BLM Detroit is a left-of-center, critical race theory-oriented activist group based in Detroit, Michigan that supports what it calls “Black liberation.” ¹ The group is a financially sponsored project of Allied Media Projects, a critical race theory-aligned umbrella network of media organizations based or active in Detroit, Michigan. ² As an adherent to the Black Lives Matter “Global Guiding principles,” BLM Detroit opposes the American penal system and envisions a future “ fully divested from police, prisons, and all punishment.” ^{3 4}

BLM Detroit announced its support for the Palestinians following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack against Israel. ⁵

Initiatives and Activities

BLM Detroit has several initiatives to accomplish its left-wing objectives related to Black liberation from alleged oppression. Since 2016, BLM Detroit has partnered with the Detroit Safety Team for its Safety campaign, an effort to replace what it says is an “inherently and intentionally biased, racist, and anti-Black” policing system with “non-punitive, non-carceral, transformative systems of safety.” ⁶

Beginning on Juneteenth 2023, BLM Detroit launched a virtual “KNOW YOUR RIGHTS” event series that taught on the topics of white supremacy, slavery, law enforcement, and the history of policing from a left-wing perspective. ⁷

The Emory Douglas Youth and Family Arts Program is a BLM Detroit initiative to advance left-wing stances on race and liberation. The program is named after the director of arts for the Black Panther Party, Emory Douglas. ⁸

BLM Detroit also maintains a blog called “The Record,” which publishes opinion pieces and articles with left-of-center perspectives on race, politics, and history. ⁹

BLM Detroit has a Community Supported Agriculture Food Sovereignty program which is a collaboration with local produce suppliers to provide food to Detroit residents. BLM Detroit also donates school supplies to local schools. ¹⁰

In May 2023, BLM Detroit organized a protest and petition in support of Leandra King, a black farmer whom Detroit Law Enforcement arrested for allegedly keeping farm animals on her property without the proper permits. King’s case was pending as of August 2024. ¹¹

BLM Detroit leaders Curtis Renee and John Sloan III regularly appear on Detroit PBS to discuss topics of race and policing. ¹²

Israel-Hamas Conflict

After Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, BLM Detroit posted to social media a message of solidarity with the Palestinians and a defense of Hamas’ violence. The message read, “As a radical Black organization grounded in abolitionist ideals, we see clear parallels between Black and Palestinian people. For lasting peace to come, the entire apartheid system must be dismantled.” ¹³ BLM Detroit also used an infographic in a post that claimed that “the few Israeli ‘hostages’ are in fact Israeli soldiers and Israeli army generals who are responsible for keeping Palestinians hostage in the world’s largest open-air prison.” Another infographic alleged that criticism of Hamas was based on “disinformation.” ¹⁴

Following a pro-Palestinian protest on Wayne State University’s campus near Detroit, Michigan, BLM Detroit posted a message to Instagram in solidarity with both the students who were arrested and Palestinians. The post read, “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free,” a radical anti-Israel slogan arguing for the eradication of the state of Israel. ¹⁵

Fiscal Sponsor

BLM Detroit’s fiscal sponsor is Allied Media Projects. ¹⁶ Based in Detroit, AMP funds several initiatives inside the city and around the country, especially prioritizing technology and art organizations. ¹⁷ In 2022, Allied Media Projects reported $28,466,047 in revenue, $25,703,493 in expenses, and $44,358,582 in net assets. ¹⁸

AMP receives money from major left-of-center nonprofits like the MacArthur Foundation, which donated $300,000 in 2022 and 600,000 in 2022; The Skillman Foundation; the Mellon Foundation; and the Ford Foundation. ^{19 20 21 22}

Leadership

Curtis Renee is a co-lead organizer for BLM Detroit. She is also an editor of “The Record.” She has worked in nonprofit administration for Leaps and Bounds Family Services, Urban Leadership Specialists, Feedom Freedom Growers, and the Detroit Area Restorative Justice Center. ²³

John Sloan III is also a co-lead organizer and editor for BLM Detroit and “The Record.” ²⁴ He has a degree in musical theater from the University of Michigan. He has experience in artistic direction, nonprofit administration, acting, and music production across the greater Detroit area. ²⁵

Both Renee and Sloan are founding members and directors of the Detroit Safety Team. ²⁶

1. Home. BLM Detroit. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.blmdetroit.com/home
2. History. Allied Media Projects. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://amc.alliedmedia.org/about/history
3. Home. BLM Detroit. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.blmdetroit.com/home
4. About. Black Lives Matter. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://blacklivesmatter.com/about/
5. “Fringe-Left Groups Express Support for Hamas’s Invasion and Brutal Attacks in Israel.” Anti-Defamation League. October 14, 2023. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/fringe-left-groups-express-support-hamass-invasion-and-brutal-attacks-israel
6. Programming. BLM Detroit. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.blmdetroit.com/programming
7. Resources. BLM Detroit. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.blmdetroit.com/resources
8. Programming. BLM Detroit. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.blmdetroit.com/programming
9. Blog. BLM Detroit. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.blmdetroit.com/blog
10. Programming. BLM Detroit. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.blmdetroit.com/programming
11. Home. BLM Detroit. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.blmdetroit.com/home
12. Home. BLM Detroit. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.blmdetroit.com/home
13. Wilson, Mallory. “Black Lives Matter chapters receive backlash after posting that they stand with Palestinians.” Washington Times. October 11, 2023. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/oct/11/black-lives-matter-chapters-receive-backlash-after/
14. “Fringe-Left Groups Express Support for Hamas’s Invasion and Brutal Attacks in Israel.” Anti-Defamation League. October 14, 2023. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/fringe-left-groups-express-support-hamass-invasion-and-brutal-attacks-israel
15. @blmdetroit. Instagram. May 31, 2024. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.instagram.com/blmdetroit/p/C7pJQYZPTOx/?hl=en
16. Home. BLM Detroit. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.blmdetroit.com/home
17. Allied Media Projects Inc – 2022 Federal 990 Form. ProPublica Accessed August 18, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/10559608/202303199349319360/full
18. Allied Media Projects Inc – 2022 Federal 990 Form. ProPublica Accessed August 18, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/10559608/202303199349319360/full
19. Allied Media Projects. MacArthur Foundation. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.macfound.org/grantee/allied-media-projects-10114418/
20. Allied Media Projects, Inc. The Skillman Foundation. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.skillman.org/grant/allied-media-projects-inc-610/
21. Transitional Growth, Allied Media Projects, Inc. Mellon Foundation. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.mellon.org/grant-details/transitional-growth-20453431
22. 123568 – Allied Media Projects, Inc. Ford Foundation. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grants-database/allied-media-projects-inc-123568/
23. The Team. BLM Detroit. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.blmdetroit.com/the-team
24.  The Team. BLM Detroit. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.blmdetroit.com/the-team
25. John Sloan III. LinkedIn. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jssloan3/
26. Who We Are. Detroit Safety Team. Accessed August 18, 2024. https://www.redefinesafety.org/who-are-we