One of the biggest scams going is that almost anyone can form a “non-profit corporation,” find a door to hang a sign on, and and then hold out one’s hand for “donations.”  Here in North Miami Beach, there’s no limit to the number of organizations that show up in front of the City Council asking for money “for the children.”  If the city hasn’t budgeted for these “donations,” no worries.  There’s always the Police Department’s Law Enforcement Trust Fund (LETF) to raid.  If you can claim that your group will prevent crime, there’s a good chance it will qualify to receive LETF funds.  In a city such as North Miami Beach, where crime is prevalent, non-profits with good enough sob stories really clean up.

As I reported in La Maison de Pierre, two such non-profits operating out of 1733 NE 162 Street managed to grab a total of $14,000.00 from LETF back in 2010.  As I also first reported in Playing Identity Politics, this year yet another non-profit located at the same address has been holding out its hat for funding either from the city or the Police Department.  Luckily, the Council and the Police Chief declined its request.  So far.  Karyne Pompilus, the person claiming to run this organization is pretty persistent despite being repeatedly rejected, so who knows?  She recently teamed up (again) with councilman Frantz Pierre in attempt to hold a “Back to School Crime Prevention Program” by requesting $5,000.00 from the LETF ostensibly for the purpose of handing out backpacks to underprivileged (read Haitian) children.  Not surprisingly, this “event” was to be held at 1733 NE 162 Street.  Gee, that sounds familiar?  Where have I heard that address before?

Karyne and her “friend” L’il Frantzie P didn’t fool Police Chief Larry Gomer, who balked at their request, but they somehow managed to pull it off by scaring up money from Waste Pro, which is the company trying to get the bid for our sanitation outsourcing.  I was told that the money was donated to a non-profit organization, but I have yet to find out which company scored the loot.

The event was held on August 11th at the city’s Amphitheater.  According to my sources, the event was an utter disaster.  Issues included:

People showed up at 8:00 am to line up outside the fence.

The organizers made them wait and wait to get the back packs.

Attendees sat on the grass inside.  No water was provided.

The flyer advertised free food, but no free food was provided.
Someone was selling water and food for $10.00, which made the attendees pretty angry.

Free haircuts were given on the stage, but it didn’t seem very sanitary.

The only other thing on stage was Frantz giving out about 12 framed certificates of thanks to event supporters.

Then Frantz finally had the people form a new line again for backpacks, and then get in another line for some supplies.

Police had to help with people cutting in the line and pushing.

They made announcements that back packs would be given out at a certain time.  But didn’t keep any promises and pushed it back and back.

They made an announcement that only NMB residents could get back packs, yet they had no way of checking or enforcing that.

Once people were inside they wouldn’t let them leave to go buy drinks at Walgreens or whatever.

If adults showed up without kids they made them leave and go get their kids and come back.

They gave out a tickets to try to control one back pack per person, but no one guarded the long tables of backpacks and people took more than one.

About 400-500  got back packs.  Organizers went home with about 100-200 extras.

The first people didn’t get to leave the event till 3:30 (5.5 hours).  They made them wait forever for the backpacks.

The best part of the story involved a bounce house, which was never put up.  Since the bounce house was private property, no one at the city knew how to operate it or would even try to blow it up or use it because of liability issues.  According to my source, the owner of the bounce house company was told this was going to be a church event.  If he had known it was a city event, he would have someone blow it up and monitor it. When he found out it was a city sponsored event he made a comment that “the city cost him money” and he was mad and just picked up the bounce house and took it away.  That was fun.

My source commented that it was the worse event he has ever seen and that “we were lucky no violence broke out.  Not a proud moment for our city.”

I’d say not.  The moral of that story is to not let Frantzie be in charge of anything!

Other types of non-profit organizations looking for bucks are those promising to fix Haiti.  Over in North Miami, its City Council will vote tonight on a request by a non-profit for a donation of seven garbage trucks the city doesn’t need any longer (thanks to Waste Pro!) for the purpose of cleaning up garbage in “low income neighborhoods in Haiti.”  While the company asking for the trucks appears to be a legitimate non-profit organization, Operation Green Leaves is asking for a donation of trucks estimated to be worth approximately $20,000.00 each.  What this means is that the taxpayers of North Miami will have the privilege of spending yet another $140,000.00 of their tax dollars not only OUTSIDE their city, but outside the United States as well.

This request is in addition to the Council’s consideration to spend almost $300,000.00 on a carnival to celebrate Haiti.  I first reported this issue in We don’t need to stinkin’ sunshine. Part Deux.  It’s baaaaack.

This is on top of the $8,800.00 plus that North Miami spent on security detail for a visit from the Haitian president, Michel Martelly, who didn’t even set one foot in North Miami while here for a private party.  As I reported in Meanwhile, over in North Miami…, mayor Andre Pierre was quoted as saying, “If the Secret Service can’t give protection, this is something minor for North Miami to give respect to our president.  He’s our president, at the minimum he deserves that kind of respect from us.”

Sorry, Mr. Pierre.  But, he’s not OUR president.  Last I checked, Martelly wasn’t the president of North Miami, either.

Aside from the fact that non-Haitian residents of both North Miami and North Miami Beach are suffering from Taxation Without Representation, by being forced to “donate” their tax dollars solely to “Haitian” causes, the proliferation of non-profits holding out their collective hand for donations to municipalities seems to be a national problem.  Cities are finally dealing with this problem by enacting legislation to control the funding and for stricter oversight.  In Prince William County, Virginia, officials have passed new laws to ensure that tax dollars are being spent wisely.  Please check out Prince William changes how it will fund nonprofit groups for the full story.

Every council member in every municipality in Miami-Dade County should enact similar legislation and start taking their responsibilities as stewards of public money seriously.  It is incumbent upon them to make sure that they donate ONLY to legitimate organizations for legitimate purposes, that the money is spent according to the purposes laid out, and even more importantly, that those organizations service the residents within their own specific communities.

Residents should not be forced to continuously pick up the entire tab for the benefit of small segments of their communities, nor should they have to send their tax dollars to another country.  It’s bad enough our Federal government supports the entire world instead of our own needy citizens and veterans, local municipalities should not follow suit.  The taxpaying residents of individual cities should should be the sole beneficiaries of their own resources.

And, residents, remember.  Vote responsibly.

Stephanie Kienzle

“Spreading the Wealth”