Two elected officers of the Philadelphia NAACP have gone to court to get a look at the financial records of defunct nonprofit at the center of their claims that Jerry Mondesire, longtime president of the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania NAACP branches, has mishandled the local chapter’s finances.
The petition was filed Monday in Common Pleas Court by lawyers for entrepreneur and politico Sydney Booker and Rev. Elisha B. Morris, who have been calling for an investigation of Mondesire in connection with the now-defunct nonprofit Next Generation CDC, founded by Mondesire and which has had a convoluted relationship with the NAACP.
Booker and Morris, who were listed as members of the board of directors in the Next Generation CDC’s last tax filings in 2005, said that board never met and that they had little knowledge of its finances or operations — or that it was doing any business at all until recently.
They are asking the court to enforce a section of Pennsylvania law which states that a director of a nonprofit is entitled “to inspect and copy corporate books, records, and documents” of the organization.
The feud between Mondesire and his board members became public after AxisPhilly posted an article about the nonprofit, raising questions about its finances and its relationship with the NAACP.
In March, AxisPhilly reported that two personal checks made out to the Philadelphia NAACP — one of them a $500 donation by Booker for the group’s annual gala, and another a $10,000 check from a casino venture which Mondesire personally endorsed shortly afterward — were found to have been deposited in the defunct Next Generation CDC’s bank account instead.
That article and others (see “The Phantom Nonprofit“), the petition states “raised numerous questions concerning the legitimacy of the Next Generation CDC as a tax-exempt Non-Profit entity, as well as the financial propriety of its receipts and expenditures.”
The court filing came after Gerard P. Egan and Isaac H. Green, attorneys for the dissident NAACP board members, wrote to Mondesire in April seeking the the CDC’s financial records.
In a letter, Mondesire responded that the men had “resigned” as members of the CDC’s board and that, “your clients as former board members should produce whatever records you need from their own files. If you discover that they kept no records, I suggest to you that they were derelict in their duties.”
“I would appreciate it,” Mondesire added, “if you would advise your clients that they can go to that very hot place which is the opposite of heaven.”
Mondesire, who has repeatedly declined to comment to AxisPhilly about any aspect of the dispute, has until May 19 to file a formal response to the court filing. Should he fail to respond, Egan says, his clients will seek legal sanctions, such as a ruling of contempt.
Three weeks ago, the NAACP’s national office informed Mondesire, Booker, Morris and a third board member, Donald “Ducky” Birts, that they were all suspended.
The National Office has declined repeated requests by news outlets to comment on the matter and does not appear to have taken any steps to audit the group’s finances as requested by much of its executive board.
The story was published through a news content partnership between NBC10.com and AxisPhilly.org
Whether 14-year-old Michelle Lu was attending school in China or the U.S., her peers always asked her questions about the other country.
“Do you know how to say this? What’s my name in Chinese?” asked 14-year-old Lu, repeating questions friends in her freshman class at the Agnes Irwin School would ask her. “They think the writing is beautiful. They want to see historical monuments like the Great Wall.”
Her father’s job caused the first-generation American to move between the two countries several times, spending four years of her childhood in China.
“My parents would speak to me in English and my grandparents would speak Chinese to me, so I was forced to learn both languages,” she said. “It is like a whole new world.”
Her experience combined with a desire to be a businesswoman -- “I thought wearing a suit automatically makes you important” – planted a seed in the ambitious girl’s head.
“I’d like to bridge the gap and connect the dots to the two worlds,” said Michelle Lu of Villanova.
So the budding entrepreneur developed her idea for an exchange program into a full-fledged business during a 30-week program with the Philadelphia (YEA!) Young Entrepreneurs Academy.
“IChina is a two-part business,” Lu described. “During the school year, the company offers an after-school program, which is focused on learning about the Chinese language and culture. And during the summer, it provides an exchange program for Chinese and American students.”
The business already has two Chinese students committed to the 16-day trip and several tentative agreements from Philly-area teenagers interested in going abroad, she said.
