Was Jamal Fox the abused or the abuser? That's the question everyone wants to know. A look at the Greensboro Police Report from Jamal's January 2, 2014 Domestic Violence Incident clearly shows Mr Fox as the victim of a domestic violence incident.
Click on any photo to view full size.
But as you can see farther down the page the offender used no alcohol or drugs. And apparently Jamal didn't know who she, or he, was.
Had Jamal forgotten his or her name? If Jamal didn't know his or her name then how could he be sure no alcohol or drugs were involved? Did the officer leave out the name of the offender because Jamal was having an affair? Perhaps with an older married man or woman? Perhaps the offender was herself someone very well placed in Greensboro politics-- an older woman on the Greensboro City Council perhaps? Or perhaps a slightly older woman who left a high paying job with the City of Greensboro soon thereafter to take a high profile job in Washington, DC?
I mean, when police officers leave lines blank it kinda leaves us to fill them in on our own, does it not?
It's common in assaults to leave out the names and addresses of victims especially when the officer believes the victim might be in danger of future assaults by his or her attacker but leaving out the attacker's name is almost unheard of and almost always indicates a police cover-up. Could it be the officers left out the name because their jobs were on the line?
And is it true that Jamal called Captain James Hinson who personally
came to Jamal's house to oversee the situation and make sure no one in
the local media found out about it? If not then why is it that until
this day the GPD police report still isn't listed on the GPD Police 2 Citizen Website?
Is it standard operating procedure for our Police Captains to be helping our city council members carry on affairs while keeping it all a secret from the public?
Or I could be all wrong and there was no second person, Could it be Jamal assaulted himself then called the police to cover it up? Is Jamal a self-cutter? Do we need to be thinking about intervention?
Or did Jamal just imagine he was assaulted, call the police then call Captain James Hinson when he came off his high?
And then there's Ben Holder's version of the story which he was apparently paid to remove from the Internet just in time for the election that I just happened to save a copy of. Seems Ben believes that wasn't the first or the last time a domestic violence incident took place involving Councilman Jamal Fox. Looks like Ben is going to have to pay back all that apparent money to Jamal, Nancy and the rest.
You're screwed, Ben. Jamal Fox is screwed, Nancy Vaughan is screwed and the rest of City Council are screwed. All because you fucked up and fucked with me. Remember Ben: "Old age and wisdom beats youth and skill every time."
As you can clearly see below, Greensboro Mayor Nancy Barakat Vaughan and others on the Greensboro City Council recently paid Ben Holder to remove his Troublemaker blog from public view:
But what neither Mayor Vaughan, Ben Holder, Councilman Jamal Fox and others knew was that for months the volunteer staff here at EzGreensboro.com has been watching Ben and all the Mayor's minions with a mind towards what they might be planning.
Besides, I still own the world's smallest crystal ball and it is working better that ever.
That's why it came as no surprise to us when Ben Holder took Council's bribes and removed his blog from public view so Greensboro's voters wouldn't find things from Ben's blog like this nugget about Jamal Fox just before the upcoming election.
Interestingly enough, while Ben complains about Jamal blocking Ben on Facebook because Ben asks uncomfortable questions, Jamal, Ben and Mayor Vaughan have all 3 blocked me for asking uncomfortable questions. Seems Jamal is every bit as crooked as Ben is today.
The biggest problems for Mayor Vaughan and Council now are that 1. Readership here is at least 100 times what Ben ever had, 2. It's closer to election time, and 3. the fact that you got caught trying to cover it all up makes it a far bigger story than it ever was before.
Don't worry as there's lots more where that came from.
And Jamal, a lot of it is about you.
Spread the word, folks, let's bring these tyrants to their knees once and for all.
Yesterday I made note of the fact that Ben Holder has again made his blog go dark in a post titled Ben Holder Is In Hiding Again:
Soon thereafter Mayoral Candidate Sal Leone left a comment on that post to which I didn't give much mind. At some point Sal deleted his comment. At 10:49 this morning Sal left a second comment explaining the deletion of his first comment:
"This morning I got a call from Ben Holder and he started to text me and
he broke my heart and asked me to take down my post because it bothered
him.Ben reached out to me and said or texted, "I took it down cuz I dont
care anymore, nobody asked me to do anything, your conspiracy crap is
so dumb, sad pathetic".
So we have Ben's answer, he was not
asked.I spent this morning praying for Ben as I want his heart to be
right as he is a good hearted soul down deep.
Psalms 34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
"This
morning I got a call from Ben Holder and he started to text me and he
broke my heart and asked me to take down my post because it bothered
him.Ben reached out to me and said or texted, "I took it down cuz I dont
care anymore, nobody asked me to do anything, your conspiracy crap is
so dumb, sad pathetic".
So we have Ben's answer, he was not
asked.I spent this morning praying for Ben as I want his heart to be
right as he is a good hearted soul down deep.
Psalms 34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Let us all pray."
Took a screen grab too.
If
Ben is telling the truth then why doesn't he delete his blog altogether
instead of keeping it around as a tool to extort more blackmail money
out of city officials?
Ben Holder has long proved himself to be a liar. Tell Ben I said to go fuck himself."
So what was it that Sal deleted? What was it that Sal claims Ben Holder wanted hidden? Here you go:
That's right, I get automatic e-mails of every comment left to this blog no matter how quickly you click the delete button. And thanks to Google Gmail even my trash gets saved.
Now what is it we find interesting about Sal's deleted comment? What is it that might concern Ben Holder the most? Could it be this statement by Sal Leone:
"Well it seems he took his blog down, why we don't know yet but who is
the coward if it stays down, or was a favor called in for the election."
Ben Holder's blog had years of evidence against various City Council members. If Ben was simply tired of it all then why didn't he simply delete his blog altogether instead of restricting it to invited readers only? (Which could be as few as only Ben Holder)
How much are they paying you this time Ben? And how many times will you continue to blackmail Mayor Nancy Barakat Vaughan and the rest of the Greensboro City Council.
We'll be posting some of Ben's deleted content in the coming days. After all, we had most of it before Ben ever got it.
Shalonda Matthews, campaign treasurer for Greensboro City Councilman Jamal Fox has a rather colorful past. Apparently she once attempted to murder Mr Teroux Topping by poisoning his drinking water with bleach.
Click on the photo to enlarge.
Now before you go feeling sorry for Councilman Jamal Fox allow me to let you know that Mr Fox has a few skeletons of his own. Problem is: they're hidden in closets all over town. Some of them were on Ben Holder's Troublemaker blog which has apparently gone dark again.
