Hostile Takeover By Black Supremacist Group Alleged
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A man who started a nonprofit charity in this upstate city says he’s been fraudulently pushed out of his organization by members of the black supremacist Nation of Yahweh cult and now fears for his life.
Andrew Stankevich founded Friends Helping Friends, Inc., in Rochester in 1998. The nonprofit was set up as a food pantry for the homeless, but later grew to provide clothing, groceries and bicycles to the poor as well.
In 2004, Stankevich, who is white, says he recruited Bahti Yah Israel, a member of the sometimes frightening Nation of Yahweh, to join his board and help run his food distribution program. Their relationship was warm and cooperative until Yah Israel attended the funeral of Nation leader Yahweh ben Yahweh (right) in May 2007, Stankevich told Hatewatch. Upon Yah Israel’s return to Rochester after the funeral, personal clashes developed between the two that ultimately led to Stankevich being dropped from the Friends Helping Friends board of directors last November. Then, on Dec. 3, he was ejected by police from the warehouse at 333 Childs St., on the West Side of Rochester, where the nonprofit’s operations are based.
Stankevich says Yah Israel drew up the document that led to his removal. A copy of a “corporate resolution” dated last Nov. 9 reads: “Rochester Food Not Bombs, Inc. [the alternate name for Friends Helping Friends, Inc.] assigns, transfers and conveys all goods, merchandise or inventory … to Hebrew Israelites of Rochester, Inc.” (The Hebrew Israelites of Rochester, Inc., which does not appear on the corporate registry of the state of New York, is apparently the local chapter of the Nation of Yahweh and is run by Yah Israel.) Among the board members signing off on this transfer of ownership — which included the warehouse itself — is Yah Israel. Today, Friends Helping Friends is operated by Yah Israel and other Nation of Yahweh members, many of whom joined the organization while Stankevich was still there.
Yah Israel could not be reached for comment.
Vivian Harrison, one of three members of the five-member board whose signature appears on the document, says she was duped. Harrison told Hatewatch that she had just come home from a long stay in the hospital for treatment of pneumonia and lung infection, when Yah Israel appeared at her door. She said Yah Israel told her that Stankevich apparently had misappropriated $84,000 and asked her to sign papers that would freeze the nonprofit’s bank accounts until the matter was resolved. Harrison says she was still sick at the time and signed the papers without reading them. “I was incoherent,” she told Hatewatch. “The way she broke it down to me, it wasn’t supposed to be anything about everything going to the Hebrew Israelites.”
Dan Lill, who headed the nonprofit’s program that distributed bicycles to poor children, separated his program from Friends Helping Friends in the wake of the controversy. Lill, who is also a former board member, said that he was there the day that Yah Israel called police to escort Stankevich out. “He was forcibly ousted,” Lill said. “Whether he was legally ousted, I don’t know.” Lill disputed the accusation that Stankevich had misappropriated any money. “He was not skimming money off the top,” he said. “He lived in abject poverty. He had a totally run down house in one of the worst neighborhoods in Rochester — he didn’t even have a cell phone.”
Harrison resigned from the organization in December, following Stankevich’s ejection from the premises. No one who worked with Stankevich remains, except the Nation of Yahweh members. Stankevich has since left Rochester, saying he fears for his personal safety. And now, many of those who used Friends Helping Friends’ food pantry and thrift store say the organization is rarely open and has stopped serving the needs of the community as it did under Stankevich. “We are preparing a petition to dismiss the mean, nasty, anti-humanitarian, toxic person who is running [Friends helping Friends] right now,” Marion Walker, head of the Jay Orchard Street Area Neighborhood Association, told Hatewatch. “[Stankevich] was always trying to find ways to be helpful in this community. The community now feels this is missing and we’re going to have to do something about this lady.”
on February 5th, 2008 at 11:12 am
I hope Stankevich and others or perhaps someone with absolute willingness to stand up and take back the organization from which graviated into the wrong hands.
Under Yah Isreal`s tyranny the organization was “rarely opened and has stopped serving the needs of the community as it did under Stankevich.”
