[HN Gopher] Amazon suspends Black Lives Matter from its charity ...
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       Amazon suspends Black Lives Matter from its charity platform
        
       Author : raziel414
       Score  : 62 points
       Date   : 2022-02-18 21:53 UTC (1 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (nypost.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (nypost.com)
        
       | encryptluks2 wrote:
       | Makes sense, although there are lot of other "charities" that I'm
       | pretty sure have no accountability. I'm guessing this one got
       | removed cause it is under the most scrutiny by the public.
        
         | mywittyname wrote:
         | Or, it's because the IRS revoked their tax exempt status.
         | 
         | https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/detailsPage?ein=473691474&name=...
         | 
         | Amazon doesn't really get a choice in the matter here.
        
           | TheodolphusRose wrote:
           | That's a different and completely unrelated [1] organization
           | that happens to have a similar name (Black Lives Matter
           | Foundation vs Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation).
           | 
           | [1] https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/black-lives-
           | mat...
        
             | encryptluks2 wrote:
             | Yeah, it seems here that people are just getting confused
             | about which organization is actually in charge due to two
             | different organizations registering very similar names. I
             | wonder if they trademarked the brand Black Lives Matter,
             | and if so if they attempted to enforce it to prevent
             | something like this from happening, or if they are in fact
             | affiliated with each other.
        
         | chiefalchemist wrote:
         | I would imagine the Amazon process is fairly automated so
         | there's no scrutiny, bias, etc. Fact is, NPOs have certain
         | legal/tax. requirements so the data in question shouldn't be a
         | problem, unless it is.
         | 
         | Maybe there's a good reason for the disconnect, but two yrs
         | running is not a good sign.
        
       | badRNG wrote:
       | I can't help but feel like non-profits who name themselves after
       | decentralized movements are often a grift. They count on people
       | not knowing the difference and giving them money to support a
       | cause they may or may not actually contribute to.
       | 
       | I should point out that this isn't universally true, the woman
       | who set up the initial "Woman's March" event on Facebook, Teresa
       | Shook, founded an organization of the same name, so there is some
       | legitimacy to that org's claim there.
        
       | ehtlhkljk wrote:
        
       | alpha_squared wrote:
       | Important to note that this is the BLM Global Network Foundation
       | (BLMGNF), which is not the same as the grassroots, decentralized
       | BLM movement that happened nationally.
       | 
       | If I recall correctly, BLMGNF was formed by a couple folks in Los
       | Angeles to give a formal organization the authority and
       | organizational weight of what the BLM movement was about. The BLM
       | movement, being decentralized and leaderless at the national
       | level, mostly rejected BLMGNF speaking for them and being
       | recognized as the organization of the movement, but BLMGNF moved
       | forward with claiming national leadership regardless.
        
       | ms512 wrote:
       | tl;dr: BLM Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) hasn't disclosed
       | where donations have been going and is out of compliance with
       | various state's rules for non-profits. Amazon suspended donations
       | to BLMGNF until the compliance issue is resolved.
        
       | rvz wrote:
       | Exactly. I don't know why everyone including the big tech
       | companies fell for the BLM grift so that they could scam their _'
       | supporters'_ into taking the money and now running off with their
       | donations which was used to buy properties, mansions, etc.
       | 
       | How could they be so gullible?
        
         | thorncorona wrote:
         | A lot of people who could have raised this issue were shouted
         | at for being racist, anti-black, etc. no matter if their
         | concerns were valid.
         | 
         | https://twitter.com/Sean_Kev/status/1488195035418013701
        
           | cwkoss wrote:
           | Sean Kevin Campbell's article was some great investigative
           | journalism. Highly recommend reading to anyone interested in
           | deeper knowledge about this controversy. I've seen several
           | pundits (on "both" sides) regurgitate his work inaccurately,
           | so think reading his article directly is important.
           | 
           | (article linked in that tweet)
           | 
           | https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/01/black-lives-
           | matter-f...
        
         | bombcar wrote:
         | Because they had a problem and they wanted a solution. It's
         | basically "blackwashing" and BLMGNF (good night funds?) was
         | there to "sell" them the solution to a problem they were
         | facing.
         | 
         | There's basically zero desire to actually _really work_ on any
         | problem that isn 't related to their stock portfolio, so they
         | jump at it and post some PR and then they're done.
         | 
         | Happens time and time again.
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | quinnjh wrote:
       | I live in portland and amazon suggested that i buy clippers,
       | laser pointers, and balaclavas during the riots. Also made their
       | banner says BLM for two or so weeks
        
       | HWR_14 wrote:
       | The BLM movement and the BLM organization are different. Much the
       | same way that Americans will all claim to be democrats but less
       | than half will claim to be Democrats.
        
