Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of the global Black Lives Matter organization, recently announced that she was resigning amid controversies over how the group has handled its donations and increased scrutiny of the activist’s real estate portfolio. Along with other BLM leaders, she has been accused of exploiting the deaths of black Americans unjustly killed by the police, and it does not appear the criticism will abate anytime soon. Does this mark the beginning of BLM’s fall from prominence?
Black Mothers Lash Out at Cullors
Patrisse Cullors
The other day the New York Post interviewed mothers of black men who lost their lives during encounters with law enforcement. These individuals did not mince words; they accused Cullors of using their sons’ deaths to raise money without putting forth a genuine effort to help the black community.
“I don’t believe she is going anywhere,” said Samaria Rice, the mother of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy who was shot by an officer while playing with a toy gun. “It’s all a facade. She’s only saying that to get the heat off her right now.”
Lisa Simpson, a Los Angeles mother who has been a vocal critic of the global Black Lives Matter organization, along with local BLM leaders, also castigated Cullors. “Now she doesn’t have to show her accountability,” Simpson, whose son was killed by police in 2016, told The Post. “She can just take the money and run.”
Cullors stepped down after The Post and other news outlets revealed her $3.2 million real-estate portfolio. Many on the left and right pointed out that the luxury homes she purchased are located in predominantly white areas – far from the people for whom she claims to be fighting.
Rice explained that she asked Cullors to help push for reopening a federal investigation into her son’s death. “She said she exchanged a few emails with Cullors over the years but had never managed a face-to-face meeting,” according to the newspaper. “They are benefiting off the blood of our loved ones, and they won’t even talk to us.”
Rice has criticized other high-profile left-wing activists such as Tamika Mallory and Shaun King.
In March, both Simpson and Rice lashed out at BLM for “raising money in our dead sons’ names and giving us nothing in return.” The organization’s local Los Angeles chapter raised $5,000 for Simpson’s son’s funeral, but the mother said she has not received it.
“We never hired them to be the representatives in the fight for justice for our dead loved ones murdered by the police,” said the statement released by Simpson and Rice. “The ‘activists’ have events in our cities and have not given us anything substantial for using our loved ones’ images and names on their flyers. We don’t want or need y’all parading in the streets accumulating donations, platforms, movie deals, etc. off the death of our loved ones, while the families and communities are left clueless and broken.”
Tamika Palmer, the mother of Breonna Taylor, who was killed during a police raid in Louisville, KY, also slammed the organization.
“I have never personally dealt with BLM Louisville and personally have found them to be fraud (sic),” Palmer wrote in a now-deleted April 14 Facebook post.
Earlier this year, ten local Black Lives Matter chapters publicly criticized the global organization in an open letter, accusing it of a lack of accountability and transparency regarding its handling of the funds it raises.
“To the best of our knowledge, most chapters have received little to no financial support from BLMGN [Black Lives Matter Global Network] since the launch in 2013,” the letter said.
What’s in the Future for BLM?
The global BLM organization jumped back onto the national stage after the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests and riots. However, it quickly became apparent that there were serious flaws with the organization’s methods and objectives. Before the controversy over the group’s lack of transparency, it was criticized for promoting a hard-left agenda that had little to do with safeguarding black lives.
But with Cullors’ resignation and the increased interest in the conduct of the organization’s finances, is it possible that it might fall from favor? Many agree with the message of the Black Lives Matter movement, but will support for the organization diminish as more of the organization’s foibles come to light? If so, that leaves an important question: How will the far left replace BLM?
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Read more from Jeff Charles.
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