Відео

In the Deaf community do you feel Deaf white people are races towards Deaf Black people? I'm just trying to educate myself!

Thanks for clarification….Sad about Lawsuits. Can’t afford let DCARA fold.

Greetings! I know a lot is happening in the world - the Russia-Ukraine war, mass shootings, pandemic, Jan 6 hearing. Terrible! Hope you all are good and safe. This VLOG now is about the facts surrounding the DCARA events that you should know. Why now? Problems with DCARA continue and only 3 remain on Board so what happened? FYI, using an organization as a platform to shame, accuse and belittle individuals and groups is disrespectful. Those who do that are not friends of the Deaf community. Period! Doing shaming in RAMBO style and defamation to the Board and its supporters while you stress reuniting the community? Do you call that healing? NO! What’s healing? Acknowledge your mistakes, own it up, and then apologize to those you caused harm to. That is HEALING! NO shortcuts or sweeping under the rug will fix it. If you continue to harass some of us, you will be called out because bullying should NEVER be tolerated! First I want to thank the Board supporters who sent over 50 letters to Judge Grillo last year. There are a lot more supporters out there in silence because they respect the legal process which is good. Some of you don’t. Remember when Judge Grillo saw that the original board and Liann’s Board not getting along? His decision was to pick two from each side and they in turn nominated one to complete 5 on Board. The Judge said it is mandatory because you can’t get along so you must learn to get along and that’s the Judge’s intention but the problem still persists. Why? Because some of you still resist the new Board because David is a racist or because it’s an old board or because it’s a fake board. That’s ugly from my perspective. Some of you have no business getting involved in the process. The Judge knew the problem but did what he thought was right based on experience with other organizations. Did the same method and that worked for them but you didn’t respect the legal process so I don’t have respect for you. If you don’t respect the law then I have no respect for you. So I am going to talk about 7 items here with a response to Tom Holcomb, Joey Baer, and Julie Rems-Smario and their collaborators 1) You insist on calling the Board racists yet I have not seen any evidence (on paper, video, and writings). No evidence at all so many from the community were asking what the accusations were about? They also wondered why you as white privileged persons call them racists even when there are POC on Board? That is clearly racism. If you think it’s ok to speak for the Deaf Black group, then is it ok for hearing people to speak for Deaf people? Ok, for sightseeing people to speak for blind people? The list goes on. NO! it’s NOT okay! They should speak for themselves and show respect to others the same way others should respect them. It goes both ways. 2) Tom, I know you’ve been a long-time supporter of DCARA so thank you. Out of curiosity, how did you obtain the information on the $450,000 legal fee which is expensive? I asked the Board and they were clueless. Did you get that figure from Raymond? Where’s the source? Care to share? 3) Investigation report back in 2019 - Many people wanted to know the result so I will disclose some that are relevant to events leading up to May 2019. The judge already has the copy and some have been made public. For instance, Jerry Grigsby, a Board member, already talked about some in his presentation called “What really happened” and some information is similar. Back in March 2019 when I was consulting the Board, racism was thrown in so I was advised by Rona, a long-time attorney for DCARA to hire an investigator who also is an attorney with experience in diversity and civil rights to do fact-finding based on documents (videos, Bylaws, Policies, etc). Once contacted, we communicated through email to discuss the intention and I suggested four names that I thought would be an opportunity for them to tell their side of the story. They are Rosa Lee, Judy Gough, and Raymond Rogers. Susan Gonzales who were omitted because she gave the investigator a hard time. It took three weeks after obtaining qualified interpreters. Based on fact-finding in the report, four issues were found and three will be shown. (Screenshot shown) First one - Judy Gough violated the policy but has shown no racism. (Second screenshot shown) Second one - Raymond Rogers violated the Bylaws or policies. (Third screenshot shown) Third one - Policies and Procedures were weak to protect staff and the Board

