Michael Brown's father and Ferguson activists want a chunk of the $90 million that BLM raised during the racial reckoning of 2020

Taylor Ardrey
Updated ·3 min read
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michael brown sr.

  • Michael Brown Sr. and activists in Ferguson want $20 million from BLM, New York Post reported.

  • The call for $20 million comes after the organization revealed they raised $90 million in 2020.

  • Michael Brown Jr. was killed by a police officer in 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri.

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The father of Michael Brown Jr. and other activists from Ferguson, Missouri are requesting $20 million from Black Lives Matter, the New York Post reported.

The demand came after an exclusive report from the Associated Press that revealed BLM Global Network raised more than $90 million in 2020. BLM released its 2020 impact report, which showed that the organization granted $21.7 million to multiple Black local organizations and BLM chapters.

But activists are calling for more assistance and accountability.

"We're asking that Black Lives Matter leadership funds $20 million to Ferguson organizers, organizations, and community foundations to do the work," International Black Freedom Alliance's co-founder Tory Russell said in a video with Michael Brown Sr. "We're not begging for a handout; we're coming for what we deserve."

Michael Brown Jr. was killed by a white cop, Darren Wilson, on August 9, 2014. Wilson was not charged for Brown's fatal shooting. His death sparked a wave of protests and uprisings in Ferguson and helped BLM gain more prominence as an organization.

In the video, Russell said they wanted "to hold Black Lives Matter accountable" and calling on them for assistance for those on the frontlines in Ferguson.

"What kind of movement are we building where we're saying 'Black Lives Matter' but the freedom fighters and the families are being left behind?" International Black Freedom Alliance's co-founder Tory Russell said in a video with Michael Brown Sr. "Where's our restitution? Where's our organizing? Where's our building of a movement?"

"Where is all the money going?" Brown Sr. said in an International Black Freedom Alliance press release.

"Who are they giving it to, and what are they doing with it?" Brown Sr. said.

The $20 million requested is to invest in the community, including annual commemorations for Michael Brown Jr. and to fund mutual aid programs, Russell said in the video.

mike brown protest
Demonstrators raise their arms and chant, "Hands up, Don't Shoot", as police clear them from the street as they protest the shooting death of Michael Brown on August 17, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Last year, during the height of civil unrest amid fatal police shootings of Black Americans, questions were raised by activists and far-right pundits about where the money from donations to the BLM organization was going, especially after it received millions of dollars following the death of George Floyd. Conservatives like Candace Owens and Tomi Lahren previously accused BLM of giving donations to the Democrats, which was later debunked by the organization and fact-checkers.

BLM and International Black Freedom Alliance did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

BLM was birthed after George Zimmerman's acquittal for the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in 2013. The movement, which was nominated for a 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, has expanded and garnered more support in 2020 after protests erupted worldwide following the deaths of Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

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