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  • 2021-04-19 (xsd:date)
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  • Foot Locker did not donate $200 million to Black Lives Matter (en)
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  • A Minnesota Foot Locker store was among a number of businesses destroyed during recent protests against police brutality following the April 11 fatal shooting of Daunte Wright by police. Now, a Facebook post suggests there is irony in what happened at the footwear store: Foot Locker donated 200 million dollars to BLM. Their stores in Minneapolis got looted last night... by... BLM, reads a post shared April 12. The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. ( Read more about our partnership with Facebook. ) The post is inaccurate. A protest over Wright's death in Brooklyn Center north of Minneapolis intensified the night of April 11 when police clashed with the crowd and used flash bangs and tear gas on the assembly. Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said during a press conference that several businesses were broken into and had merchandise stolen. The Star Tribune reported a Foot Locker at Shingle Creek Crossing mall was among 20 businesses that were completely destroyed.. But there isn’t evidence that Foot Locker has given money to Black Lives Matter. The retailer did make a significant pledge to efforts to combat racism and injustice, but Black Lives Matter was not one of its recipients. After the June 2020 protests over the police killing of George Floyd, Foot Locker announced its Leading Education and Economic Development initiative, saying it would devote $200 million over the course of five years to fight racial inequality and injustice and enhance the lives of the Black community, according to a company spokesman. The commitment is to many communities and organizations, not to one nonprofit or group, the spokesman said. None of the money that has been used since the pledge was made has gone to Black Lives Matter. A search of Black Lives Matter’s recent tax filings does not show Foot Locker as a donor. Tensions have been high in the Minneapolis area, as Wright’s fatal shooting by a police officer came amid the trial of former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with murder in Floyd’s death. We reached out to Brooklyn Center Police regarding arrests stemming from the protests, but did not hear back. While law enforcement has made numerous arrests associated with nightly demonstrations since April 11, it is not clear whether any were associated with the Foot Locker incident. Our ruling A Facebook post claimed that Foot Locker made a $200 million donation to Black Lives Matter and that one of their stores in Minneapolis was burgled by Black Lives Matter members. The posts confuse a $200 million pledge the company made after the George Floyd protests to fight racial inequality and uplift the Black community. While a Foot Locker in Brooklyn Center, which is north of Minneapolis, was broken into and had its merchandise stolen, we do not have details on any associated arrests. We rate this claim False. (en)
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