Black Lives Matter secretly bought $6 million California mansion

Black Lives Matter used donations to purchase a $6 million home in southern California that it concealed from outsiders, fueling criticisms that the social justice organization has not been forthcoming about how it spends its money, reports New York Magazine.

“Documents, emails, and other communications I’ve seen about the luxury property’s purchase and day-to-day operation suggest that it has been handled in ways that blur, or cross, boundaries between the charity and private companies owned by some of its leaders,” wrote Sean Campbell, who reported the story.

“It creates the impression that money donated to the cause of racial justice has been spent in ways that benefit the leaders of Black Lives Matter personally.”

George Floyd’s death triggered a torrent of donations to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, and in Oct. 2020, the organization received $66.5 million from its donation processor.

The 7-bedroom home with parking for more than 20 cars was purchased two weeks later by a man named Dyane Pascal, who is the financial manager of an LLC operated by Cullors and her spouse, Janaya Khan.

The house was then transferred to an LLC established in Delaware, a move that would ensure the property’s owner would not be disclosed to the public.

The property has been used for a variety of purposes by BLMGNF board members and their family, such as rooms to stay overnight and a set for recording videos.

The 6,500 square foot home appeared in a June 2021 video celebrating the one year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder that featured BLM founders Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garz and Melina Abdullah.

Cullors blamed the “right-wing media machine” for attempting to silence her and the movement, likely referring to a April 2021 New York Post article that revealed she had purchased four luxury homes for $3.2 million total.

“I’m some weeks out now from a lot of the noise, so I have more perspective, right? While I was in it, I was in survival mode,” she said.

“It’s because we’re powerful, because we are winning,” Cullors added. “It’s because we are threatening the establishment, we’re threatening white supremacy.”

However, Campbell discovered uses of the home that “are probably not in line with what Black Lives Matter donors intended for their dollars.” One was an Apr. 2021 video where Cullors uploaded a cooking video to her personal YouTube channel. The soapstone countertops and high-end appliances match those in real estate listings for the address.

Nonprofit experts say that any intermingling between BLMGNF and outside entities for personal use could jeopardize the charity’s tax-exempt status.

One told New York Magazine that any problems with the group’s tax filings could result in “civil and criminal liabilities for the people and organizations involved.”

BLMGNF attempted to “kill the story” when approached by the reporter, who saw internal memos on possible angles they could take to “deflate ownership of the property.”

Shalomyah Bowers, a BLMGNF board member, said in a statement to The New York Post on Monday that the property was acquired in “furtherance of BLM’s mission,” as well as for any ancillary usages as needed.

“The organization always planned to disclose the property on the upcoming 990 due May 15th as part of BLMGNF’s ongoing transparency efforts,” Bowers’ statement continued. “BLMGNF has and continues to utilize the space for programming and leadership off-sites. The property does not serve as a personal residence.”

Bowers also said that the house was primarily intended as a creative and studio space, but relatively little content has been produced their over the course of 17 months.