“The beauty of her program is that a high school student is designing it so that [the participants] will be more engaged,” said Ellen Fisher, executive director of Philadelphia YEA! “She has a sense what other high school students are interested in.”
The People to People International program established in 1956 shares many similarities with IChina, but Lu distinquishes her program with an educational element.
"The goal is for them to bettter understand the language by becoming immersed in the culture," she said.
A fee of $3,875 covers ground transport in the host country, room and board, language classes, tickets to museums and other cultural attractions, and the salary for a chaperone-slash-teacher. Airfare is not included and the exchange is only open to high schoolers, although Lu might consider rising 8th graders in the future.
“The classroom portion will serve as a feeder for the exchange program,” the whiz kid explained.
During the 12-week program, which costs $300, students will take a 60-minute class that covers the Chinese language and culture.
“When they learn to read, they might read a famous poem and they’d celebrate Chinese holidays,” she said.
Her business plan, along with the two confirmed sales, impressed judges at an investor panel in March so much they selected Lu to compete in the Northeast YEA! Saunders Scholar Competition in Rochester, N.Y. Friday.
“Her presentation skills are impeccable,” Fisher said. “She has a grasp not only on business, but on networking. …She’s flexible and that is a really good attribute of an entrepreneur.”
If IChina is one of the two businesses selected from among the 22 presented, Lu will compete against the western and southern regional competitions’ winners for a chance at a $50,000 college scholarship and an audition for the reality show Shark Tank at America’s Small Business Summit in Washington June 11.
Lu is excited about the possibility for a win, but says she isn’t in it for the money.
“My goal is to bring awareness to the world,” she said. “I’d really like to make a difference and leave my mark.”
When IChina’s first exchange students arrive this summer, the 14-year-old entrepreneur’s mark will be made.
Contact Alison Burdo at 610.668.5635, alison.burdo@nbcuni.com or follow @NewsBurd on Twitter.
A local woman coping with the death of her partner is filing a lawsuit over an inheritance tax which she claims discriminates against same-sex couples.
Barbara Baus, a retired teacher from Bethlehem, Pa., says she and her partner, Cathy Burgi-Rios, got married in Connecticut back in 2011, after being together for 14 years.
“It was a real thing,” Baus said. “It was a real wedding, it was a real marriage.”
Before the couple could live their new life together however, tragedy struck. Cathy was suddenly diagnosed with leukemia. She died in 2012 at the age of 55, prompting a letter of condolence from First Lady Michelle Obama.
“We had made wills out,” Baus said. “Everything we owned was owned together. We owned two cars together. All of our bank accounts are in both of our names. So we led a married life.”
Months after Cathy’s death, Baus filed her Pennsylvania Inheritance tax return.
“I put down that I was her wife and that I owe zero percent,” Baus said. “I filed it and of course, got a letter back a couple weeks later saying, ‘No, that’s not going to work.’”
Barbara says she was charged a nearly $11,000 inheritance tax because Pennsylvania does not recognize same-sex marriages. She then sued the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, claiming she was the victim of discrimination.
“We just want equality,” Baus said. “Marriage equality. We want Pennsylvania to recognize us as a married couple and to give us the respect that straight couples get.”
Baus had her first court appearance earlier this week in Northampton County. A judge will eventually have to decide if her same-sex marriage is truly deductible.
Thomas Gohsler, an attorney for the revenue department, told the Morning Call that Baus “blurs the line between what is the law and what she believes the law should be.” Gohsler also claimed that Baus has “done nothing more than broadly conclude, without foundation, that the right she seeks already exists.”
Baus says her fight is not only for equality, but also for the love of her life.
“Cathy is up there grinning from ear to ear,” Baus said. “All of our friends acknowledge that she’s behind me all the way.”
Residents on the 200 block of N Wanamaker Street say they have a very big problem.
A massive tree located in an alleyway behind two homes on the block is wilting and leaning. For the Finn family, the leaning tree has created a large hole in the roof of their home that has led to so many leaks that they've had to budget their time around a schedule of emptying bucket after bucket of rain water.
"When it rains outside, it rains inside the house. I work all day and night dumping water out from the back room," Tamika Finn said.
