Black Lives Matter – Phoenix Metro was forced to postpone its First Annual Juneteenth fundraiser last week due to a lack of “capacity or momentum behind this event to put- -it on this year.”
“Hey BLM family! Deepest regrets but our Juneteenth event is postponed we’ll keep you all updated on the new date. Juneteenth is a very important holiday that should be taken seriously and celebrated. We unfortunately did not have the capacity or momentum behind this event to put- -it on this year. We were hoping for this to be an awesome event. Stay tuned for our next big celebration,” tweeted the group.
The tweet earned one retweet, one like, and three retweets. The retweets were mostly from what appeared to be conservative Twitter accounts mocking the group for its failure to launch.
The event was billed as a fundraiser “for the operating costs of BLM.”
“By attending this event you will help support the advocacy program which offers direct support to community members in the valley,” according to the Eventbrite description. “Proceeds from this event will go towards black liberation and organizing. Our community has been continually murdered and victimized by police violence and your donations will help us support families with legal, relocation and counseling support.”
The cancellation of the event was first exposed by freelance journalist Drew Hernandez:
Juneteenth is so important that BLM PHX couldn’t get enough people out to celebrate it so they had to cancel it 🤡 pic.twitter.com/jRWY2qJ5Yx
— Drew Hernandez (@DrewHLive) June 19, 2022
The event was to be held at the Monarch Theater, which organizers describe as a “Black owned space,” and would have featured “some super dope local Black artists.”
Ticket Level Description (from Eventbrite):
This is a fundraiser and we hope to collect an abundant amount to support our local organizing work on the ground.
Solidarity Ticket – $25 This ticket is for low income and directly impacted BIPOC community members. There will be a limited amount of tickets at this price available.
General Admission – $50 This ticket is for folks who have steady income and can support our work. The purchase of a $50 ticket donation will receive a swag bag, limited edition BLM shirt and 1 raffle ticket.
Supporter – $100 Donations of $100 will receive a swag bag, limited edition BLM shirt, 2 raffle tickets.
Trailblazer – $200 Donations of more than $200 will receive a swag bag, limited edition BLM shirt, and 5 raffle tickets.
According to the Eventbrite page, 13 people were interested in going.
Several outlets have reported that support for Black Lives Matter has dropped significantly over the years. The organization that dominated 2020 with its neo-Marxist, social justice agenda has dropped from an approval rating of 24 percent to 2 percent, a 92 percent drop. Several media outlets report that BLM’s approval hasn’t been this low since August of 2018, meaning virtually all of the gains made by the movement during 2020 have been erased.