4) Julie, you have accused me of retaliatory to women who work in DV and SV field as reported in Deaf Report and I responded stating it was not true. (Screenshot shown) That is a lie and called defamation. Also you supported the accuser who I never went out together at all and you knew that yet you supported or enabled her. I felt disgusted. That is another lie. Then you accused Melvin Patterson a Deaf Black man as a token on DCARA Board even though he went through the interview process and election in compliance with the Bylaws. That’s another lie. Then you accused another Deaf Black man named Brian Lucas, a graduate student at Gallaudet of sexual assault before the verdict from SBG at Gallaudet was set however later found untrue since his “victim” verified it and stood with him and will testify in court after a lawsuit was filed by his attorney for defamation. More lawsuits may be forthcoming and may include you and I hope he will because you should never have accused him. 5) For clarification for sake of history, the previous attorney for Raymond Rogers and the Board’s attorney agreed that David Martin is the legal Board member then Raymond’s attorney resigned because I believe it lacked the integrity. Later Raymond Rogers hired another lawyer named Josef Peretz. The lawsuit was filed by David Martin with support from the Board at the advice of the Board’s attorney. It was about legality since Raymond was not legally employed because the May 21st agreement lacked two signatures (Brad Rodriguez and David Martin) after 9 pm deadline and the Board never voted him back in DCARA. So he was still terminated then Liann Osborne was handpicked by Raymond as an interim Board President without an interview or vote in by the Board. That’s a violation of Bylaws and has nothing to do with racism but still you accused David. Shame on you! A while later, Nancy Mitchell who holds Master’s Degree in Organizational Behavior had concerns about CSDF staff participating in DCARA protest and interfering legal proceedings so she emailed to Clark Brooke, a Supt of CSDF. Then they had VP conversation and his response was that he can’t do anything about staff’s action after 5pm and only focus on the school but some staff have seen them meeting during the day. I thought it should be 24/7 since they should be role models to the children. So why turn blind eye to the issue? A week later, guess what? She received a cease and desist letter from Raymond’s lawyer named Josef with a threat to sue her. He is a bully. No question. (Letter shown) 6) The Bylaws was updated and became official after Jerry Grigsby, Board member, moved to approved the changes and the Board approved it at April 2017 Board meeting with Raymond Rogers present. Mary Garcia was the Board Secretary. Then over a year ago, it was removed replaced with older 2013 Bylaws by Raymond Rogers without Board’s approval or involvement. Furthermore he had lied under oath in court hearing that he was not preset at that Board meeting when the motion was carried. See Mary Garcia’s VLOG as evidence. It is a clear indication of overruling the Board which again is a violation of Bylaws. (Mary’s VLOG shown) 7) Last one. Human Resource Handbook for employees - DCARA 2005 and updated 2015 were reviewed by all DCARA staff when first hired as required. Just like other nonprofit organizations and corporations. I’ll mention just two policies that were not followed by some staff. Grievance policy - (screenshot shown) The grievance complaint must be filed in order for the Board to act on it. Since the fiasco (February 2019) no grievance complaint was filed at all. Rosa Lee was aware of it after Jerry stressed the requirement so it was a violation of Employee policy. Discrimination, Harassment, Abuse, Bully Policy - (screenshot shown) Bully Conduct shown is prohibited under that policy where harassment toward employee, supervisor, board officer, volunteer or intern, etc. Now that you understand the policy, I’m going to talk about the event. On February 22, 2019 the staff and Board had a meet and greet party that evening and Raymond Rogers knew what some staff was scheming yet he never shared with the Board. That’s a violation. When the party was over, few Board and staff stayed at request of Rosa Lee. By the way, the Board except for Judy, the Board president, was clueless about what the issue was about. It was a display of insults and shaming by Susan Gonzales toward Judy Gough, Board president, and the Board was shocked while Executive Director just sat there and did nothing. That was clearly a violation of Employee policies. Then it led to FIASCO which will always be part of DCARA’s dark history. Some Board members who were not present had asked Joey Moss, DCC Coordinator, for the video recording but he refused at order of Raymond Rogers. That’s another violation. Jerry had asked but only saw a portion so he request to view the full version and Rosa Lee never followed up on it. I have lived in Bay Area for over 44 years being a student, teacher, and IT. The first 40 years were peaceful and quiet with some changes and then the last 4 years were accusations, chaos, and hatred from 2014 to 2018. Why? A small number of people about 10 or 15 started the whole thing and we know who they are. They should be called out because they created turmoil and division in Bay Area. Many in the community are peaceful people unlike the small number of troublemakers some from CSDF staff which were one of the reasons I retired and left the Bay Area and I believe the same for others. What’s sad is the Deaf community is shrinking with division and all. The shaming, bullying, and defamation must stop because they create fear, division, and drive people out of the Bay Area. Second VLOG will cover harassment to BHS supporters, ROAR supporters, and recent event regarding Tilden (Deaf Indians, etc)

Thank you for your very clear understanding. Absolutely agree with you well said!

Hi Melvin I love your lecture . I agree with you 110 percent . Gerry from Massachusetts 👍

I have many black peoples friends from school deaf. Please stop stop racism. God love all any colors

Thank you Melvin for taking the stand to explain why racism is a word not to be taken lightly. We have been too quick to accuse someone of racism these days. The word would lose its meaning over time. Funny zero.

Thank you, Melvin! This is a historic video, in my opinion. Well done.

