BLM raked in 90 million dollars in 2020, "distributed" 30 million and is sitting on 60 million currently. No one knows who controls the money, and very little has been reported about how the 30 million was used.
But, we're talking abut a 100% reputable, above board, and ethical organization, aren't we?
You'd think that with 90 million, they'd be able to hire a lawyer and accountant, to keep their paperwork updated, and file their tax returns. I'm sure that the Biden Administration will immediately appoint someone to look into the situation, and confirm that they aren't using their millions in ways not allowed by their tax status.
IMO, these folk just grifted millions from a bunch of while liberals who had no idea what they were throwing money at.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10449911/Black-Lives-Matter-not-confirm-controls-60m-funds-founder-stepped-down.html
22 comments:
White liberals are typically chumps for anyone who portrays themselves as victims or champions for victims. Not a whole lot of vetting takes place.
1. Given the corrupting nature of money, it is always advisable to be cautious about people and groups and businesses and businesses dealing with large amounts of money.
2. This is especially true for blatantly corrupt and overtly dishonest groups and people like Trump and the Trump organization. And it's true for businesses and industry who stand to profit from manipulating information and policies. But it's true for non profits and charities, as well.
We should always be wary about the corrupting nature of money.
3. Thus, I would agree that the lack of transparency from BLM, to the degree that that is true, is something to be concerned about.
4. Nonetheless, I do tend to give much more lenience to groups who are clearly working for the common good and for Justice, non profits whose work is specifically for the common good.
5. To see more white guys insinuate that BLM is somehow untrustworthy, in spite of any evidence to the contrary, is just a bit much. If you were just as as wary of the overtly corrupt Trump and others like him, other wealthy white men and groups in power, this will be easier to take seriously. As it is, you just seem to be doing the work of the KKK.
Stop it.
Stop slandering groups who are clearly trying to work for Justice, even if they do so imperfectly. Stop insinuating wrong doing when you have not a God damned thing to support it. Just stop it. Unless you wanna be pals with the KKK.
I'm sure they appreciate your support. Black people, by-and-large, not so much, since they tend to support BLM in large numbers.
But then, you'll just deny reality.
Here. Buy yourself some credibility. Jay Sekulow and and the "ACLJ" has been criticized by charity watch groups for years. He's a powerful conservative white man with some actual concerns already raised about him. Why don't you begin by raising concerns about him and his corrupt connections to the corrupt Trump presidency and corrupt Trump organization.
When the go-to groups that you tend to attack most specifically and slander are black and liberal groups with no known corruption, that says something about you. When you also turn a blind eye to clearly corrupt conservative white groups, that says even more.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/politics/trump-lawyer-blurs-lines-between-charity-and-profit
https://apnews.com/article/district-of-columbia-donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-politics-9d2ed80ca912d18abd6650f55d2db935
Craig... "IMO, these folk just grifted millions from a bunch of while liberals who had no idea what they were throwing money at. "
Your "opinion," which is not based on a SINGLE credible story of actual corruption on the part of BLM, but just your biases against a group that would dare to work for justice on behalf of black citizens. Yes, we get that this is your unsupported, irrational opinion, one that the KKK no doubts cheers on, but is not based on any credible reports of corruption.
Also, I notice that your source for this story is a right wing British tabloid, one that gave some support to the Nazis in the lead up to WWII and published at least one virulent anti-immigrant cartoon and passed on false claims about another immigrant who had been improperly detained.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_Mail
Again, clearly BLM needs more transparency and we should always be wary of big money and its potential for corrupting even good people. But until you begin leading with actual stands against overtly corrupt folk, including those on your own side and race, and until you stop making slanderous allegations and gossip and innuendo and until you start using more reliable sources, it's hard to take any of your concerns seriously.
For my part, I suspect that BLM is a group that had a huge influx of money and notoriety/fame and that's a lot to take on fairly suddenly and they may not have been fully prepared for all that's come there way. Or maybe they were. And that's the actual point: We don't know. There have been NO stories of actual abuse or corruption on their part, just a lack of transparency and some apparent disorganization. That, and shady allegations by aggrieved white folk with no basis for their accusations.
5. I'm sorry, I guess I see failuire to file the required tax forms, filing tax forms with false information, complete lack of transparency on where the money has gone, and the lack of any person responsible for disbursing the money, to indicate untrustworthyness.
I'm not sure posting a news article that indicates the actual, real, failures of BLM to comply with the law to be "slander". Of course, the remedy for slander is the Truth. Yet BLM has chosen NOT to correct their errors, not to be transparent, and not to even try to fix these things. Maybe had I just made shit up like you, it'd be OK.
