~ WHO AND WHAT IS—BLACK LIVES MATTER? ~
Black Lives Matter might be viewed as a grassroots movement of concerned people gathering together. It is much more.
Black Lives Matter is a corporation whose real name is Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF). (Yep…it is one of those capitalistic corporations they profess to hate.)
The following information is on their web site. It is a nationwide corporation! BLMGNF has chapters in Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Lansing, Long Beach, Memphis, Nashville, New York City, Philadelphia, South Bend and in Canada in Toronto, Vancouver, and Waterloo. (If you were impressed by how all those recent riots erupted simultaneously from a grassroots movement…well…maybe not so grassroots.)
BLMGNF is a not-for-profit corporation but not tax exempt, so donations are not tax deductible. Except...if you go to its website and want to donate, you are transferred to 'ActBlue Charities' which will take your donation, give you a tax deduction, and then distribute your donation to BLMGNF. Sort of…
Who is ActBlue?
Taken directly from ActBlue’s web page, “Our (ActBlue) platform is available to Democratic candidates and committees, progressive organizations, and nonprofits that share our values for no cost besides a 3.95% processing fee on donations. And we operate as a conduit, which means donations made through ActBlue to a campaign or organization are considered individual donations”.
ActBlue consists of three parts : ActBlue Charities facilitates donations to left-of-center 501(c)(3) nonprofits; Act Blue Civics is its 501(c)(4) affiliate; ActBlue is a 527 Political Action Committee. These three have raised over $5 billion dollars in the sixteen years since it started. If it's 3.95% transaction fee has been applied to all donations, that equates to over $197 million.
So, ActBlue is a Democratic Party front affiliated with BLMGNF. If only it was that simple and stopped there.
Per Business Insider Australia, “ActBlue…distributes the money raised to Thousand Currents, which is then granted to Black Lives Matter”.
What is Thousand Currents (Formerly International Development Exchange)?
Again, per Business insider Australia, “Thousand Currents is a 501(3)(c) non-profit that provides grants to organizations that are...developing alternative economic models…”. (Is anarchy now an alternative economic model?)
“Thousand Currents essentially acts as a quasi-manager for Black Lives Matter : ‘It provides administrative and back office support, including finance, accounting, grants management, insurance, human resources, legal and compliance,’ (Executive Director Solome) Lemma said”. ( Finance, insurance, human resources, legal and compliance? It sounds like General Motors!)
What is the significance of the above?
Black Lives Matter is not some fly-by-night fad that is going to loot and destroy and then disappear into the ash heap of history. It is a multi corporation, big business which is heavily associated with and supports the Democratic Party and it is here to stay. Arguing whether Black Lives or All Lives Matter is meaningless and distracts us from what it is trying to achieve. It is a left-wing political movement that will have a significant impact on the Democratic Party programs for the foreseeable future.
Socialism and Communism are intimately linked to these efforts while the US Constitution and especially the Bill of Rights have no place in their plans. Patrisse Cullors,one of Black Lives Matter’s co-founders is widely reported as saying, “We are trained Marxists”.
The president of Greater New York Black Lives Matter said that if the movement fails to achieve meaningful change during nationwide protests, it will “burn down this system.” Not the peaceful change we celebrate under our Constitution but violent change. For those of us who like our Constitution, this is a challenge thrown in our face.
If you have wondered why politicians have danced around criticizing Black Lives Matter, now you know.