Racism is so prevalent that hate crimes have to be hoaxed all the time.

wow subtitle help a lots. greeting from England

Now, let me move on to Thomas and Joey. Thomas and Joey, you both asked to meet with me. I was happy to meet with you to discuss certain situations such as racial issues and other topics; however I explained that as a board member I was not able to discuss the lawsuit, nor any DCARA personnel issues because as you know, a board of directors must protect the privacy of their personnel. From what I saw, you appeared to be disappointed and exhibited no serious interest in discussing racism, and were more interested and concerned about the DCARA board itself than racism. You wanted me to provide you with ALL DETAILS regarding the DCARA board. Whoa. It was my understanding that there is no board in all of America that would openly share details about problems with staff or board members with anybody outside the organization! Frankly, it's inappropriate and illegal. As to the lawsuit, the amount of details shared depend on instructions from their attorney. The attorney may instruct the board to be totally quiet, share a few details, or go ahead and tell it all. Why did you disregard this and continue to demand information that DCARA board is not at liberty to share? Would you do the same with other businesses/companies? You accused DCARA repeatedly of racism. I tell you, Liann is a capable woman, capable of doing things on her own. Don’t make her look bad! The way you talk makes her appear incapable. But I know well that she’s brilliant. In fact, she has a PhD, and a powerful job that requires extensive experience and knowledge. You are making Black people look bad, taking over their issues, claiming racism for them and expecting them to agree with you. If a Black person requested your help, then great, provide them with support. Be sure to encourage them to also formally file a complaint. This becomes evidence to be examined formally as part of a proper process. Please pay serious attention to this: David and Rosalyn. Everett and Liann. These pairs, separately and on their own power, had elected Jerry Grigsby as the fifth member of the new board. Are you willingly making Everett and Liann look bad for selecting Jerry Grigsby? Both Liann and Everett are POC and you could not be satisfied with their decision? Are you saying you didn't trust their decision in freely electing Jerry? All right. Let me tell you something. As a BLACK person, I TRUST David Martin, As a BLACK person, I TRUST Jerry Grigsby. As a BLACK person, I trust Rosalyn Ramos-Barry. Now, do you yourself trust Everett Glenn and Liann Osborne? If so, that’s fine. These form the current DCARA board. Now, if Liann Osborne experienced racial oppression at DCARA, she should file a formal complaint and follow standard procedures. I TRUST that the Board would acknowledge it properly and act on it accordingly as it would be considered potential evidence. The board knows that. Whenever you see a board entering an executive session, keep in mind those four words starting with “F” which are F. I. U. O. - FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY. Or you could drop the letters “I” and “U” which ends up “ F… O..” Please, every time you see an executive session being called, it means “F… O…. Simply think of a security guard being told FIUO, approaching you and telling you to “F… O… (translation: “Go away and mind your business.”) Why make DCARA different by disregarding and complaining about their executive sessions while elsewhere, with other organizations, they are treated respectfully and left to meet privately? I want you, and the whole world, to know that David DID NOT file the lawsuit against Liann because she is Black. Absolutely not! You (Thomas, Joey, and Julie) would have to prove to me that Liann herself agrees with you that she is incapable and too subservient to take action on her own without you. Are you willing to ruin her reputation? You did not like the fact that David remained a board member. You disagreed with that. What did you do? You just pointed out his white and Liann’s black skin, and declared that David’s actions were rooted in racism -- mainly to divert attention away from facts and to stir up to negative emotions among community members to get what you wanted. Stop doing that. You debased yourselves. Just leave Liann’s name (and reputation) out of this. I want potential employers to hire her because she is capable of standing up for herself. If she can’t, why would anybody hire her? Again, let her be. If she has issues, she will handle them herself. Again, don't make Black people appear helpless! Let me close my narrative about Racism with this. Racism stinks like sulfur, blocking someone from being free. It is a closed system, not willing to change for better like a river that constantly renews. It stagnates and smells awful. Racism is the actions that disrupt my life and the lives of others. We work hard to remove racism so we all can move forward and feel normal. Throwing the word “racism” around constantly, without care, concern or accountability is NOT A JOKE. Please do not play with fire to flame up our community’s confusion and emotions. Enough of that. Again, throwing around “racism” too often without accountability and without evidence, is like the boy who cried wolf. It’s important to be cautious with the word racism, so that whenever Black people, or anyone else, calls out racism, people take them seriously. Don’t ruin it! Thomas, Julie, and Joey -- join us to eradicate racism by allowing Black people to speak for themselves -- and be there to support them. Are you truly serious about making sure racism is effectively gone? If so, please invite Pastor James Parker, NBDA President Isidore Niyongabo, and NBDA’s local chapter (BABDA) President AnnLynn Parker to lead on this action. Invite them and I will be there. To all of you, community members, here’s your call to action: Hate easily forms many types of oppression. Racism is one of them. Please don’t hate David Martin. He’s my friend. He never hated Liann Osborne just because she’s black! David also had never made the decisions re: DCARA legal issues alone. He has always consulted with other board members when making those decisions. This is standard procedure, and he has followed it. I need you to help us to unify the community and check with DCARA Board how they are handling or plan to handle racism. When you deal with various people seeking information or assistance, I suggest you to use this guide: A.P.P.L.E. Approach, Probe, Present, Listen and End. Do this with tough love. Please stop dividing our community. Let’s lift up our community. Thank you. -Melvin Patterson