Finn said she initially thought that a City entity would be responsible for removing the troublesome tree because she did not consider the alleyway as part of her property.
The City says, not so.
"It’s in the alley, so it belongs to somebody, but it’s not the responsibility of the City," Parks and Recreation representative Barry Bessler said.
According to the Philadelphia Streets Department website, alleys, driveways and retaining walls are private property that homeowners have the sole responsibility of maintaining; but that wasn't always the case.
Mayor Michael Nutter's spokesman Mark McDonald said the City once used funding from the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) to operate alleyway cleanup programs, but those ended decades ago.
Without the support of government programs, the cost of caring for the City's alleyways--many of which have become a target for illegal dumping and vegetation neglect--falls back on to the shoulders of homeowners.
A representative from Corner's Landscaping and Tree Service said tree removals, in particular, can be very expensive, with estimated costs ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 depending on the location, size, and tools needed to remove a tree.
Tamika Finn and her 73-year-old disabled mother Annette Finn, said they simply cannot afford the cost of caring for the alleyway trees.
"I'm laid off. I don't have the money to fix this and my mom definitely don't have it," Tamika Finn said.
“I'm on a fixed income. My daughter works hard to help take care of me and this house. Where would I get the money to cut down a tree like that? I don’t have it," Annette Finn said.
For years the Finn's neighbor, Delores Copeland said she's been spending hundreds of dollars on maintenance of the tree. Copeland said she can't afford to do it any longer.
"That tree has been a problem for a lot of years and the alleyway is a mess. It's a hazard. I paid $300 just last year to cut it back from off of my roof. It's too expensive," Copeland said.
So, what is a cash-strapped homeowner to do about an unkempt alleyway?
While the City does not offer any tree removal programs, it does operate the Community Life Improvement Program (CLIP) that can help residents help themselves.
CLIP will provide equipment and supplies for residents to use to clean their alleys and make arrangements for debris pick-ups, but will not do the clean-ups themselves. The program does not provide tree removal services.
Homeowners can also file a complaint with the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I), and L&I can issue violations for littered alleyways. McDonald said L&I can also use abatement powers to clean alleys and then bill abutting homeowners, but they rarely exercise that authority.
Both options involving L&I would cost the Finn family money that they say they don't have.
After contacting and being diverted by representatives from agencies throughout the city, Tamika Finn said she reached out to PECO Energy to see if they would accept some responsibility for pruning the tree, since it is leaning on electrical wires.
PECO spokesman Deb Yemenijian said the company dispatched a crew to inspect the area on Wednesday and found that parts of the tree were, in fact, leaning on PECO wires. Yemenijian said a PECO crew would be sent to remove any tree limbs that are touching PECO wires by the end of the week.
Annette Finn said she applied for roof repair assistance from the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation (PHDC).
PHDC spokesman Paul Chrystie said the organization's Basic Systems Repair Program could cover the full cost of a roof repair or replacement for the Finns, but the waiting list for the program is currently three years backlogged.
Annette Finn applied to the program in December 2013. Based on the current wait list, she and her daughter might not see relief from the rain that is falling through their roof until the end of 2016.
Officials say six people, including two children, were injured in a multi-vehicle accident in Northeast Philadelphia.
Several cars were involved in the crash early Friday evening on Roosevelt Boulevard and Devereaux Street.
Investigators say at least one vehicle went off the roadway during the accident. Six people suffered non-life-threatening injuries. A 10-year-old and 5-year-old child are among the victims, according to investigators.
Officials closed the southbound inner lane of the Boulevard for several hours after the accident. It had reopened by 5 a.m. Saturday.
Police say three of the five teenage boys involved in a brutal attack of another student on a school bus have turned themselves in.
The attack took place during the afternoon of April 29 on a bus operated by Parkway Academy in Dover, Delaware. The incident was captured on video and quickly went viral after the victim’s uncle posted it online. The video shows the students repeatedly punching the victim in the back of the head.
