member. The maneuver ensured that the ultimate identity of the propertys new owner was not disclosed to the public. Cullors has also used the Campus house in ways that are probably not in line with what Black Lives Matter donors intended for their dollars. The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation announced the massive influx of money late Tuesday the very first time BLM has disclosed its finances in its nearly eight-year history. This system that gives billion dollar companies millions in hardship funds, when their owners (also billionaires) can afford to use their own wealth instead of public funds is the source of frustration. The group also lobbied in favor of the more sweeping BREATHE Act, which would abolish the Drug Enforcement Agency and end life sentences, the filings show. Controversy surrounding the organization's finances has elicited probes by at least two state attorneys general. This is going to be like my volunteer work. 'I was, like, I'm going to come in, I'm going to support this organization. ', The BLM movement first emerged in 2013. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. Even if everything about the house is above board, the general air of secrecy is out of step with the transparency that is expected of charitable ortax-exempt organizations. On this score, some of the harshest criticism of BLMGNF has come from within. She chose one of the whitest places in California. Bowers, described as a "rogue administrator" and "middle man turned usurper," led the foundation to be investigated by the Internal Revenue Service and "[blazed] a path of irreparable harm to BLM in less than eighteen months," according to the suit. 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. We've received your submission. Disclosures found that the foundation paid $6 million for a Los Angeles compound in 2020. This is the BLM foundations first public accounting of its finances since incorporating in 2017. Newsomes organization, Black Lives Matter of Greater New York which he represents during television appearances and interviews is not affiliated with Black Lives Matter Global Network, which was co-founded by Cullors along with Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi. . 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. JACI STEPHEN is left seething after falling prey to the ULTIMATE etiquette faux pas so, do YOU agree with her controversial stance? Black Lives Matter has come under fiscal scrutiny since 2020, when the group received $90 million in donations amid protests following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. The group informally released a batch of financial information in February 2021, when it said it had taken in more than $90 million in 2020 and still had $60 million on hand. REVEALED: BLM founder Patrisse Cullors paid her baby father Transcript: Patrisse Cullors on Making Mistakes. ', The Toronto property was bought with grant money that was meant for 'activities to educate and support black communities, and to purchase and renovate property for charitable use.'. SOLE BLM-BACKED FEDERAL CANDIDATE CHARGED WITH WIRE FRAUD SCHEME INVOLVING CAMPAIGN AND PARTY FUNDS, Patrisse Cullors is one of the three co-founders of the Black Lives Matter movement. 'We are decolonizing philanthropy,' Gay said. pic.twitter.com/E268EUpVo4. The group's former leader Patrisse Cullors is seen above, The filing shows that the group's lobbying spending was devoted in part to 'lobby member[s] of Congress to vote in favor of impeachment.' 'We, as a board, are charged with disrupting traditional standards of what grant making in philanthropy looks like. At the time, BLM said that it planned to focus on economic justice in the coming year, especially as it pertained to the pandemics impact on black communities, as well as grow an endowment to sustain the organization long-term. It reported receiving $90 million in donations last year, the most it had ever raised in a year. The median home price has cooled off to $790,000, a notable drop from last year's price of $925,000, Redfin data showed." BLMGNF, which received more than $90 million in the wake of George Floyds death in 2020, represents the national BLM movement. 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. Cullors, during Monday's interview, defended the actions she the BLM board's sole voting director and argued that like all people she is subject to human error. Bowers actions led the foundation into investigations by the Internal Revenue Service and various state attorneys general, blazing a path of irreparable harm to BLM in less than eighteen months, the suit claims. A majority of the funds were saved, the report said, with $8.4 million spent on operational. To be abundantly clear, as a registered 501c3, BLMGNF cannot and did not commit any organizational resources toward the purchase of personal property by any employee or volunteer. The documentsreveal that BLM paid a company owned by Damon Turner, the father of Cullors' child, nearly$970,000 to help 'produce live events' and provide other 'creative services.'. 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. Download theGrio today! 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. 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 pay for his own personal expenses. During the fiscal year covered by the tax form, the only voting board member was Patrisse Cullors, one of the founders of Black Lives Matter. 'Presenting (donor) names after the fact, at this point, would likely be a betrayal of that trust. Who the fuck are you? The post BLM founder Patrisse Cullors $1.4M home draws criticism, call for investigation appeared first on TheGrio. 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. All Black activists know the fear these malicious and serious actions are meant to instill: the fear of being silenced, the trauma of being targeted, the torture of feeling ones family is exposed to danger just for speaking out against unjust systems. The organization cannot and did not commit any organizational resources toward the purchase of personal property by any employee or volunteer. 'I think there's a difference between transparency and then protecting security culture in organizations,' she said. However, she argues that the decision not to receive an annual wage from BLM actually came from a place of good intention. 'And I think one of the things that I've been thinking about in this last year specifically is how do you make mistakes in public without being crucified for them. On the secure-messaging platform Signal, in a text chat named BLM Security Hub, around two dozen participants from BLMGNF, Bowers Consulting, Janaya and Patrisse Consulting, and various other organizations and companies commingle. ', 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 an interview on Tuesday, Shalomyah Bowers, another new member of the board, said the picture painted by the documents shows an organization retooling for the long haul. 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. Cullors claimed the California compound was intended to be a 'media creation space' for BLM, a campus for a black artists fellowship and a home for activists. (Francine Orr/ Los Angeles Times via Getty Images). In 2015, a network of chapters was formed, as support and donations poured in. 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. What are we doing with it? 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. 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 email will be used to sign into all New York sites. It had an operating budget of about $4 million. He is pictured alongside his brother Monte. 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