These guys are not the real black patriot Americans we see , they are but a small percenter in the nation, meaning they`re only a bunch of outcasted unknowns and doesn’t seem to pose an imminent danger to society as does the white supremacists and the nativists movement which seems to divide our nation in half.
on February 5th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
To call the Klan an eminant threat is exageration supreme.They aren’t inflicting near as many deaths as the military has in Iraq where about 1.2 are dead.Get real if you want to be taken seriously.The Klan is dangerous but they don’t constitute an “eminant threat.”
on February 5th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Stankevich early on at Friends Helping Friends was skimming.
As a white he had no business interferring in black affairs so he was forced to leave. His reason for starting Friends was to make money and the brothers weren;t going to take it anymore.
Whites have no business in black communities.
on February 5th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
I am part of food not bombs and am on the network list.
First: I have been reading the reports as Andrew sends them to the list using the email we have repeatedly asked him to stop using (he is no longer part of Food Not Bombs *FNB*, he openly states he is with friends helping friends which have ideas that are quite diffrent from those of FNB). For some time now I have had the feeling that we are not getting the complete story.
Second: White people have largely gotten what they want in society. Sure there is a setback here and there, but when compared with people of color, there is no contest.
Like I said, I don’t think we are getting the complete story; perhaps the Nation of Yahweh felt it needed a space that they did not feel welcome in so decided to take over.
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on February 6th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
“They aren`t inflicting near as many deaths as the military has over in Iraq where about 1.2 are dead.”
Who said anything about the war in Iraq? Besides your number (1.2) is incorrect. I’m talking about domestic problems with regard to social issues in the United States. Its not just the “klan” I’m talking about but a broader spectrum of White Supremacy in general, from a lower than dirt racists skinheads to their majesty`s infernal orgs such as F.A.I.R., CCC, Lou Dobbs et al, etc. If you think its just a black and white issue, well you are wrong. All American people of color and Jews are affacted by White Supremacy and the ever growing “weeds” of nativisim. Black Supremacists are as rare as a UFO sighting. We don’t have Yaweh gangs in our community here but we do have natavists and militias type-2 inbreeds.
on February 7th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
I just want to respond to the accusation that I mismanaged $84,000 of FHF money. These accusations are untrue, but there is a little truth to the greatly exaggerated accusation and I already addressed this board, the previous board and the grantor as to the situation. I’m happy to provide anyone who’s concerned with an explanation.
I will say that I worked volunteered my time for years and actually founded the organization by “maxing out credit cards” and was never paid back for the expense. So I was so devoted to my work that I paid FHF to work for FHF.
Furthermore, if there were problems with my grant management skills, it doesn’t justify ejecting a qualified employee who pretty much created the entire organization, without any notice and illegally transfer the company assets to one of the board members.
The point is that Bahti’ Yah Israel and the Nation of Yahweh are completely nuts and should be held accountable for their illegal actions. Aside from anything, else it’s a crystal clear violation of NYS nonprofit law to transfer nonprofit assets to one of the board members (especially in writing where the board member recipient VOTES TWICE to achieve the 2/3 majority vote).
on February 8th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
I just wanted to address Ms. Bahti’ Yah Yisrael’s allegations that I “mismanaged” $84,000 Friends Helping Friends money. There’s been a lot of rumors about this issue, so I want to post the truth. Friends Helping Friends recieved a $50,000 federal grant that was to go towards capacity-building expenses. Due to a number of extenuating circumstances, I spent a lot (approx $40k) on legitimate program expenses (although I was paid a small amount to administer the grant, I wound up donating most of the money back to the organization as is documented in FHF’s fall 2006 bank statements). The legitimate expenses include construction expenses on Friends Helping Friends property, mortagage payments, program-related equipment and other consumable program expenses.
The federal “Compassion Capital Fund” funding that was administered through the Administration for Children and Families was an experimental program to try to to ongoing discrimination and exclusion from govt. funding that effective faith-based organizations experience and to compensate for the “unlevel playing field” that a 2001 federal study described.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news.....field.html
Since this program was an new approach to facilitate smaller, more effective organization to access federal funding, the Compassion Capital Fund designed the program for quality grassroots programs to access this grant. The “Unlevel Playing Field” report acknowledges that contracting with the federal govt. for the first time is a recognized difficult process for newcomers, unnecessary govt. bureaucracy has systemically excluded grassroots organizations and that govt. funding administrators have a “pervasive and unwarranted” paranoia of grassroots nonprofits that results in the exclusion of effective grassroots organizations from govt. funding.
