If you didn’t know it, Black Lives Matter has been around for some time now, supposedly bringing more and more awareness to the plight of Black Americans and the injustice they may face. However, it’s really only been in the last couple of years that they have really made their mark.
As you well know, it began in the summer of 2020, following the death of Minnesota resident George Floyd while in police custody. BLM wasted no time in claiming that Floyd’s death was an act of racism and, as such, it should be punished.
And they received a lot of support for such, both financially and politically. For example, typically left-leaning companies like Amazon donated some $10 million to their cause, as well as added them to their fundraising platform, AmazonSmile.
However, it didn’t take long for simple protests and speeches about awareness to become full-on riots, which sprung up in some 140 American cities causing literally billions of dollars in damages to homes, businesses, and public areas. And for a time, the group still continued to prosper.
It was during this time that BLM’s co-founder Patrisse Cullors began amassing a $3.2 million real estate portfolio, boasting luxury estates on the beaches of Malibu as well as a “custom ranch” in rural Georgia.
Naturally, when it became known that the co-founder of a not-for-profit organization was becoming so wealthy, questions began to be raised about the legitimacy of Cullors’ role and the group as a whole.
This, coupled with the violence and destruction that became a calling card of sorts for the group, caused many Americans to no longer see BLM as just a group concerned with equality but instead one hell-bent on causing chaos and division. Of course, it didn’t help that several of their leaders in various parts of the states have come out admitting to teaching Marxism, as well as encouraging violence against whites and police.
Additionally, there is the fact that since Cullors’ resignation last year, the groups’ finances have become no less sketchy or questionable.
Of course, when questioned about this, the now-infamous Cullors blamed it all on whites.
According to the Washington Examiner, Cullors said, “People have to know that we didn’t go out and solicit the money. This is money that came from white guilt, white corporation guilt, and they just poured money in.”
And that may be true to some degree. But that has nothing to do with how the money is or was used since entering BLM’s hands. That’s all on the group’s bookkeeping department, which, for lack of a better phrase, has become shady as all get out.
And more and more people are noticing.
In fact, even big-time contributor to the cause, Amazon, now has reason to withhold their support and even their willingness to host them on their platforms.
On Tuesday, AmazonSmile officially booted the organization from their platform. According to the Examiner, “Charitable organizations must meet the requirements outlined in our participation agreement to be eligible for AmazonSmile.”
And apparently, BLM no longer does.
As the outlet pointed out, companies eligible for AmazonSmile must be in “good standing” both in their state of incorporation and in any and all states they are “authorized to do business.” And currently, BLM most certainly is not.
In fact, in more than a few states, there are lawsuits against BLM both for their unscrupulous finances and their penchant for violence. Needless to say, I think that qualifies as not being in “good standing.”
Now, Amazon has said that BLM can redeem themselves, and their ineligibility for AmazonSmile can be reversed. However, they must first figure out the current mess they find themselves in, both financially and in those states.
This means that, until then, the $306 million or so in donations that the group has received via the Amazon platform will sit in limbo, not being given to BLM until the group regains its good standing. Let’s just say this isn’t good news for an organization that is apparently already struggling financially.
Of course, AmazonSmile is not the group’s only platform to get donations. Several other crowdfunding and donation websites still seem amicable to BLM – at least for now. However, with these platforms coming under recent fire about their ties to political donors and groups, BLM may soon find itself without even more support or funding as more companies break ties with them to avoid scandal.
At any rate, it seems BLM’s 15 minutes of fame is about up.