How impressive, in the other thread you literally engage in the same behavior you accuse me of. I haven't invested a lot of time in Jay Sekulow because I'm not seeing multiple news stories across multiple platforms, like the BLM story. Of course, just like you, I tend not to comment on things that I don't know about. I also tend to not try to make excuses for clear and obvious wrongdoing just because some group is on "my side".
The fact that I chose one (of many) sources doesn't mitigate the Truth of the allegations, it just gives you an excuse to brush off what's going on. The fact that a newspaper did something you think is evil 80 years ago certainly tarnishes it's credibility for all time. What an idiotic excuse to offer.
As far as the rest, it's simply more of the (NAZI/KKK/racist) slander you seem so enamored with recently as a substitute for actually proving your claims, or proving wrong the claims of others.
The fact that you choose to ignore illegal acts just because you agree with the alleged purpose of BLM simply demonstrates your double standard.
As to Sekulow, I'd certainly agree that the structure of his groups (presuming it's presented accurately, which is hard to tell given the lack of primary source documents or even direct quotes from those documents), has the appearance of an attempt to obfuscate. Given the fact that this has been under investigation since (apparently) 2005 without any sort of charges being filed (legal, bar assoc, or otherwise), there either isn't much there, or he's an amazingly good lawyer.
I'll note that the story references the "Russia probe", yet the dossier that underpinned the "Russia probe" has been completely discredited and linked directly the Clinton partisans. I'm not sure failing to mention that helps the credibility of the article.
Further, the difference between Sekulow and BLM is the fact that every bit of the information used to cast doubt on Sekulow, is all readily available. All of his organizations file the appropriate tax forms, and disclose all the required information publicly. In clear contrast to BLM for which virtually ZERO information of this type is available.
To the degree that Sekulow has broken laws, rules, or even given the appearance of doing so, I have no problem supporting his being punished for any wrongdoing he's involved in. I'm not going to make excuses for him, even though I (in general) support the work of the ACLJ, and believe that people of all viewpoints deserve competent legal representation.
If only BLM was transparent enough to allow the sorts of information to be made public as the NPR article cited, maybe you'd have a case.
As a general rule, any time an organization chooses not to comply with the tax laws that govern nonprofits, chooses not to provide accurate information, and chooses opacity rather than transparency, I'm going to be suspicious.
Especially with 90 million dollars unaccounted for and no significant direct help to the black community. Certainly no loans or grants for the immigrant/POC/Minority owned businesses destroyed during the riots of 2020.
To the extent that Sekulow has actually broken any laws, I am confident he'll make good and fess up, because he actually has proven his dedication to protecting people against oppression, mostly from the very types of people Dan supports.
Dan also likes to believe that the mere mention of opposing injustice automatically means a given organization actually works to correct it. BLM has no record of legitimate work to that end. Supporting thugs who die as a result of their own criminal behaviors is not working for justice. It's corrupting the public's perception of what justice truly is, and Dan's perception has been infantile throughout.
And true to form, Dan equates opposition to fraudulent groups like BLM to be racist and akin to the Klan. That he dares continue to proclaim himself Christian is an attack on Christianity itself.
I forgot to mention...
Dan is quick to disparage your source for some crime committed 80 years ago, while still supporting sources like the NYTimes who did far worse in shilling for Stalin. And of course the constant lies his vaunted heroes of the press...the leftists among them...that have been ongoing even before they went whole hog in lying about Trump for the last six years. Dan's about as vile a liar as one can find, made more so by his wicked lie about being a Christian.
Craig... " Given the fact that this has been under investigation since (apparently) 2005 without any sort of charges being filed (legal, bar assoc, or otherwise), there either isn't much there, or he's an amazingly good lawyer."
Or that white powerful people with money tend to be able to avoid being charged with crimes.
But the point remains: IF there is something that BLM has actually done wrong, bring the charges and let them face the consequences. So far, you have nothing. But that doesn't prevent you from making charges AS IF they were guilty, does it?
Craig... "As a general rule, any time an organization chooses not to comply with the tax laws that govern nonprofits, chooses not to provide accurate information, and chooses opacity rather than transparency, I'm going to be suspicious."
Ha! Craig, meet Donald Trump, the perverted, corrupt, UN-transparent face of the corrupt and dishonest modern conservatism movement. I'm surprised you weren't aware of his overt corruption and lack of transparency. It's sort of a known thing.
Craig... "I guess I see failuire to file the required tax forms, filing tax forms with false information, complete lack of transparency on where the money has gone, and the lack of any person responsible for disbursing the money, to indicate untrustworthyness."
From the news...
"The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) said in the report that it raised over $90 million in 2020 alone, giving about a quarter of it -- nearly three times the industry norm -- to BLM chapters and local organizations...
