WSSN Stories

$3.8 billion in investment scams and $2.6 billion in impersonator scams topped the list. Most money lost through bank transfers and crypto currencies.

By Peter White

Ever get an email about an extended car warranty or a free gift from Home Depot? What about online service to flush out malware from your computer? It’s hard to avoid these unsolicited offers. Fraudsters send texts, they call you on your phone, and sometimes use AI to mimic a relative’s voice who says they have an emergency and please send money.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says what you don’t know can be expensive. They received 2.4 million complaints last year compared to 2.9 million in 2021 but the total amount lost in 2022 was $2.6 billion more than in 2021.

“The dollar loss reported was staggering. Consumers reported that they lost more than $8.8 billion to fraudsters, the most ever reported,” say Maria Mayo, Associate Director for the Division of Consumer Response and Operations in the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

The FTC maintains a database of consumer fraud reports. Report a scam here.

“We know that fraud affects every community and that scammers are running their scam in the languages that people speak at home. And that’s why the FTC now has information in a dozen languages to help people spot and avoid these scams,” says Cristina Miranda, Consumer Education Specialist with the FTC’s Education Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Scammers targeting ethnic communities

During an March 10 Ethnic Media Services briefing Miranda briefed reporters about how to protect against fraudsters. She said that recent refugees and immigrants are frequent marks for scammers who use their native language to steal their money.

“We have a downloadable publication called Spotting, Avoiding and Reporting Scams: a Fraud Handbook. It helps people learn to spot some of the scams related to looking for a job, going through the immigration process, or just trying to figure out how things work in this country,” she said.

“Scammers are targeting ethnic communities and they speak your language. They target ethnic communities in unique ways,” says Rosario Mendez, an attorney with FTC’s Division of Consumer and Business Education Bureau of Consumer Protection.

The Latino community filed a higher percentage of reports relating to problems with banks and lenders, related to debt collection, auto issues, and also business opportunities.

“And we’ve had several cases related to bogus business opportunities, bogus work at home, specifically targeting Latinos. We know from our data analysis and from also our casework that business opportunity, moneymaking schemes, are also something that is impacting the Latino community.

In terms of the black community, the largest number of reports were about payday loan applications, and also student debt relief programs,” Mendez said.

An October 2021 FTC report, Serving Communities of Color, detailed the extent of fraud affecting ethnic communities and the FTC’s efforts to combat it.

Scams vary widely

Mayo said a lot of people fell prey to get-rich-quick schemes last year and the average median loss per consumer was $5,000.

“Consumers reported losing money to investment scams more than any other type of scam, and the amount lost in 2022 more than doubled what was lost in 2021. Consumers reported losing $3.8 billion in investment scams, most of which were lost to crypto currency scams.

These scams often started on social media where consumers were enticed to invest in crypto currency in an attempt to make money. Consumers invested, and the scammers were so savvy that they often presented websites that actually showed how the consumer’s money had grown. But it was all fake,” Mayo said.

Con artists have not given up on romance scams, a staple in the field of fraud. These scams are aimed at older Americans who lost $139 million in 2020 up from $84 million in 2019. For the most part, scammers operate with impunity and many of them are based overseas. That makes it hard for them to be prosecuted. But sometimes they get caught.

One case involved an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor who was swindled out of his life savings by a Florida woman, Peaches Stergo. She was arrested January 25, 2023.

The FTC stopped a large-scale fraud of students enrolled at the University of Phoenix (UOP) and made them pay. The FTC is sending nearly $50 million in payments to more than 147,000 UOP students who may have been lured by allegedly deceptive advertisements.

The 2019 settlement also required UOP and its parent company, Apollo Education Group, to cancel $141 in student debt.

The FTC alleged UOP falsely touted its relationships and job opportunities with companies such as AT&T, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Twitter, and the American Red Cross. The FTC also alleged that UOP’s advertising gave the false impression that the online school worked with those companies to create job opportunities for its students and tailor its curriculum for such jobs.

Consumers can get email alerts from the FTC regarding the latest imposter, real estate, and investment scams. Sign up here.

By Lou K Coleman

Regardless of what the wolves in the pulpits, the TV preachers, and the workers of iniquity in the churches claim, the Bible is clear; when it comes to the things that we have to know, believe, and obey in order to be saved and live according to the will of God. So don’t be fool by the wolves in sheep clothing. It will cost you dearly. I didn’t say it, Jesus did!

