All White Board Attempts to Violate Black member's Right to Lobby in Rosedale

The new 2014-2015 Meeting Street Homes at Rosedale Board of Directors consists of

Nathan Diehl

Kathy Lenze

Jane Ryan

Jill Vanzandt

Jamie Warren. 

(in alphabetic order)

At the publishing of this article, I believe that Nathan Diehl is a White male.  Two requests for him to correspond with me have been sent to him by US Postal Mail, and I had no response to date.  All other members of the Board are White.  Only Jill Vanzandt and Jamie Darche Warren were present at the last annual meeting where Nathan Diehl and Kathy Lenze were elected using six absentee proxies in combination with the six members present including myself as described in a separate article on this blog.

I have been lobbying to have Jamie Darche Warren removed because she has attempted to violate my rights as a member of this community.  The details of this personal violation is also described in another article on this blog.

Apparently, this all White Board of Directors voted to have our Board Attorney to send me this letter above.

Thank God that the Board Attorney did not charge our Association to send out this letter implying false accusations and attempting to violate my right to lobby.

The Board attorney and I had a brief discussion, and she clarified that

1. I have a right to lobby
2. Defamation consists of speaking untruths, and 
3. I have the freedom of speech to tell the truth.

As far as harassment and abuse that is mentioned in this letter, I have seen no police reports.  The new Board can either deal with me as a paying Association member and as professional adults on a private basis or they can answer to the public in a forum such as this blog.  The choice is up to them.

Our Association deserves good leadership, fair treatment for all of its members, and protection of the rights of all of its members.  Any members of the Meeting Street Homes at Rosedale Association that want to support my petition to remove Jamie Darche Warren from the Board of Directors, please feel free to contact me.

Any Board members who want to meet with me to work out a plan to move our Association forward together should also contact me.  I will continue to keep you posted on articles such as this one.

NOTE:  I protected the identity of the Board Attorney because she did not charge our Association for this letter and her time to counsel us on our rights, and if she has to continue to deal with this disagreement, then our Association money will be spent to pay for the legal fees.

White Board member Targets Black Board member in Rosedale

Jamie Darche Warren seems to have spread untruths about me, Benita Blocker, within the Rosedale community based on the number of  "cold shoulders" that I have received.  So I am writing to shed some light in case some members of the community are interested in my side of the story.

In the email above, Jamie Warren
1) is incorrect in who made the initial complaint about the new hair salon that recently opened.
2) tries to control me which intrudes on my rights as a member of this community.
3) complains about my actions to protect my business and my rights as a member of Rosedale.

Jamie Darche Warren should be removed from the Board on the grounds of dictating rules to other members such as myself.

In my email above, I correct Jamie Darche Warren on the fact that my complaint initiated others to complain in response to my complaint.

 In the email above, I complain how Jamie Darche Warren believes that she is my "momma" or that she has supremacy over me.  Jamie Darche Warren does not respond to me.

 In the email above, I explain to Jamie Darche Warren that I am also entitled to "free enterprise" since she went behind my back and told the renters that they could solicit on our block after I told them that their aggressive solicitation practices had become annoying to my clientele.  She had no financial investment in the matter, and she personally wanted to see the renters and I argue.

Now, that I am standing up for my rights as a member of this community, Jamie Darche Warren who was NOT up for re-election conspires before the annual meeting to gather SIX (6) absentee proxies to bring to the annual meeting.

So at the annual meeting, there were six votes present and six votes counted from absentee proxies for a total of 12 votes.  I was up for re-election, and I was the only one present at the annual meeting that was running for re-election.  Without the six absentee proxies, I would have won or at least tied to remain in my Board position.  However, because Jamie Darche Warren brought in the six proxies with names of members that were not even present, two new members were elected to the Board who did NOT even show up to the annual meeting.  This move to unseat me on the Board is probably legal, but it is "dirty" and political as can be.

None of us are paid for these Board positions.  As the only Black on the Board in Rosedale, I felt that diversity was important as well fair treatment enforced for all members.

