By Gabriel Princewill-
One of the co-founders of the Black Lives Matter movement has resigned from her post amid criticism of corrupt property ownership in an affluent part of Los Angelis.
Ms Cullors made the announcement late on Thursday, stating that she plans to focus on the upcoming release of her second book, and a multi-year TV development deal, highlighting Black stories with Warner Bros.
The 37 year old activists said that neither right-wing attempts to discredit her nor critics from other activists had anything to do with her decision to step down.
However, The Eye Of Media.Com believes her explained reason is neither plausible nor factual. The timing of her resignation is so suspect that it makes sense to conclude that Ms Cullors folded under the pressure of criticism for a lavish lifestyle she failed to justify.
Allegations that she may have used funds from donations to purchase three properties in Los Angeles evoked serious anger in many quarters, notably from one of our own researchers who lashed out in fierce criticism a fortnight ago.
And this publication was contacted by some of her instagram followers after an article we wrote last week, reacting to the post. One said: ”it is insensitive of you to publish an article like this against a woman fighting white supremacy”..
At the time of these reports, some fellow activists had expressed shock. The NY Post quoted Hawk Newsome, the head of Black Lives Matter Greater New York City, which is not affiliated with Ms Cullors’ Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, saying that there should be “an independent investigation” to find out how the global network spends its money.
He added: “If you go around calling yourself a socialist, you have to ask how much of her own personal money is going to a charitable cause. It’s really sad because it makes people doubt the validity of the movement and overlook the fact that it’s the people that carry this movement.”
Ms Cullors referred to the criticisms as” right-wing attacks that tried to discredit my character, and I don’t operate off of what the right thinks about me.”
However, this publication-certainly not right wing by any stretch of the imagination- asked Ms Cullors to justify how she got the money for the three properties, telling her that being an authour, having a youtube deal, or being a college professor, does not suffice in explaining the $3.2m spent on the properties in question.
There is no conclusive evidence that Ms Cullor illegitimately used funds from donations to purchase the properties, but given that she had earned $120,000 in 6 years from BLM related activity, the lavish homes unarguably warranted explanation.
The Black Lives Matter Foundation revealed in February that it had raised $90m (£63m) amid last year’s BLM protests following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The foundation had said that it ended 2020 with more than $60m (£582,000) after spending almost a quarter of its assets on grants to several black-led organizations.
Critics have claimed that the money should have gone to the families of black victims that were killed at the hands of police.
Feeling Of Exploitation
Rev T Sheri Dickerson, president of an Oklahoma City BLM chapter and a representative of the #BLM10, a national group of organizers old the media: “That is the most tragic aspect. I know some of (the families) are feeling exploited, their pain exploited, and that’s not something that I ever want to be affiliated with.”
In a statement, the Black Lives Matter Foundation said: “As a registered 501c3 non-profit organisation, [the foundation] cannot and did not commit any organisational resources toward the purchase of personal property by any employee or volunteer. Any insinuation or assertion to the contrary is categorically false.”
Senior executives Monifa Bandele and Makani Themba, both early BLM supporters, have been brought in to help with the transition. They will have the task of restoring faith in the integrity of the allocation of funds from donations.
On her Instagram page, Ms cullors put up a post explaining why she was “transitioning out of my role as executive director of the BLM.” In the caption, she said: “This decision comes after a truly fulfilling and challenging journey that has been one of my life’s greatest honours.”
Ms Cullors claims that by the end of 2019 she had “actually stepped back” and that “I really wanted to see the next generation of leadership lead.”
When the uprising happened last year, “folks at Black Lives Matter asked me to come back” and “I came back.” She says it was always supposed to be an interim return.