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Investigation: Illinois Gives $300,000 to an Apparently Inactive BLM Group

By Adam Andrzejewski

Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?

Investigation by Adam Andrzejewski originally published by RealClearInvestigations.com and RealClearWire.com

Illinois’ most recent budget includes a $300,000 grant to Black Lives Matter Lake County, a group that critics say appears to be mainly inactive and is led by someone who has had alleged run-ins with police.

An investigation from Breakthrough Ideas, a policy advocacy and education organization, discovered the $300,000 grant in the 2024 Illinois budget.

This is not the first grant to go to BLM Lake County. The 2023 Illinois budget included $250,000 to BLM Lake County, and another $125,000. Funds for both came from the American Rescue Plan Act, a pandemic era program that sent large sums of money to states and municipalities with broad discretion on how to use it.

Aside from concerns about government funding political activist groups, critics say that the BLM Lake County doesn’t appear to be an active organization anymore. Breakthrough Ideas found little social media activity from them, and no physical presence in the community, despite opening an office in Lake County in 2020. The landlord of this property allegedly filed a commercial eviction notice against them in 2022. The status of that notice is unknown.

Additionally, the head of the group, Clyde McLemore, has faced charges from law enforcement, according to press reports. In February 2021, McLemore was charged with a felony count of attempted battery of a police officer and misdemeanor disorderly conduct after allegedly kicking a door at the Kenosha Courthouse.

McLemore was acquitted of the felony battery charge but convicted of the disorderly conduct charge.

In another incident, after becoming disruptive at a Waukegan City Council meeting while out on bond for his 2021 charges, he was charged with criminal trespass in October 2022 after refusing to leave. This triggered a felony bail jumping charge for allegedly violating conditions of his bond.

It’s important to note that citizens are presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law.

Illinois is facing a debt crisis thanks to exploding pension liabilities, and it could find plenty of better uses for its money than funding questionable organizations.
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By Adam Andrzejewski – The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com

This article was originally published by RealClearInvestigations and made available via RealClearWire.

Deneen Borelli

Deneen Borelli is the author of Blacklash: How Obama and the Left are Driving Americans to the Government Plantation. Deneen is a contributor with Newsmax Broadcasting. She is a former Fox News contributor and has appeared regularly on “Hannity,” “Fox & Friends,” “Your World with Neil Cavuto,” and “America’s Newsroom.” She has also appeared on Fox Business Network programs “Making Money with Charles Payne,” “The Evening Edit with Liz MacDonald,” and “Cavuto: Coast to Coast.” Previously, Deneen appeared on MSNBC, CNN, the BBC and C-SPAN. In addition to television, Deneen co-hosted radio programs on the SiriusXM Patriot channel with her husband Tom. Recently, Deneen co-hosted the Reigniting Liberty podcast with Tom. Deneen is a frequent speaker at political events, including the FreedomWorks 9.12.2009 March on D.C. which drew a crowd estimated at over 800,000 people. Deneen is also an Ambassador with CloutHub.com, a social media platform that promotes free speech, and with the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) which advances policies that put Americans first. Deneen testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources in May 2011 and before the Ohio House Public Utilities Committee in December 2011. Previously, Deneen was a BlazeTV.com host, Outreach Director with FreedomWorks.org overseeing its Empower.org outreach program, a Project 21 Senior Fellow, and Manager of Media Relations with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). Prior to joining CORE, Deneen worked at Philip Morris USA for 20 years. During her corporate career at Philip Morris she worked in various positions, her last as Project Management Coordinator in the Information Management department where she was responsible for the department’s mandated quality processes, communications, sales information and database management. Deneen began her Philip Morris career as a secretary and advanced to positions of increasing responsibilities. Deneen worked full-time and attended classes at night for 11 years to earn her B.A. in Managerial Marketing from Pace University, New York City. Deneen served on the Board of Trustees with The Opportunity Charter School in Harlem, New York. She appeared in educational videos for children, worked as a runway fashion model, and auditioned for television commercials. Her interests include ancient history, pistol target shooting, photography, and volunteering at her church. Deneen currently resides in Connecticut with her husband Tom.

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