After watching the video, police determined that the attackers attended Parkway Academy in Dover, Delaware, a school for at-risk students. They also say that the attackers are between the ages of 15 and 17.
On Friday, police announced that three of the suspects surrendered. Investigators say it’s too early to determine if bullying was involved.
“We don’t know all the circumstances as far as why it happened,” said Dover Police Corporal Mark Hoffman. “At this point, we’re just deeming it as an assault.”
Investigators say the bus driver did not stop right away when the assault took place. She did eventually report the incident to her supervisor however. Officials with Parkway Academy say that driver is currently on administrative leave as they work to determine whether she handled the situation properly. School officials also say they are working closely with police in the investigation.
While the victim is doing “okay” physically, the boy’s mother told NBC10 that the family is not ready to talk about the incident publicly. She also says the family has hired an attorney.
An elderly couple is trying to track down the person who left them an anonymous letter criticizing the curb appeal of their Ocean City home.
Bill and Barbara Doughten, who are both in their 70’s and have lived in their home for decades, say they received a handwritten letter on Tuesday, seemingly from a real estate agent.
“I'm trying to sell million dollar homes in the neighborhood,” the anonymous person wrote. “I drive my clients around and they see your car parked sideways on the front lawn! You have a driveway - use it!"
Bill and Barbara say the letter had no return address or signature.
“It’s like a sneak attack,” Bill said. “No name. They didn’t say who they were.”
The couple’s grandchildren posted the letter on Facebook where it’s since been shared more than 700 times.
“I was very angry,” said Teresa Doughten, one of the grandchildren. “They shouldn’t have gotten this letter.”
Bill says he parks his car on the lawn because the grass is closer to the front door when he brings in his groceries.
“My leg doesn’t work,” Doughten said. “I do shake as you can possibly see.”
Jeff Quintin, a real estate agent with Berkshire-Hathaway Fox & Roach Real Estate, told NBC10 that while he and his fellow agents prefer that homeowners not park on their lawns, angry anonymous letters are not the way to spread that message.
“The letter itself is a little disturbing,” Quintin said. “I think the realtor who wrote that is probably regretting that he did. I think it’s a very negative vibe for us.”
In spite of the letter, Barbara and Bill say they aren’t changing their parking habits.
“I can do whatever I want to do,” Barbara said. “I’m not moving the car. I don’t know of any million dollar homes in this neighborhood.”
Police are on the hunt for a man who they say attacked and carjacked a woman at a gas station in North Philadelphia.
Investigators say a 20-year-old woman and a witness stopped at the Exxon Station on the 3100 block of North Broad Street at 2:43 a.m. back on April 20.
While the witness was pumping gas, investigators say an unidentified man approached the vehicle, opened the driver’s door where the woman was sitting, and asked for money.
After the woman told the man she didn’t have any money, the suspect allegedly tried to pull her from the vehicle. Police say a struggle between the suspect, victim and witness then ensued.
After the scuffle, police say the suspect pulled the woman by her hair and shirt from the vehicle and went inside the car. He then started to drive off while the woman was hanging on the side of the car.
The woman eventually fell off the vehicle, suffering scrapes and bruises to her legs in the process. She was treated at Temple University Hospital.
The suspect was last seen traveling south on Broad Street. He is described as a dark-skinned man with facial hair between the ages of 50 and 60, standing 5-foot-6. Police say he was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.
If you have any information on his whereabouts, please call Philadelphia Police.
Officials are investigating the death of a La Salle University student.
A spokesperson for the school told NBC10 that the unidentified, 21-year-old Junior at the school was found unresponsive inside his apartment on the 5300 block of Chew Avenue around 11:45 a.m. on Friday.
The student was pronounced dead at 12:05 p.m.
The Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. The student has not yet been identified.
Police suspect the student died of an overdose, based on preliminary information. However, an official ruling will not be made until an autopsy is completed.
La Salle University is a private, co-educational Roman Catholic university located in Philadelphia.
A man is in custody after police say he attacked a female EMT who was checking on him inside his room at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City.
