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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2007 12:53:16 GMT -5
I can't believe that the acting president of GOAL would actually say that he can't march in the pride parade because everyone knows that he is undercover. If you are the president, you have to march with the organization. That is, unless you have some other agenda. I also think it's crazy that a member of GOAL would actually say "f*ck the law". I thought that we, as criminal justice professionals, were supposed to uphold the law. Am I missing something here? I don't know what's going on in New York. All I can say is that they had better fix it or GOAL will be going down the toilet. But I'm really not worried. Those of us who love GOAL will always be ready to pick up our mops and pails and clean up the mess that these idiots leave behind. When good people fail to step up to the plate to work to advance GOAL, they leave the door open for incompetence to take over. We have always been fortunate in that those kind of people don't last too long. They always implode and walk away from the organization. There is quite a long list of these people and they know who they are. In fact, we all know who they are. So oldtimers get your mops, pails, and brooms ready. Only this time, bring plenty of soap and amonia. We are gong to need it!!!
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Post by bluepride on Jul 12, 2007 9:22:47 GMT -5
Well, now some of the truths can be told and some of the nonsense can finally be exposed. Believe me, it doesn’t give me any pleasure whatsoever, seeing what has transpired recently in GOAL NY. Having witnessed GOAL’s up’s and down’s since 1983, I can safely say that what has been happening recently has been it’s lowest, most embarrassing point. And still, this doesn’t cover everything by any means.
Some facts: George Farrugia resigned as President on July 1, 2007. He has constantly been usurped and thwarted in almost every endeavor that he took on as President, by other board members. He was able to get some substantial things done though, during the two years of his tenure. The battle to help secure pension benefits for Lieutenant Laurel Hester’s partner, Stacey is probably his finest hour. Other than a cursory appearance at the Freeholders Meetings by two other board members at two different sessions, there was no input from any other board members. He commissioned a TV Public Service Announcement promoting the recruitment of gays and lesbians to the NYPD which ran successfully on New York television stations for an extended period of time, garnering positive publicity for the organization. Until one of the members in the PSA decided to get transferred to the Internal Affairs Bureau, as an undercover. The ad was pulled to “protect” this member’s identity while this member did his job attempting to entrap otherwise innocent Police Officers. George accomplished a good number of things while he was President. Not the least of which was GOAL’s 25th Anniversary Celebration in April 2007. George succeeded, in spite of the Executive Board’s deliberate attempts to have the celebration cancelled at the last minute. It turned out to be a very successful event. Anyway, for the sake of brevity (yeah, right!), I’ll fast forward to the July 10, 2007 meeting.
The new President, Police Officer Carl Locke opened the meeting announcing that George had stepped down. He offered up some thanks and praises for George’s work and dedication and a plaque was awarded to George. (Is this going to be a trend? Giving a plaque to every outgoing President who is forced from office? This is the second time this has happened.) George said a few heartfelt words of thanks and was applauded. I held my applause because I knew that the remaining board members did not really appreciate his work, tenure or integrity. They couldn’t wait to oust him. Locke then announced that the Sergeant-At-Arms, Detective Patti Rodriguez has resigned about an hour before the meeting and she was thanked also. It was a great night for Carl! Then it was on to his “visions” for GOAL’s future.
Now a lot of people who attended the meeting did not know all of the drama that had transpired in the last six months or so. Some did though and they were present. In fact, the guy who had disrupted the February meeting and walked out at his first meeting as a board member was in attendance. So was his boyfriend Kevin, who has a history of stating that retired officers should not be allowed be members of GOAL. Some “friends” of the new President, huh? The membership at the meeting was obviously stacked and it showed. Maybe they were just there for the coronation. One long time member asked why the new President had not marched this year in any of the Pride parades around New York City, with GOAL. The new President’s response was “Everyone knows I’m an Undercover”. Is it just me or is there a lot of irony in that statement? It’s probably just me, right? I just sat back, observed and took it all in. Locke asked the membership what they want to see GOAL involved in, in the future. No problem with that. Every new President does that and usually, nothing changes much. It took almost an hour to get all the responses from those in the room.
