Although plagued by high crime rates, excessive taxation, and hemorrhaging citizens in favor of red states, Illinois seems to have enough money available to allocate $300,000 to a totally inactive BLM organization.
A recent analysis by Wirepoints using Internal Revenue Service migration data reveals the significant outflow from the state.
This happens at a time when Chicago’s public pension system is in a critical situation.
As per a report by Equable Institute, the public pension systems in Chicago, encompassing municipal, laborers, police, fire, and the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund, carry a greater amount of debt compared to 44 states combined.
The total pension debt stands at approximately $48 billion.
Still, lawmakers deemed it appropriate to allocate a $300,000 grant to Black Lives Matter Lake County during a time when critics argue the group seems largely inactive.
Additionally, the leader of the group is alleged to have had run-ins with the police, raising more concerns about the decision.
As reported by Real Clear Investigations:
An investigation from Breakthrough Ideas, a policy advocacy and education organization, discovered the $300,000 grant in the 2024 Illinois budget.
This is not the first grant to go to BLM Lake County. The 2023 Illinois budget included $250,000 to BLM Lake County, and another $125,000. Funds for both came from the American Rescue Plan Act, a pandemic era program that sent large sums of money to states and municipalities with broad discretion on how to use it.
Aside from concerns about government funding political activist groups, critics say that the BLM Lake County doesn’t appear to be an active organization anymore.
Breakthrough Ideas found little social media activity from them, and no physical presence in the community, despite opening an office in Lake County in 2020.
The landlord of this property allegedly filed a commercial eviction notice against them in 2022. The status of that notice is unknown.
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