After the untimely death of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement exploded in America. Wanting justice for Floyd, a complete overhaul of the justice system, and for their voices to be heard and counted, the movement appeared unstoppable as protests took place all over the world. At the same time BLM was pushing their agenda, the movement received a staggering amount of donations. These donations were given under the premise that they would be used to further the movement and hopefully bring change for the black community. While that was the idea, one of the co-founders, Patrisse Cullors, admitted to using the group’s $6 million property to host personal parties. 

Sitting down with the Associated Press, Cullors claimed that the group was not prepared for the wave of support they received in cash funds. Although not being prepared, that didn’t stop them from purchasing a $6 million compound in Los Angeles. The Associated Press wrote, “Recent disclosures that the foundation had paid $6 million for a Los Angeles compound in 2020 unleashed a torrent of criticism and social media chatter. The property in Studio City — including a home with six bedrooms and bathrooms, a swimming pool, a soundstage and office space — is meant to be both a meeting venue and a campus for Black artists.”

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The outlet added, “Some criticism came from BLM supporters like Justin Hansford, director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at Howard University. He said the property purchase could be weaponized by movement opponents, leading possible donors to shy away from Black-led social justice organizations: “That’s the thing that you don’t want to get out of hand.”

Giving her side, Cullors suggested, “We really wanted to make sure that the global network foundation had an asset that wasn’t just financial resources. And we understood that not many black-led organizations have property. They don’t own their property.”

According to records, the co-founder used the compound twice. Once to hold a party for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris winning the 2020 election, and then throwing another party a few months later for her son’s birthday. 

While having used funds for personal items, Cullors declared, “The idea that (the foundation) received millions of dollars and then I hid those dollars in my bank account is absolutely false. That’s a false narrative. It’s impacted me personally and professionally, that people would accuse me of stealing from black people.”

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