But that's okay as I have them them and I'll be posting them soon. Details about Jamal's DWI that were hidden from the public, his domestic violence incident at his home and the cover-up by GPD police Captain James Hinson, failure to disclose, unreported campaign contributions... I've got it all.
It might be that Ben Holder can be bought but I can't. Only a bullet in the back of my head will stop me. Do they dare?
After posting Episode 10 of the True Confessions Of Ben Holder and giving myself some time to ponder the situation I decided to approach Ben differently. Perhaps I've been all wrong about Ben Holder. I'm not above making mistakes, I make mistakes all the time. If I'm falsly accusing Ben of anything then I need to find out what it is and resolve the situation ASAP. I sent Ben the following e-mail:
"Ben, This is truly a golden opportunity for you. For both
of us. Often my investigations take strange and unanticipated turns and
turn out very differently than I expected them to turn out. Your story
could be one of those stories but if you refuse to work with me I just
might come to the wrong conclusion. If I'm painting the wrong picture of
Ben Holder then help me to turn the story in the right direction. Help
me to get my story straight.
The next morning I opened my e-mail. How did Ben respond?
"What???????"
I thought perhaps I should explain it again in simpler terms that Ben might better understand. I replied:
"Ben,
I'm reasonably sure I explained myself well
enough. What do you not understand? Since the beginning I've been
seeking your help involving questions concerning your involvement with
Nancy Vaughan and Greensboro city government. Thus far you have refused
all efforts to work with me, refused to answer any questions and clear
up any matters concerning Ben Holder. Perhaps you should go back to the
beginning of the series, True Confessions Of Ben Holder http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2015/06/true-confessions-by-ben-holder-episode-1.html
read the series all the way through and rethink working with me instead
of against me. If you're not lying then could it possibly get any worse
than it is now?
You really need to work with me to improve your reputation.
-Billy"
In case you didn't get those Google results:
Look, I'm not the first to question Ben Holder's credability. Brian Clarey, formerly of Yes Weekly and now with Triad City Beat was quoted as saying:
"Ben's credibility has always been for s*** in many, many people's
eyes," Clarey wrote. "He doesn't cite sources, so while some of his
leads may be the actual whisperings he gets from cops, others may be the
fully concocted rantings that align with his agenda or smear his
enemies."
What's the difference between Ben Holder and Billy Jones you ask? I cite sources. This entire series is filled with links to sources, screen grabs, e-mails, documents, the results of Public Information Requests from the City of Greensboro and any other citations I can get my hands on.
And the idea that Ben Holder is never wrong, never makes mistakes-- complete Bullshit, I've got examples right here from this very blog. For example: after hurling lots of personal insults at me Ben Holder, aka Glenwood wrote:
"... Billy never mentioned MariKays tax problems at Mahi's did he? Just
saying, he may have let that one go. Those two are tight. "
Well actually I did mention Marikay's tax problems. Not once but twice. How many times did Ben Holder blog about it?
Ben continued:
"He never mentions MariKays real associations with the people that own
1810 Coliseum BLVD. You know, the ones Billy hates? He never talks
about Isa's store, does he?
Isa was actually arrested for selling crack pipes at both of his
stores on East Market St. Does Isa have fraudulent food stamp scam? The
kind Big Bad Billy hates?"
And as to Ben's accusations against the Abuziatuers. Well I simply haven't found it and challenged Ben Holder to prove it well over a year ago. Have you proved your accusations yet Ben?
Ben gets a lot of things wrong just like everyone else but according to Ben Holder he's always right and everyone else is wrong. Well there Ben has been proven to make mistakes just like everyone else. Ben Holder is not God.
Ben replied to my e-mail:
"Your post that started this was I made $60 an hour and worked 20 hours a
week. You said all I did was play on a computer. I told you that
wasn't true. You freaked out and started your war."
Well Ben is right about my post but wrong about who started the war. Have you ever stepped on a a Yellow Jackets' nest only to get attacked by the swarm? You might not have realized you were doing so but your inattentive, inadvertent act of aggression-- stepping on top of the Yellow Jackets' home-- is what started the war. Ben Holder has been stepping on people-- myself included-- for years and is finally facing the swarm no matter if he likes it or not.
It's about respect, Ben. Had you ever treated me with respect you might not be getting grilled this way but your lack of respect for others, threats of violence and your mistaken notions that you can do no wrong are markings of a typical power hungry sociopath if not even a psychopath, therefore making you not to be trusted.
So it's time Ben Holder came clean if for no other reason than to save his reputation. Get it?
"Because of public pressure, Ben's contracted rate of pay was reduced
from $60.oo per hour to $45.oo per hour. I have the documentation to
prove it. And Ben paid his own expenses.
Ben then spent 16 to 20 hours per week as per his modified contract
traveling all over Greensboro photographing and taking extensive notes
on hundreds of properties as were assigned to him to visit by the Code
Enforcement Department of the City of Greensboro. His records include
well documented times, dates, addresses, conditions, etc. Ben even went
so far as to throw in a few extras he happened to run across.
Ben did his job and he did it well. Whatever happened at Heritage House
wasn't his fault and I've little doubt those at fault will soon turn up."
I'm making every effort to get the story right but if you continue to refuse to cooperate... Well you lose, not me.
-Billy"
And I really do want to get Ben's story factually correct. But if Ben refuses to work with me then he only makes it harder for me to do and increases the likelihood that I'll make mistakes.
So what was Ben's reply? This is so good I took a screen grab. Click on it to view it full size:
Ben quickly followed up with this:
I sent Ben the following quote and link without comment:
"Holder responded to the RFP on June 19 and requested an hourly rate of
$60, with 40 hours pay required in advance. In his response Holder also
negotiated that, “Upon award, liability insurance and business license
will be provided.”
Ben thinks I'm angry. If I were angry Ben Holder wouldn't be sending me
e-mails. All I want is the truth and Ben seems to have a problem telling
the truth. Ben replied:
I answered Ben:
"I can't copy and paste conversations or telephone calls and I'm very
poor at taking notes. By using e-mail I make fewer mistakes. You don't
want me to make mistakes do you?"
Now Ben starts to make some sense with 4 successive e-mails that I will take the time to verify as best I can:
1.
"I asked for $60 in my proposal...the city never offered me
$60..ever...they offered $45...i took it.. It didn't change do to
"public outcry" it was the only offer they made."
2.
