Who is Damon Turner? Father of Patrisse Cullors' baby became 'Black Lives Matter' vendor thanks to BLM co-founder
Co-founder of Black Lives Matter, Patrisse Cullors, has reportedly funneled business projects to a company run by the father of her only child. A Daily Caller News Foundation review of business records, interviews, and social media posts has revealed that Patrisse Cullors helped Damon Turner’s Trap Heals -- an organization set up just days before partnering with Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation.
The Los Angeles based company, which is building equity for communities of color to sustain themselves, by investing in cultural and economic infrastructure, also eventually turned into the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation’s “lead developer of the art & cultural efforts,” as per the business records, interviews and an archived version of Trap Heals’ website.
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According to campaign finance records, Cullors also reportedly allowed two other activist groups to give Trap Heals a total of $238,000 to make an election night live stream and for "consulting services".
But neither Cullors or Turner mentioned that they had a child together, and the potential conflict of interest this presented, in even a single document. Laurie Styron, the executive director of the watchdog group CharityWatch, condemned this.
She told the Daily Caller News Foundation: “To maintain public trust, it is vital that leaders not only avoid any impropriety in practice, but also avoid the appearance of it. In other words, even if the consultant or vendor hired is the best one for the job, if that vendor has a personal relationship with the leader who hired them, additional steps should be taken to prove to the public that this arrangement is in the best interest of the charity and was made at arm’s length.”
This new revelation came a month after The New York Post reported that Cullors went on a multi-million dollar real estate spending spree. The 37-year-old reportedly bought a home worth $1.4 million near Malibu in Los Angeles that has “soaring ceilings, skylights and plenty of windows” with canyon views. She also bought two other properties in recent years in Los Angeles, aside from paying $415,000 on a 3.2-acre property in Georgia.
At the time, Hawk Newsome, the head of Black Lives Matter Greater New York City, which is not affiliated with Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, commented: “If you go around calling yourself a socialist, you have to ask how much of her own personal money is going to charitable causes. It’s really sad because it makes people doubt the validity of the movement and overlook the fact that it’s the people that carry this movement.”
Who is Damon Turner?
According to Turner’s website, he is “building the change he wants to see through music, tech, art and culture.” It also states, “As an artist, Damon Turner has released three independent projects: Timeless Music, The REALese Vol. 1, and Young Life Crisis. Damon's next body of work, The Declaration: Rough Draft, is slated to be released summer of 2016."
The laudatory writeup reveals: "The first single is GOD, a powerful anthem of self-determination. As an entrepreneur, Damon has invested the last seven years building the brand G.R.E.E.D.Y City (GC), a lifestyle, marketing, and entertainment platform. GC is committed to partnering with innovative projects that include, but are not limited to, social movements, tech start ups, NGOs, and apparel.”
“As a cultural architect, Damon uses his voice to inspire others to challenge norms; in order to build new systems that celebrate and uplift the most marginalized in society. As a dynamic and powerful speaker, Damon has been called upon to share his message globally: from the streets of South Central Los Angeles to the campuses of USC, Columbia University, and Oxford University to name a few,” it adds.
On his LinkedIn page, Turner has written: “I am a passionate father, performance artist, speaker and cultural architect!”