After a break, one member pointed out that under New York State law, the current board cannot officially conduct or transact ANY business and that a Special Election needs to take place. If there is not a certain amount of board members actually elected and in place, no business can be transacted and with the resignation of the Sergeant-At-Arms, the board became a question. The new President did not see this coming. A member was looking out for the welfare of GOAL and in turn, the President accused him of being “divisive”. Nice. The member, who knew that George resigned and that Patti had resigned, did his homework and had the good of the organization at heart and he was rebuffed for his efforts. He read the New York State law to the attendees as well as his proposal for a Special Election to he held to ensure that the vacant board positions be filled. To conduct any business as an Executive Board at the present time is illegal under New York State law regarding not-for-profit status. GOAL’s Articles Of Incorporation would be in dire jeopardy if an election is not held. The President’s response? This is a quote, because I wrote it down: “Nobody’s gonna come after us”. He said we have a lot to do and we’re going to do it. He basically sloughed off the idea of a Special Election and the violation of the law. Things got a little more heated among the membership. The guy who believes that there should be no retires allowed in GOAL threw out this gem: (Another DIRECT QUOTE) “We don’t care about State Law”. Someone else heard him say, “f*ck The Law”. These are direct quotes, folks. This is our future.
Eventually a vote was taken on the resolution to hold a special election to comply with the laws of New York State. All members in good standing who were present voted on whether or not to comply. The vote was 18, yes (to comply with the law and have a special election) and 22 no (to violate the law and not have a special election and continue the board as is). It seemed that those concerned with obeying the law lost on this one. Before the end of the meeting, the new President had a meeting scheduled with an attorney regarding this issue. She was already present at the meeting, so it was arranged on the spot.
The meeting eventually ended (finally!). I left, not so much discouraged because I knew that GOAL was going to have to adhere to the law eventually. But I was disgusted at the ignorance, arrogance and immaturity of some of those in attendance. What is so hard about complying with the law? The following day I find out that after the meeting, the Corresponding Secretary, Richard, checked the membership roster when he went home. (He should’ve had it available at the meeting, but there you go…) Well, well, well…it turns out that some of the people who voted to NOT comply with New York State law, were NOT members in good standing and were NOT eligible to vote. Surprise, surprise, surprise. Sort of tells you something about their characters, maybe? You decide! So the vote for the proper and correct thing held after all. A victory for the integrity of the organization.
What happens next is anyone’s guess. I’m sure we’ll be updating the progress of this ongoing dilemma. Actually, I’m not sure I’ve told everything there is to tell about some of the nonsense that has taken place since last year. I’ve just concentrated on the latest meeting and the resignations. There’s so much that has gone on that it’s impossible to do just one posting. Any other members are free to say what’s been going on, from their perspective, if they want. So George is out, forced out by manipulative, diabolical fellow board members and Carl Locke is in as President. The whole process in the past 6-9 months has been one of greed, hunger for power, extortion, blackmail, coercion and arrogance. Anyone else want to post their recollections of the meeting and the overall drama?
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emt431
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Post by emt431 on Jul 12, 2007 10:47:16 GMT -5
"Everybody knows I'm undercover." Is that like "nobody goes there any more. It's too crowded!"? I think we in GOAL/NE need to examine the situation and talk about it at our next Board meeting. (disclaimer)Just my opinion of course.
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Post by levon on Jul 12, 2007 11:23:38 GMT -5
Before I start ... emt431, I like that line "no one goes there.... ANYWAY .... GOAL New York ... sigh .... Just like many other members of this board, I too am a long time GOAL member ... paid life member to be exact, and it annoys the daylights out of me and upsets me wholeheartedly when I see people come around to the organization and get on their soapbox and preach how they are going to fix GOAL and lead it to better things. The current executive board members are only in this for themselves. It is so obvious they do not care about the organization it is just a stepping stone to either a promotion, a transfer or a social climb. By no means am I saying that the "old timers" are the end all and be all of GOAL but at least with those people you know they have/had no underlying objective. I feel GOAL took a nose dive in January 2004. It was at that point where the organization got away from the members and was there only for the benefit of the board members. For those members of GOAL NY on this board, think back to January 2004 and count how many board members came and went, whether they were resignation was undermined or they had to leave the board because of improper activities (during a trip to sunny Florida), or how about President V. Rodriguez who quit because she retired ... after promising the membership during the elections that she will stay on even after she retires !!!!!!!!! SIGH ... I AM SORRY I AM BEGINNING TO BABBLE .....
