How did Shaun King get from respected activist to being ridiculed as an imposter?
While starting as an advocate for those in need, over the years King has spurred a laundry list of controversies that experts say not only tarnished his name and made him the subject of social media ridicule, but harmed the communities he professes to protect.
“There was a time when he did good work, calling attention to racial violence with a clarity and efficiency no one else could — but lately it appears that he has gone astray and perhaps, the fame, money or other things have infected his moral compass or clarity,” associate law professor T. Anansi Wilson said.
The most recent example came in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. Judith and Natalie Raanan were visiting family in southern Israel when Hamas launched a surprise attack that killed 1,400 people; Hamas also took 200 hostages. The Ranaans were the first hostages released by Hamas since the attack, and have since been welcomed home by residents of their hometown in Evanston, Ill.
King claimed to have been part of a group that helped negotiate the Ranaans’ release. The family initially disputed this claim but later acknowledged King had been in contact with one family member.
However, the incident re-surfaced previous allegations of deceit and fraud by King. He has been called out for using activism for personal gain for years, according to other activists and citizen journalists, and has been embroiled in online conflicts with people who have called him out for his behavior.
King did not respond to a request from Reckon seeking comment for this story by time of publication.
He went back and forth about the situation with the Ranaans in order to justify his claims. “I did not reach out to this family. They reached out to me and said they were supporters of me, my work, and protested against police violence,” King said in an Instagram post Oct. 22.
In the past, he has even taken legal action against those who oppose him…
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