BLM defends purchase of multimillion-dollar California home bought with donated funds

The group received backlash last week after a New York Magazine report revealed that they had purchased a nearly $6 million California home in October of 2020, using money that was donated to the group.

"There have been a lot of questions surrounding recent reports about the purchase of Creator’s House in California," the BLM parent organization’s initial tweet read.

"Despite past efforts, BLMGNF recognizes that there is more work to do to increase transparency and ensure transitions in leadership are clear," they added.

The group said that narratives laid forth in the New York Magazine article and subsequent pieces in other outlets "cause hard to organizers doing brilliant work across the country," adding that "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," the group stressed.

BLM said that they are "redoubling our efforts to provide clarity about BLMGNF’s work," and will be unveiling new initiatives "to increase transparency and accountability" in the coming weeks.

The group said that amongst these efforts to "increase operations transparency," they would be conducting an internal audit, tightening compliance operations, and creating a new board "to help steer the organization to its next evolution."

They said that the house, which has been dubbed the "Creator’s House," was purchased "to provide a space for Black folks to share their gifts with the world and hone their craft as they see fit, under the conditions that work best for them and outside systems of oppression in creative industries."

The thread continued on to discuss a number of contributions and achievements the group has made, including donating $3 million to those "struggling to navigate the impacts of COVID," and donating over $25 million to "Black-led frontline orgs around the world."

The also stated that they have made donations to families "impacted by police violence," worked with BLM Grassroots to collect signatures to end qualifies immunity, and worked with policymakers to create federal legislations.

"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 thread concluded.

The group also turned off replies on their Twitter thread.

According to New York Magazine Intelligencer writer Sean Campbell, the home contains over 6,500 square feet, more than half a dozen bedrooms and bathrooms, multiple fireplaces, a soundstage, a pool and bungalow, and parking for 20-plus vehicles, according to real-estate listings he cited.

Intelligencer noted that the transaction has not yet been reported and that "Black Lives Matter's leadership had hoped to keep the house's existence a secret."

In an internal memo that circulated after Campbell delivered questions to the organization, leaders issued a number of responses ranging from "Can we kill the story?" to "Our angle — needs to be to deflate ownership of the property," according to Campbell.

The memo includes bullet points explaining that "Campus is part of cultural arm of the org — potentially as an 'influencer house,' where abolition+ based content is produced by artists & creatives." Another bullet is headed "Accounting/990 modifications" and reads in part: "[N]eed to first make sure it's legally okay to use as we plan to use it."

The memo describes the property as a so-called "safehouse" for BLM leaders whose have had their safety threatened.