Greetings to all. Regrettably, racism continues to show up in our community again and again. On July 13th, DCARA’s Board had its first general board meeting in over a year. About a week later, three videos appeared on social media made by Thomas Holcomb, Joey Baer, and Julie Rems Smario. I am familiar with them and they know me as well. These videos criticized the DCARA board, especially three members out of five, but mainly they targeted David Martin. They said he was racist. The purpose of this video is to make clear what is RACISM. I have identified three issues and will share with you what the problems are in hopes that you will examine them and discover their implications. You may want to ask yourself this question: AM I TOO SUBSERVIENT, too afraid to challenge powerful, well-known big-wigs around even when they are doing harmful things? Do I prefer to look the other way? Or should I stand up and tell them they are in the wrong and to knock it off? I will now focus on Black People. Watching these three videos, I see the word “racism” thrown around constantly, without care, concern or accountability. Using the word “racism” is not a joke. It is like playing with fire. I’ll start with you, Julie. You have a multitude of problems in this area. I will focus on three, all concerning DCARA. Problem One: When I first became a board member of DCARA, and you disagreed with that action, what did you do? You declared to a Deaf news source that the DCARA board had handpicked me as a TOKEN because I was a Black Deaf Man. You said this broke your heart. What was the problem? When you said that, it implicated that I can’t think for myself, that I believed I had no life and no rights. It implicates that I bow down to others, doing what they tell me what to do, what to say, who to scold for them, and that I seek approval from them. That’s quite ridiculous, isn’t it? Had I been a white man, what would you have called me? Obviously, when you disagreed about me joining the board, you focused on the color of my skin, and it was a problem for you. Problem Two: When a Deaf Black Man was offered the position as a temporary executive director for DCARA, you immediately spread a rumor everywhere that he was a rapist! The problem: DCARA was working on reconciliation with and among staff and the community. They reached out to this person because they believed he was able to help pinpoint and solve the issues, such as listening to staff, interviewing people, and identifying the areas to work on, such as bylaws or mission or whatever. When his TEMPORARY job ended, and problems resolved, DCARA would be able to hire a permanent Executive Director. However, sadly, you ruined this Black Deaf man's reputation, with your falsehood purely based on rumors and zero facts! Problem Three: In your recent Instagram video, you made claims that David Martin had oppressed a Black Deaf Woman. Again, the problem is….you have ZERO evidence that David actually oppressed this black Deaf Woman named Liann Osborne. In that video, you mentioned the importance of perception. If you refer to your own perception, then you need to add the IMPORTANT ACTION OF ASKING. When you add this, it will simply prevent poor judgements and misunderstandings, and remove the hollow words not rooted in facts.

