Illinois’ most recent budget includes a $300,000 grant to Black Lives Matter Lake County, a group that critics say appears to be mainly inactive and is led by someone who has had alleged run-ins with police.
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.
Additionally, the head of the group, Clyde McLemore, has faced charges from law enforcement, according to press reports. In February 2021, McLemore was charged with a felony count of attempted battery of a police officer and misdemeanor disorderly conduct after allegedly kicking a door at the Kenosha Courthouse.
McLemore was acquitted of the felony battery charge but convicted of the disorderly conduct charge.
In another incident, after becoming disruptive at a Waukegan City Council meeting while out on bond for his 2021 charges, he was charged with criminal trespass in October 2022 after refusing to leave. This triggered a felony bail jumping charge for allegedly violating conditions of his bond.
It’s important to note that citizens are presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law.
Illinois is facing a debt crisis thanks to exploding pension liabilities, and it could find plenty of better uses for its money than funding questionable organizations.
The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com
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