The extenuating circumstances were that the City of Rochester had repeatedly promised and cancelled approximately $35,000 in funding over a year with dubious reasons that wrecked havoc on our programming. Since Friends Helping Friends did not get the funding for program support that it had been promised, I used federal funding that was designated for other reasons for program support expenses. I felt that acting in the best interests of Friends Helping Friends was more important than fulfilling the obligations of the grant. Had I not used federal funding for reasons other than what the money was allocated for, the entire organization would have shut down in 2006.
It was incredibly difficult to access the funding once the funding was awarded. Although the grant was awarded in September of 2005, Friends Helping Friends wasn’t able to access the money until one year later and had to repeatedly petition the grantor for our money and I re-wrote the grant six times to correct a program violations & a partnership dissolution that happened shortly after the notification of funding. Michele Walters, our program specialist, refused to help provide instruction on how to re-write the grant to meet program specifications and would rarely even return my phone calls/emails for assistance. The only way that I was able to successfully re-write the grant application and eventually access the money, was by contacting and soliciting the help of the grassroots nonprofit liason from the Buffalo HUD, who I met at a seminar she hosted for grassroots organizations. Since I had to spend so much time working to access the funding, I was unable to pursue other funding sources for Friends Helping Friends.
Although the Compassion Capital Fund was established to combat this “Unlevel Playing Field,” I felt that the “Unlevel Playing Field” was re-created in the Compassion Capital Fund, as our original program specialist seemed to have an “unwarranted and pervasive” suspicion towards our organization which caused her to almost block our funding, while we had to spend our already limited staffing time on unneccessary federal bureaucracy. Furthermore, the City of Rochester also exhibited the same “pervasive and unwarranted” suspicion against Friends Helping Friends that resulted in the wrongful exclusion of Friends Helping Friends from City of Rochester grantmaking programs.
Although neither of these factors change the fact that I spent federal money on expenditures for which they were not allowed, I felt it was in the best interests of the organization to do so and have addressed this matter to parties within Friends Helping Friends, as well as the Compassion Capital Fund. When I reported this and other information to the Compassion Capital Fund administrators, they did not condemn my actions, but requested more information on the expenditures. Although recorded in the 2006 audited financial statement, I was not able to make the final financial report to the Administration for Children in Families due to time constraints, and eventually my illegal and forced ejection from 333 Child Street and the loss of my computer and the needed files on the computer. As I understand it, the CCF per Thom Wilson, opened a still pending investigation into the City of Rochester and the Administration for Children and Families to investigate my allegations.
The worst case scenario is that Friends Helping Friends will have to pay back the money that was spent on unapproved activities and the approximately $40,000 will become a debt that FHF will owe the federal government. However, I don’t think that FHF will even half to pay back the money, especially since congress cancelled funding for the faith-based initiative per an e-newsletter that I recieved on February 1st.
http://www.industrymailout.com.....;qz=6fd167
It is my professional opinion that the federal government will probably discontinue the “faith-based initiative” as a failed program and not pursue punitive actions on organizations like Friends Helping Friends who did not properly administer the grant. I do not feel that this matter was grounds to freeze the bank account. Ms. Cooper, Esq., the regional attorney general found no fault with FHF’s account statements that documented this “premature use of federal funds” when she reviewed FHF’s statements to determine whether or not to grant amendments to FHF’s articles of incorporation in the fall of 2007.
Although Ms. Yisrael felt that such matters were ground to freeze the organization’s bank account, one of FHF’s foundation funders emailed me and told me in writing that Ms. Yisrael, or one of Ms. Yisrael’s associates, had demanded that the foundation issue another $5,000 check in the name “Rochester Food Not Bombs” after a check in the name “Friends Helping Friends” had already been deposited into the organization’s bank account. In addition, ignoring the bylaws of the organization, demanding legal action from fraudluent “corporate resolutions,” transferring company property to non-existant organizations in writing and failing to pay sales tax while collecting sales tax, could definitely be considered fraud or gross mismanagement.