Investigators say casino security and a locksmith tried to gain access to a room on the 17th floor belonging to 41-year-old Tolga Azaz of Mt. Sinai, New York. According to police, Tolga had not checked out of the hotel when he was supposed to.
Officials say a piece of furniture was blocking the door but security was eventually able to get inside. Once inside, they found Azaz asleep on a sofa.
Officials also say they discovered shell casings and two handguns inside the room as well as a third handgun in a holster on Azaz. According to investigators, the room was damaged by gunfire.
Police and medics were called to the scene. As a female EMT was checking on Azaz, he allegedly woke up and physically assaulted her. The woman was not seriously injured and no one else was hurt during the ordeal.
Azaz was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and aggravated assault on an EMT.
Investigators have not yet revealed what prompted Azaz to open fire inside the room earlier in the day.
From sporting events to concerts, several exciting events are taking place in our area this weekend.
Get the full weekend events guide, including times, locations and tickets, here.
ALSO ON NBC10.COM
Downingtown, Pa. business owner Joan Ressel said she and her husband's breakfast and brunch restaurant, Coppertown, was on the verge of having to close its doors.
The restaurant, which provides drive-thru and walk-up food services saw a major decrease in business over the last winter season, leaving the couple swimming in overdue bills that Ressel said they had no means to pay.
The owner was just about ready to throw in the towel when one of her customers showed up at the drive-thru with a check for $10,000.
"I was racking my brain, overly frustrated, ready to throw in the towel. Then he showed up at the window on Saturday with a beautiful card about god's grace," she said.
"When he gave us the card and we saw that it had money in it, my husband got tears in his eyes. I still get choked up when I think about it. This is literally going to like save our business. "
Ressel said she had had previous discussions with the customer, but was totally taken aback by the large donation.
The customer, who wishes to remain anonymous, says God told him that he was supposed to give the money to the couple.
"I was in the car praying and a vision came upon me of this amount of money, and I heard that I was supposed to deliver a message and deliver the amount of money to them," the man said.
The anonymous donor said he initially wrestled with the decision to give the money to the couple, so he prayed about it and discussed the vision with his wife.
"I just said to her, the Lord told me that we're supposed to give Joan a message and an amount of money, and my wife, of course asked how much, and I said I'm not gonna tell you how much, you tell me the amount. And she turned around and said $10,000, the exact amount," he said. "That confirmed for me that this was of God and not my doing."
Since she first opened her business in 2008, Ressel has been through a number of hardships. She was diagnosed with cancer in 2010, and says she went through six surgeries and 30 radiation treatments before the cancer went into remission.
Just weeks after she'd received her final radiation treatment, Ressel says she and her husband were in a car accident that left her with a broken thumb and a badly bruised shoulder.
Ressel says she took the donation as a message from God that she had to overcome her struggles and continue running her business.
"For me it was so overwhelming because it felt like God had seen me in my struggles and was saying don’t give up, keep going," she said.
"I am still messed up over this because you hear about people doing things like that for someone they know, but for someone who is not a family member or friend to do something like that is just amazing."
Ressel said she was floored by the customer's obedience to God, but the man says he doesn't want to receive any praise for what he did.
"This is not of me, this is directly from God and I'm not gonna accept any praise or glory from this at all. I don't want it," he said.
Ressel said she and her husband initially tried to give the money back to the man, but he refused. His only request of the owners was that they pay the favor forward to someone else.
"I asked if we could give it back to him when we start doing well again and he said it was a gift from God, and that he wanted us to give it to somebody else," she said. "If we make it, I definitely plan to do just that."
A young boy and a man are recovering after a shooting in the Lawncrest section of the city.
Officials say the 12-year-old boy and 21-year-old man were walking across Van Kirk Street Friday night when an unidentified gunman fired eight shots about 200 feet away.
The 12-year-old boy was struck in the thigh while the 21-year-old was struck in the chest.
The boy was taken to St. Christopher's Hospital. He is currently in stable condition. The 21-year-old was taken to the Einstein Medical Center. He's in critical but stable condition.
Police say the boy lives near the scene of the shooting. They suspect he was an innocent bystander while the man was the intended target.