Know the truth and the whole truth. Your survival and salvation depend on your understanding of such. Know that God is the one Source and sole Author of truth. Sin is whatever God says it is. Judgment is whatever God says it is. Salvation is what God says it is. Heaven and hell are what God says they are. It matters not what man says but simply what God says.

Truth has the final word in all matters, telling us how to worship and how to walk. It tells us how to follow Christ. It is the final arbitrator on any subject. It is the final judge of every life. All people are measured by the truth. Every life is weighed in the balances by the truth. Every destiny is marked by the truth. And truth will have the final say in every life. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, which will enable you to know truth, live by truth, and not be destroyed in your soul by lies that make it into your heart. [Ephesians 6:14].

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. [2 Timothy 4:3-4]. To their own detriment.

Sad!

By McKenzie Jackson |California Black Media

Last summer, the White House offered Southern California small business owner Kerman Maddox a unique opportunity to serve on a national committee set up to advise President Joe Biden’s administration on educational matters.

The Los Angeles resident declined.

Maddox, who is also a communications specialist — most recently a member of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s transition team — felt he did not have enough expertise in the educational space.

Then, this month, the right opportunity came for Maddox to take his expertise, passion and ambition to Washington. The White House appointed Maddox, along with 14 others, to serve on the United States Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.

“I’m an African American male. I’m a small business owner. There is nothing in my background that ever would have indicated this was even in the realm of possibilities,” he stated. “I am going to do the best to represent other African American small business owners. When you get an opportunity like this, you want to do a good job — not embarrass folks.”

Maddox, president and majority owner of K&R Hospitality and managing partner of Dakota Communications, told the official he would be interested in serving on any commission that dealt with United States’ commerce, small business, trade, or other related fields if a position became available.

Maddox, who President Barack Obama once appointed to serve on the Executive Committee of the Democratic National Committee, says he is excited about his new role.

The other new advisory body appointees are Revathi Advaithi, Manish Bapna, Timothy Michael Broas, Thomas M. Conway, Erica R.H. Fuchs, Marlon E. Kimpson, Ryan LeGrand, Sean M. O’Brien, Javier Saade, Shonda Yvette Scott, Elizabeth Shuler, Nina Szlosberg-Landis, and Wendell P. Weeks.

Along with the other appointees, Maddox will provide policy advice to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, who spearheads American trade policy across the globe.

The new committee members were recommended by Tai’s office and appointed by Biden. They make up one of several advisory committees established by Congress to ensure U.S. trade policy and trade negotiating objectives adequately reflect American public and private sector interests.

In a March 10 statement announcing the appointees, Tai said she looked forward to working with the new appointees.

“Developing a worker-centered trade agenda means bringing together a range of perspectives and backgrounds to design and implement our policies,” she stated. “The Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations is an important forum to guide USTR’s work and ensure that the benefits of trade are equitably distributed across our economy and to all people. President Biden has nominated a diverse group of men and women that will help us carry out his vision for sustainable, inclusive and durable trade policy in 2023 and beyond.”

Maddox wants to align with the trade agenda set by the Biden administration. He also has his own objectives he aims to rally for.

“Number one, I’m really going to play a space as a small business guy to see if we can get small businesspeople to export products overseas — whether it is technology or manufacturing or retail or professional services,” he noted. “Number two, figure out a way to rein in climate change. What can we do to get people to understand that it is real and what should we be doing by the way of trade polices to combat the escalation of global warming and climate change?”

Maddox received a call from the White House late last year inquiring whether he would be interested in joining the committee. He jumped at the opportunity. In January, he learned his position on the panel was finalized.

Maddox now has a lot of homework to do on trade policy before the group meets in April. Tai’s office is introducing the new committee members to trade experts.

“I’m trying to quickly study to get up on this,” Maddox noted.

Maddox founded Dakota Communications, the marketing, public relations, and public affairs consulting firm, in 1996. In 2010, he started K&R Hospitality, a food and beverage concession business. He had a role in Obama’s historic 2008 campaign and was part of Biden’s presidential campaign 12 years later. Maddox worked as an aide and advisor to past L.A. mayors Tom Bradley and Antonio Villaraigosa and for Bass when she was in Congress. He was also an adjunct professor of Political Science at USC and a full-time Political Science professor for the L.A. Community College District. Maddox has several honors from community service organizations and radio and television awards under his belt.