Hello , I am Tamera Gaudet- Doody, ROAR Chair. Our ROAR’s unscripted response letter is for you, Sheri Farinha and Julie Rems Smario, National LEAD-K leaders. Thank you for your patience in waiting for our reply. Here is our response to your vlog. 2) Melt's transcript Hi everyone. One word comes to mind that I feel is a must to share with you. That word is COLLECTIVISM. What is collectivism? An example is 3 or 10 important people in a closed meeting where they are selective who to include in that meeting. After discussing an issue, (whatever that is) and reaching some kind of decision or agreement, the general expectation of those in the closed meeting is to expect everyone to follow their decision. Now that’s absurd as this is not what collectivism is about! An actual example of collectivism is when there was an issue and EVERYONE participated in an ongoing dialogue about that issue until all arrived at a satisfactory conclusion. Years ago I made a public vlog that I was so excited about and asked our community to set up a political organization for the Deaf and that if they did, I would be willing to donate to it. After a bit of time, Deaf people from all over this country started paying close attention to legislative bills. Some of these bills were passed, some died, and some were pending. Now ROAR is responding to a video from the two Co-Chairs of the LEAD-K National Team, dated February 2nd. There are 3 reasons why ROAR exists and they are 1) LeadK’s lack of transparency, 2) no clear support of ASL and English by them, and 3) LeadK’s shocking agreement with AGBell! The goal of ROAR is to protect future Deaf Children to ensure that they acquire language quickly and easily. If LEAD-K and ROAR can work together and hammer out common goals, we can achieve a lot. Now, please take the time to watch the rest of this video. You will see the remaining collective responses from individuals for LEAD-K. Thank you. 3) Steve's transcript Hey LEADK leaders, I just want to say few words. First of all, let me ask you about your horrible experience in schooling and upbringing. I'm wondering whether you have ever experienced abuse at an oral school or any school? We did. Many of us did. AGBell has influence over oral schools and they have abused deaf students all over. Destroyed their lives. It's a fact. Oral education is not the best solution. Never was and never will be. I know you speak well, yes. Many of us don't and some can't even speak well enough to be understood. Audism is happening all over. Something to think about when you talk about collaborating with AGBell that triggers deaf people. Not good. 4) Leslie"s transcript The LEAD-K team said that we misunderstood. No, we did not misunderstand and we still resist because of three reasons: First, the first model bill was fine and then you met with AGBell to have the bill revised. Why would you do that? Secondly, you decided with AGBELL, to add the communication modes. Thirdly, you made an agreement with AGBell to work together. I resist and I absolutely did not misunderstand you! Thank you 5) Tamera's transcript Now about transparency. You mentioned that you were transparent. In the beginning, yes, but towards the end, that changed. Let me remind you of several examples that occurred. When the original LEAD-K bill came out, there was no ASL version of the bill for Deaf people to have complete access to the details in their language. With the second revised bill where you included AGBell, you did not post it for the public to review until 1-2 weeks later. This is not what I consider to be full transparency with ample time for review. There were several controversies and fights between LEAD-K and AGBELL that were handled through letters. However, when you attended a meeting with AGBell , you had a this revised bill without including the input of the Deaf community at large. You did it without our consent! We did not find out until the summit of which I was present. You call this being transparent? You absolutely were not.! We were not even aware that an AGbell representative was going to be at the summit because it was not even mentioned on the agenda. When LEAD-K and an AGBell representative made an announcement of what you called a historic agreement, I cringed! It did not only impact me big time but it also impacted many of us in the Deaf community. That definitely was just not transparent as you claim and the collaboration in the eyes of many Deaf guarantees failure. 6) MaryRose's transcript As a former chairperson for LEAD-K in Va, I have a message for Sheri. You had announced about the agreement with the National AG Bell Institute without letting us know. I am very disappointed. You could have discussed this together with us and get our input. You did not! I am VERY disappointed. Thank you! 7) Kim's first transcript Hello. In response to Sheri about the Options: It’s not clear. Sheri stated that in the bill, ASL and English, or Both, or one of the languages including a spoken language are listed as opposed to options. Huh? Why did Sheri say that? Sheri also said the bill would allow parents to decide which communication mode they wish to choose for their child. Later it appeared that Sheri decided to reframe the bill to use ASL and English, or both, or one of languages. But in the LEAD-K bill listed on the website, Sheri wrote, “Our goal is language acquisition regardless of the language used, whether ASL or English or both.” Her statement conflicts with the language of the bill on the website. Be truthful what you mean here! 8) Kim second transcript You decided for us?? You decided to end our fight! Women fought to vote for years and won. Black people fought for years to end the slavery and won. And for you, Sheri, to say the bill would be “dead in the water”, you decided?!? You cut our fight without our consent! 9) Kim’s third transcript That means fighting for Deaf Babies’ rights! Hey, ASL is Deaf Babies’ human rights! You dismissed that! What that means is that parents’ choice comes before human rights! 10) Nancy's transcript Win win, How? When hearing parents see that they have the option to choose either ASL OR English along with the communication modes, the tendency is for them to choose English and the modes. The reason is because it is convenient for them to use a language they already familiar with.

