In his article, This farm to plant its crops in Greensboro's food desert, News & Fishwrap reporter
Gayland Anthony Oliver he might have written a very different story.
When I first heard of the Urban Farm Project I wanted to get involved. I even found a local business that was willing to give the project a free chain link fence to surround the entire property. I heard they were looking for volunteers and since I've been growing more food than my family can eat in a 20 x 30' garden plot for my entire life I thought I might be a good fit. I wanted to volunteer for something that could actually make a difference in my neighborhood.
But my every attempt to get in touch with the organizers was ignored. Was it because I'm white? Or because I have a history of finding out and reporting the truth?
That's when I started investigating Reverend Gayland Anthony Oliver and Eastern Development Growth Enterprises.
The project required a $300,000 grant from NC A&T University, a $41,000 grant from the City of Greensboro and roughly $15,000 to install city water and sewer. Why they're not watering plants from the year 'round spring fed creek that runs through the middle of the property is a question no one ever answered. Any real farmer would do it that way and the plants would like it better too.I could show you dozens upon dozens of e-mails, perhaps almost a hundred, over the course of several years but allow me to begin with this single e-mail thread that will blow you away.
Allow me to begin with this one to Professor Terrance Thomas. Then Professor Thomas quickly replied.
Professor Thomas replied and we quickly arranged a meeting for Thursday, March 20, 2014 at 1:30 PM in the professor's office in the Moore Building on the campus of NC A&T on the corner of
Lindsay and Beech in what used to be Moore Elementary School.
Now this is why I don't like face to face meetings. Mt Thomas didn't answer any of my questions, denied everything that I had learned about Gayland Oliver and refused to use the computer on his desk in front of him to read the things I had already posted about Mr Oliver. But mostly I don't like face to face meetings because everything you have read in this paragraph is my word against the word of Professor Thomas and neither of us have any means to prove the other wrong.
So I kept investigating until I found the original articles of incorporation for Eastern Development Growth Enterprises dated 7/2/2010.
Now I'll admit I have issues with Marty Kotis but at that time I had no issues with Marty Kotis and Greensboro's Urban Greenshouse is not and will not be one of the issues I have with Mr Kotis-- ever. I have a temper from hell and can be a total ass sometimes but am a fair man. My issues with Mr Kotis came after. Besides, Marty Kotis is well on his way to becoming Greensboro's second Billionaire, he's not going to screw up over what is to him, chump change. As a matter of fact: in the same e-mail thread in which I had been communicating with Professor Thomas I added Mr Kotis as a recipient:
Of course some of you may be wondering why Margaret Moffet's name keeps appearing in the top right corner og these gmail snippets. Isn't she a reporter for the News & Fishwrap? I'll get to that later.
Mr Kotis sent his game changing reply.
That's right, the Reverend Gayland Anthony Oliver had named Marty Kotis a member of the board of Directors of Eastern Development Growth Enterprises and was using Mr Kotis' name and reputation to secure hundreds of thousands of dollars in state and local grants and City owned property without the knowledge of Mr Kotis. Taken from the original articles of incorporation for Eastern Development Growth Enterprises dated 7/2/2010.
So now the question becomes: who else was made aware of this and who helped to cover it up? We can't point fingers at Marty Kotis this time for this time he was one of the whistle blowers. But sadly, they still allowed the bad guy to get away.
Continue reading The Secrets Of Northeast Greensboro's Urban Farm Enterprise: Part 2
The autopost is loaded and set to fire, killing me can't stop me.
