Did a BLM RI founder endorse Trump? There’s more to the story

BLM RI’s president says Mark Fisher was fired from the group and never had a role in its founding.

A man once affiliated with the local Black Lives Matter RI group has gained national media attention for his endorsement of Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential race, but local advocates are calling into question his credentials.

This week, headlines circulated from national media proclaiming that Mark Fisher, a “leader” of BLM RI, had thrown his support behind Trump.

But while the national news media described Fisher as a “leader” of Black Lives Matter and “co-founder” of Black Lives Matter RI, the group’s current head, Gary Dantzler, disputes those claims, saying Fisher only worked as an advocate.

Local BLM RI group says Fisher was not a ‘co-founder’

Dantzler, who is the head of BLM RI and registered the group as a nonprofit with the IRS in 2021, said Fisher was not a co-founder but, starting that year, worked for a matter of months as an advocate.

“Mark Fisher stated he was one of the co-founders of BLM,” Dantzler said. “Absolutely not. He was a respected advocate for BLM. That’s it. And he was paid and somewhere he got fired and demoted.”

Currently, there is no Rhode Island-based Black Lives Matter group in the IRS’ nonprofit database with Fisher listed. However, Fisher was listed as a director in BLM RI’s articles of incorporation with the state in 2020. A 2022 annual report shows his name was removed that year.

In late October, Fisher tweeted an undated photo of himself within a group of people wearing BLM RI T-shirts. Dantzler is shown on the far left of the image. Dantzler did not immediately comment on the picture.

What made the headlines? A nearly month-old interview and a Fox News appearance.

On Nov. 6, Fisher appeared on the “Kim Iversen Show” and expressed his support for Trump. The show, posted on YouTube and video platform Rumble, is run by Kim Iversen, who was fired in 2022 from The Hill’s “Rising” web show. Iversen is a COVID-19 vaccine skeptic, has called Jan. 6 insurrectionists oppressed “political prisoners,” and has said Ukraine shouldn’t fight back against Russia’s ongoing onslaught.

“I like Trump personally,” Fisher said on the show. “And I think right now who we have sitting in the Oval Office is just a deep disappointment. I deeply have disdain for him, and I really dislike the vice president as well.”

Fisher also defended those who were involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

On Nov. 28, Fisher was welcomed onto “FOX & Friends” where he reiterated his views. Both Iversen’s show and Fox referred to Fisher as a “BLM leader.” Fox also titled him as a “co-founder” of BLM RI.

Fisher did not immediately respond to an inquiry from The Providence Journal.

Prominent local PAC issues clarification about Fisher, BLM RI

Friction has historically lingered between BLM RI and BLM RI PAC, the Black Lives Matter Rhode Island Political Action Committee, which is a separate entity with different membership. The PAC has a visible social media presence and routinely sends out press releases, though Dantzler said it is “unfair” that people associate BLM with the PAC after “the work I put in through the years” on his own organization.

On Wednesday, the PAC released a statement to officially disassociate itself from Fisher, stating he “is not and has never been affiliated with our organization.”

“The views expressed by Mr. Fisher in the referenced Fox News segment do not reflect the values or beliefs of BLM RI PAC,” the group said. “We would like to emphasize that Mark Fisher claims association with Black Lives Matter Rhode Island, a non profit organization. Any statements or actions attributed to him should not be conflated with our organization.”

Dantzler denounces Fisher’s Trump endorsement

Dantzler said he is “really disgusted” by Fisher’s endorsement of Trump, and accused Fisher of “trying to hijack the BLM movement of RI.”

Though BLM RI does not engage much with local media, Dantzler said it still holds office space on Main Street in Pawtucket and has been working with the Department of Labor and Training on workforce development initiatives. Dantzler said the organization was also conducting COVID-19 testing as recently as three months ago.