11) Antines’ transcript I wonder… Where is your LOVE and PASSION for Deaf Babies? Doing what is best for Deaf Babies will be a huge WIN for the child! Deaf Babies would end up having the best journey! So you think politically, that in order to WIN and get a bill passed through legislation, the language in the bill must include choices such as the "OR/OR"? I disagree! If you really CARE about Deaf Children and want to show your love for them, then SUPPORT ASL! POLITICS belongs to a hard skulled head, not a compassionate heart. Therefore, this is NOT a WIN! 12) Kim’s Win/Win with AGBell? Does that mean it is ok to deprive Deaf babies of a language?? 13) Melt's second transcript: Yes and make no mistake when I say I support DATA 100%. I will explain why I support it in another vlog. Now let’s talk about LEAD-K. There are two reasons why I am not satisfied with the LEAD-K’s data. There is also one legitimate question, which is a fair question, that I have and will share later. Now the first reason I mentioned earlier is that most of us, including me personally, do not understand LEAD-K’s data because there is no detailed roadmap with outcomes that is easy to trace or read. It’s complicated. The second reason is I am skeptical of LEAD-K’s data due to their agreement with the AGBell association. Here is a question about the diagram that shows all the details along with the outcomes which I will describe for you now based on my understanding and what I see. Imagine drawing a rectangle that represents a “CHILD”. Since this child is a new baby, this baby is going to take the Newborn Hearing Screening test. After this child is identified as Deaf, draw a downward line from rectangle (CHILD) to what would be the next step and in shape of another rectangle, called, “PARENTS”. Now after the parents are informed of the child’s deafness and receives resources for language acquisition, draw another downward line from the rectangle (PARENTS) and create 4 or 5 smaller rectangles with each representing one of the following: ASL, Cued Speech, Oralism, and each of the other English options. If the parents choose ASL, they may join the IFSP program where services for the child would begin during the 0-6 months period, then another from 6 months to 12 months, and with a third one from 12 months to 18 months for language assessment. If the child fails to meet certain expectations in each group, what would be the next step? It would go to the left. If the child is successful and meets certain expectations of that age group, then the line would go to the right. That line should reach the rectangle on OUTCOMES where the long term and short-term goals are outlined. This ASL based diagram applies to the parents’ choice of, for example, Cued Speech and goes all the way until the 18-month language assessment. If that child fails to meet the goals in that group, then the next step would go to the left. If the child is successful, the child proceeds to the right, all the way to the rectangle of OUTCOMES. Each step can be repeated for the choice the parents pick whatever that is… oral and/or whatever English option chosen. The rectangle of OUTCOMES is like you said in clear ASL that “Building the data is in our favor”. This could lead to building the foundation of ASL since all of these choices would end up there. What I would like is for the people of AGBELL to read a diagram that we create and approve of it in a public statement to us. Now here is the legitimate question that I brought up earlier, which I stated is a fair question: Can this be accomplished? 14) Jenny’s transcript You mentioned that SB220 was a “big success”. Did you explain the history of your work with those people? The truth is you worked with the oral/school options under AGB’s philosophy. You and your team compromised on educational services for the Deaf and submitted that bill. While it passed unanimously, do you actually consider SB220 to be a huge success? I have a few questions. 1. Why were you collaborating with the audists? 2. Why didn’t you work on an opportunity to have the Deaf Community co-sponsor the bill in the first place? 3. Why didn’t you work with the Deaf Community instead of partnering with AGBELL? I hope you will be able to tell us why? It seems as if you thought the bill would be a perfect solution for the language access of Deaf children, whether in ASL, or spoken English, or any other English options. Were you really thinking that LeadK’s model bill would be the bill of perfection? That is what I wonder and am concerned about.