* * *
The additional $44,000 that Ms. Bahti’ Yah Yisrael accuses me of “mismanaging” is a completely groundless accusation. Although I don’t have all of our financial statements and paperwork with me, over the last 2-3 years, Friends Helping Friends paid approximately $44,000 in “charitable payments to individuals.” Friends Helping Friends documented which low-income individuals recieved the payments with different accountants. All of the firms and accountants are licensed and properly accredited accountants; the Attorney General’s Office, as well as the regional Attorney General for the Rochester Region, Ms. Audrey Cooper, Esq. reviewed and approved these statements and found no problem with the statements. Although Rochester Friends Helping Friends will probably be losing its 501(c)3 status, as well as its registration at the NYS Attorney General’s Office due to Ms. Yisrael’s new leadership, FHF was registered with the NYS Attorney General’s Office that approved FHF’s financial statements. Ms. Yisrael, who recieved charitable payments as a low-income person, felt that these payments should have been recorded through 1099 forms for independent contractors, a slight difference as to how the cash transactions were recorded on FHF’s books.
Even if Friends Helping Friends did improperly record these cash transactions to individuals, it does not follow that FHF board members are in imminent danger of incarceration or have to “pay the money back,” as Ms. Yisrael asserted in writing to the Rochester City Court. Ms. Yisrael’s argument is nonsensical and is groundless attempt to discredit Mr. Stankevich to facilitate a Nation of Yahweh seizure of FHF assets.
on February 9th, 2008 at 10:09 am
If black matters were left in black hands like they should there wouldn’t be problems like this.
Whites have a history of taking advantage of black people.
on February 9th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Terrence, are you from Rochester?
What are “black matters?”
How would black matters have been left in black hands in this situation?
Are you saying that I took advantage of black people?
on February 9th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
“If black matters were left in black hands like they should there wouldn’t be problems like this.”
Correct. Instead, there would be alot of rape and murder, which is how “black matters” are currently handeled in Africa.
on February 10th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
” All American people of color and Jews are affacted by White Supremacy and the ever growing “weeds” of nativisim.”
Why don’t you come right out and say it. You hate whites, but you pretend it’s just so-called “white supremacist” you hate, because youre jewish and were raised in a household that constantly whined about the holocaust and how whites were responsible. You’ve got to be some kind of moron not to understand that your biggest foes in Europe and America are muslims now. They hate jews far more than anybody else. If you don’t understand that youre really dumb. You will find out as time goes by. They are getting stronger everywhere in every country.
on February 13th, 2008 at 2:29 am
We need to treat black racist hate groups as terrorist. We need to put these people away. Take away any rights to own property or vote. I feel they are the reason we have so many crackheads on the street. Crack is the main drug which people commit violent crime to buy. I do not understand how our government can sit by and do little or nothing. To stop black racist hate groups who sell drugs and have sex with young girls. They are taking over our cities and government. We need to stop them now at any cost. The future of our country depends on it.
on February 13th, 2008 at 8:44 am
I dislike when it is said that “whites” or “blacks” have a history of this and that. I think that to judge people by their ethnicity is negative. Judge me by my actions and don’t lump everyone in the same category just by their melanin.
on February 13th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Some popeyed dimwit from another forum misinterpreted “street gangs” as a hate group. By definition, a “street gang” is criminal syndicate compromised of mostly juveniled youths of various races. Hence, the sea farring loner`s statements were taken out of context who couldn’t tell chalk from cheese when comparing the difference between a “street gang” and a hate group. FYI, A hate group is a legimated authuantic organization consist primarily of members who are well known figures in society, famous or infamous , sometimes holding public positions in different institutions, whether its a church branch, a university faculty, governmental agency or a non-profit organization. By FBI standards, a “street gang” is not regarded as a hate group simply by login into their database and review it for yourself……
“If you don’t understand that youre dumb.”
