DeRay McKesson, one of the most vocal activists in the Black Lives Matter movement, called out transracial activist Shaun King (left) for fraudulent fundraising.
McKesson slammed King’s recently released fundraising report, in which King attempted to explain where millions of BLM fundraising dollars went.
King, a Caucasian man who claims to be Black, released the report after months of accusations that he spent the cash on lavish vacations and living expenses.
McKesson discredited the report, claiming it was not independent.
In an op-ed for Medium.com titled “On Shaun King,” McKesson said King’s lack of integrity within the activism community was “so glaring that to be silent is to be complicit.”
He specifically focused on King’s “fundraising efforts” that usually ends with the money vanishing down a black hole.
“Shaun has followed a uniform pattern over the years, a pattern that has compelled me to speak up, again,” he wrote.
“It is important to note that Shaun’s journalism has done some good by bringing attention to stories that may have gone under-reported or overlooked. But the person who paints your house before he steals your car has still committed theft.”
He continued:
“I tried previously to engage offline to resolve these tensions, but his behaviors did not change. There is a formula that he employs when people ask questions or highlight contradictions: issue an unconditional denial, attack the character of the person asking questions, argue that white supremacists are attacking him or his family, respond only to the least salient of all points raised, then issue a statement akin to an apology.”
McKesson notes that King often “bullies and intimidates” Black women – his most vocal critics – to scare them into silence.
McKesson suggests that many of King’s Black supporters decline to question the facts because they can’t admit they’ve been duped by a con artist.
“I have seen many people, against their better judgment, defend Shaun. I know because I was once one of those people. We are all apt to defend own decision-making, especially about people. But the love for our people must be greater than the love of any one person. Shaun has continued to thrive because many people cannot believe that they have been duped, used, or taken advantage of.”
