POLONIA
UNDER ATTACK
By
Halina Grochowska-Jimenez
ARE YOU PART OF POLONIA UNDER
ATTACK? Does your organization have funds that its
membership have accumulated over the years and now there is a group interested
in getting their hands on it? Has a
small group of individuals infiltrated your organization and begun to create
havoc, division and discord? Are they
making inquiries into your organization’s legal documents such as articles of
incorporation or bylaws? Are they
checking into and asking questions about the organization’s financial records or
bank accounts? Are they volunteering to
act as your organizations’ representative or to collect funds on your
behalf? When they attend meetings are
they disruptive and argumentative? Are
statements being quietly made through rumor about your organization’s leadership
with implications of theft or abuse of position? Has your organization always been peaceful
and everyone got along and everyone worked for the good of Polonia until these
individuals got into your organization?
Is your leadership being harassed with incessant phone calls and/or
letters of inquiry about your organization or its funds? Have you or your organization been threatened
with lawsuits or the police or the FBI or the IRS or other government
organizations? If you can answer YES to
many of these questions then you are
part of Polonia under attack.
Polonia is under attack in
You may ask, how are these attacks
structured? How do these individuals get
in to try and create ruin and discord? The answer is simple – by slow, quiet and
systematic infiltration of Polish organizations that have money. Many Polish organizations structure
themselves around the Catholic Church.
These individuals come into the community representing themselves as
God-fearing, church going members. They
attach themselves to church organizations or social functions. Through innocent conversations they find out
about the different organizations, how active they are, how old they are, how much money they have, how strong they are, who the officers
are. Then they join these organizations,
the ones with money. Once they gain
membership they begin to do “research” on the organizations. Research involves obtaining copies of the
organization’s documents such as articles of incorporation, bylaws, reading
through minute books and financial records searching for loopholes. Particular attention is paid to reviewing
financial records and then implications are made of irregularities to try and
discredit the current officers. If that
doesn’t work, the next step is to review the corporate documents for
loopholes. Once these individuals obtain
membership into the organization the decisions and practices of the organization
are then constantly questioned and attacked at meetings. Of course, questioning practices, trying to
straighten out records in itself is not a bad thing. But these tactics are used not to improve the
organization but with the intent to divide the community, to gain stature for
oneself, AND TO GET VOTED INTO
OFFICE by “discovering” corruption.
Once in office it is then easy to gain access to accounts and funds. Other tactics include the constant harassment
of officers with letters and phone calls, with constant demands to see this
record and that record, with anonymous letters or falsified forms made to look
as though they come from a governmental agency.
Once a loophole is found they begin to maneuver around the loophole. If the officers or the members protest then
these infiltrating individuals send letters out to other local Polish
organizations asking them to “intervene” on their behalf to help clear up the
“corruption.” If that fails threats are
then sent out via letters to the officers that attorneys or governmental
agencies will be contacted. At meetings,
if Robert’s Rules of Order are used by the organization these infiltrators twist
the rules out of shape so that meetings fall apart. They argue every point to minute detail so
that other business cannot be transacted.
They are especially belligerent if they loose the vote to get into
office. This organized minority
distorts, argues and questions every letter, bill, motion, recommendation of the
officers of the organization until the meeting falls apart. As people begin to leave because of upset and
disgust (and this is part of the
tactics) this minority then proposes motions which, if all the members were
present, would never have passed the vote of the majority.
How do you
protect yourself and your organization?
1. Learn your rights. No one has the right to threaten you with the
police, the FBI, the IRS or with any other governmental agency as a means of
frightening you to keep you silent or to stop you from participating in your
organization or from lawfully defending yourself or your organization. If you are being threatened in this manner
you are being harassed. Harassment is
against the law. Remember that you too
have rights and one of them is not to be harassed.
You may also be threatened with
lawsuits as a means of silencing you.
This too is a form of harassment.
Its purpose is to frighten you to keep you silent and to keep you from
exercising your rights. Remember, you
have the same rights and that includes the right to an attorney. If you receive a letter from an attorney do
not let it intimidate you, especially when its from someone who is trying to
harass you. A letter IS NOT LAW. Keep copies of all letters and make tapes of
all voice mail messages for your records so that you will have physical evidence
of the harassment. Keep records of
disruptions of your group meetings, the tactics used, the date and who used
them. Ask your members to also keep
records of any phone calls, letters, etc.
Keep all your original documents.
Make copies of everything and then contact your local police department
and report these activities.
2. Review Your Organization’s Financial
Records. Check your financial
records. Get help in formatting them
correctly and in keeping proper records of assets and expenses. Get help from a professional accountant if
necessary. Make disclosures to your
membership so that no claims of fraud can be made. Use proper procedures when withdrawing
funds. Make sure you have the proper
number of officer signatures and resolutions reflecting financial decisions in
the corporate records.
3. Hire an Attorney. If yours is an organization of long-standing
have all corporate records reviewed by a competent attorney. Hire a larger firm that has the resources,
experience and specialists to provide competent advice. This may seem like a waste of money but, in
the long run, it is money well spent for peace of mind and the security of the
organization. Remember, the older your
organization the more likely you have document irregularities which may haunt
you in the future with loopholes for infiltration. It is VERY VERY IMPORTANT to have all your
records checked and brought up to date.
4. Stand Behind Your Leadership. Do not abandon your officers during the time
of battle. They need your support. If they have competently and honestly
provided good leadership to your organization then stand along side them to
defend your organization. BE SURE TO ATTEND ALL YOUR ORGANIZATION’S
MEETINGS so that motions and decisions do not get carried by the
infiltrating minority vote. This is very important. A strong united membership can carry
important votes and decisions. Do not
allow your organization to be divided.
Rebuke the invaders by not allowing them to distress you to the point
where you do not want to come to meetings.
Remember, this is a
tactic. These individuals do not
want you to come to meetings. If you
come to meeting you can vote AGAINST them.
That is why it is very important that you attend all
meetings.
This article has been written on
behalf of the Polish Community of San Francisco to warn all Polish communities
everywhere in the
If you have any question or comments
about your findings please write or call me:
Halina
Grochowska-Jimenez
4175 –
Ph.:
415/648-0231
