BTW: Shaun King is launching ANOTHER Something Something Justice Something. And it’s the MOST IMPORTANT WORK OF HIS LIFE.
Not to be confused w/ @RealJusticePAC, or @FlipTheSenate, or Justice Together (wait, he shut that down), or Action PAC, or @grassroots_law or...
*turns page*
Not to be confused w/ @RealJusticePAC, or @FlipTheSenate, or Justice Together (wait, he shut that down), or Action PAC, or @grassroots_law or...
*turns page*
Soooo many times when folks see me criticize Shaun King (like I haven't been saying the same thing for 5 years) it's "What's the problem with him?" "But he's doing good work" 🙄 Some variation of "Y'all hatin."
(con't)
(con't)
My issue with Shaun actually has nothing to do with family gofundme's. He hasn't been the beneficiary for one directly since that initial Tamir Rice fund the family sued him over. But his orgs sometimes are.. that's another thread, though.
My thing is his serial launch habit.
My thing is his serial launch habit.
Since he got out of COLLEGE, King's claim to fame has been launching fundraisers and orgs for "good," and new initiatives and grand plans he's going to lead...that don't happen.
I figure... y'all can see for yourself. And not through a bunch of links and articles (bc so many people have compiled those threads already), but just his own messaging. With a little context, but no personal opinion. Just... watch the pattern.
Starting with his bios. Until about 2015, these were his main talking points wherever you found profiles on him. Already a pattern.
2009 - Plumpy Nut fundraiser while a pastor at Courageous Church. (The blog post on the left is from his SIL)
2011 - 7 Mountains, 7 Continents, 1 Broken Man. Shaun's FIRST round of fundraising for mountain climbing school so he can hit his goal of climbing the peak mountains on all 7 continents.
And asking for airline miles so his family can come.
And asking for airline miles so his family can come.
He says he stayed in mountain climbing school 4 days and went home. His fundraising goal was 25K.
But his take on failure, which that mountain climbing story sets up in his book, is enlightening, all things considered.
There's a Home for Haiti organization somewhere around 2010, but I can only really find anecdotal + tax form stuff on that and the point is to keep this simple. Moving on...
Nov 2, 2010: Announcement of support for a girl named Miselene (I know this says MiRelene) in Haiti. Note the highlights (not mine) that say costs are covered.
November 5, 2010: They need to raise 25K for Mirelene urgently. Fed ex your money straight to the church. TYSM.
November 2010, Shaun launches a 100 Life Goals Sermon Series at Courageous Church
2013, Shaun launches a kickstarter to turn 100 Life Goals into a book, and launches Life Goals University aka LGU
Jan 2014 - LGU spaces sell out in a month
June 2014- Shaun writes from Africa, where he and his family have relocated, to apologize for not actually uploading any LGU content. And also couldn't figure out how to change how people pay... or something? so they're just gonna move back to the states. From Africa. Done.
July 2014 - Shaun's back! (That was quick) and relaunching LGU. But now for a flat monthly rate instead of all that tiered stuff before.
2014 - the kickstarter for the book, though? Looking rough....
2015 - King launches revised book concept as The Power of 100! Except... it's with Simon & Schuster? So not self-published? So.... Nevmd.
I still don't know if everyone in the kickstarter got their money and/or materials. I think some people still tweet that they didn't. And listen, kickstarters are sometimes overambitious with timing. The issue - as is frequently - was lack of communication and transparency.
....still selling them LGU spots, though!
Back to 2014... I don't even know what this was for, I'm just illustrating consistency in messaging.
2013 (maybe 2012) - 2014 - King is co-founder and head of a crowdfunding platform called Hopemob.
Yeah, 2012.
And there were some questions about raised funds here, too.
And there were some questions about raised funds here, too.
2014 - Under the Hopemob umbrella, King launches a social media company? Platform? App? Something.. called Upfront.
Upfront don't make it.
Upfront don't make it.
So in 2014, Shaun has...
