Amazon suspends Black Lives Matter from charity platform

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Black Lives Matter has been booted from Amazon’s charity platform.

The BLM Global Network Foundation has failed to disclose where tens of millions of dollars received nearly two years ago wound up, the New York Post reports.

AmazonSmile, which contributes a portion of eligible purchases to charities and has raised more than $300 million, “had to temporarily suspend” the group today, an Amazon spokesperson told the paper.

“States have rules for non-profits, and organizations participating in AmazonSmile need to meet those rules,” the spokesperson explained. “Unfortunately this organization fell out of compliance with the rules in several states, so we’ve had to temporarily suspend them from the program until they come into compliance.”

Any funds earmarked for the BLM Global Network Foundation will be held “until they’re back in compliance,” according to the spokesperson.

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BLM’s non-profit took in more than $65 million in donations in October 2020 from Thousand Currents, a charity that provides grants to grassroots organizations, according to documents filed with the California attorney general and obtained by the Post.

Earlier this month, BLMGNF released its late federal tax filing, but revised the accounting period from a calendar year to a fiscal year.

As a result, the filing shows no contributions or grants during the reporting period from January to June 2020. The remainder of the year should show up in its next filing.

BLM has yet to divulge where the money is or went but Amazon isn’t the first to question its whereabouts.

Several states have revoked its ability to collect donations including California, where the foundation is based.

The state’s Department of Justice warned foundation leaders earlier this month that they would be “personally liable” for any delinquency fees and fines.