Police are currently investigating whether the shooting was captured on surveillance video from nearby businesses.
Investigators have not yet released a description of the suspect.
A star basketball player with a bright future is fighting for his life after a shooting last week in North Philadelphia. But even if Devin Bullock, a 19-year-old Senior at New Media Technology survives, his life will never be the same. One of Bullock's legs was amputated due to injuries he suffered during the shooting.
"They took his heart," said his sister, Crystal Evans, while in tears. "He loves basketball."
Bullock was walking home on the 2500 block of W. Thompson street in the Brewerytown section of the city back on April 23 when he stopped to greet a few of his neighborhood friends.
That's when police say a gunman pulled up in a black vehicle and opened fire, striking Bullock and two 22-year-old men.
Bullock was struck in the right thigh and groin.
Police say Bullock was an innocent bystander while one of the other victims was the intended target. Yet while the two other victims are stable, police say Bullock is still in critical condition. He remains in a coma after one of his legs was amputated.
Bullock is a star basketball player at New Media with three college scholarships.
"He worked so hard, he was so dedicated," Evans said. "Dedicated to being a man. Dedicated to being a leader and being an example. They took that from him."
Despite her heartbreak, Evans is confident that her brother will pull through and survive.
"I know his spirit," she said. "He's a fighter. He's going to keep fighting."
On Friday, police identified the gunman as 20-year-old James Cole(pictured) of West Delphine Street. Police say Cole was involved in an argument with one of the 22-year-old victims two days prior to the shooting.
Police say Cole is known to frequent 1800 West Cumberland Street and 400 Delphine Street. Investigators also say he may be driving a black 2011 Toyota Camry with tinted windows and the PA Tag "HVD-0779." He is considered armed and dangerous.
Even though her brother was not the intended target, Evans says she will never be able to forgive Cole.
"When you wake up and you make that intention to take someone's life, whether it was intended for him or not, you deserve to get everything back," she said. "You reap what you sow."
If you have any information on Cole's whereabouts, please contact Philadelphia Police.
Teachers and students have organized a drive to help Bullock and his family with medical expenses. You can visit DevintheMarvel.com to donate money for his recovery.
The school will also hold a fundraiser for Bullock on May 27 at 209 Leedom Street in Jenkintown, Pa. from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
A viral video of a school bus traveling through flood waters in Chester County has sparked outrage as well as an investigation.
Liz Rach says she was inside her home early Wednesday evening around 5 p.m. as heavy rain poured in East Fallowfield Township, Chester County, causing flooding on Mortonville Road.
As she was inside, she noticed a school bus with young children on board heading towards Mortonville. Fearing for their safety, Rach says she went outside and told the driver to turn around.
“He asked if he could get through and we told him no,” Rach said. “He asked what was up the bend and I told him it was going to get worse because it gets lower. Then he said he could make it.”
Rach and another neighbor took out their phones and recorded as the bus continued to travel through the nearly three-feet deep flood waters. A second video shows that the vehicle stopped at one point and the neighbor had to guide the driver through.
“He drove over a 20-foot long telephone pole submerged in the water,” Rach said.
Rach posted the video on Facebook which sparked outrage from other concerned residents.
“We actually got contacted by a few other bus drivers and they were horrified,” Rach said. “They actually also wanted to know. They said the bus driver made them look bad.”
Rach claims there was a sign on the bus that said “Coatesville Area School District.” A Coatesville spokesperson told NBC10 however that the bus did not belong to their district.
Krapf Bus Company is also investigating but a spokesman told NBC10 they don’t believe the bus belongs to them either.
A Coatesville elementary school principal told NBC10 that all of the buses were traveling through high water in the area on Wednesday and that there was no avoiding it. The principal says officials will work on contingency plans for the next flooding situation.
While the bus managed to make it through and no injuries were reported, Rach says the situation could have easily been worse.
“I think it was dangerous,” Rach said. “A lot of other things could have happened but didn’t.”
Police continue to search for the bus driver. Once he is found, investigators say he may be charged with child endangerment.