"They offered $45..i took it..they didn't offer $60..i asked for $60 in
my proposal. I always bid high to start negotiations. They offered
$45. I worked less than 20 hours a Month."
3.
"And the city rejected my offer...they countered with $45 an hour. There
was no $60 an hour offered by the city. Ever. It was $45 and it never
changed due to public outcry."
4.
"I saw the rfp after an inspector alerted me to it. I called the city
and said I wanted to respond to it. I wrote a proposal. It was
rejected but the city made a counter offer of $45 an hour for no more
than 20 hours a week. The public outcry reducing the hourly rate isn't
true. I ended up working around 16 hours a month."
Then Ben sends another e-mail:
My reply:
"Ben,
I've seen how you behave with a video camera. If I wanted to be shot in a video made and edited by a 5 year old I'd go find a real 5 year old. No thanks.
-Billy"
We'll see if Ben wants to continue this story in an adult manner in the True Confessions of Ben Holder: Episode 12.
Well at least Ben and I are communicating again... sorta. At the end of Episode 9 I told you of an e-mail I was going to send to Ben. His reply came back in record time. As a matter of fact he sent 3 e-mails back to back, the first at 4:01 PM:
"Answer mine. You're the coward."
Answer his what? I thought, I'm the one with all the questions. Then at 4:09 PM:
"Have you lost your medication again, lil bill?"
Nope, I thought, I take my meds every day but then I only suffer from depression and PTSD. It's Ben who is known all about town for being bi-polar.
I warned you Ben, I can and will make your life worse than it is today. Finally at 4:16 PM Ben writes:
"Show my felony charge? You have no evidence, lil bill. Good lord, your pathetic."
Ben really gets fixated on the tiniest of things and let's them throw him out of kilter. Probably off his medications again. And it only took him 3 e-mails to tell me. I answered:
"You're such a dumbass. I corrected that post this morning, go read it shit for brains and eat some more dingle berry pie."
Yeah, I know that was crude but sometimes you have to let people know you can relate to them by speaking in terms they understand.
Ben responds:
"Correcting your erroneous blogging errors is a small step to becoming a
good blogger. You have a lot left to do. But, at least your attempting
to correct your mistakes. Keep trying, Billy. Take care, Ben"
Looks like Ben's meds finally kicked in. I replied:
"If you answered my questions I could copy and paste without making mistakes."
Ben answers with a question:
"Why all the hate? Why all the erroneous posts filled with spite? What
exactly do you want me to do? You're so wrong about so much its
impossible to take you seriously. Ben"
I guess that means Ben Holder doesn't intend to answer my questions about his involvement in City of Greensboro affairs but rest assured I'll keep looking for the truth be it good or bad for Ben Holder. And when I find it you will be the first to know everything I find out about it.
How can Ben get off saying that everything I write about him is erroneous when I'm taking the actual screen shots from his blog and backing up what I've written with documents from the City of Greensboro? Are documents from the City correct when Ben Holder uses them and erroneous when I use them? Who has that kind of magic?
How can Ben act as if he doesn't know what I want? This entire series is full of questions-- I want answers.
As some of you may be aware I've been experimenting with Aquaponics in my back yard. (No Ben, the Mayor herself made sure no city laws were being broken a few years ago.) One of the problems I've encountered is not enough space for plant beds in relation to the size of my fish tanks. To remedy this I've been moving the entire operation to my uncle's farm in Randolph County. Problem is: catching tiny fish in 300 gallon tanks can become daunting as the spaces in larger nets are too big and smaller nets allow the fish to easily avoid the net altogteher.
The solution: Start draining the tank. A few of the fish will pop out the drain and the rest will be left in an ever dwindling supply of water making them ever easier to catch. And those most resistant to being caught will be left gasping for air on the bottom of the tank where they can be quickly scooped up and placed into buckets of water for transport to their better home in Randolph County.
Like my most stubborn fish, Ben Holder will eventually find himself gasping for air on the bottom of his tank.
"After Mitch was removed for the office of city manager, The city brought
in Rashad Young as the city manager. Shortly after his arrival, I was
contacted by the city and was told that the new management team wanted
to find a better way to work with me. They wanted to know what I
thought of that. I detailed to several staff members how I could easily
and effectively help them fight blight in district 1. Never once was
it mentioned I couldn't blog, talk to media or the police. They just
wanted to see what I could actually do in regards to helping the city.
A model project was started where I would go out and find nuisances. If
the nuisance I reported was not listed by anyone else, I would get the
contract to clean it IF the owner didn't clean it themselves in the
allotted time. The city would get 100's of free inspections and
re-inspections. I worked with the police and cleaned up several of
Greensboro's most horrible situations. I was a beast on blight and
everyone knew if they wanted something done, they should call me. I
took a camera with me just about everywhere I went to document and show
people had bad things were. Below is one of the videos taken during
that time."
Mr Young left the City of Greensboro in 2011. And Ben, you might want to edit that first sentence to read, "After Mitch was removed from the office." I mean, seriously Dude, I only have a fake high school diploma, you claim to have graduated from journalism school.
Ben provided a contract dated 3-26-2012 as proof of his business relationship with the City of Greensboro: http://www.scribd.com/doc/273241998/Ltr-and-Agmt-for-signature-by-Ben-Holder-03-26-12-pdf Supposedly that made it okay for Ben to go around kicking down the doors of apartment buildings owned by City funded non profits that were currently under construction and being refitted with new appliances.
Why is the contract unsigned? Did Ben never actually get the job? Jonesboro Landing opened on March 1st 2012, why was Ben kicking in doors before he got the contract? Breaking and entering is a felony, Ben should be charged with the crime he committed.
The water is seeping out Ben, better start coming up with some answers, ASAP.
Then
there's this June 4, 2014 blog post that Ben removed from his
Troublemaker blog as if he had screwed up and had something to hide:
The retractons were done by the City-- I never understood their reasons as to why.
Was Ben promised a job by Mayor Vaughan and Mike Barber like Councilman Jamal Fox claimed?
The fish are naturally too dumb to know the safest place is to swim is into my net so that I might more easily carry them to a new home. Is Ben Holder as dumb as a fish?
In writing the True Confessions of Ben Holder I must admit there was a time when I admired what I believed Ben to be. Ben always played himself off as some sort of viscious junkyard dog but Ben failed to understand something that even the meanest of junkyard dogs learns while just a puppy, "Never bite the hand that feeds you lest your bowl be left empty of anything that doesn't bite back."
