Don Allen, ibnn.org, and the Way Back Machine

Post by the Hawthorne Hawkman, image is a screen shot from searching ibnn.org posts on the Way Back Machine website, and has been edited only to crop off unrelated images/data.

For people following the Jerry Moore v. John Hoff court case, one of the dramatic twists was that Don Allen was once a co-defendant with Hoff, and then he later settled with Moore and took the stand against his former collaborator.  I was curious about what Don Allen had written on this topic, and I also remember repeated posts on his former blog about calling for various people to either be fired or step down from their positions.  The Way Back Machine isn't comprehensive, so not much from those posts are available.  But on the new site Allen has made similar attempts at various people within the Minneapolis Civil Rights department.

Reconciling these two opposing views (calls for people to be fired vs. celebrating the current Moore/Hoff verdict of interference with a contract; switching positions within the same trial) demonstrates an impressive capacity for doublethink.  How does Don Allen manage this?  The answer may be below, but first, the post written about Jerry Moore...

A Call for the Resignation of Jordan Area Community Council Executive Director and North Side Marketing Task Force Board Chairman Jerry Moore

December 18, 2008 · Filed Under Buddies sharing the money, Front Street Marketing/Todd Barnes, Jordan Area Community Council, Northside Marketing Task Force, R.E.C.O.?, The slow death of a community · 3 Comments 

“With alleged payoff, paybacks and FBI investigations along with the lack of inclusion as it pertains to community and process, its time for a change of guard at Jordan Area Community Council and the Northside Marketing Task Force.  The Jordan Area denotes a better type of leader! If we (the community) flush the toliet now, we won’t have to call Joe the Plumber, (the City of Minneapolis) to fix the problem later. Mr. Moore, no more!”

Don Allen

“Before we ask someone else to clean up their yard, we must clean up our own yard first.” …D. Allen

It has come to my attention that you plan to run for Minneapolis City Council against Don Samuels. First of all (Jerry), you have no experience, no history, and you are not qualified to represent the residents of north Minneapolis, let alone run a community organization in north Minneapolis.

Jerry Moore

Point being, you don’t even live in the neighborhood or north Minneapolis. 

Secondly, on behalf of the residents in north Minneapolis who own business, homes, and have children in the Minneapolis Public Schools, the NMTF has not addressed the current state of the community in north Minneapolis, nor have they assumed a position on any one topic or situation. The Task Forces’ passive lack of engagement does not create any “new” avenues to address education (by the way – have you even talked with the University of Minnesota?), employment, health care, transportation, crime, industries, business, or economic stimuli. In speaking to your colleague on the task force, Mike Kastner – he seems to think that is not what a task force is suppose to do. Why are valuable community point persons baffled by your deceptions? It’s clear to me what going on, and has has been for a long time. 

It is also alleged that you remain under investigation for real estate fraud, among other things.

I feel qualified to speak on this because I was the Vice Chair of the North Side Marketing Task Force. I questioned every move you made. I saw you bring in your friends and pay them large sums of money for “retreats” to talk about the “format” of the NMTF. These people were not qualified to address economic stimuli, housing, business, or anything else that north Minneapolis needs. You have surgically and systematically removed people from the NMTF Board who don’t agree with you and question your SOP. 

I’ve heard you make comment about Mr. Samuels like, “He likes the White man” and “He’s not for the Black people of north Minneapolis.” But weren’t you the one who rallied 3 White board members to have me voted off the North Side Marketing Task Force? Wasn’t it you who refused $4000.00 from a local bank for the NMTF mission because my name was in the signature block? The only way that you would accept the check was if I your name was in the signature block on the original request letter. (I cut the deal and there were board members that will verify your selfish actions). I think it’s you whose been deceiving the Jordan Area and the residents of north Minneapolis. 

Before you resign, I was wondering if you could clear up a few things.