Corporations Code section 709 Hello everyone, I’m Steve Longo with a blue shirt against a blue background and I’m a white man. I’ve been vlogging for some time covering issues with DCARA so why another VLOG? It’s about 709 but what is it? 709 is a corporation code section 709 that covers nonprofit organizations as well. Section 709 was created in the early ’80s when the Board election was suppressed over those who had the right to vote. Right then the court eventually identified the error so section 709 was created. There are many codes from 600’s thru 700’s but what is 709 about? It is regarding the legitimacy of the election and the validity of the Board. Now, I’ve been seeing ongoing proceedings on the issue. Obviously, section 709 must be in compliance. The judge is aware of the importance of the validity of the Board. We’ve seen what happened at the Capitol last Wednesday when a riot broke out with the intention to overturn the electoral votes so Trump can be re-elected. It was an impossible feat because legislators knew it was wrong and went ahead to validate the certification and acknowledge Biden and Hariss as our next President and Vice-President. The election process is much similar to ours that must be complied with just like the laws. The same goes for the Bylaws that is the same as laws for the country. In the court filing, there are briefings on Section 709 explained and it goes in-depth but I will mention only those regarding the DCARA case. Showing here: Ca. Civ. Code § 709 (a) Upon the filing of action therefor by any shareholder or by any person who claims to have been denied the right to vote, the superior court of the proper county shall try and determine the validity of any election or appointment of any director of any domestic corporation, or of any foreign corporation if the election was held or the appointment was made in this state. In the case of a foreign corporation, the action may be brought at the option of the plaintiff in the county in which the corporation has its principal office in this state or in the county in which the election was held or the appointment was made. (b) Upon the filing of the complaint, and before any further proceedings are had, the court shall enter an order fixing a date for the hearing, which shall be within five days unless for good cause showed a later date is fixed, and requiring notice of the date for the hearing and a copy of the complaint to be served upon the corporation and upon the person whose purported election or appointment is questioned and upon any person ( other than the plaintiff) whom the plaintiff alleges to have been elected or appointed, in the manner in which a summons is required to be served, or, if the court so directs, by registered mail; and the court may make such further requirements as to notice as appear to be proper under the circumstances. (c) The court may determine the person entitled to the office of director or may order a new election to be held or appointment to be made, may determine the validity, effectiveness and construction of voting agreements and voting trusts, the validity of the issuance of shares and the right of persons to vote and may direct such other relief as may be just and proper. More on Section 709: Section 709 Actions do not simply challenge a vote count. Rather, courts are given wide discretion to consider all matters relevant to determining who the directors should be, not just technical or procedural issues. That’s why a plaintiff brought a Section 709 Action to determine the validity of the board took place at September 15, 2019 meeting that already been determined invalid. The actual case back in 2013: The plaintiff (she) and her brothers (the “Brothers”) over the management of a group of family-owned corporations. Plaintiff challenged an election that restructured the board of directors and effectively gave control of the corporation to an outside management company. Plaintiff argued that the vote, which was passed by the Brothers over her objection, was invalid because the Brothers’ financial transactions with the management company gave them a material financial interest that should have disqualified them from voting. Eight weeks later, the Superior Court held a seven-day bench trial. At the parties’ request, the judge deferred her ruling so the parties could talk settlement. When those efforts were unsuccessful, the judge issued an oral ruling in favor of the plaintiff. That was from 7 or 8 years ago around 2013 and it was about 2 brothers suppressing their sister from election or involvement in the family business. When the sister found out, she filed in court and the judge identified it as a violation of section 709 so she won the case after long disputes. It was a good example of why Bylaws must be followed. Much similar to the DCARA case. Presently there are two Boards with DCARA: the current Board as some would say old Board and the “new” Board. The legitimate Board has been following the Bylaws which is not perfect but never less, it has been followed. Now the “new” Board was elected without the involvement of the current Board at all. This is what section 709 lawsuit based on the election and validity of the Board. You know it is very dangerous to neglect the Constitution from last Wednesday as shown. It can NOT be disregarded. Much the same with DCARA’s Bylaws that can NOT be disregarded, too. Very dangerous action. I’ve noticed a lot of accusations at the current Board and many of them were baseless. This is called derailment from the real issues. I also noticed there is a petition out there with the intention to convince the judge but FYI, the judge will NOT be swayed by popular votes or suppression from outside but to follow the Bylaws. Period! They need to respect that. Those who didn’t are like those at the riot from last Wednesday at the Capitol. Call them traitors and those who caused wreak havoc are called terrorists doing coup attempts. They disregarded the law just like some of them who disregarded the Bylaws. You don’t want that to happen, right? The petition is based on facts? Whose facts? Theirs or others? You be the judge. I really hope it will be over soon so we can move on with the healing because accusations are NOT called healing and it must be stopped! Some of you who have been stirring up trouble should know better and they should be called out! We have noticed the problems have been going on and they have been identified already. This has to STOP and let the healing begin! How? Working together NOT against each other! Thanks for watching.

Bylaws is the LAW of any nonprofit organization and must be followed just like the United States Constitution that must be followed. What happens when it is not followed? There will be chaos and outlaws everywhere which will lead to the destruction of America. For clarification, DCARA Board did not file a lawsuit against DCARA but certain individuals who they believe did not follow Bylaws and procedures. Please remember that the discrimination case has been dismissed by one law firm. Crime? It is a civil case that was filed because of the violation of the agency’s Bylaws among a few others. Please find Corporations Code Section 709 on the internet to search so you can understand how it applies to all corporations and nonprofit organizations. Again, look at my response to Tom’s VLOG on racism. Thank you for mentioning that the Bylaws were not followed including violations which is why I have been stressing all along how important it is to follow them, just like there are other laws we must follow. Response to Leala VLOG next

