Fact check: Missing context in claim about Black Lives Matter co-founder’s property purchases

The claim: Luxury home purchases linked to Black Lives Matter role for organization co-founder.

Real estate purchased by a co-founder of Black Lives Matter was put under the spotlight this month after the New York Post reported on what it called a “buying spree” Patrisse Khan-Cullors started in 2016.

Three of those properties were in the Los Angeles area, and one was in suburban Atlanta, according to the Post. Public records searches by USA TODAY found Khan-Cullors linked to all three of those properties.

The New York Post story links back to the real estate blog Dirt for information about the purchase of a fourth property. The blog reported that Khan-Cullors purchased the home in Los Angeles’ Topanga Canyon for $1.4 million on March 30 through a limited liability company.

USA TODAY was unable to verify the Topanga Canyon property purchase.

Were purchases connected to BLM?

The core question here is whether Khan-Cullors’ purchases are linked to her BLM role, as the post implies.

For this claim, as any other we fact check, the burden of proof is on the speaker. The post provided no proof of such a connection, the author did not respond…

Khan-Cullors pointed out the myriad jobs she has held. She has two book deals, including authorship of a New York Times best-selling memoir. The Los Angeles Times reported last year Khan-Cullors signed a production deal with Warner Brothers “to develop scripted dramas and comedies, docuseries and animated programming for children, young adults and families.”

Khan-Cullors also noted that she is a public speaker, owns a gallery, has a deal with YouTube and teaches at a private liberal arts college in Arizona.

Our rating: Missing context

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