Getting back to the present day... It is disappointing, upsetting and even comical when the current president, Carl Locke takes GOAL business personal. As stated by BLUEPRIDE; a member (in good standing) brought up the topic about the NYS Non-Profit law and how GOAL has to follow it. For those of you who weren't there...you should have seen President (& I use that title loosely... very loosely) Locke's face turn red !!!!!!!!!! Ya just gotta laugh. Of course President / Undercover Locke said that he thought the topic of NYS law was sneaky and there were factions in the audience who are trying to divide the organization ... what a kick ... the people who made up the audience were those that care and those who line up to kiss Locke's imaginary ring !!!!!!!!! It is a very sad state of affairs when you have a member, Kevin Coleman (I assume he is a member) who blatantly say for all to hear "We don’t care about State Law” and then the President "assuring" the members that "no one is going to come after us". What pompous, arrogant &*&^%&(& . On a personal note I must admit I am upset with myself because I didn't challenge "President" Carl Locke when he said he can't march in the Pride marches because he is an IAB undercover ... there was the perfect opportunity for myself and others to say "wait a minute...how can you do anything for GOAL if you can't be seen in public as a member of law enforcement" and by the way ... even though the meeting is for members (or people who think they are members) only...who the hell knows who is sitting there ... does Locke KNOW everyone on a personal level and know for a fact he won't be doing his cloak & dagger undercover work against a member !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO HE DOESN'T KNOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! An "atta girl" has to go out to former Sgt. at Arms Patti Rodriguez who should up to "president" Carl Locke when he was blatantly lying to the members about when the board members found out about outgoing President George Farrugia's resignation. When asked by a member "when did the board find out about George's resignation, Locke told an outright lie and Patti blew him out of the water ... the look on Carl Locke's face was priceless and of course you know he tried to rush the meeting to a close ... which he can't ... I hope he reads his organization's by-laws !!!!!!!!!!!! I gotta stop ... my keyboard is beginning to smoke !!!!!!!!!!!!! I"LL BE BACK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by levon on Jul 12, 2007 11:30:55 GMT -5
To all the New England GOAL members who are on this board ...
I offer my opinion (and it is only an opinion) that your group should look at what has / is transpiring down here in NYC and think about distancing yourselves from the New York chapter for awhile. I am not a member of New England GOAL but I have attended you annual dinners and I know that everyone up in New England really works hard to further your group. I am a former GOAL NY president (2002 - 2003 term) so please trust me when I offer this opinion.
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Post by bluepride on Jul 12, 2007 12:20:01 GMT -5
It's no secret that there have been problems with GOAL NY for the last number of years and other GLBT LEO organizations have knowledge of at least some of what's been going on. Every group has some sort of internal disruption from time to time but usually, they work themselves out. NY's problem is an abberation because it's mean spirited in nature and what has happened recently has not been for the furtherence of the "cause" or "the organization". You don't really see what other groups deal with, in terms of internal struggles, because (my opinion) they're more professional than to let things get out of hand and the struggles happen for the good of their groups. NY is different in that it's been fairly venomous to say the least. NY is left in the dust in terms of being a professional GLBT Law Enforcement group. Hopefully it will get better. It's a shame to see it flounder so, but thats what happens when people lose focus of what the organization is supposed to be about.
Hopefully, the other groups out there will go on without having to deal with things in NY as they are. They're hundreds of miles past NY at this point. They all "get it" and I'm proud of them.