Despite the fact that he had always been abusive towards me me I always supported his efforts. For example, in 2007 when it was made public that Ben Holder wore a wire while working as a journalist I left the following comment at EdCone.com
"I think a lot of commenters here
are missing a bigger point: How is it that with so many professional
journalists, the N&R, area bloggers and others all investigating,
writing, and commenting on this very story, none of you knew about Ben's
involvement? It appears that with the exception of Jerry Bledsoe there
has been very little journalism involved in uncovering the facts
concerning this case.
Will Ben's reputation suffer? Yeah, probably but not nearly so much
as all the others who have spent the last couple of years presenting the
"facts" concerning this issue.
I hope Ben continues doing exactly what he's been doing. Is he too
cocky? Damn straight. Has he made mistakes? Yes, he's made some mistakes
but he's right more than he's wrong. His posts could use an editor but
who am I to complain about that? I can tell you from my own
conversations with any number of Greensboro police officers and city
employees that the rank and file trust Ben Holder when they feel as if
they can't go to the "media" and I think the world needs a few more Ben
Holders.
The rank and file tell me our local media is too cozy with local "media" so they go to Ben instead.
Ben's reputation will recover, police and city employees will
continue to go to Ben when they fear going elsewhere and if nothing else
this has proven the level of public distrust and loathing of
traditional media.
If I were a journalist I'd be more concerned about being scooped and
proven wrong by a local blogger and a single "retired" journalist than
I'd be concerned about any mistakes Ben might have made.
Ben Holder is providing a free public service that government and
media are either unwilling or unable to provide and we're all better off
for it.
And frankly I think Ben is owed some thanks for sticking his neck out
and exposing corruption in a city in which he no longer lives. Right
now Ben is worrying that there may be retaliation against him for
wearing that wire and many reading this have the audacity to complain
about him not being transparent enough.
Thank you, Ben."
And how did Ben Holder respond to my thanking him for his efforts:
"Dear bitches, ...killian, clarey,
lex, and others...go
here...http://thetroublemaker.blogspot.com/2007/03/wire-rest-of-story.html Billy, Shut the fuck up. Ben's personal relationships with city employees
is what gets him the info he presents. This is not true...i dont have
lovers in city hall or on the force..i dont havce buddies...your
commenting is supproting me with jibba jabba...I am not well
liked..there is not presents...not at city hall"
I should have never given Ben Holder the time of day after that incident in 2007 but like many in Greensboro I was still convinced he was doing good things for our city so I swallowed my pride and let it go like so many times before and after.
But where Ben finally lost my support once and for all, where I finally saw Ben Holder for what he really is, came just days after I gave in to his begging me for his endorsement for city council after I had just written Why I'm Voting For Ben Holder he turned a disagreement about Jamal Fox-- a candidate he wasn't even running against-- into a personal attack against me.
Two things politicians should never do is 1. attack politicians they're not running against and 2. attack someone you begged for an endorsement.
I knew from that point on that once Ben Holder got what he wanted from you he had no more use for you what-so-ever. And I knew he was skum.
Quite honestly, I've kicked myself many times for not retracting that endorsement. Thank God he lost.
Now without any doubt what-so-ever I have established that Ben Holder is a completely self centered asshole with no respect for anyone else. What is next to be determined is whether or not Ben Holder is a liar and quite possibility a thief. We could have determined that a long time ago without the need for these first 9 episodes of the True Confessions Of Ben Holder
but rather than answer my questions Ben has chosen to curse me, deny the evidence without providing evidence to the contrary and post his own story that I easily debunked.
Oh, and as you can see in this video he posted to his blog just today. Ben seems quite adept at childish personal attacks and inferring that others are cowards but he remains afraid to answer my questions.
Oh and this is just too funny. Ben Holder just spent months working as a
consultant to code enforcement taking thousands of taxpayer dollars but
what do we find on Ben Holder's Twitter Page?
Click on the image to view full size.
Honestly, I couldn't make up this kind of stupidity if I tried.
There's an old saying by cartoonist Scott Adams: "One ‘aw, shit’ wipes out a thousand ‘attaboys’” Ben has had far too many 'aw shits' to ever catch up now.
They say falling off the pedestal is hard-- looks like Ben Holder is falling straight to Hell.
Answer my questions Ben, why are you scared of answering my questions?
My next e-mail to Ben will include a link to this post along with the words:
"Now who's the coward? Answer my questions."
Will Ben Holder answer my questions or will he continue to elude the very Greensboro taxpayers and residents he claims to have been helping all these years? Find out in the True Confessions Of Ben Holder: Episode 10.
When I began this series, True Confession Of Ben Holder it was because I believed Ben was finally ready to tell the world the answers to a list of questions involving the stories Ben has "broken" as an activist, journalist and blogger. How was I to know that his intentions were no more than to threaten, curse me out and berate me?
Okay, I know what you're thinking, threatening, cursing and berating has been Ben Holder's Modus operandi for as long as any of us have ever heard of him, why should I expect any different? Right? And amazingly, every time I get close to finding the answers to questions concerning Ben Holder I end up stumbling upon more questions. For example: did you know Ben Holder seems to think he runs the City of Greensboro. During the recent appointment of the new Chief of Police, Mr Holder got angry because he was not allowed to participate in the process of choosing our new Chief of Police. Can I prove that? I sure can, you only need click here to read this e-mail sent to Mayor Vaughan, Councilman Barber, Donnie Turlington and Sarah Healy. Now I ask you, why would Ben Holder's name come up in a conversation about who the Greensboro Police Department was going to appoint to be the new Chief of Police? Ben has never Ben a police officer, Ben has a felony Correction: criminal record. And as far as I know Ben Holder was never reported by any of the local MSM outlets as being considered for the job. Methinks Ben is delusional. Or it brings up the long held political adage, "How do you get rid of an activist? You give him a job." Which brings up another question Ben has long refused to answer: With Ben being so close to the edge why did Mayor Vaughan, Councilman Barber and Skip Alston all 3 sign a letter of referral so that Ben could get a 6 month gig working in code enforcement with the City of Greensboro just last year right after Ben and 4 of his friends signed papers saying Heritage House was unfit to live in? Were they paying Ben back for helping them work out a land grab? Giving him a job? And don't you find it interesting that Skip Alston is brokering the deal to sell Heritage House even before the City of Greensboro has legal possession of the property? So to learn more I sent the following Public Information Request to the City of Greensboro:
"The following link displays an e-mail from Ben Holder that was sent to Sarah Healey, Nancy Vaughan, Mike Barber and Donnie Turlington: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9h2K8JxTQUjVTFLTkUzM05CWnd0SFpkSjdhWWJhUFBQTEVR/view?usp=sharing
It appears Mr Holder has some concerns about who was appointed Chief of Police and considers himself in a position to be able to dictate who runs the City of Greensboro and is upset that then Interim Chief Anita Holder has left him out of the process.