Introduction: Hello friends and community, I'm Steve Longo, a former DCARA Board president. After seeing many distorted truths and twisted facts out there, I must step in and respond because I know the DCARA Board will not be able to while there is a legal proceeding in progress. The purpose of this vlog is to encourage you to seek the truth behind a disagreement or grievance by gathering evidence that is documented by both parties and learning about the agency’s policy and procedures for employees as well as the agency’s bylaws to better understand how a grievance is handled. First, I would like to respond to Tom Holcomb’s vlogs and some of the concerns he raised. Next, I will respond to Joey Baer’s vlog then to Leala Holcomb’s. The three vlogs are separated for easier viewing. I also want to let you know that these are my vlogs and I am sharing my personal perspective as an individual. Tom Holcomb stated that if the community does not act or remain silent it means they are allowing lawsuits to continue. In another perspective, silence can mean the people are tired of the ongoing bashing of DCARA, especially its Board. Secondly, I believe many desire to allow the court to handle the situation and wait until the outcome to determine the next steps. I agree that unity is essential in the community for proper healing to take place. I believe when the legal situation is over, the community will be able to better work out some kind of compromise that will most benefit the clients that DCARA serves. As I shared in a previous vlog, these steps should be considered by all parties in order for us to move forward. 1) Identify and acknowledge the issues 2) Own up and apologize where due 3) Setup timetable to resolve those (add social media guidelines, revise policies, etc.) 4) Start the healing process (mediator, training, etc.) Unfortunately, the VLOGS we have seen seeing are not what I call attempts at healing but rather attacks and accusations of individuals that are not helpful and brews negativity. I am in full support of your suggestion on having a mediator involved which would have helped relieve a lot of anxiety and pain but you have to understand that the Board is not allowed to discuss any personnel issues with the public. I trust the Board’s judgment to resolve issues however from what I saw two videos at DCC - March 15, 2019, and May 21, 2019, showing that they tried to come to an agreement but without success and I was disappointed. See the timeline on May 21, 2019 Board transition must follow the procedures listed in the Bylaws so the transition is seamless and allow the qualified and experienced board members to finish their term. They deserve that respect. Typically, liability insurance is covered in cars, homes, businesses, and nonprofit organizations to protect themselves only from lawsuits so normally they are not covered by anything else. I am surprised some people keep accusing the Board of racism when the legal investigation by a civil rights attorney who has experience with discrimination, racism, and other issues gathered documents and evidence but found no evidence of it as shown in court papers. That’s where I found it. If you have evidence of racism, please do share it with us. Please see the video at [show web address] facebook.com/306544196688745/videos/233179748018749 where Melvin announced that it had been dismissed. Before accusations are made, they must be backed by evidence otherwise it is hearsay not admissible by courts. The Minutes from Executive meetings cannot be publicly shared but can be mentioned that such meeting took place. As for regular Board minutes during 2019 and 2020, according to David Martin during the hearing two weeks ago when he explained that the DCARA Board could not post on the DCARA's website because they were blocked. Keep in mind that the Executive Director is supposed to serve as a liaison between the staff and the Board. The timeline posted on May 21st showed his failure to do so. ua-cam.com/video/3hJGQCKSFvA/v-deo.html - time 6:08 Response to Joey's VLOG next

As a white person, I will not comment on the racism and neither should you. An Executive Director is primarily responsible for communication between the Board and Staff. I recall one part of the Employee Handbook, [see page 4 clip], if the grievance complaint is filed, the Board members will be notified and respond. For your information, all DCARA employees should have a copy of the agency’s Policy and Procedures in their Employee Handbook. They should be made aware that they are there to communicate and address their concerns. A “grievance” is a complaint made by an employee, supervisor, board officer, volunteer or intern, contractor, or another outside third party of a perceived violation of DCARA policy or practice, including its anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies. If you feel an employee, supervisor, board officer, volunteer or intern, contractor or other outside third party has engaged in misconduct, or a violation of DCARA policy/practice has occurred, you should immediately (1) complain to the Supervisor of the Department in which the problem happened; (2) ask to see the Supervisor of the DCARA service department and office (city) in which the problem happened (for example DCARA Headquarters, Fremont Oak Gardens (FOG), Family Resource Center (FRC), San Jose Office, EDD, etc.); (3) make a complaint to any supervisor of DCARA; or (4) take advantage of other posted complaint procedures. This was what should have happened but was never followed through. The DCARA Board followed the advice of their attorney, who has worked with the agency for many years, to hire an independent investigator experienced in civil rights issues. The investigation did NOT take many months. The nature of a thorough investigation requires interviewing the employees, gathering documents and any other evidence to support their concerns. Therefore, it is never rushed to ensure that all areas were covered. For clarification, there have been past attempts long before this fiasco to include POCs on the board. Melvin was one possible board candidate who had expressed an interest to serve. His application for board membership was submitted and the board felt Melvin would be an asset to the agency. The Board had not seen any evidence of controversy with Melvin so for you to state that is considered a racist comment. I have responded earlier but will state this, the Board has all copies of the minutes for the public. You can request them by contacting them. The three board members did have an excused absence. Two suddenly took ill and one had to leave out of town. It was not a deliberately planned absence as you stated. FINE PRINT? What fine print? The Bylaws is printed utilizing a 12-inch font which is a regular-sized font for many documents. In addition, fonts can be easily enlarged. In closing, I as well as many others in the community are tired of distorted facts or fabricated statements that are NOT helping in terms of beginning the healing process. Therefore, I ask that you all try to refrain from creating negative and false statements. Instead, work together toward positive changes in the best interest of the Deaf community and for our country. Enjoy your holidays and be safe. Peace, Steve