And just to let people know. I hope people don't think that the posts here are just to bash GOAL. This thread is just one of many topics. There are more important things that we discuss here all the time. But some members here need to vent about the seeming destruction of a group we've put our hearts and souls into. BluePride is not all about bashing GOAL by any means, but when it needs to get slapped around, it will. And when it deserves praise, I will be the first one to praise it to high heaven.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2007 15:00:45 GMT -5
Bluepride, hou are so right when you say "We don't know what goes on in other organizations regarding their internal struggles." But let me just say a few things about Florida LEGAL. We don't always agree with each other but we always treat each other with respect. Our board members realize that we have a job to do in protecting and defending the memberhip and seeing to their needs and concerns. We make it a point to listen to input from the membership and we incorporate their thoughts into everything we do. We exist for the membersip. We work for them and we take the job seriously. We also realize that the president is the final authority and we will not tolerate anyone who thinks he can undermine the president or the board. People who have tried that have been promptly thrown out of the organization. We don't fool around. When we go out in public, we make sure that we are all marching to the same beat, and that's the beat of unity. We don't hang our dirty laundry out in public. In fact, we don't have any dirty laundry. We wash it every day!!! Running a LGBT criminal justice group is really pretty simple as long as you realize that we are all on the same side. Everything we do must be focused on promoting our interests as a community. It is about us and not about any personal agenda. I think that GOAL NY has forgotten this.
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Post by levon on Jul 12, 2007 15:22:33 GMT -5
Hey Prydeguys...can I join Florida LEGAL ? Seriously, can a person join even though they are not in Florida. Now that I am retired, I visit my mom ALOT...I even have a car registered in Florida !!! Let me know if I can join...thanks. -- Annie. PS - are there any other former presidents of GOAL who are members of Florida LEGAL ... of the female gender
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Post by bluepride on Jul 12, 2007 16:51:25 GMT -5
Something else that I heard at the meeting and it raised a red flag with me....I wonder if anyone else caught this? When Carl asked for input as to what changes should take place in GOAL, it was like, "Should we do this?, should we do that?, should we change the Mission Statement ?should we blah, blah, blah?" Did anyone else catch that? I certainly did and I'm not happy about it. Maybe because I wrote the original Mission Statement, using our Articles of Incorporation and old By-Laws as some of my sources. The organization did not have a Mission Statement when it was started but the purposes for which GOAL was founded were outlined in the Articles Of Incorporation. During the process of our lawsuit against the Puerto Rico Police Department, our lawyers decided that we needed to have a Mission Statement because the lawyers for the PRPD were asking to see it. At the time, Carroll had stepped down as President and I was the organization's President so the task fell to me. It was long overdue anyway and it looked good on our original website...so long ago.... This is the original Mission Statement: The Gay Officers Action League (GOAL) was formed in 1982 to address the needs, issues and concerns of gay and lesbian law enforcement personnel. We are the first organization of this type anywhere in the world. Since its inception, The Gay Officers Action League has historically advocated for the rights of it's members in the New York area, across the United States and around the world. GOAL assists its members in issues of discrimination, harrassment and disparate treatment in the workplace. GOAL is also a fraternal organization that promotes friendship among it's members. Our membership is made up of sworn uniform and civilian personnel, as well as retired members of law enforcement service. One of our goals is to promote the establishment of other chapters, throughout the United States and the rest of the world. The Gay Officers Action League is an organization whereby members can feel free to discuss their needs and concerns in an atmosphere of comfort, without fear of job related reprisals. The Gay Officers Action League also serves as a bridge between the law enforcement profession and the gay and lesbian community at large, who have traditionally been at odds in the past. GOAL is a safe environment for a group of people who have and continue to be, victims of harrassment and discrimination in the workplace. By striving for a high level of diversity and the inclusion of all people within the organization, we stimulate the intellectual growth and self-awareness of our membership. In doing so, we also motivate our members to achieve a higher degree of efficiency in the discharge of their duties as law enforcement professionals. The Gay Officers Action League is a positive force within the gay and lesbian community and is instrumental in attempting to change homophobic attitudes in the workplace and in the community at large.Now....why would anyone want to change the Mission Statement as it reads above? It wasn't written in a frivolous manner. It covered all our bases and has been an effective tool for our group all these years. If it was good enough to help us win our Federal lawsuit and bring a Department to it's knees on certain issues, it's good enough to stand as it is, thank you very much. I have my suspicions as to why one or two...(or three) members might want to change it but I'll keep silent at this time and see how things play out in the near future. I was out taking advantage of the nice weather, when I remembered about the Mission Statement being mentioned at the meeting. Naturally I rushed home to post about it!