Last I checked Ben was neither elected nor appointed to any position with the City of Greensboro.
Now on to my actual PIRT request: I would like all the information that was made available to Mr Holder as per his request.
I'm sorry I don't have a PIRT # to give you as I'm sure that would make your job easier.
Thanks -Billy"
So is Ben Holder simply suffering from delusions of grandeur, a god complex, therefore feeling the need to strike down with impunity anyone who questions his deeds and authority?
Or is Ben Holder caught up in something bigger, afraid to tell the truth for fear he too might be implicated, perhaps even arrested and carried to jail, the fall guy while the real criminals get away.And are Mayor Vaughan, Councilman Barber and Skip Alston the real criminals?
I've asked Ben to answer my questions. He has chosen instead to tell his own story. So we'll work with what Ben gives us.
Currently Ben is telling his story over at his blog, the Troublemaker, in a piece titled Hush Money, Part 1 where he tries to make himself out as some sort of a hero for cleaning up derelict and blighted properties. He even includes a video of himself illegally breaking and entering into a property Ben identifies as being located at 2415 Charlotte Street and pointing out all the problems he has found with the property but did you happen to notice the new kitchen counters or the new dishwasher with the tape and sales stickers still intact at 02:31 in Ben's video? Here's a screen grab taken from Ben's video just in case you missed it. As with all my screen grabs you can click on it to make it bigger.
Now wait a minute, who puts a new dishwasher in an apartment they don't intend to fix? Yeah, I see lots of problems with that address beginning with Ben Holder breaking down the door.
From Ben's post on the subject:
"After Mitch was removed for the office of city manager, The city brought in Rashad Young as the city manager. Shortly after his arrival, I was contacted by the city and was told that the new management team wanted to find a better way to work with me. They wanted to know what I thought of that. I detailed to several staff members how I could easily and effectively help them fight blight in district 1. Never once was it mentioned I couldn't blog, talk to media or the police. They just wanted to see what I could actually do in regards to helping the city.
A model project was started where I would go out and find nuisances. If the nuisance I reported was not listed by anyone else, I would get the contract to clean it IF the owner didn't clean it themselves in the allotted time. The city would get 100's of free inspections and re-inspections. I worked with the police and cleaned up several of Greensboro's most horrible situations. I was a beast on blight and everyone knew if they wanted something done, they should call me. I took a camera with me just about everywhere I went to document and show people had bad things were. Below is one of the videos taken during that time."
Rashad Young left the City of Greensboro in 2011. And Ben was kicking down the doors of unoccupied apartment buildings in 2011 while the owners were attempting to repair them.
So who owned the property at 2415 Charlotte Street? According to the Guilford County Register of Deeds as of July 29, 2011 that property belongs to
none other than the City of Greensboro funded, taxpayer supported East Market Street
Development Corporation who was at the time working to rebuild the
property
And Ben Holder was running up the bill kicking down doors and tearing things up after EMSDC had already started trying to fix the place up. Smooth move, Benny Boy.
Seriously Ben, you solve problems by breaking down doors of already condemned apartments already being repaired at taxpayer expense by kicking in doors? Did you not see the yellow condemned signs on every door you walked in 'cause your audience damned sure saw them?
Ben Holder fails to take into account all that is involved in rehabbing any structure. Take for instance the following August 3, 2015 facebook post by Eric Robert. Eric is complaining that the City won't allow him to go ahead and start repairs on a building Eric has just bought.
Here's a photo of the recently refurbished Jonesboro Landing (Ben's infamous 2415 Charlotte Street) which were reopened on Thursday, March 1, 2012 snagged from Google maps:
Did you notice in Ben's video that even the grass wasn't all that very high outside the apartments?
It's not uncommon to find pizza boxes and wine bottles laying around construction sites. Construction workers have to eat and a few of them have been known to drink cheap wine. Not all, but a few-- what was Ben Holder drinking? Many of the migrant workers hired to work in construction these days choose to live on the very sites on which the work in conditions most of us would find to be quite deplorable. Many of my years in trucking was spent delivering construction materials to job sites. Often I would arrive in the middle of the night hours before my delivery appointment only to find construction workers and their entire families living on site. And then there are also the squatters who will come if construction workers aren't allowed to live on site.
Scroll back up, wasn't that new dishwasher I snagged from Ben's video also black?
I left a comment on Ben's blog post, let's see how long it stays there.
To add insult to injury, Ben claims to have run a company called NC Housing, Inc from his home address at 1306 Oak Street. Well if Ben ever told the truth he told it when he said he doesn't read my blog otherwise he would have known I search the NC Secretary of State website anytime a corporate name comes up in one of my investigations and I found no NC Housing, Inc but you are welcome to try. I also searched for North Carolina Housing, Inc but it didn't come up that way either.
Has Ben Holder been ripping off the State of North Carolina, not filing his incorporation papers, pocketing his share of his taxes and not carrying his weight? I sent the following public information request to the City of Greensboro to find out.
"Howdy, howdy, howdy!!!
And a wonderful day it is!
Please send me all information concerning Greensboro City Business with a company called NC Housing, Inc.
Please include e-mails, contracts, billing, invoices, insurance records, payments, videos, photographs and any other documents you may stumble across.
Thanks -Billy Jones"
Now Ben does write:
"Please note that they got my business name wrong and I never claimed to the city to be an LLC. That would be their mistake, just in case anyone wants to jump all over me for that. "
Well for starters the letter says "Inc". not "LLC" as Ben wrote (I snagged a screen grab in case he changes it.) but if Ben never made any claim to a business name then where did the City come up with a business name? Does the City have someone on payroll who thinks up business names for people like Ben Holder who can't think up their own business names?
Yeah, I kinda doubt it too.
Good job, Ben, I look forward to Part 2. That is: if you have the balls to post it. Remember: the more you lie the easier my job gets. You'd be a lot better off to start answering my questions instead of giving me more things to question you about, Benny boy.
"Because of public pressure, Ben's contracted rate of pay was reduced
from $60.oo per hour to $45.oo per hour. I have the documentation to
prove it. And Ben paid his own expenses.
