Canadian Black Lives Matter members are outraged about the group’s latest $8.1 million cash acquisition of the former Communist Party of Canada headquarters in downtown Toronto.
The 10,000-square-foot estate was purchased in July by the BLM-affiliated US nonprofit. It was mostly hidden at the time, but subsequent disclosures concerning BLM’s administration and financing have fueled outrage.
A recent comment by Sarah Jama and Sahra Soudi, Canadian BLM supporters, argued BLM Canada taking money from the BLM Global Network without informing the community was immoral.
“BLM Canada’s refusal to address inquiries from young black organizers is anti-movement.”
As a result of the executives of BLM Canada refusing to address any questions concerning the acquisition, Jama and Soudi withdrew from the Toronto chapter’s steering committee.
They claim the NDA was meant to intimidate them into donating their time to a cause they believed in.
Probably just a coincidence that BLM now owns the mansion that once served as headquarters for Canada's communist party. https://t.co/kDL3Dz4y3c
— Bruce (@bruceT73) January 29, 2022
‘History of Resistance’
BLM Canada claimed the Toronto property would be a “vessel that aspires to nourish Black radical production in Toronto and beyond.”
According to data acquired by the Washington Examiner, BLM Canada (M4BJ) paid $8.1 million for the land on July 13, 2021. Patrisse Cullors, the group’s co-founder, resigned last month after criticism of her private real estate transactions around the US.
The land was bought “outrightly,” according to BLM Canada co-founder Rodney Diverlus.
Black Lives Matter Canada took a ton of money from the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation to purchase in cash an $8.1 million mansion in downtown Toronto that once served as the headquarters of the Communist Party of Canada.https://t.co/TR5mSBp0hX
— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) January 28, 2022
The property has a “history of resistance,” according to BLM Canada Chairwoman Sandy Hudson, having hosted the Communist Party of Canada for over 30 years.
Canadian media and activists publicized BLM Canada’s acquisition of the Wildseed Center in July.
In August, BLM Canada used a “limited capital grant” from the group’s national branch to buy the land, Hudson told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Hudson’s Previously Accused of Mismanagement
Hudson is also connected to BLM’s national arm.
In addition to co-directing Black Lives Matter Grassroots, she claims to be a member of the “Black Lives Matter Global Network Strategy Table.”
A BLM Canada registration shows Janaya Khan, Cullors’ spouse, also sits on the board.
BLM did not respond to many attempts to determine how much was donated to the Toronto estate purchase or if Hudson or Khan were involved in the decision. Hudson has a history of being accused of financial mismanagement.
The University of Toronto Student Union sued Hudson in 2015 for allegedly authorizing $247,726 in overtime compensation for work she never completed.
The case was resolved in 2017. The University of Toronto Student Union said there was no proof Hudson cheated. The statement noted she promised to repay some of the disputed overtime money.
In February, BLM announced it received $90 million in 2020 from corporations and individuals, following the police killing of George Floyd and countrywide protests. The organization stated it ended 2020 with $60 million.
Unhappy with the national arm’s lack of financial assistance to local activists and its lack of accountability, an alliance of ten local BLM chapters was formed late in 2020.
Lack of accountability and transparency on such a large scale must not be ignored or overlooked, as it could only lead to more outlandish actions.