1. In early 2006, the Jordan Area Community Council (JACC) received a grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation for nearly $73,000 to carry out a set of initiatives beautifully crafted by Jennifer Anderson, JACC’s Health Coordinator at the time. These initiatives were to serve the Cleveland, Folwell, Hawthorne, Jordan and McKinley neighborhoods. After the JACC’s Health Coordinator exited, you contracted with Todd Barnes of Front Street Marketing and gave him a check for $19,000.00 “up-front” after you had been warned about not entering a contract with this inept company. Furthermore, Todd Barnes collected a bi-weekly pay check to be a Health Outreach Coordinator with community on record saying nothing happened.

“I would challenge you to produce bank records (yours) 3 days after the check was given to Todd Barnes.” What I know by following the money will not paint a pretty picture. Even more creditable would be the opportunity to see Todd Barnes bank “activity” after receiving the dollars you gave to your friend out of the Jordan Area’s bank account.

2. The current JACC executive director (Jerry Moore) seems to not understand that when a grant is given to a non-profit organization for specific programs or uses, the granter expects that money to be used for those uses only. Another long time supporter of JACC, the General Mills Foundation, has also had its funds abused so frequently that I could not take the time or space to list them all here. One prime example is that on 9/6/07, someone from JACC charged $195 to the General Mills Bridges grant at JAX Cafe, a rather high priced steak house in NE Minneapolis. Jerry Moore was asked who he took to dinner and how it was justified. Believe it or not, he smiled and said it was a strategic planning dinner meeting for the board. Fortunately, there were only seven of fifteen board members left on the board by that time or the bill would have been at least twice that. At any rate, I went on to point out that the Bridges grant was not meant to be used in that manner and he laughed and said it was for food and that’s what they got. The ‘food’ General Mills intended to pay for was supposed to go to block club meetings and National Night Out. Needless to say, I doubt General Mills will be giving any more money to JACC as long as the current group is in control.

Ellen Luger, are you listening? (Ms. Luger is with the General Mills Foundation, who sometimes does not get to see the inner workings of what happens with the money, she will get this article by email today, hopefully she doesn’t delete it without being read.)

3. In a letter to Robert I. Cooper, Senior NRP/CP Specialist-City Finance Department, Development Finance Division dated August 10, 2008 – board members were concerned about the direction that you (Jerry) were taking JACC. The letter reads:

Dear Mr. Cooper,

We are writing to ask for your assistance with the Jordan neighborhood’s annual meeting in October of 2008. Because there have been a number of irregularities as well as violation of the organization’s bylaws, we do not have confidence in the Jordan Area Community Council to hold a fair and legitimate election for new board members. We would like to see this election monitored by a neutral outside party, perhaps a city official or the League of Women Voters.

Here are our concerns:

• There have been no general membership meetings in the past year despite a bylaw requirement for a minimum of four. This means membership is not informed about current activities of JACC.

• The current Board frequently makes important decisions in either the Executive Committee (minutes are not available to members or other board members) or in closed portions of the monthly board meeting, thus preventing members of the organization access to what decision have been made, or how they were made.

• We have heard reports at board meetings about board activities to “recruit” new members to the organization. JACC is using a Membership Registration form that states, “In accordance with Non-Profit Laws, a Membership Registration must be on file with the Jordan Area Community Council a minimum of three (3) days before any applicant will be legally eligible to vote. This membership must be renewed annually in September.” We believe this contradicts the 2002 amendment to State Statute 317A.441 [RIGHT TO VOTE] and the Citizen Participation Agreement which requires compliance with the State Statute.

• Further, because there are no general membership meetings, there is no way for the general membership to know about JACC’s requirement that they be registered prior to the election in October. Our concern is that JACC may try to bar people from voting in the election. Some people have received copies of the registration form but many others have not. It has been a very selective process.

• Finally, we wish to ensure that the bylaw requirements for election to the board are followed; i.e., “A simple majority of all votes cast at the meeting shall be necessary for election of any Director.” This has not been followed in the past few elections. If seven seats are open, the top seven people were installed whether or not each one received a majority of the votes cast.

