While Melina Abduallah is a co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter, that does not mean she always gets along with the rest of the organization.
While Abduallah is a co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter, she has not always got along with the rest of the organization.
In 2022, Abdullah sued Shalomyah Bowers, an executive at the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF). She alleged that Bowers had been using the organization as his "personal piggy bank" and had paid over $10 million to his consulting firm using non-profit funds.
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Abdullah said at a press conference at the time that "the assets that we built, the financial resources, the social media platforms and the name ‘Black Lives Matter’ have been taken from us and are under the control of consultants."
BLMGNF's board of directors denied the allegations in a lengthy statement prior to hearings in the case.
"Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) is here to give light and fight for Black liberation," the statement said in part. "Make no mistake, the allegations of Melina Abdullah and BLM Grassroots (BLMGR) are false. They are slanderous and devoid of reality."
Abdullah's lawsuit was ultimately dismissed, and she was ordered to pay more than $100,000 in legal fees to Bowers.
Abdullah has repeatedly and emphatically praised Minister Louis Farrakhan throughout his years of anti-American and antisemitic controversies.
A brief review of Abdullah's personal account on X shows that she has praised and quoted the Nation of Islam leader for years, going back nearly a decade to 2015.
"Humbled, overwhelmed, and profoundly grateful 2 share space with @louisfarrakhan #JusticeOrElse," she wrote in June 2015 alongside a picture of the minister.
Her appreciation for Farrakhan remained consistent for the next several years, with her defending him on social media in 2019.
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"We should all be outraged by the banning of Minister @LouisFarrakhan from Instagram and Facebook. Loving Black people and wanting freedom and self-determination for us does not constitute ‘Black supremacy.’ In a country built on our backs there can be no 'Black supremacy,'" she wrote at the time.
Melina Abdullah was the victim of at least one "swatting" incident in 2020. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Police Department sent officers to Abdullah's home during the heat of George Floyd protests in August 2020 after receiving a hoax phone call.
The LAPD said they received a call claiming there were three hostages being held inside Abdullah's home. The practice of calling in fake 911 calls is known as "swatting," a serious crime that has gained prevalence in recent years.
"After the officers were able to verify the safety of the residents, the on-scene investigation determined the call was a hoax," the LAPD said in a statement at the time.
Abdullah rejected the explanation from police, however, claiming in a video that police were trying to "throw me off my game."
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"Dozens and dozens of police, LAPD and others, showed up at my house this morning, guns drawn, assault rifles drawn, really terrorizing me and my children. We're OK," Abdullah said at the time.
"I don't ever believe the words of the police," she continued. "You shouldn't either."
Fox News' Evie Fordham contributed to this report
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.
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