Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles (BLMLA) stands in strong support of the Black-led, community-driven approach to buy and control the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Mall through Downtown Crenshaw.

The collective approach to Black community ownership is grounded in the principles of cooperative economics, self-determination, and democracy, all principles deeply held by Black Lives Matter and fundamental to Black liberation. The Black community that has participated in Downtown Crenshaw’s organizing efforts for more than a year envisions the Crenshaw Mall as a safe and sustainable hub for Black cooperative economics, community-building, creativity, and freedom. BLMLA stands with Downtown Crenshaw in its steadfast efforts to protect historic Black Los Angeles from gentrifying forces that seek to capitalize off and profit from the Black community.

Downtown Crenshaw has submitted a viable bid for this community-driven effort to purchase the mall and utilize the property for the collective benefit of the Black community. Alongside Downtown Crenshaw, BLMLA calls on decision-makers to also take a stand and award the mall to this innovative, promising, and visionary effort and reject any offer that comes from gentrifying forces.

One of the communities greatest cultural expressions of Black creativity is the annual Pan-African Film Festival at the Crenshaw Mall. Founded by walking legends Ayuko Babu and Danny Glover, and the recently departed Janer DuBois it the world's most acclaimed Black film festivals. We are honored to have the support and to be working with Babu and the PAFF team.

Here is their letter:

Please allow this letter to serve as a commitment of our collective support for the Downtown Crenshaw plan. It has been far too long since the Crenshaw community has envisioned such a grand plan for sustainable growth. Collectively, the Pan African Film & Arts Festival is dedicated to providing any support necessary to ensure the success of Downtown Crenshaw...

We are pleased to earn the support of the National Black Contractors' Association, Young Black Contractors Association and The Inner City Community Unilateral Apprentice Committee for this historic effort to buy, stabilize and redevelop the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza:

Here is their letter of support:

Please allow this letter to serve as a commitment of our collective support for the Downtown Crenshaw plan. It has been far too long since the Crenshaw community has envisioned such a grand plan for sustainable growth. Collectively, the National Black Contractor’s Association, the Young Black Contractors Association and The Inner City Community Unilateral Apprentice Committee are dedicated to providing any support necessary to ensure the success of Downtown Crenshaw.

Backed by over $28.4 million in philanthropy (quietly raised in just 2 weeks) we submitted our bid to buy the Crenshaw Mall shattering all records and crafting a story that will be told for generations.

In just two weeks, we secured:

• $28.4 million in donations from over 120 philanthropists (to create permanent Crenshaw community ownership/equity in the mall and community support programs/investments!)
• An additional $6 million in pledges from non-extractive/community-friendly/socially responsible investors from across the country
• Another $19-37 million in strong letters of interest from philanthropists and socially responsible investors currently undergoing their due diligence to determine how much they will contribute/invest.
• And a large mission-aligned and values-aligned investment firm financially backing our bid.

The decision could come at any moment. MUST SEND A MESSAGE TO THE SELLERS NOW: http://www.downtowncrenshaw.com/petition

We have confirmed that the agreement for LivWrk to purchase our beloved Crenshaw Mall was terminated as of Friday, December 11th. The following is the official statement from Downtown Crenshaw Rising:

Niki Okuk, Downtown Crenshaw Board Chair: "This is a tremendous Black community victory and testament to the power of the people. Downtown Crenshaw stood up and defeated LivWrk-DFH Partners, an unqualified out-of-town Trump-Kushner development partner, who sought to do harm to our beloved Crenshaw. On behalf of all of the leaders of this movement, we extend a heartfelt thank you to the nearly 13,000 people who signed our petition and sent in letters, hundreds of community organizations and civic leaders who stood united, and the many activists who took to the streets, from the powerful Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles crew to the Grandmamas of Downtown Crenshaw. We have shown that when we come together to defend our community, not even the powerful business partners and close friends of the president's family can defeat us."

Damien Goodmon, Downtown Crenshaw Board Member: "The Downtown Crenshaw Rising development team of global award-winning firms backed by the best of investors looks forward to sitting down with the public pension funds to identify a win-win. Our offer remains 5% over the next most credible offer."

Our movement has made it all the way to the pages of the New York Times in an incredible article written by the talented Erin Aubry Kaplan titled: "Black Empowerment Outside the Headlines." Here is our favorite part from Erin's piece:

"Black people aspiring to normal or status quo feels out of the question. The ideal Black living space is no longer defined by the presence or absence of big companies and brand-name chains, if it ever was. The new livable space is one forged by self-determination and self-preservation in which the community has a real say and a stake — not merely an advisory role — in what gets built, and for whom. The ideal is major economic development that is also Black empowerment, two things that have been at odds in the real world for a long time.

"Mr. [Damien] Goodmon says he is betting that the momentum around antiracism — and more important, around pro-blackness — will help Downtown Crenshaw Rising prevail, and to establish in Crenshaw a new normal of agency and prosperity. That’s exactly what Black people here have wanted for the last 30 years. We just didn’t know what it looked like."

Read the whole article.

With over 13,250 signatures signed, including over 300 community organizations, business, civil rights, neighborhood council, block club and homeowners association leaders, over 1,000 members signed up in less than 2 months, and with a capable and competent development team and financial partners by our side, some of our elected officials and candidates for office are speaking out for community-ownership of our Crenshaw Mall and against this blatant attempt by the Trump-Kushner-CIM trio to steal it from our community through LivWrk. In the past few days several our elected officials and candidates for office have spoken out in support of our incredible effort.

State Senator Holly Mitchell, LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, LA City Council President Emeritus Herb Wesson, Jr., LA City Councilmember Robert Farrell (Ret.), Culver City Councilmember Daniel Lee, LA City Council District 10 Candidate Grace Yoo, and LA Community College District 1 Candidate Tori Bailey have add their voices to the chorus. If we stand united, we can claim our #40AcresAndAMall

The following statement is released on behalf of Downtown Crenshaw in response to the breaking news that New York City-based real estate company LivWork, who is in multiple business dealings with Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and CIM Group, has entered an agreement to purchase the Crenshaw Mall.

In short, the mall has not yet been sold and we will continue to organize and strategize to buy our Crenshaw Mall, stabilize it and redevelop it into a 21st century sustainable urban village, known as Downtown Crenshaw.

Despite their best attempts to thwart us, Downtown Crenshaw submitted an incredible and competitive bid to buy the Crenshaw Mall on behalf of the community.

Black Community Beats Back Trump-Backed Real Estate Goliath in an Epic Fight over the Black Community's Historic Crenshaw Mall