Mothers of Black sons and daughters who lost their lives to police brutality condemn the BLM national organization for profiting off their grief.
Black mothers of children killed by police brutality accuse the Black Lives Matter movement of profiting from their pain, FOX News reports. This comes as BLM’s co-founder, Patrisse Cullors, announced she was stepping down from her position after she was slammed for her lavish lifestyle.
Speaking to the New York Post, Samaria Rice, the mother of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was killed by a White police officer in Cleveland in 2014, said:
“I don’t believe she is going anywhere. It’s all a facade. She’s only saying that to get the heat off her right now.”
Last Thursday, Cullors announced she was leaving BLM’s executive director’s post.
Following a real estate buying spree, BLM’s co-founder decided to step down from her post. She revealed her decision had been in the works for a year, and it has nothing to do with the controversy around her questionable lifestyle.
Rica, who said she sought Cullors’ help for re-launching a federal investigation regarding her son’s death, but her efforts were to no avail, commented:
“They are benefiting off the blood of our loved ones, and they won’t even talk to us.”
Lisa Simpson, the mother of 18-year old Richard Risher, who was fatally shot in 2016 in Los Angeles, added:
“Now she doesn’t have to show her accountability. She can just take the money and run.”
In the meantime, Hawk Newsome, the head of Black Lives Matter Greater New York City, stressed the need for an “independent investigation” into the national organization’s finances.
According to the grief-stricken mothers, the organization is profiting off their “dead loved ones.”
In March, the mothers slammed the BLM movement for “monopolizing” their fight for justice. In a statement, they wrote:
“Stop monopolizing and capitalizing our fight for justice and human rights… We don’t want or need y’all parading in the streets accumulating donations, platforms, movie deals, etc. off the death of our loved ones.”
OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM SAMARIA RICE, MOTHER OF TAMIR RICE AND LISA SIMPSON, MOTHER OF RICHARD RISHER.
Myself, @DaShaunLH, and @likefannielou had a conference call with Samaria and Lisa, and below is their full statement regarding Tamika Mallory, Shaun King, Benjamin Crump etc: pic.twitter.com/GC49bD1LL6
— it never gave dead. (@_Rawilcox) March 17, 2021
Last month, Tamika Palmer, mother of Breonna Taylor, a Kentucky Black woman shot and killed by police during a wrong raid on her home, wrote in a now-deleted Facebook post:
“I have never personally dealt with BLM Louisville and personally have found them to be fraud.”