Huh? Well,stupid is, as stupid says. If you could at least do a little spelling check, then you wouldn’t be so “dumb” yourself……
on February 14th, 2008 at 9:40 am
“Some popeyed dimwit from another forum misinterpreted “street gangs” as a hate group.”
Your insults reflect your intelligence and only adds to the lack of credibility of your argument. Street gangs are the most racist groups in the country. They’re not only involved in criminal activity they are responsible for racial attacks and murders.
“LA Sheriff: Most Latino gangs kill black people just because of their race & “cleansing” their turf”
http://www.phxnews.com/fullstory.php?article=55547
“Latino Gang Members Indicted for ‘Cleansing’ Operation”
http://www.splcenter.org/blog/.....operation/
Black gangs are doing the same to Hispanics, but they don’t have the concentrated racial “cleansing” hatred the Hispanic gangs do, but they’re racist just as well. Would links help you understand better?
You would do well to drop your hysterical name-calling and reflect more on the subject you address, because you’re far off the mark. Your assertions are inaccurate and reveal a serious lack of knowledge.
on February 14th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
“Your assertions are inaccurate and reveal a serious lack of knowledge.”
Then suddenly……
“Would links help you understand better?”
Don’t put your words in my mouth. Your pragmatic stance is incorrect at best in terms of describing the differences between “street gangs” and hate groups. According to the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin`s
“Definition of Hate”:
Quote–Hate, a complex subject, divides into 2 general catagories, rational and irrational. Unjust acts inspire rational hate. Hatred of a person based on race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or national origin, constitues irrational hate–unquote.
7 Stage Hate Model-the psychopathlogy of hate groups:
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/aw....._model.htm
Just as I said above in my first post, there’s no need for me to re-write it for your own lack of reading incomprehension. According to the “Gang Experts” in the gang resource center in Los Angeles:
Quote–In modern usage, street gangs are often referred to as loosely organized groups serve to control terrirtory–Unquote.
In other words gang behavoir and attitudes are a result of poor education, lack of fatherly love, and drugs including domestic violence attributes to gang lifestyle.
My arguement is undisputed and straight up facts, and to say that my “assertions are inaccurate and reveal a serious lack of knowledge” is a revelation of your poor discontentment all by itself.
White supremacists hate groups have a long history of hatred rooted into America`s past time since the formation of the first hate group famously known to us all as Ku Klux Klan, which was formed in 1867 by a former confederate general in Pulaski, Tenn. Nathan Bedford Forrest who later joined was quoted as saying “it was formed to keep blacks in their place.”. According to the Tuskagee Institute, approximately 3,437 blacks were lynched at the hieght of imperialism since the turn of that century and about 1,293 whites were also lynched:
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskagee_University
This horrid and evil method was use to intimidate freed blacks slaves who were taking part in the voting process. Followed by another form terrorism by “vigilantes” who Burned Crosses in the front yards and on the hills of black communities. One of the most senseless and cold-blooded crimes committed by White Supremacists in the 20th century took place no more than several decades ago in Greensboro, NC where 5 members of the CWP were gunned down by members of the American Nazi Party in 1979, known as the:
“Greensboro Massacre”
http://www.wikipedia.org/
Fast forward to 2006, neo-nazis skinheads are far more ruthless and degenerated, going so far as to stab and tried to murder one of their own. The victims story can be read at:
“Bad Blood” Intelligence Report
http://www.intelligencereport......sp?aid=843
Shocking as it seems, need I say more?
And just recently as late of last year in the fall of 2007 in Leweiston, I’D. 6 people including a mother 40 and daughter 21 along with 3 other males under the age of 22, were all charged wi the beating of a 13 yr old young Native American girl, soley because she said “What about Native Pride?” after they were all talking about “White Pride”. All were charged under the new Hate Crime Bill:
Lewiston Tribune
Feb. 04, 2008
http://www.magicvalley.com/art.....idgc81.txt
Beating up a 13 yr old teenage girl by 5 people including one adult 40 yr old mother gives every indication that white supremacists are dangerously insane, pure and simple.
The ocean wandering loon`s ostinsible claims that my “assertions are inaccorate” is a pretext that “reveals a serious lack of knowledge” alone..