Hopemob
Upfront
Life Goals University
Is at some point in Africa
Is writing a book
Hopemob
Upfront
Life Goals University
Is at some point in Africa
Is writing a book
In 2015, King launches #JusticeTogether, with a real board, with some big names, and a mission and all that good sh*t.
#JusticeTogether was going left before it even launched officially. Regardless of what Shaun says NOW, the reason he and Deray fell out was bc Shaun went on the defensive @ JT ops and $$.
Members banned together and wrote an open letter about the situation. Find it with #JT30
Members banned together and wrote an open letter about the situation. Find it with #JT30
Shaun apologized for publicly coming at Deray and Nettaa, and privately promised not to organize anymore, just continue to amplify and report, which he does well. (That one you'll have to decide if you believe; I don't have hard proof, but EYE believe it).
Wait, I almost forgot. BEFORE he launched #JusticeTogether, he launched #JusticeThatsAll in 2014. SAME PATTERN he repeated in 15, but the fallout was quieter. People connected the dots in late 15. This is why he promised to stop launching sh*t.
He scrubs his tweets, he goes to the Daily News as their Justice reporter, gets in a couple of plagiarism scruffs that he manages to dodge, goes to Harvard to be a writer-in-residence for a social justice project they have.
But...he's not important enough as a writer (my own take), so... BACK TO FOUNDING THINGS!
Oh, I almost forgot - in 2015 he ALSO kicked off a campaign to launch a digital publication based on Ida B Well's #TheRedRecord.... Sounds very familiar, yes?
Yeah..that didn't happen.
Oh, I almost forgot - in 2015 he ALSO kicked off a campaign to launch a digital publication based on Ida B Well's #TheRedRecord.... Sounds very familiar, yes?
Yeah..that didn't happen.
So, 2016, back to organizing!
King announces #TheInjusticeBoycott. So far as I can tell, it never got to a phase two. There weren't even really clear directives on what it was going to be besides the target cities they were starting in (keep that in mind).
King announces #TheInjusticeBoycott. So far as I can tell, it never got to a phase two. There weren't even really clear directives on what it was going to be besides the target cities they were starting in (keep that in mind).
2017, we're all a fcking mess during the first year of Trump's administration because he started in with the nonsense straight away.
In 2018, Shaun announces ANOTHER launch...
The North Star
In 2018, Shaun announces ANOTHER launch...
The North Star
Also in 2018, he announces that he's cofounder of a new PAC focused on electing prosecutors: The Real Justice PAC.
Now, the messaging turns up.
Now, the messaging turns up.
So from 2018 until now, it's been an endless barrage of emails and posts and updates that are all the MOST important, and the MOST consequential... and all want money.
Yes, of course, orgs require funding. We all know that. But have you seen this thread? EVERY. SINGLE. VENTURE. CROWDFUNDED.
Ain't not a business plan or a prospectus or a board (save #JusticeTogether) or fiscal officers to be seen.
Ain't not a business plan or a prospectus or a board (save #JusticeTogether) or fiscal officers to be seen.
And he's VERY VERY good at knowing just what words to use for calls to action, what amounts to ask for, all that. Remember, the man co-founded a crowd funding site.
Latter 2019, time for a 2nd round of North Star fundraising.
Also, he found a really great space in Brooklyn for the Action Pac and need money for the deposit and furnit - oh, wait, did I mention there was another PAC?
Also, he found a really great space in Brooklyn for the Action Pac and need money for the deposit and furnit - oh, wait, did I mention there was another PAC?
Right, so there's another PAC PLUS now there's also Flip the Senate......
...and he really needs this office space in Brooklyn guys. For his birthday, please?
It's also for The Breakdown podcast... and events and stuff.
It's also for The Breakdown podcast... and events and stuff.
Although I feel like the pod was supposed to be part of these state of the art facilities in Atlanta for the North Star that people were giving their coins to?
Now, last year, Shaun released his financial... report? Whatever you want to call it. I said then, the question wasn't about what he was pocketing directly. It was whether any of this money - not for the families - was being used responsibly.