Ben then spent 16 to 20 hours per week as per his modified contract
traveling all over Greensboro photographing and taking extensive notes
on hundreds of properties as were assigned to him to visit by the Code
Enforcement Department of the City of Greensboro. His records include
well documented times, dates, addresses, conditions, etc. Ben even went
so far as to throw in a few extras he happened to run across.
Ben did his job and he did it well. Whatever happened at Heritage House
wasn't his fault and I've little doubt those at fault will soon turn up."
So I guess the next step is to actually show you Ben Holder's Criminal Record as Ben demanded I do.
Well, not so fast, first I'd like to talk about why Ben Holder no longer works for Yes Weekly and why he assaulted George Hartzman. That's right, click on the image below for proof that Ben Holder no longer works for Yes Weekly and read below to learn why Ben will probably never work in journalism again:
Recently our own George Hartzman met with Eric Robert and secretly recorded their conversation. Think what you want of George but it happened. (Eric is damned sure pissed off.) George then took the recording to Jeffery Sykes of Yes Weekly who used it in an article he wrote about Zack Matheny, Jason Cannon and Mike Barber without citing either George or Eric directly.
As Ben Holder worked with Yes Weekly he learned where the recording came from and went running back to Eric Robert with the news that Eric had been recorded without his knowledge. Now never mind the fact that Ben Holder has admitted to having worn a wire on numerous occasions and has even bragged about doing so or that doing so is perfectly legal, Ben broke one of the most precious tenants of journalism by reviling a source.
Ben's bosses, Jeffery Sykes and Charles Womack were without a doubt upset. How much so I can't say because I've discussed this with neither of them.
Ben, being the sort who can never accept blame for his own mistakes, and being in hot water with his boss decided to take it out on George. That's when Ben assaulted George in City Council Chambers a few weeks ago. But Ben wasn't fired yet as Charles was still willing to give Ben another chance because Charles did not yet know about the assault.
You see, George wasn't really hurt and George is a happy go lucky sort of guy who just lets things roll off his back. But Billy Jones isn't. Billy gets pissed! As Ben Holder is about to find out, Billy Jones is your worst nightmare.
For you see it wasn't George Hartzman who informed Charles Womack of the assault and pushed him to fire Ben Holder, it was Billy Jones. George was going to let it go but I wouldn't have it, not under any circumstances. I'm the one who first told Charles that Ben Holder assaulted George Hartzman.
I did the very same thing Charles Womack would have done if a writer working for any other publication had of assaulted a Yes Weekly writer expecting the exact same results and Mr Womack acted just as any publisher worth his salt should and would have acted.
But what is Ben Holder doing now? Stalking George Hartzman because he is unwilling or unable to accept the fact that Nancy and company are using him as a tool to their own ends and will distance themselves from him the second he crosses the line. And he's too damned dumb to know who got him fired.
Because of North Carolina employment laws the kind folks at Yes-Weekly can only verify that Ben Holder no longer works there, now you know why he needs to be caged.
And Ben, I know you imagined the story about beating up the 2 guys at the bar the other night.
I want confessions, Ben. I want the truth. I can make your life worse than it already is. Is Nancy going to pay you enough to leave town for good?
During the course of my investigation I submitted a public information request to the City of Greensboro asking for:
"Please send me all personnel records as allowed by North Carolina General Statutes for Ben Holder aka Benjamin Holder.
Also, if possible please include job descriptions and responsibilities for each and every position Mr Holder held with the City of Greensboro.
Thanks -Billy Jones"
Ms Carter's reply:
"Dear Mr. Jones,
Thank you for your public records request (4755).
Mr. Holder was employed by the City of Greensboro
as “Code Enforcement Officer” from 12/16/2003 to 11/15/2004. The
document: "pos 6964 documentation" was the only position documentation
available from that point in time. I have attached
a copy here for your review.
I hope this information is helpful to you.
Sincerely,
Katherine Carter, Public Records Administrator"
Ms Carter's reply included the following attachment: code_enf_Officer which lays out Ben Holder's responsibilities as a code enforcement officer for the City of Greensboro. So what did Mr Holder do for the approximately 11 months he worked for the City? According to the linked City documents he tagged abandoned cars to be towed away. Don't believe me? Click on the link above and read it for yourself.
Now how did tagging abandoned cars qualify Ben Holder for a City Contract as a Mercenary code enforcement inspector overseeing the condition of people's homes and properties? Mayor Vaughan? Councilman Barber?
Ben Holder was hired over Beth Mcgee-Hugler and the Greensboro Housing Coalition to provide housing inspection services to the City of Greensboro but according to documents provided by the City, Ben Holder has no such verifiable experience. Again, Mayor Vaughan, Councilman Barber, did you or did you not force Jim Westmoreland to hire Ben Holder as a contract code enforcement consultant?
Remember folks: I'm citing sources throughout this entire series-- dozens of sources.
So is this about payback? Is that why I'm doing this?
I'm doing this because Ben Holder has been slap dab in the middle of more than one hot button political issue over the course of the last couple of years and to date we have never heard both sides of the story-- only the carefully crafted Public Relations generated copy generated by the city and released to the media.
Ben Holder received thousands of dollars in taxpayer monies-- the public deserves to know the whole story. Ben has been involved in releasing multiple stories of corruption whose outcome may have been to Ben Holder's personal benefit. That, my friends, is motive.
I'm doing this because the time has come when everyone needs to know the truth.
During the course of my investigation I also submitted a second public information request to the City of Greensboro:
"Please Send me the entirety of Ben Holder's work summaries for his recent contract with the City of Greensboro.
Thanks -Billy Jones"
One week and 2 business days later came the following reply:
"Dear Mr. Jones,
The City has compiled the public records responsive to your request (4753).
Due to the size of the file, we are unable to post
the results to our PIRT website. A copy has been burned into a CD, and
you may pick this up at the City Information Desk on the plaza level of
the Melvin Municipal Office Building between
8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
Sincerely,
Katherine Carter, Public Records Administrator"
In the file I got from Ms Carter was 471 photographs of run down and/or unkempt properties but none of the Deliverables listed on Page 32 of Ben Holder's contract with the City of Greensboro. I replied back to Ms Carter:
"Katherine,
I got 471 photographs-- that's all. Was that the entirety of Ben Holder's work summaries?
Is
there more somewhere or did Ben do nothing but take photographs? Surely
he filled out some form of paperwork? Computerized form?
-Billy"
So what's next I wondered?