And if you could actually do a little research yourself, then you won’t be so ill-informed.
on February 14th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Typo-correction:
“Lewiston, I’D ” as stated above, shall be written as Lewiston, Idaho.
“Ostinsible” was meant to be written as Ostensible where I accidentally typed in an “ii” instead of an “e”. At least I made some corrections. My bad.
on February 18th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
America Needs Greater Public Information About Domestic Extremist Groups
I applaud Rep. Jane Harmen (D-CA) for introducing S. 1959: Violent Radicalisation and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act, a bill that would secure funding for a public interest research center to track and make public information about violent, dogmatic organizations that originated in the United States. After the bill passed the House of Representatives with an overwhelming vote of support (405-6) the needs to pass the Senate and have President Bush sign the bill into law.
Had more information about extremist organizations like the Nation of Yahweh been available to the public, Rochester Friends Helping Friends’ services to the community would not have been disrupted and damaged.
on February 26th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
I checked the web site TKB. There is a listing. I am sure MLK had a listing with many organizations. I somehow don’t think MLK planned violence. The website clarified their status. It lists them as no for every category for any violent action. Thanks for clearing things up. It seems you are the issue. You are the extremist Andrew.
on February 27th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
You know, that’s just one site that I “google” searched.
But what you are saying is FALSE!
“Martin Luther King” is referenced, but as a historical reference or court reference. “I marched on MLK day.” TKB NEVER lists MLK as being a terrorist in anyway whatsoever.
The facts are true and verifiable by a number of people.
I am an extremist! I volunteer my time excessively, I donated all my personal resources towards helping the poor and am known to picket and/or rally in the community in a lawful and nonviolent fashion.
Let’s get the facts straight. I devoted my time and personal resources to creating the organization that Bahti’ Yah and company forced me out of. Sure we had problems, because I couldn’t do, singlehandedly, everything we had to do.
Bahti’ Yah Yisrael isn’t even her legal name. I couldn’t hire a lawyer to stop all of the phony baloney legal maneuvering that Bahti’ Yah was doing and she blind-sided me by presenting false board resolutions to the police. She didn’t have board approval and didn’t use her legal name (Bahtiyah Israel). I was scared and decided to leave town after creating everything that she know has in her possession.
If you’re going to post, why don’t you post your real name?
on February 27th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Let me clarify one thing:
Many reliable sources document that the Nation of Yahweh were responsible for many gruesome murders. “Bahti’ Yah Yisrae” has changed her name so many times (by command of the Nation) that she no longer uses her legal name, but her cult name to sign legal papers.
Once, once in my illustrious Food Not Bombs/Friends Helping Friends career in Rochester that spanned almost 10 years did I threaten ONE non-violent civil disobedience action. I’ve discussed this with many people in the community and the City of Rochester public integrity unit inspector told me (in writing) that it was not a professional liability in his opinion. But I’ve taken a lot of heat for it.
So if you consider me an “extremist” you would consider, MLK, Dorothy Day, Mitch Snyder and others who’ve committed many acts of civil disobedience and have actually been jailed for it, far more extreme than me.
And remember, I’ve had my successes and failures over the years, but without me there would be no organization whatsoever… that’s the truth. It would have been nice if someone could have helped me, instead of just trying to kick me while I was down.
on June 27th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Salaams,
I also worked with Andrew for a short time and had diffilculties with the so called sister mentioned. She has always accused people of stealing and such. Only to push people away who had the community at heart. I knew she was going to be a problem in every way. She once told ma that she was a Muslim as myself but of course I knew better. I do not appreciate the comments that are knocking Andrew when at the same time those very people were there before I could even open the doors on some occcasions. But, then we must remember that if there is no personal benifit for some they have no use of the services. As far as Andrew not belonging in the community, well I will say this that if not him who? Certainly not the so called person who took over aas you can not even remain open. Andrew as a personal note to you. GOD will fix this for you. I have the most respect that He will not forsake His own, who continously act in His favor. Please know that I am here working in Buffalo feel free to contact me if there is any thing (tesifying) I can do to assist. Keep the Faith that you have and fear no one Except GOD.
Bless You.