Plan B Forum

The father of a black teen shot dead by police has joined-in demands to know what Black Lives Matter's $90 million funds have been used for after its co-founder's $3 million property portfolio was exposed.

Michael Brown Sr - whose 18 year-old son Michael Brown was shot dead by a cop in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, added his name to the BLM 10 Plus movement. It is comprised of the original 10 Black Lives Matter chapters, and is seeking transparency and accountability from BLM about how its cash has been used.

Co-founder Patrice Cullors resigned last month after her $3 million property portfolio was revealed, although those houses were bought with cash Cullors earned through public speaking and books she has written.


Black Lives Matter took in $90 million in 2020, and was left with a balance sheet of $60 million by January 2021. Around $8 million was spent on expenses, including staffing costs with the other $20 million donated to local chapters and nonprofits.,

Those numbers - and news of Cullors' property portfolio - has led to questions about how BLM is spending its money, and complaints over a lack of transparency from bereaved families previously supported by the group.

Michael Brown Sr. is perhaps the most notable name to join the BLM 10 Plus movement, Fox News reported.

His son's death at the hands of white cop Darren Wilson, the decision not to charge Wilson, and the violence between police and protesters in the aftermath have been largely credited for the early spread of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The foundation took in over $90 million last year and said it committed $21.7 million in grant funding to official and unofficial BLM chapters, as well as 30 black-led local organizations.

Records show some chapters have received multiple rounds of funding in amounts ranging between $800 and $69,000, going back as far as 2016. The #BLM10 said the amounts given have been far from equitable when compared to how much BLM has raised over the years.

Critics of the foundation contend more of that money should have gone to the families of black victims of police brutality who have been unable to access the resources needed to deal with their trauma and loss.

The BLM 10 Plus group released a statement on Friday that read: 'The number of chapters that have aligned in support of our statement has nearly doubled.'

'Some of these chapters have made their own statements echoing not only our call to accountability but also our experiences as we sought transparency, democracy, and internal transformation for years,' the statement continued.

'The BLM 10 Plus continues the call for transparency and most importantly, for principled accountability in movement infrastructures.'

The statement added: 'The issues we've highlighted within the Black Lives Matter movement are not unique to this group or to people of color.'

'Grassroots movements have been co-opted across the globe and it is our intention to be a part of the collective creating processes based on integrity so that we, nor any other activist or advocate, encounters these avoidable issues in the future.'