"This has been a record-breaking year for fundraising, which has been matched with just as historic an amount in campaign budgets and grant disbursements," the foundation wrote...
Thirty local organizations, with 23 led by Black LGBTQ people, have each been committed a six-figure grant from the foundation, according to the report.
Official and unofficial BLM chapters also received funding, totaling almost a quarter of the year's donations that went to local organizations.
"That is $21.7 million that will go towards the sustenance of Black communities and Black movement-building — towards creating a world in which Black lives matter," the foundation wrote."
https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/25/us/black-lives-matter-2020-donation-report-trnd/index.html
From what I've read, it appears they disbursed about $20+ million of that and the rest remains in their coffers to be continually used to continue this work for justice and building up black communities. No harm, no foul.
"The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is now building infrastructure to catch up to the speed of its funding and plans to use its endowment to become known for more than protests after Black Americans die at the hands of police or vigilantes.
“We want to uplift Black joy and liberation, not just Black death. We want to see Black communities thriving, not just surviving,” reads an impact report the foundation shared with the AP before releasing it."
https://apnews.com/article/black-lives-matter-90-million-finances-8a80cad199f54c0c4b9e74283d27366f
Other than right wing groups/media who are opposed to BLM having reports that BLM haven't been forthcoming with their tax information, I see no credible reports from gov't or law or IRS officials saying that BLM has done anything wrong. Let me say that again: I SEE NO complaints from the people in charge of making serious accusations of wrongdoing making those sorts of charges.
Show me the IRS saying that BLM has committed wrongdoing and we can talk. Showing me whiney white haters making these charges and I'm just not impressed nor do I care.
Now, it IS true that they haven't yet consulted with Craig and spent the money the way that Craig thinks it should be spent. But, so what? Who is Craig but another old white man complaining about a black justice group and making vague and unsupported allegations against them.
However, where is the $280 million raised by Christian Right groups like Sekulow's being spent?
Where is the call for transparency from white people like Craig?
"Organisations led by some of Donald Trump’s most vocal allies and supporters have spent increasing amounts of money globally to influence foreign laws, policies and public opinion in order “to stir a backlash” against sexual and reproductive rights."
"None of the Christian Right groups we studied reveals who its donors are, or discloses details of how exactly it spends its money overseas."
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/trump-us-christian-spending-global-revealed/
First, remove the plank from they own eye.
I realized something last night. Dan has chosen to assume that my problem with BLM is that they're "black". In his prejudice he doesn't seem to be able to comprehend that my criticism of BLM has nothing to do with their skin color, and everything to do with their actions. I find this inability to acknowledge anything other than skin color as valid to be extremely small minded, and sad.
To be clear, my problems with BLM have zero to do with skin color, and everything to do with their actions.
Craig... "To be clear, my problems with BLM have zero to do with skin color, and everything to do with their actions."
To be clear, I didn't say you were targeting BLM because they were black. I merely noted that the ONE non-profit that you've chosen to target for your attacks is a black group.
And you say, because of their actions, but you have not pointed to ANY actions other than a lack of transparency to a degree that is suitable to you. There are no charges against them. There is no data that says they've done anything wrong. But you're biases against them, for whatever reason, have you made these allegations and innuendo as if there were something improper going on.
And I'm noting that you made no posts about Trump's lack of transparency. You made no posts about Trump's charities lack of transparency. You've made no Post about Sekulows lack of transparency. None of these white people or groups or non profits you've chosen to raise concerns about on your blog, in spite of actual wrong doing being done. The one group you have chosen to attack is a black group. That's just a fact.
"Or that white powerful people with money tend to be able to avoid being charged with crimes."
So instead of responding to my point (that Sekulow has disclosed enough information to be able to raise these questions), you go with this made up bullshit.
"But that doesn't prevent you from making charges AS IF they were guilty, does it?"
As someone who's got a fair amount of experience in owning my own business, I've become familiar with what happens when you fail to file that appropriate tax information or give false information to the IRS. The fact that we know that this is the case with BLM (a de facto "crime"), renders the above meaningless. In IRS/tax world, you are guilty until proven innocent (so to speak). In other words, the IRS considers any mistakes or false information to be your responsibility unless you can prove otherwise, and they will not help you find your won mistakes.
Again, with "the other guy did it". Except I've been vocal about Trump's problems since 2015.
Again with "the other guys do it" as a way to defend the lack of transparency from BLM. It's just excuses as to why BLM should be held to a lower standard.
This notion that the source of a news story somehow has any relationship to the facts of the news story is a bizarre way to determine fact.
As far as why the IRS hasn't made any investigation public, I have no idea. I suspect it's because the IRS moves relatively slowly and doesn't usually publicize ongoing investigations.