In summary, because of the secretive way the JACC board has operated for the past two years, existing conflicts of interest and the elimination of citizen participation in discussions and decisions, we are asking that the city assist us in attaining oversight for the October annual meeting. We feel this is the only way to ensure that all members of the Jordan neighborhood can participate and that directors will be fairly elected to their positions. We do not have a date for the annual meeting yet but will provide that information when it is announced by JACC.

4. Process: In the JACC Bylaws, it reads, “ARTICLE II –MEMBERSHIP” SECTION 1 - GENERAL MEMBERSHIP…Membership in the corporation shall be limited to people at least eighteen (18 ) years of age, residing or working in the Jordan Neighborhood (as defined in the Articles of Incorporation) and qualified business and institution representatives as designated by the Board of Directors. A membership will be conferred upon individuals who have filed a completed Membership Registration Form with the Jordan Area Community Council at least three (3) days before an applicant will be legally eligible to vote. Youth fifteen (15) to seventeen (17) years of age may petition the Jordan Area Community Council Board of Directors to obtain membership. Membership must be renewed annually. The membership cycle will run from October 1st through September 30th.

My question to you would then be, why are the Bylaws not being followed and what gives you the right to adjust, obstruct and revise these Bylaws without the input of your board and the community?

5. The North Side Marketing Task Force. It has been over a year and nothing has developed out of your leadership with the North Side Marketing Task Force. On January 24, 2009 the Task Force will have a meeting to present a “project” done by the Carney Group and also solicit for Board members. Why have you changed the format so that anyone who wants to be on the board is “interviewed” by you? I think it’s a control issue and you have rejected the “community” as it pertains to the NMTF to make it your own personal platform – as I said from the beginning.

In closing, without saying much more – it’s time for you to “kick rocks!”

There’s an old saying, “You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you’ve never fooled the community!”

(End of Don Allen's article.  All points of emphasis were in original post and not added by this author.)

There's also this tidbit from a Don Allen submission to the website www.prlog.org.

In that post, he wrote the following:

Minneapolis Bloggers Get Sued For Stories And Comments On Local Blogs

First Amendment rights are questioned in the lawsuit, Jerry Moore versus Don Allen, John Hoff aka Johnny Northside and John Does (people who left comments on the Johnny Northside Blog).

JNS and IBNN...The news source for North Mpls.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 01, 2009 – IBNN alleges that this heinous and frivolous lawsuit is just many filed by judicial wanna-be Jill Clark.  

Will the Blogging community of the World sit by and let people who don’t have the best interests of our community continue to attack the news and information sources that Blogs provide?

Minneapolis attorney Jill Clark, representing former Jordan Area Community Council executive director Jerry Moore seek to suppress news and information posted on Blogs in Minneapolis.

The events revolve around the resent release of Jerry Moore from a temporary contract with the University of Minnesota’s Urban Research and Outreach Center (UROC) where Moore was hired to address disparities in the community focusing on the foreclosure crisis in north Minneapolis, the worse in the State of Minnesota.

Mr. Moore has been involved in several lawsuits including federal litigation in the Larry Maxwell Mortgage Fraud case where Maxwell was found guilty on all 18 counts.

To read more about this First Amendment issue, see the Independent Business News Network at www.ibnn.org.

(End of quoted material)

Those are just two examples of what Don Allen was saying about John Hoff, Jerry Moore, Jill Clark, and the trial in question.  If you made it this far, or even if you just scrolled down to the end of this post, there's a treat for you.  The Way Back Machine had a quote from a Don Allen ibnn.org post dated 12/10/08, in which Don replied to a question about why he "goes after" some people or entities but not others.

You skipped ahead, didn't you?  Can't say I blame you.

This is what Don Allen says in that regard:

Last Friday at a community meeting I was asked why I went after the Black social service agencies so hard and why don’t I attack some “White people.” My answer to this person who sits on the Minneapolis Urban League Board was simple. I said, “I don’t get thousands of dollars each year from the Minneapolis Urban League for advertising. I never got dollars from Northway Community Trust or NRRC. By the way – have you signed the Conflict of Interest statement yet?”