Just one day after wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt to a Paris Fashion Week presentation alongside commentator Candace Owens, Music icon Kanye West called the Black Lives Matter movement “a scam.” This is what West wrote on Instagram: “Everyone knows that Black Lives Matter was a scam now its [sic] over you’re welcome.”
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As various investigations have revealed, the Black Lives Matter national organization has been plagued by scandal, as its leaders have used donations to enrich themselves, rather than better struggling African-American communities.
In response to the corruption allegations, a number of state and local BLM chapters have disaffiliated from the national organization, and the parents of several black men killed by police have criticized the organization for fundraising off of their trauma without sharing the resulting donations, said National Review.
A BLM co-founder, Patrisse Khan-Cullors, purchased a $1.4 million home in a predominately white, upper-class neighborhood. She was called out as a scammer, fraud, and grifter by thousands of people on social media. Cullors now owns four U.S. homes worth in excess of $3.2 million in all. One must wonder how and where she gets the money.
Cullors was “the only voting board member,” in 2020 when the organization raised $90 million but ended the year with only $42 million as a consequence of profligate spending on “smaller organizations,” “consultants,” and “real estate,” a New York Times report on BLM’s financial practices found this May.
While such a structure is legal in Delaware, where the group is incorporated, charity experts say it is far from best practices, especially for a group with tens of millions of dollars in its coffers,” the Times observed.
For her work for the organization, Cullors was not officially paid, including as an executive director, in 2020, but a family member was compensated to the tune of $840,993 for “professional security services” rendered.
West was already criticized before for his support of former president Donald Trump, as well as for his donning of the “White Lives Matter” shirt, which detractors argue represents a kind of grievance politics, as well as a plea for attention.
Is it a plea for attention or something else? That can be argued about, but one thing is for sure, and that is that Kanye West always finds an interesting way to come out on the front page.
This story syndicated with licensed permission from Frank who writes for a funny news blog. Follow Frank on Facebook.