Yvonne Johnson lists among her accomplishments the following:
"Civic volunteer experience (including service on city commissions and boards): Golden Leaf Foundation Board of Directors; Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau board of directors; member, Malachi House board of directors; helped found Summit House and helped bring Delancey Street to Greensboro; first president, Women’s Resource Center; chairwoman of the board of Trustees, Bennett College; Piedmont Triad Partnership; Downtown Greensboro Inc.; Transportation Advisory Committee; liaison, Willow Oaks and Southside; has served on the boards of Foster Friends, Sports Dreams and the Greensboro Arts Council. ADD: member, Greensboro Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Advisory Committee"
People like to talk about all that Yvonne has done to help the needy but take another look at those boards she served on. Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau, Piedmont Triad Partnership; Downtown Greensboro Inc.; Transportation Advisory Committee, Greensboro Arts Council and the Greensboro Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization-- none of those organizations work for the poor and needy. As a matter of fact, with the exception of the Greensboro Arts Council, every one of the organizations I just named spends all their efforts promoting the "needs" of Greensboro's elite developers at the expense of the truly needy. But Yvonne was happy to "serve."
While on the Golden Leaf Foundation Yvonne Johnson was proud of the fact that:
"She said the foundation recently approved a total of about $3 million for Piedmont Triad International Airport to expand infrastructure to support the new HondaJet operation, along with funds for the Center for Creative Leadership and NC A&T University in Greensboro.
“When I came back from that meeting, I knew I had done my job,” she said. “I brought back or was part of bringing back $3 million for Greensboro.”
But according to the Golden Leaf Foundation:
Our purpose, our passion, our commitment
"In 1999, the North Carolina legislature created the Golden LEAF Foundation to administer one-half of North Carolina's share of the Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers in accordance with the court consent decree between North Carolina and the manufacturers. A nonprofit organization devoted to the economic well being of North Carolinians, Golden LEAF endeavors to strengthen the state's economy through diverse grantsmaking.
From its inception, Golden LEAF has been committed to using the funds entrusted to it for projects with the most potential for bolstering North Carolina's long-term economy, especially in tobacco-dependent, economically distressed, and/or rural communities. Golden LEAF's grantsmaking priority areas include agriculture, job creation and retention, and workforce preparedness. The foundation also supports projects that provide educational opportunities and increase economic vitality. To fulfill our purpose, Golden LEAF makes grants to government entities, educational institutions, economic development organizations and nonprofits. Currently Golden LEAF has funded 1,249 grants, totaling more than $548 million."
So why did Yvonne help send the vast majority of that money to the more prosperous areas of west Greensboro than to the economically disadvantaged areas of east Greensboro. Why did Yvonne help take money away from poor communities to give to already prosperous communities? Could it be this was a favor to rich white developers. That was, after all, at the same time she was working to close the White Street Landfill located quite close to where Yvonne and I both live less that 1/4 mile apart and a way to "unite" any of the elites who might be opposed to closing the landfill. East Greensboro gets a pittance while Honda Jet alone got $2 Million of the $3 Million Dollar total. For a company that was already here.
Walter T Johnson was involved with the formation of GAPP (Greensboro Association of Poor People), the Blind Workers Strike of 1970, the Truth and Reconciliation Process, Beloved Community Center, Homeless Hospitality House and was on the Greensboro City School Board. All the while, people believed he was doing great things for Greensboro but as this series has proven thus far, Walter and Yvonne's good fortune was dependent on Walter stealing from the families of the poor who were locked away in prisons in North Carolina and other states and unable to fight back.
And on the 18 of February, 2005, Walter T Johnson was disbarred by the North Carolina State Bar. Click on the photo to enlarge or the link to view the entire document.
To search for disciplinary records on your own you only need go to the Disciplinary Orders page of the NC State Bar website. Search for Walter Johnson if you don't believe me.
Please continue reading The Yvonne And Walter Johnson Saga: Part 10
