As both artists and activists called for his ouster, billionaire Tom Gores officially stepped down from the Los Angeles County Museum of Artâs board of trustees on Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Gores, owner of the Detroit Pistons and CEO of Platinum Equity, has been under fire for his companyâs acquisition of the prison telecom company Securus Technologies, which has been accused of charging inmates exorbitant rates to make phone calls. On September 9, prison reform advocacy group Worth Rises and racial justice organization Color of Change sent a letter to LACMA director Michael Govan and the museumâs board co-chairs demanding that Gores be removed from his seat on the museumâs board. The letter slammed Gores for his âactive participation in the prison industry and deliberate exploitation of Black, Brown, and economically distressed communities.â Shortly afterward, a follow-up letter was sent to LACMA that was signed by more than 100 notable artists, curators, collectors, and influencers, accusing the museum of failing to uphold the standards of social responsibility it adopted in the wake of the George Floyd protests.
In a letter announcing his resignation from the board, Gores defended his companyâs investment in Securus and his role as a force for reform, but agreed that his presence on the board shouldnât be a burden for the museum or a distraction from its mission.
âParaphrasing a salient question at last weekâs board meeting: âOkay Tom, we appreciate your efforts to âtake the hillâ and reform Securus. But why does LACMA have to take the hill with you?'â Gores writes in the letter. âThe simple answer is: You donât. Effective immediately, I resign my position on the board and forego all ties to the institution.â
A member of LACMAâs board since 2006, Gores has been the subject of activist ire since 2018, but calls for his resignation became louder in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, as a reckoning with racism reverberated through the museum world.
Worth Rises has yet to react to Goresâs decision; a petition for his ouster is still live on their website.
RELATED: Artists and Activists Are Calling for a Billionaire Businessmanâs Ouster from LACMAâs Board
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