BLM Apologizes for Causing ‘Distress’ Over Reports They Used Donations to Buy $6 Million Mansion

Black Lives Matter issued an apology on Monday in a lengthy Twitter thread addressing controversy over recent reports about the organization using donations to purchase a $6 million Los Angeles home.

Though the organization did mention an apology, they also criticized articles covering the purchase as “inflammatory and speculative.”

“We know narratives like this cause harm to organizers doing brilliant work across the country and these reports do not reflect the totality of the movement,” one of the tweets reads. “We apologize for the distress this has caused to our supporters and those who work in service of Black liberation daily.”

We know narratives like this cause harm to organizers doing brilliant work across the country and these reports do not reflect the totality of the movement. We apologize for the distress this has caused to our supporters and those who work in service of Black liberation daily.

— Black Lives Matter (@Blklivesmatter) April 11, 2022

On the massive Los Angeles mansion, Black Lives Matters claims it was a purchase made to encourage “Black creativity.” The property, they say, is a “space for Black folks to share their gifts with the world and hone their crafts as we see it.”

The organization wrapped up its thread by touting some of the donations and work they have recently supported. They also promised more “transparency” about their efforts going forward.

“We are embracing this moment as an opportunity for accountability, healing, truth-telling, and transparency. We understand the necessity of working intentionally to rebuild trust so we can continue forging a new path that sustains Black people for generations,” the group wrote.

Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors, who stepped down last year, had much stronger words for the New York Magazine report on the mansion purchase, calling it “despicable.” She claimed the report was littered with “misinformation.”

The mansion report is far from the first time the Black Lives Matter movement has found itself stepping in controversy over its financials. The group even ceased their online fundraising in February after the California attorney general demanded the group make financial disclosures about where the millions in funds they brought in from 2020 went. The group said fundraising was shut down “in the interim” while they addressed any “issues related to state fundraising compliance.”

Hawk Newsome, the head of Black Lives Matter Greater New York City, which is not affiliated with Cullors’ Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, responded to reports last year on real estate purchases by Cullors and the organization’s hidden spending by calling for an “independent investigation” into Cullors.

Among vocal critics, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) also called for a Department of Justice investigation this week into Black Lives Matter’s finances.

“This definitely has the suggestion of misappropriation of charitable funds and an abuse of our nonprofit laws,” he said.

Watch above, via Fox News.