Turtleboy Investigates

City Of Worcester Covering Up Funding Of Mosaic Cultural Complex

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We’ve learned a lot about the Mosaic Cultural Complex in the last few weeks. We learned that they went years without filing required annual reports with the Massachusetts Secretary of State. We learned that his office then dissolved them and then they scrambled to file those reports to get their corporate charter reinstated. We learned that, even though they solicit funds in the form of grants, they never filed the reports required by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office to obtain and maintain a solicitation certificate. We learned that they’ve received at least $40,000 from the City of Worcester and $8,513 of that was received during the period that they had been dissolved by the Secretary of State.

In January 2014, the city made a big announcement about funding they would get from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, which they would pass along to local nonprofits.

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Ya see that? You guessed it…Mosaic. And we knew we could count on City Councilor Sarai Rivera to say, well, a bunch of words. I’m not sure what the Audubon Society and Community Legal Aid have to do with providing access to “a more culturally competent approach to health and wellness,” but this is America, so, fuck it, have some cash. This is the same councilor Rivera who is friends on Facebook with this guy who terrorized a man in a truck during the infamous Martin Luther King Day blockade of Kelley Square.

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The same guy who publicly posted this:

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Well isn’t that sweet. The city gives money to a place that holds knitting circles for this guy to go to, but that’s not all. Get a load of this:

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Guess who Mosaic Cultural Complex’s landlord is. That’s right, the City of Worcester. Looks like they bought it from “Piedmont Neighborhood Opportunity Center” for $100. I can only imagine the story behind that! We called the city clerk’s office for some details on the lease arrangement. They sent us over to the law department. We’re waiting and waiting for a promised call back from them, but it doesn’t seem to be coming. I have to wonder if there is a lease. I have to wonder if Mosaic is paying market rental rates. I have to wonder if they’re paying any rent at all.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Twilight Zone. In what bizarro world does a city provide funding and a place to stay to an organization that isn’t a legal entity? To a place that supports illegal protests against the police department forcing the city to provide the protestors with police protection against drivers who’ve worked all day and just want to get home and would like nothing more than to take a couple of their sorry asses out?

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To a place that tries to dictate school policy even though they are not qualified to do so? No need to wonder how this rag tag organization got a private audience with Melinda Boone.

Who would have thought that a mismanaged organization like Mosaic Cultural Complex would be part of the good ole boy network? I guess with the right (wrong) people on the city council and school committee, it’s quite possible. How about a little transparency here? It’s time for the city to come clean about its lease to Mosaic. If there is no lease, at least tell us what you received in rent from them.

What’s a turtle rider to do? First, if you’re not registered to vote, DO IT NOW! It’s time to do away with the good ole boy network at the next election. Second, file a complaint with the Attorney General’s office here: https://www.eform.ago.state.ma.us/ago_eforms/forms/char_ecomplaint.action. Some have been filed, but a few more couldn’t hurt. Finally, contact the places who have funded them in the past:

The UMass Center for Health Equity Intervention Research – Jeroan Allison, Principal Investigator Jeroan.Allison@umassmed.edu

The Greater Worcester Community Foundation grants@freaterworcester.org

The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts info@hcfm.org

Worcester Division of Public Health health@worcesterma.gov

Mass Department of Health and Human Services, Mass Department of Public Health requires a submission on their website that can be found at: http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dph/contact-us-dph.html

Not sure what to write? Try something like this:

In light of recent events brought to the attention of the general public regarding Mosaic Cultural Complex, Incorporated’s noncompliance with required corporate filings, its dissolution and eventual revival and certain other questionable business practices with the City of Worcester, (http://tbsports.wpengine.com/city-of-worcester-wrote-8513-check-to-mosaic-cultural-complex-even-though-they-werent-a-legal-entity/) , I would like to voice my concern over your recent grant funding of this organization. I strongly encourage you to reconsider any future funding of this organization.

It looks like we’ve finally answered the nagging question of why Worcester can’t have nice things. We take our limited resources and, rather than give them to organizations with proven track records who fix problems, we give them to mismanaged places that try to create division and perpetuate the problems, thereby perpetuating their own existence.

Let’s fix this.

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