Deray released a more in depth and comprehensive version of everything in this thread that I know a lot of y'all probably ain't read, but it was all there - plus more context - to ask the same question.
Shaun's own wife hopped on his twitter and said he just gets in too deep.
Shaun's own wife hopped on his twitter and said he just gets in too deep.
So now, when the North Star has shut down those Atlanta facilities, laid off most of the staff, and not really fulfilled the promises to founding members, and he uses the same "I was overzealous" excuse?
He's playing with Y'ALLs money! Not his! It is a complete breach of trust
He's playing with Y'ALLs money! Not his! It is a complete breach of trust
And yet.... the asks keep coming. In more blatant and tasteless ways.
Earlier this year, right before shut down, King sent an email that he delayed promo for his new book because he was trying to help save Nate Woods from execution - so he really needed you to preorder.
Earlier this year, right before shut down, King sent an email that he delayed promo for his new book because he was trying to help save Nate Woods from execution - so he really needed you to preorder.
And right at the top of the COVID crisis he sent the most IMPORTANT, CONSEQUENTIAL email he's ever sent...to ask "all 17,000" recipients to donate at least $5 monthly to The Breakdown...to cover stuff that was supposed to be covered in The North Star membership.
And then of course once the 'rona hit.... he needed money to pay his 14 staff members.
Don't forget he does still need that money for The Breakdown, though. You can even call him. he's giving you his personal cell (but don't share it - only the 17K people cc'd on this eblast have it!)
(April)
(April)
...and then there's still been asks from The Action Pac, the Grassroots Law Project (and the fundraisers many of you have been giving to, like #RunForAhmaud, that are under the Grassroots Law Project), and who knows what else is in everybody's inbox...
And that is WHY, ladies, gentlemen and non-binary/non-conforming, when THIS bulls*t dropped today, with very little clarity on plan, direction, etc. Soooooo many of us rolled our eyes.
I implore you, do not give this man - or anything he's part of - your money.
I implore you, do not give this man - or anything he's part of - your money.
There is always another org - LOCALLY - who's doing the same work. Find it. Donate to them. Know that your money will be part of a focused and truly organized effort. He may *not* be a fraud, but he 100% is not a good steward!
King has me blocked, but I won’t be surprised if somewhere he points me out for “attacking him.” There is one thing in this entire thread that is my OPINION, and I said so. One thing I don’t have hard proof of, and I said so. So do what that what you will.
The last thing I’ll say is, with the volume of posts King does per day on EVERY platform, his penchant for 5000K medium posts, and his schedule of emails -and he *def* writes all that sh*t himself, plus all the web copy for the various sites, probably. THAT’S def ALL his time.
I can say that confidently bc I also have the issue of not letting anyone else write in my voice. But for The North Star & the orgs, there’s no reason there can’t be a “corporate” voice for the email lists. He can’t let go. And that work is important - it’s not the LEADER’S work.
And this is really central to the issue with King, for me at least, full, actual, voluntary transparency, an actual plan of action + a timeline + checks and balances and points of measurement along the way.
Not 10K word Medium posts in defense when pressed
Not 10K word Medium posts in defense when pressed
We have a late entry! 2018 - The American Black Cross
This one I missed bc technically it’s Lee Merritt’s, but King was his parter (they are usually partners). I also think King writes all Merritt’s posts... they’re the same overexplaining, non-explaining style.
This one I missed bc technically it’s Lee Merritt’s, but King was his parter (they are usually partners). I also think King writes all Merritt’s posts... they’re the same overexplaining, non-explaining style.
This is the part, though:
“We started an organization with no plan to start an organization. Bylaws, leadership, structure, strategy was nonexistsnt.... The American Black Cross ALREADY EXISTED AS A NON PROFIT... we have no right to the name.”
“We started an organization with no plan to start an organization. Bylaws, leadership, structure, strategy was nonexistsnt.... The American Black Cross ALREADY EXISTED AS A NON PROFIT... we have no right to the name.”
Again, a pattern. Overeager & sloppy
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