Our Board deserves better than Jamie Darche Warren who allowed one of our properties in the community to go into foreclosure, and our Association had to absorb her delinquent HOA dues.  How do you get elected as President of the Board when you are not even a role model for the community?  Maybe Jamie Darche Warren wanted to befriend the tenants occupying her former foreclosed unit because she still feels a bond as the original owner of the property?

Regardless of whatever delusion that Jamie Darche Warren is under, as a Black member in good standing, I demand that my rights as a member of this community be respected. I have a lot of documentation supporting other discriminatory actions that I have suffered under Jamie Darche Warren's leadership.

 Members of our Rosedale community can make a difference by having Jamie Darche Warren removed from our Board.  Again, we deserve better!

Jamie Darche Warren refused to resign prior to the publishing of this article. She refused to apologize to me for violating my rights as a member of this community.  The new Board members have not reached out to resolve my written complaint mailed to them. Political games can ruin the "neighbor" in "neighborhood."  Members should take action before you find your own rights disrespected by this new Board.

Not so Good Cover Letter

*Beginning of Body of Cover Letter*

I am writing to you to express my interest to work full time or to teach upper math courses in your department.  I have a rich ten-year working experience in the mathematics field, and I have soaked myself in measureless perception in the mathematics area over the years.

My experience in totality has been extremely enriching and rewarding as I have put in a great deal of efforts in all my endeavors.  Sincerity and hard work were the virtues that were inculcated in my character since the beginning, and as a result I never shied away from challenges.  Learning on my own and sharing my knowledge with others has been most worthwhile, which I believe will work towards my advantage in the future.

To conclude, I have attached a copy of my transcripts.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to let me know.

*End of Body of Cover Letter*


So what do you think? How did you like the "soaked in measureless perception" comment?  My thoughts: "are you applying for a role in a Shakespeare play?"  If not, you need to "Keep it Simple" especially if you are applying for a mathematics position.

This cover letter is not the worst ever written mainly because there was no misspelled words, but there are some minor grammar challenges and a sense of wonder as to what the heck is the applicant talking about. Hello?.

This is an example of what not to write as a cover letter. Team work references and a progressive work summary can go a long way.

The new Publix in Market Square Huntersville

Publix Food and Pharmacy at Market Square Huntersville, NC opened this month. (October  2014)

This new Publix store opened in the old Bi-Lo grocery store building.

The positives:  Great Hot Meal Selection, Popular submarine sandwiches, and Kellogg's granola cereal!

The negatives:  NO Indoor seating for the public, NO salad bar, and their store brand beverages are not double sealed like the neighboring Harris Teeter grocery store does.

Harris Teeter double seals their beverages.  Publix only has the white cap and no "peel" seal.

As you can tell, I plan to patronize both grocery stores for different reasons!

The ComeBack

The Comeback

by Benita Blocker
 2014

You say

my brows - too bushy

my walk -  too mushy

my fashion - too boring

my shoes - nonscoring

my purse - too dated

my hair - too inflated.

I say-

the depth of my eyes captivate as much as

the warmth of my smile.

The fullness of my lips mesmerizes like

the brilliance of my mind.

The smoothness of my skin accentuates

the twists and turns of my curvaceous body.

Dizzy watching the dimples in my cheeks?

Makes this comeback complete.

Proper protocol when filling out a check

So do you see anything wrong with the check in the picture?  I purposely covered up personal, irrelevant private information on the check.  I am just focussed on the dollar value and the written text of the dollar value.

Well, the proper protocol for filling out this check is that the $35.00 dollar value should be written out as
"thirty five and 00/100"
versus
 "thirty five dollars and 00/100" which is seen in the picture above.

The word "dollars" is already embedded in the check line so the word dollars should never have to be duplicated.

Of course, you are thinking how petty is this?  Well, surprisingly, I had a "White" vendor who was quite impressed by the fact that I did not handwrite the word "dollars" on my check.  He mentioned that many people duplicate the word "dollars."