I heard a rumor floated in City offices that Ben was paid by the City of Greensboro to mow and clean yards-- an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. Believe me, $60 an hour isn't completely out of sight when you consider the insurance requirements, gas, equipment maintenance, tipping fees and all the incidental expenses a contractor runs up. Yeah, it's a little higher than most lawn service contractors usually get but not by much. But again, that's only rumor I cannot confirm.
But did Ben Holder fulfill the terms of his contract? And if not then was he paid as if he did?
Eventually pages and pages of documentation were sent to me along with the following e-mail:
"Dear Mr. Jones,
I have attached them here for your review. If you have any issues opening these files, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Katherine Carter,
Public Records Administrator"
Here's what Ben Holder really did.
Because the City closed Heritage House once and for all there was no way Ben could fulfill the Heritage House portion of his contract. He spent one week in July working on Heritage House and moved on to other things.
Because of public pressure, Ben's contracted rate of pay was reduced from $60.oo per hour to $45.oo per hour. I have the documentation to prove it. And Ben paid his own expenses.
Ben then spent 16 to 20 hours per week as per his modified contract traveling all over Greensboro photographing and taking extensive notes on hundreds of properties as were assigned to him to visit by the Code Enforcement Department of the City of Greensboro. His records include well documented times, dates, addresses, conditions, etc. Ben even went so far as to throw in a few extras he happened to run across.
Ben did his job and he did it well. Whatever happened at Heritage House wasn't his fault and I've little doubt those at fault will soon turn up.
Today Ben Holder reports Police Records Show History of Domestic Violence at Councilman's House. Seriously Benny boy, all of District 2 has known about Jamal's nasty habits since soon after he was sworn into office. Jamal likes older women and older women like Jamal. He's a player, the east side all knows it. If you'll take the time to do a public information request between myself and Councilman Fox and Mayor Vaughan you'll soon discover I've known about that story for months on end. Or you could just e-mail me and I'll send you copies.
And as usual you missed the bigger parts of the story, that being that according to the Guilford County Register of Deeds, 2026 Chapel Park Lane is owned by non other than Jamal Fox and his mother. And has been such since 2010.
For starters that makes Ms Mathews' claim that Mr Fox would not leave her home a lie but it doesn't end there.
You see, on April 12, 2014 I sent the following public information request to Sarah Healy of the City of Greensboro:
"Sarah,
On January 7, 2014, CityCouncil voted 9-0 to pass Mayor Vaughan's new disclosureforms. Please send me copies of the forms the Mayor and Council members completed.
Thanks -Billy"
George Hartzman, Roch Smith Jr, Joe Guarino, Jeff Martin and others received the e-mail as well. When I finally received the City Council Disclosure forms I had requested-- the very forms Mayor Nancy Barakat Vaughan had said would solve the problems of disclosure in Greensboro despite my pleas to lobby the State Legislature to make them law as seen in the video below there was no listing of Jamal Fox owning any home. Now I ask you, Ben, if Jamal Fox will lie about owning a home and living with his mother and Nancy Barakat Vaughan will cover for him what else might they lie about?
And Ben, yes, you published the story first but since the team here at EzGreensboro.com gave you that lead in the first place isn't it about time you got off your high horse and realized you're not God and that working with Nancy and Mike has been to your detriment? After all, we give stories to all of Greensboro's media, bloggers and anyone else who is willing to work with us. And we don't have to sell our souls to the devil herself to get them.
Today our ongoing series, the True Confessions Of Ben Holder continue starting with an e-mail sent to Ben, Mayor Vaughan, Councilwoman Hoffman, Councilman Barber, George Hartzman, Councilwoman Hightower, Councilwoman Abuzuaiter and myself from Sal Leone:
"I think we all should come together and find a way to get along. We all as citizens of this City should be working to make Greensboro better and the best City in the State. We have lots going on in Greensboro that will make this City even better in the near future and we should focus on that. There has been plenty negative things said and we need to think positive. I am willing to work things out with all so we can put the past behind us and work on the future. As per Ben well I am willing to sit and work things out if he can refrain from attacking me both physically and verbally. As per City Council well I hope we can move forward with forgiveness and find a way to work together because working apart gets no place. The City elections will soon be upon us and if some or all are re-elected then so be it, the people is what we should be all about, the we is more important then the I. So lets find a way, Nancy V has a good heart and Mike B. is a man of reason, so with that we can find a path to new found respect for each other. Lets all just sit at the table and talk like human beings."
I wasn't happy with this. Getting along is all well and good but getting along for the sake of getting along while allowing unresolved questions to go unanswered is what allows crony capitalism to thrive and prosper at the expense of the working class. I replied:
"I will post our entire conversation later tonight. That includes every e-mail Mr Holder has sent me that the rest of you were not privy to, every name calling incident, threat etc. If Mr Holder has not responded to my questions with documentation by that time he, Mr Barber and Mayor Vaughn will look even more guilty than they do now.
The time for setting down at the table was when these incidents first happened but all the involved parties chose to ignore me. I now have even more evidence than I had then.
Pick a side, Sal, you're days of playing both sides are over. If they can hurt you worse than I can then fine, chose them. Just remember, unlike yourself I'm not in this for personal gain or political office. Never have been.
This conversation will be posted as well.
I will now be away from my computer and telephone for most of the day so don't bother. You've all made your beds."
I have no friends when it comes to my search for the truth. I'm only asking questions-- if no one has anything to hide then why are people not answering?
On Monday morning at 6:51 AM, Ben Holder e-mailed:
"Billy,
Stop emailing. Thanks."
So apparently Ben has something to hide. I honored his wishes.But remember this conversation began with Ben hurling insults and threats at me and physically assaulting one of my friends-- not the other way around.
Anyone wanting copies of any of these e-mails can get them forwarded, no warrants or threats needed-- even Ben. Just e-mail me at RecycleBill@gmail.com and say, "Give me that fucking e-mail, Asshole!" Ben has me immune to being cursed at so I'll not take offense.
I have lots of questions I was hoping Ben could shed some light on. For example: this check from Heritage House Homeowners is written on an account managed by Paul Mengert, and Association Management Group, Inc. The address, 614 West Friendly is in the same building as 612 West Friendly which is jointly owned by Paul Mengert, Donald Vaughan and Mayor Nancy Barakat Vaughan who is listed as a partner in hubby Don's businesses. That's one of 2 checks I found and the News & Record never once mentioned any of this in their coverage of Heritage House even though I sent it to them myself.
Yes, I talked to Mayor Vaughan but her answers were just plain silly. I'd really like to hear how she explains this to someone else.