I'm sorry, are you suggesting that I am somehow responsible for every single "Christian Right group" in existence?
"To be clear, my problems with BLM have zero to do with skin color, and everything to do with their actions."
You can make up all the bullshit you want, but the above statement is 100% True.
Yes, choosing not to be transparent is an action. Filing or failing to file timely and accurate tax filings is an action, failing to have someone responsible for the actions of an organization is an action.
I love how you think that my lack of posts specifically about "Trump's lack of transparency" means that I haven't addressed it. That my multiple instances of addressing Trump's "character issues", somehow excludes his "lack of transparency".
The reality is that most of what I post about is stuff that comes across the various media platforms that I see. The reality is that the BLM story came up within the last week or so, and I posted on it. The reality is that the Sekulow story hasn't come up, and I didn't post on it because it wasn't "news". The reality is that the Sekulow story has clearly been under investigation for longer than BLM has been in existence, with zero charges, convictions, or penalties. Since that's one of your excuses for allowing BLM a free pass, why not apply the same standard to Sekulow?
Don't bother answering, I know why you're all worked up about Sekulow.
"To be clear, my problems with BLM have zero to do with skin color, and everything to do with their actions."
"Or - and follow me here - perhaps it's the case that I'm a finite man with a finite number of words in my typing fingers and I just don't comment on every wrong done."
This is my answer to why I haven't addressed the Sekulow "issue". Keep it on file for the next time you try to pull this bullshit, double standard, dodge.
"Ha! Craig, meet Donald Trump, the perverted, corrupt, UN-transparent face of the corrupt and dishonest modern conservatism movement. I'm surprised you weren't aware of his overt corruption and lack of transparency. It's sort of a known thing."
I wonder if there will ever come a time when Dan actually provides examples of his charges against Trump (and please, not the lame charges which have been debunked already). This is a "known thing" so it should be easy to come up with them, yet Dan never does (except for lame charges which have been debunked already).
As to "Trump did it, too", it's helpful remember the distinctions between private business (a business is only as "transparent" as it feels necessary to maintain or grow market share), politicians during their terms in office (the degree of transparency dictated by law), political parties and charitable organizations (transparency regarding donations is different than transparency with regard how those donations are used).
So, the "Trump did it, too" attitude requires examples Dan will never give.
I would also point out that what concerns Craig is the lack of examples provided to prove that BLM actually has done any good in improving a damned thing in black communities and as far as I can tell, there's been no proof they've done a thing to restore the damage done to black-owned businesses BLM "protests" destroyed.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/california-threatens-to-hold-blms-leaders-personally-liable-over-missing-financial-records
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10466461/California-threatens-hold-BLMs-leaders-personally-liable-missing-financial-records.html
https://technotrenz.com/entertainment/californias-department-of-justice-has-ordered-blm-leaders-to-reveal-details-of-60-million-in-funds-and-has-threatened-to-prosecute-them-if-they-do-not-1622528.html
https://dailycaller.com/2022/02/02/california-washington-black-lives-matter-fundraising-donations-transparency/
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/01/black-lives-matter-finances.html
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/blm-continues-fundraising-in-washington-despite-immediately-cease-order
https://nbcmontana.com/news/nation-world/black-lives-matter-delinquent-on-finances-calif-ag-warns-blm-risks-tax-exempt-status-california-department-justice-attorney-general-patrisse-cullors-influence-watch-rob-bunta-washington-examiner-doj
I guess the fact that the Right Wing state governments in CA and WA have stepped in because of BLM's financial/disclosure/tax practices doesn't mean anything.
Once again, I'm willing to concede that BLM have improved the lives of some black people not directly associated with the organization (employees and such) if only defenders like Dan would provide evidence/examples of this great work. According to one report on the issue, the mother of Tamir Rice was asked if she received any assistance from BLM and claims not to have seen a single dime. Someone like her might be a good choice for financial aid for an outfit like BLM who made their bones pretending blacks are being hunted by racist cops and are now claiming to care about making things better.
I'm willing to concede that it's theoretically possible that BLM has done some good/helpful/beneficial things with the 30 million that's been spent. But, you'd think that if they had, that they'd be publicizing their successes as a way to drive fund raising. But, since they've chosen not to be transparent about their spending, we just don;t know. We can draw conclusions, based on other factors but absent transparency or investigation we'll never know.
And that's the whole point, isn't it? There's no solid info explaining the use of the funds beyond the purchase of homes by one of their leaders. Even if we accept it was divvied up between various chapters, that doesn't explain how it was used.
But because they're BLM, who claims to care about the plight of the oppressed black man simply because they say so, we're to shut the hell up and never question them because to do otherwise is racist.
BLM is nothing but a racist organization built on the lies about cops being dangerous to blacks.
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