I would have never paid any attention to my clients' checks until this particular vendor started making me more conscious of how others write out their checks.

People pay attention to the strangest things.  Don't they?

The Truth About Applause! Hair Design

On or around August 8, 2014, a new African American operated hair salon called Applause! Hair Design opens up four entrances from my hair salon storefront which has been operational for ten years in the shopping center.  It is a husband/wife team that runs it and neither one has a license to provide hair services.  So they are completely dependent on keeping a staff of hairstylists very happy despite the fact that some are new to the shopping center, some are new to the Huntersville area, and some may even be less than a year out of cosmetology school.  

So because they opened the salon on our block which is not known for foot traffic, they have aggressively solicited as many people as they could by handing out fliers/flyers focused in our block even to the point of knocking on my clients' car windows to give them a flyer/flier while they are listening to a webinar.

As you can see by the fliers/flyers above, I have started collecting a few of the fliers/flyers from my clients.

My clients really do not want to be confrontational.  They feel that it is easier to take the flier/flyer and toss it in the trash.

I have had at least one of their hairstylists run down my clients to give them fliers/flyers.  Of course, I have repeatedly told the owners that the soliciting on our block is really a conflict of interest.  I understand that they are new, and that they don't know who is my client or not.

But the fact remains that my salon is almost double the size of their salon, and I have three stations available for booth rent.  Did this strip with low foot traffic really need another Black owned hair salon that is half my salon size? Not sure, but they shoved six small styling stations, three shampoo bowls, dryers, sitting area, desk and storage area into the salon, and according to their Facebook page, they are the "hottest salon in Huntersville."

Pictured above is their "hottest salon in Huntersville" Facebook entry.

I was even told by a local beauty store that the new salon owners came in for a few items, and they were quite aggressive about letting everyone in the store know about their new salon, and they were even willing to recruit the store cashier to work in their salon.  Apparently, the world centers around Applause Hair Design, and they have no respect for ethical business practices.  At least, my salon has not been the only one to witness the aggression. 

The term "free enterprise" has come up, but most styling studios ask that salons do not solicit within their facility or their block because if all of the salons solicit at the same time, people would feel harassed.

From day one, I have only asked Applause! Hair Design to discontinue aggressive solicitation on our block.  It was a simple request, but the female owner would not agree.  She does not want me in her salon.  She has written a long letter to our Board that had me startled because some of the statements was so far from the truth that I had to read it twice and slowly.  I am amazed at this "all time low" that Applause Hair Design has stooped too.  

On August 8, 2014, many of the local media publications such as the Charlotte Observer, the Citizen, the Herald all announced the grand opening of the Applause! Hair Design location.  The event started on a Friday around noon.  So in the middle of our medical business area, a moon bounce is set up and cones are put out to block street traffic which prevented my clients from parking in front of my salon.  Of course, eventually, the police came out to move the cones that was blocking traffic.  Also, the moon bounce was also taken down shortly thereafter.  I am not sure if they had received town permission to block the street off.

It looked like a block party for part of the day with "Peanut, Ray Ray, and  Pookie."  I had never seen anything like it in all my ten years of being on the block.   

Oh yes, I almost forgot that they informed me that if I paid them $50 to $75 that my clients could have some of their hamburgers and hot dogs as a part of their celebration.  I opted out of donating since it was looking to be a complete waste of my money.

All of my efforts to get along seems to be met with them describing me as "harassing" according to one of the emails that the female owner sent to our Board.   So my question to Applause! Hair Design is this: if I was harassing them, maybe a series of police reports should have been filed so that we could all be aware of each harassing incident.  Why did they open up shop practically next to my salon anyway?  Did they just want to feed off my clientele?

The fact remains that they have NOT been in business for sixty days yet, and they certainly are not focused on co-existing with my salon.  It is such a shame that our hair industry is subjected to such pettiness and disrespect.  I have tried discussing my frustrations with them as two/three adults, but they have severed that tie.