And I'd really like to know what qualifies Mr Holder to work as a consultant overseeing the work of code enforcement officers and crafting code enforcement policy when he can only verify about 11 months of experience working in code enforcement? Is code enforcement so easy any idiot can do it? If so they why is the City having such a hard time filling positions?
Maybe Ben will be in a better mood to talk by the time we get around to True Confessions Of Ben Holder: Episode 6 on Monday.
Got questions for Ben? E-mail them to me.Got questions for me? E-mail them to me as well. Just remember, be they about Ben or myself, you'll not hid behind anonymity and hurl stones. Of all the things I can accuse Ben of doing I cannot accuse him of being an anonymous coward and you'll not use me to attack him in that way.
In True Confessions of Ben Holder: Episode 3 I ended with the following public information request submitted to the City of Greensboro on Saturday. If you've not read it I recommend you begin with the True Confessions Of Ben Holder: Episode 1 and follow the links to read the entire series:
"Please Send me the entirety of Ben Holder's work summaries for his recent contract with the City of Greensboro.
Thanks -Billy Jones"
I'm still waiting for the City's response and don't know when it will
come but on Sunday morning while I was at work Ben e-mailed his response:
"1 dui Billy...and marijuana and rolling papers isn't crack...have at it lil Billy...hide behind your computer and type your stupid bullshit...its obvious you have nothing better going for yourself. I promise...in person...you wouldn't talk so tough. "
Why does everything have to be about violence with Ben? Does he not realize that differences can be resolved through communication? I'm only seeking answers to questions and all he wants to do is hurl insults and threaten me. It's as if I questioned his status as the god almighty himself.
Then at 7:19 AM Ben e-mailed the following:
"I challenge you and your "writers" (goddamn you're pathetic) to a public debate. What do you say, tough guy?"
Now I realize that debating is a time honored political tradition and a means to put on a show but I just couldn't see how a debate would provide the evidence I've been trying to get from Ben for over a year. But I'm not running for office. Besides, after any public debate the fact checkers these days always prove all the debaters to be wrong about something. Debates are about gaining public opinion, not about spreading truth. I also had concerns about Ben's real motives which I expressed in my reply at 3:47 PM Sunday after I returned home from work:
"Benjamin, Considering I have previously heard audio recordings of you threatening me with physical violence and that you have threatened me in the comments on my blog previously ( http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2014/04/ben-ran-on-whim-holder.html ) the fact that I heard you threatening police officer, Sal Leone, on audio recordings and your recent violent assault of George Hartzman in City Council Chambers your comment could be construed as a threat of physical violence.
Are you threatening me again, Benjamin?
As for your challenge to a public debate: why would I want to debate a man who is threatening me with bodily harm? It sounds as if you are trying to trick me to coming to some place where you and your cronies might gang up and attack me. No, Benjamin, we'll begin with you giving me answers to my previous questions along with sufficient documentation on Monday morning so that I may post them along with all the rest of our conversations-- every single word-- before moving on to more questions.
Do questions scare you Ben? How could the mighty Ben Holder be scared of questions?
And Ben, it's a pretty damned good indication that since Roch hasn't jumped in to help you, even though you tried to drag him in, that his faith in you is waning. At least that's how I read it.
It looks really bad when you respond to simple questions with name calling, threats and intimidation tactics. You can push lots of people but you can't push me. If you put a hand on me I put you behind bars. Your threats will serve to prove it was premeditated. Then the courts will lock you in an institution and take your children away from you. Even if you beat the shit out of me I win and you lose.
Grow up, be smart and answer my questions or I will ruin you.
Remember: I've got nothing left to lose. I lost everything I own. My only child is dead. I'm even fucking suicidal and have admittedly been in therapy for years so I don't care if you kill me.
(ONE SENTENCE REDACTED. BEN HOLDER HAS MY PERMISSION TO RELEASE IT AS IT IS ABOUT BEN)
You have a lot to lose.
Think about it.
You've proved yourself capable of using e-mail, you've run out of excuses"
As to the redacted sentence: I've known it for years. People who are really close to Ben along with the e-mail recipients, Mayor Vaughan, Councilman Barber, Councilwomen Hoffman, Abuzuaiter and Hightower, George Hartzman, Sal Leone and I all know what that thing is but it is up to Ben if he wants the public to know. Ben has a right to keep it secret even though he's done a very poor job thus far.
At 4:09 PM Ben sent the following one word e-mail to myself and Roch Smith jr.
"Roch?"
I replied:
"Yes Ben, in one of your previous replies to me you you attempted to drag Roch in to back you up. He didn't bite. Looks like you're all alone."
Roch and Ben have been tight for years. I had been expecting Roch to chime in at any time but he never did. A few minutes later I followed up with:
"Yes Ben, Roch.
You brought him into the conversation early on. I've known for years who Herky Fishbine is. So do a whole lot more people. So stop denying that you tried to drag Roch to your defense.
I'll ask the questions, you'll have all the type you need to answer them.
You've already got Monday's questions so start working.
And get your documentation in order.
If you've lost them let me know and I will resend them as I have saved every exchange between us. Every single pixel."
Roch and I take opposite sides and fight a lot. But I've never known a time when at least one of us-- usually myself, sometimes Roch-- honestly believed he was right. Roch doesn't fail to chime in when he thinks I'm wrong. We've even had another fight about a completely unrelated topic since then. Roch doesn't like the way I go about searching for the truth. And to be honest, my methods are very hard on everyone involved-- myself included. But I believe-- and Roch will probably disagree-- that I get results. Or at least more questions that need to be answered.
I didn't hear back from Ben on Sunday. It would not be until Monday morning before I heard from Ben again and that will be a part of True Confessions Of Ben Holder: Episode 5.
Stay tuned for more Trouble. That's Trouble with a capital T.
Remember folks: I'm citing sources throughout this entire series-- dozens of sources.
So is this about payback? Is that why I'm doing this?
I'm doing this because Ben Holder has been slap dab in the middle of more than one hot button political issue over the course of the last couple of years and to date we have never heard both sides of the story-- only the carefully crafted Public Relations generated copy generated by the city and released to the media.
Ben Holder received thousands of dollars in taxpayer monies-- the public deserves to know the whole story. Ben has been involved in releasing multiple stories of corruption whose outcome may have been to Ben Holder's personal benefit. That, my friends, is motive.
I'm doing this because the time has come when everyone needs to know the truth.
During the course of my investigation I also submitted a second public information request to the City of Greensboro:
One week and 2 business days later came the following reply: