Avoid the Scams, Earn Online

My organization, the Committee for Justice, has been on the frontlines of social justice for nearly two decades. I am very proud of that. We have accomplished a lot. Recently we started paying more attention to an issue that most people in the Black community shy away from. That is starting your own business. I have looked for the best, and least expensive, business models I could find. I have also written extensively about online scams and how I have been duped in the past. We are beyond that now.

I started making money online only after getting scammed several times by the “Make Thousands Today with No hard Work and the Click of a Button while you Sleep” crew out there! If you have been trying to earn online then you are more than likely part of the roughly 95% who never turn a profit.

I turned that around for myself and have begun to teach members of my organization how to do the same. Let’s be upfront though; you have to treat internet businesses like a business! You have to be willing to learn and work and apply the right system. I can direct you to an awesome system with incredible training, you must provide the work. And you get to start earning money before you have to pay for anything. Again, if you do the work!

Social Justice movements would be so much more powerful if those who fight the good fight had more time and money. The internet makes that possible. Check out http://www.freedomhustle.com for 14 days free! Check out the videos of people like Les Brown that will get you in the right mindset to be more successful in all areas of your life.

Peekskill Dems One Year Later, Silent as Blacks Abused

It's been a year since we went to our "friends" the Peekskill Democrats. They would not be in office if not for us. Instead of addressing the blatant racism in Peekskill Government and the abuses at the Housing Authority under Harold Phipps (who the mayor supports), they have attacked ALL of our rights to speak, have representation on the Housing Board and threatened us with arrest and/or eviction.

Take a look at 
http://www.youtube.com/e/1Ucf0Pp6xwY
 of me talking to the mayor and council. It is not totally wasted. The people sitting at home watching this are so disgusted with our treatment, we are getting more supporters everyday.

 

 

Mayor Foster and Housing Board’s Shameful Failings

Asbury Park Press (Asbury Park, NJ)

December 11, 2003

Author: KATHY MATHESON/STAFF WRITER; STAFF

 

 

ASBURY PARK – A Housing Authority employee is suing the agency and its recently fired executive director, claiming she was sexually harassed and later demoted for reporting it.

 

The employee, Nancy Goldie of Tinton Falls, claims in a lawsuit filed in state Superior Court that Harold Phipps, authority executive director from January 2002 until last week, touched her inappropriately several times, left a note at her home with his phone number on it, and asked her to fax his Viagra prescription.

 

Goldie is seeking unspecified damages and court costs.

 

Phipps had not yet seen the lawsuit but said yesterday that "there's absolutely no truth in her allegations."

 

"It's a bogus suit from start to finish," he said. "It was all lies … it's all nonsense."

 

Mark Tabakin, an attorney for the authority, said he is familiar with the accusations but also had not yet read the lawsuit. He said he would vigorously defend the agency.

 

"We don't believe that the authority has any culpability at all," he said.

 

Housing Authority Chairman Rudolph Pierre could not be reached for comment.

 

Goldie began working for the housing authority in March 1987. Shortly after Phipps was hired two years ago, he began "invading (her) personal space," according to the suit.

 

Goldie claims he kissed and hugged her without her consent, asked her out to lunch and generally created a "hostile and intimidating work environment."

 

When she brought the matter to the attention of authority commissioners in the spring of 2002, the suit says, Phipps violated the agency's confidentiality policy by publicly identifying Goldie as having lodged a complaint against him.

 

Goldie was placed on administrative leave for several months pending an investigation of her complaint, which the commissioners did not sustain, according to a letter sent by Tabakin to Phipps in November 2002.

 

However, Phipps was reprimanded in the letter for his public disclosure of Goldie's complaint, and he was forced to forfeit three vacation, personal or sick days, and was required to attend sensitivity training.

 

Goldie was allowed to return to work in January 2003, but the suit says she was demoted and transferred to a substandard work space.

 

Phipps was fired Dec. 4 by a majority vote of the authority commissioners in what was described as a clash over his management style.

 

That the suit was filed the following day was a "total coincidence," said Goldie's attorney, Lynda Lee of Spring Lake.

 

ednote

 

Kathy Matheson: (732) 643-4230 or kmatheson@app.com

Hipcast Moblog

powered by Hipcast.com

MP3 File

Success: Between Here and There

There is a place that people who want to be successful must go through. Of course "success" is relative. But if you want to grow, expand and achieve bigger goals or seek change, you must go through "there".  What is "there"? That space between where you are currently and where you want to be.

Many people have opened that door or stuck their toe in it only to pull back. They found that the stress, discomfort or uncertainty of progress is too much to bare. So they pull back and accept. They stay at their current level of achievement.

If you want to be successful, if you want growth, you MUST go into uncomfortable and uncharted waters. It is normal to feel challenged when striving. Otherwise, you are just staying in your comfort zone and going nowhere.

Peekskill Mayor, Meet Seth Godin

I don't know how much marketing genius Seth Godin will appreciate me highlighting one of his articles to point out the lunacy of a politician, but here we go.

Peekskill Mayor Mary Foster says that a person's past should have nothing to do with the decision to hire them. She is referring to Peekskill Housing Authority Director Harold Phipps. You may recall I wrote about Phipps' less than stellar past job performances.

Since arriving in Peekskill, Phipps has literally terrorized an award winning little girls dance group, illegally let himself into several women's apartments with his pass key. They have complained to Mayor Foster about this. He yells and screams at residents. He makes lewd remarks to females. He has threatened critics with arrest or eviction. And has attacked the rights of residents to organize. Peekskill Mayor Mary Foster says she supports him anyway. After all, it's only Black people complaining.

Turning back to Seth's post, in which he refers to people who don't think past performance is a good indicator of future performance, he says,"…I think it's worth pointing out that you're nuts."  Of course he didn't have Mary Foster in mind when he wrote that. But it sure fits.

Yes Mayor Foster, you are nuts to stand by this man. You knew his job history and STILL made public statements of support. And not ONE statement in support of the residents he manages. The residents who voted for you. Shame on you!

Hipcast Moblog

powered by Hipcast.com

MP3 File

The Little Bee Who Could

There once was a group of bees who's hives were in some low hanging trees. One day a member of the group came rushing back to the community of bees, devastated. He said, "There is a large and powerful elephant headed this way. The road he is on only comes through here. We are such a low hanging community, he will destroy us when he comes.

All the bees went into a panic, scrambling to get out of there. All but one! He said,"Calm down my friends. I will save the community. I will stop this elephant!" Stunned, the "leader" of the bees began to talk,"What, a mere bee, stop an elephant? Are you insane? We have no weapons to stop such a big and powerful animal! It can't be done!"

But the other bee confidently spoke up,"That is where you are wrong! I DO have a weapon! In fact I have at least TWO weapons. One: the BELIEF that I can beat him, and Two: My mind, my primary weapon!

With that, the would- be hero flew off to meet the challenge. Once he believed he could win- the hardest part for many- he knew finding a way would be easy.

He thought about the situation and remembered that the road the elephant was on NARROWED greatly at one point. He decided to make his stand there!

The bee got to the spot he envisioned and sure enough, the elephant had recently approached it and was carefully walking the narrow path. In fact, the path was actually the ledge of a cliff! The bee took aim with his stinger, flew right into the elephants eye! The elephant reared up, lost his balanced and fell off the road!  The community was saved! The bee who thought he could, did!

(Since I wrote this I want to tell you guys that the elephant lived (so did the bee). It wasn't that much of a fall and someone left a pile of feathers right where he landed. I know, stupid. But, it IS my story, and I hate unhappy endings

Like the “N” word, “Racism” to become the “R” Word

I have been wrestling with the idea of writing a guest post for a New York newspaper on the subject of racism. And as I thought about it I realized that even before I could start formulating the content of the article, I had to think about the onslaught of personal attacks I would have to endure just for bringing the topic up. Racism; Soon to be referred to as the "R" word. Something that we in America will be frowned on for mentioning or bringing up. Very difficult to discuss and address if you aren't even allowed to say it!

Sadly, racism is as ugly and devastating today as it has been in the last 50 years. And sadly, we as a nation fumble and stumble in our awkward attempts to deal with it. We do that partly because of a number of reasons: One reason is that the average person- Black or white- doesn't recognize it. If someone doesn't walk up to you and call you a ni**er or if you are not confronted with "no Blacks allowed" they just don't see it.

A second reason is that America- sub-consciously- has not embraced the humanity of African Americans. The whole culture and educational system in this country pushed the idea that black people are inferior. This was originally done to justify slavery to Judeo-Christian population. When slavery ended, no one went back and said, "you know all that stuff we taught you about Blacks being savages with no history or culture? Well, none of that is true. And so today, Americans still look at Blacks, largely, through those eyes. And as such, treat Blacks that way.

A third reason is many whites are just so defensive of any kind of criticism that says they are not perfect or that perhaps some of their success is not due only to their intelligence and hard work. I think this is partly what causes so many to always try to prove racism among Blacks or see "reverse-racism." Its like the kid who gets caught taking extra cookies and replies that his brother or sister did the same thing yesterday. They try to avoid their behavior.

There are more reasons racism is so touchy and difficult to talk about. Having said that, for me personally, I will continue to use the word racism when it fits. And, in spite of another big reason people don't use the word- the charge of pulling the "race card"- I am not going to see a duck and call it a horse.

If we are to heal this nation and move society even further along the road of democracy, we need to have honest discussion to find real solutions. The fact is racism is directly responsible for destroying millions of lives senselessly. It keeps human beings divided and blind to the real enemies of human progress- like war, corporate greed and corruption. It takes brave people to acknowledge that and a braver people to take action against it.

Peekskill Dems and Mayor Exposed as anti-poor, anti-Black party

This week Peekskill Housing Authority Director Harold Phipps was exposed as the same Harold Phipps who was fired from the Asbury Park Housing Authority in New Jersey. Phipps was called "incompetent" after HUD did an audit of the books. He was suspended by his board for three days for breaking policy. That isn't even the juicy stuff. Phipps was sued for sexually harassing one of his female employees. In one act against her, Phipps left a note on her door with his phone number telling her to fax over the viagra prescription. The housing authority settled out of court.

Now Phipps is in Peekskill harassing and disrespecting the woman and children of our community. I have documented much of it and sent emails to the mayor and council as it was going on. Several woman in the housing authority complained to me that he yells and screams at them. One Peekskill Housing Board member told me that residents don't come to the meetings anymore because they are afraid of him. Peekskill Mayor Mary Foster said she supports Phipps anyway. She said she heard he screams at residents but said that it is only residents that "try to game the system."  I guess this poor woman in New Jersey was "trying to game the system" when Phipps tried to kiss and touch her.

I guess the mayor doesn't see Phipps as gaming the system when he hid all of this to get hired in Peekskill. I think the choice of words Foster used is instructive. Apparently she thinks that only poor people and people of color "game the system."

Foster said on a tv interview that she likes Phipps because he addressed a bed bug problem in one of the buildings. Yes, he is a nasty person, yes he sexually harassed an employee, yes he is incompetent- but he beat the bed bugs! The fact is just last week a resident there opened a jar of bed bugs in the housing authority office because the residents have been living with this problem for the full tenure of Mr. Phipps.

By the way, the mayor is only supposed to appoint housing commissioners and not interfere in the running of the authority. So why is she out front pushing for this man to get a new contract? How can she close her eyes to all this ugliness? She can only do that if she doesn't care about the people being victimized, Black and poor people. And her colleagues on the council are all equally guilty. All of them, that the residents of the housing authority supported at the polls are now being told by them to accept your lot.

The housing board is going to give Phipps a new contract even though they all have this information. They are going to do it because the hypocrite, racist, democrats have made it known they want him there. And they appoint the board.

As to mayor Foster. She is the worse kind of racist. The kind that finds a Black person to do her dirty work. Yes, Phipps has Black skin. And he is being used by the Peekskill democrats to do their dirty work- gentrify!

All is not lost. These politicians all have to run again. And they need your help to get elected. If Phipps gets a new contract, we will hold the democratic party responsible for bringing this man down on the heads of the residents. I, as an activist have been down this road before. I did a lot for the democrats over the years. And no one has been a bigger supporter than African Americans. Apparently, they- the dems- have no sense of loyalty. But isn't that what racism is? Irrational?