         | charcircuit wrote:
         | >Much the same way that Americans will all claim to be
         | democrats
         | 
         | I'm not a democrat and I'm American.
        
           | DoctorOW wrote:
           | What's wrong with democracy?
        
             | marpstar wrote:
             | Not answering your question, but making sure the
             | clarification is made that we (in the USA) do not live in a
             | Democracy. We live in a Constitutional Republic.
             | 
             | I know, I know... some people cringe when someone points
             | this out, but it's true.
        
               | _kst_ wrote:
               | It depends on how you define "democracy".
               | 
               | I'm not inclined to participate in an argument about it
               | here, but there are valid points of view other than the
               | one you assert.
        
             | _justinfunk wrote:
        
             | paisawalla wrote:
             | Purports to be about consent of the governed, will of the
             | people, popular rule etc. In reality, you can't even
             | prevent your own children from being taught as truth some
             | pseudomoral garbage that maybe 5-10% of the population
             | believes. Basically it transfers power to the most
             | motivated actors, almost regardless of their popularity.
        
             | charcircuit wrote:
             | It requires people to be educated about what they are
             | voting on. Having people spend time educating themselves
             | wastes a lot of societal time. Voting doesn't scale well so
             | people end up delegating their votes to someone else who
             | usually doesn't have the same exact beliefs and may vote
             | different than themselves. It turns into a popularity
             | contest. The process of making decisions can be slow.
        
         | thorncorona wrote:
         | In the eyes of most people they are the same. Using obvious
         | words in subtle ways makes it hard to people to differentiate.
         | 
         | Just as Republicans don't claim to be democrats, defund the
         | police means removing all funding for police, etc.
        
           | elil17 wrote:
           | OP phrased that weirdly (and apparently doesn't know that no
           | one calls themselves a small d democrat - just not a phrase
           | normal people use).
           | 
           | The point though, is that most people who support ending
           | police brutality know that BLM Global Network Foundation is
           | mismanaged. There are many other groups doing work to fight
           | against police brutality which have more support from people
           | involved in that movement.
        
           | plzdontcancel wrote:
        
         | rvz wrote:
         | Well, it seems this _' confusion'_ has tricked even the biggest
         | companies to not only _' show support'_ for the movement with
         | their now pointless banners, but also donate to the
         | organisation which basically failed to be held accountable for
         | the missing $60M that was spent on properties.
         | 
         | They supported both, including the _' Black Lives Matter Global
         | Network Foundation'_.
         | 
         | So they were supporting fraudsters all this time?
        
         | syshum wrote:
         | So if I claim to be neither democrat nor Democrat I am not
         | American?
        
           | joebob42 wrote:
           | I think in this instance "democrat" is being used to mean
           | "supporter of democracy".
           | 
           | I don't think you aren't an American if you aren't a
           | supporter of democracy, per se, but I do think the principle
           | is a fairly core tenet of what it is, or at least is supposed
           | to be, to be "American". I would be unsurprised if other
           | people said you were un-American for feeling this way.
        
             | syshum wrote:
             | Sorry no, democracy is not a core tenant of America... Core
             | tenant's of America's founding where Individual rights and
             | self governance.
             | 
             | The Founders took great pains to LIMIT the amount of
             | democracy in our system, because they understood the
             | problems with democracy. The house of Representatives was
             | the only democratically elected part of the government for
             | a reason. We ignored them at our own peril..
        
               | Traster wrote:
               | Yes, a core te _net_ of the USA was to limit how much
               | democracy black people, poor people and women could have.
               | It 's much worse now.... apparently.
        
               | syshum wrote:
               | Wow, you really pulled the racism card... wow..
               | 
               | You clearly have a very basic understanding of American
               | history if you believe that. It is also absurd to link
               | anything i said to slavery, once you pull that card it is
               | clear you have no logical foundation to debate my
               | statement thus all you can do is scream racism in to the
               | void in the hope that no one sees the underlying fallacy.
               | 
               | It works often so A for effort.
        
         | zdragnar wrote:
         | I don't know of any American who claims to be a democrat
         | without also claiming to be a Democrat; the terms are
         | synonymous with the political party in the US.
        
           | DoctorOW wrote:
           | While the literal term isn't used the way the parent
           | describes I believe that their comment is trying to
           | communicate "While only half of Americans describe themselves
           | as Democrats, most Americans would say they're "an advocate
           | or supporter of democracy" (the definition of a democrat).
        
             | HWR_14 wrote:
             | Thank you for clarifying my post. That is indeed what what
             | I meant.
        
           | guynamedloren wrote:
           | Perhaps they meant: Americans will all claim to be
           | democratic*
        
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       (page generated 2022-02-18 23:01 UTC)