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Post by levon on Jul 12, 2007 17:38:13 GMT -5
I too heard the line about the Mission Statement but I just too it for granted that he was reaching for things to get people to talk. I do know the Mission Statement was changed while D. Jirak was President and I was on his board. It was changed to include the bisexual and transgender communities. It wasn't so much changed just re-worded. I will look around to see if I have the new one written somewhere. I think the current by-laws has the revised Mission Statement. And as far as changing the by-laws...I don't think this administration is going to change them ... I think they are going to throw them out !!!!!!!!!!
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Post by flblue09 on Jul 12, 2007 21:12:34 GMT -5
Reposted from another thread ...Well, GOAL-NY had a most interesting meeting Tuesday night.
Carroll, I know you ... you'd have gone totally RABID PSYCHO !!
I'll leave the details, such as exposing the acting President in a deceit akin to "I DID NOT HAVE SEX WITH THAT WOMAN ..." and other true gems of the evening, such as "f*ck the law!" shouted by one of NY's Finest, for to Admin to post ...
That said, I think much was revealed. In other words, "they" got the
I do so HATE liars.
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Post by hoosiercop on Jul 13, 2007 8:42:30 GMT -5
I kind of agree (but kind of don't) with Levon that other GLBT LE groups maybe should distance themselves a little from GOAL NY for the time being. I don't know if anyone can help NY but its own members. Not sure if NY people would bring down any other group that tried to get involved.
But I do think that all other groups should be very much paying attention to whats going on with GOAL NY. If it can happen in NY it can happen within ANY other group. It doesn't matter how well things are going for any group currently. As humans we must learn from our own mistakes, and also learn from the mistakes of others.
The current problems with GOAL NY, as well as issues I hear of in Chicago and California, make me very wary as I hope to eventually get enough support for a group in Indiana. There already is a clique of gay/bi officers around Indianapolis that already blocks out others not in the clique. I could very easily see a group like that (thats already rather established in its own exclusive way) overrunning a group of GLBT officers that are truly in it for the right, unselfish reasons. Then I could see the clique pushing out all the people that are there for the right reasons. Hopefully if I (or someone else here) get(s) a group started, we would be able to have a means to prevent such problems from occuring. Thats also one reason why I'd love to find a local officer that is very knowledgable about organizational bylaws and such. Would be nice to have a system in place with measures to prevent some of these ugly situations.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2007 8:48:21 GMT -5
Annie, with all the crazy things going on with GOAL NY, I'm not at all surprised that you would want to join Florida LEGAL. Actually, our membership is open to all LGBT criminal justice professionals no matter what state they live in. Most chapters have members from out of state. I have been a member of GOAL New England since it's beginning and I have been a member of GSPOA and the Gay Police Association in London. As you know, I also have a lifetime membership in GOAL NY. I think we all should support each other as we are all in this together. We do have members from New York who are in the Florida LEGAL family, like Michael Meenaghan and Tommy Jeans. In fact, the other day former GOAL president George Farrugia asked to join as well. In addition, former president Vivian Rodriguez has beeen a member for a few years. It would be a great honor for us to have you in our organization. Just go to our website at www.fla-legal.com and pull up an application. We will take care of it right away
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2007 9:16:06 GMT -5
Hey hoosiercop. It's not easy setting up an organization. But, you can learn from the mistakes that other groups have made and avoid comon pitfalls. Indiana realy needs a group and you are the man that can put one together. Don't let the existing clique stop you, just work around them. I would like to know everything you know about them. Are they organized into a group? Are they just about the "party?"Are they just into who's cute? Or are they about creating change? What does one have to do to get into their clique? I get the feeling that the last thing you want is to be in their clique. I would really like to help you in getting Indiana started. Let's talk.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2007 16:55:39 GMT -5
Just so you guys know, I've asked my buddy, who is staying in our New York apartment, to go to the supermarket and pick up several heavy duty scrub brushes. This is just in case our mops and pails aren't strong enough to take care of cleaning up the upcoming mess. I already have several pounds of Mr Clean on order. I'll have everyting sent to New York in advance because I might look strange going through airport security looking like a cleaning woman. Just let me know when you want me and I'll catch the next flight. We will probably be cleaning and fumigating for several weeks. Does anybody have any gas masks?
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