A new report provides a glimpse into how the Black Lives Matter (BLM) organization spent some of the cash it amassed after the murder of George Floyd. The progressive activist group, which has received criticism and scrutiny over how it spends its donations, was found to have purchased a large luxury home in California that was funded by the donations it received prior to October 2020.

The house — more than 6,500 square feet — has seven bedrooms, fireplaces, a pool, and a bungalow. It allows parking for more than 20 cars. The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) purchased the property for almost $5 million in October 2020. The group seems to have kept the purchase private, according to a New York Magazine report. The writer analyzed documents, emails, and other forms of communication among members of the group that suggest “it has been handled in ways that blur, or cross, boundaries between the charity and private companies owned by some of its leaders.”

Indeed, the group’s leadership seems to have acted suspiciously when the author of the report asked about the home, which the group refers to as “Campus.” She wrote:

“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 it’s 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. 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. The memo notes: ‘Holes in security story: Use in public YT videos.’”

Shalomyah Bowers, a BLMGNF board member, claimed in a written statement that the group “always planned” to disclose the purchase in May and that it does not serve as a personal residence. However, the author points out that Bowers did not explain why only a small amount of content has been produced in the house despite the group’s claims that it was to be used for that purpose.

After footage of the murder of Floyd went viral, groups like BLMGNF – which raised $65.5 million in 2020 — took advantage of the nationwide outpouring of outrage that ensued. The organization purchased the home shortly after receiving a massive influx of funding. Since then, many on both the left and right have expressed concerns with how the group used the donations it received. Ten local BLM chapters issued a public statement questioning the global network about its lack of transparency and refusal to ensure the funds got to the people doing the work on the ground in the communities the local chapters served. The families of black victims of police brutality took the group’s leadership to task, complaining that they received only a pittance from the money BLMGNF amassed.

Patrisse Cullors, one of the founders of Black Lives Matter, stepped down amid criticism of how the group handled its finances. The fact that, despite being a “trained Marxist,” she used her wealth to purchase multiple luxury homes didn’t exactly help her reputation.

The issue came to a head later in 2020 when the ten BLM chapters cut ties with the global organization. Politico reported that leaders were “furious” that Cullors made financial decisions without consulting with them first. “That’s a move, that, to some, signaled a rebuke of its ‘leaderful’ structure, which gave every member an equal say and kept anyone – including a founder – from overreaching,” according to the news outlet.

In March 2021, the New York Post reported on criticisms levied against BLM by the parents of black men slain by police officers. Lisa Simpson, whose son was killed by law enforcement in Los Angeles in 2016, said the city’s chapter raised $5,000 for her son’s funeral, but she never received any of the funds.

Samaria Rice (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

“We never hired them to be the representatives in the fight for justice for our dead loved ones murdered by the police,” said a statement by Simpson and Samaria Rice — the mother of a 12-year-old boy shot by Cleveland police while playing with a toy gun — posted March 16 by activist @Free Mumia Abu-Jamal. “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.”

Even if BLMGNF is on the up and up, its conduct should still raise eyebrows. If the organization cannot handle the donations given by Americans who believe they are helping the black community, is it ultimately a waste of time? Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, a professor at the University of Notre Dame Law School, told New York Magazine that if those in leadership are getting funny with the money, they could face civil and criminal consequences. “They’re all indicators that the money may not be going where it’s supposed to be going,” he said.

This development is only the latest in a series of reports demonstrating that the global Black Lives Matter organization might not be what it claims. The group purports to be a force for good in the black community, working to safeguard the lives of African Americans while fighting for justice. In 2020, millions of well-meaning Americans donated to the group. But if BLMGNF’s critics are to be believed, the organization has been nothing more than a front designed to enrich its higher-ups. The fact that much of the consternation is coming from the left might signal the eventual political demise of the organization. The question is: What will replace it when it is gone?