Maddox described himself as an “activist entrepreneur.”

“I do a lot of community stuff,” he said. “I’m very active in my church, but I’m also a businessman. I’m interested in making money, but I’m also interested in hiring as many people that look like me as possible. I’m interested in growing my business and bringing people along at the same time.”

Due to his business experience, Maddox brings a breadth of viewpoints to the commission.

“I have a unique perspective to talk about professional service businesses and how that works and discuss retail, food, and beverage concussion-oriented businesses,” he explained. “One is people, food, merchandising, quality standards, and more. The other is professional services — you are brainstorming and creating.”

Maddox will meet with other committee members via video conference, but expects to also assemble with the group in Washington, D.C.

He said being involved with Obama’s initial presidential run was his greatest professional experience. However, having the chance to pitch Biden, who Maddox has met before, trade policy insights is a close second.

“There is nothing in my background that would indicate I would be talking to the president, let alone advising the president,” Maddox declared. “If I can make it, anyone can make it. I’m a pretty regular guy that worked his way up.

SACRAMENTO, CA— As part of an annual recognition of Women’s History Month in the State Capitol, Assemblymember Chris Holden announces the University of La Verne President, and first woman president, Dr. Devorah Lieberman as the 41st Assembly District’s Woman of the Year.

“I am thrilled to have Dr. Devorah Lieberman as Woman of the Year for the 41st Assembly District,” said Assemblymember Holden. “She has contributed to the well-being of the university’s students, the scholarly activity of the faculty, and the vitality of the surrounding community while also advocating for engagement, inclusivity, and respect among all.”

Dr. Devorah Lieberman, the University of La Verne’s 18th and first female president, brings more than three decades of higher education experience, scholarship, and leadership to the institution. Among Ms. Lieberman’s accomplishments are raising $128 million in the largest comprehensive campaign in the university’s history; significantly increasing funding for student scholarships; expanding the international student population; increasing the number of named colleges, endowed deans, and endowed faculty positions; and, significantly increasing the institutional endowment from $36 million to $151 million. Under Lieberman’s leadership, the university launched the La Verne Experience, a curriculum where students connect deeply with each other, with faculty, with staff, and with the greater community. Through the La Verne Experience, students “major in a mission”. Currently, she is leading the university’s establishment of a College Health and Community Well Being to help address the region’s critical need for healthcare professionals.

Women of Distinction from throughout the district include Veronica Jones, Town Council Member (Altadena), Terry Grill, Director of Sustainability for Sealed Air Corporation (Claremont), Caroline Anderson, LCF School Board Member (La Cañada Flintridge), Cynthia Cannady, Attorney and Community Advocate (Pasadena), Lois Gaston, Community Advocate (Monrovia), Jennifer Oglesby, Founder Community Services of America, (Rancho Cucamonga), Kris Boneman, Director of Educational Tech for Bonita Unified School District (San Dimas), Julie Bencosme, Small Business Owner & Community Volunteer (Sierra Madre), and Linda Clinton, Community Volunteer (Upland), and Desirea Haggard, Director of Environmental Affairs at CalPortland (Pinon Hills). Over 100 nominations were sent to Assemblymember Holden for the honor.

“The 2023 Women of Distinction are dedicated leaders who improve the lives for thousands of individuals and families in the 41st Assembly District and beyond,” said Holden. “Their commitment to excellence and service has left an indelible mark on the San Gabriel Valley and the people who call it home.”

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media

On her first day in office, Dec. 12, 2022, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency on homelessness. This gave her administration expanded powers to help people gain access to permanent housing.

As she marks 100 days in office this week, Bass estimates that around 4,000 Angelinos will have been housed since she took charge of City Hall. She points out that most of the people are housed due to Proposition HHH and programs already in place when she took office, but about 1,000 of them have found housing due to her Inside Safe program.

One of the major challenges for Bass in getting people into permanent supportive housing has been navigating bureaucratic red tape.  “Well, it did take a long time because of the red tape, but it’s finally coming to fruition in a big way,” she said. She expects to see a significant increase in the number of people in permanent housing over the next 100 days.

According to Bass, probably the most controversial decision of her administration was agreeing to give LAPD Chief Michel Moore a second term. This decision has potentially long-range consequences for the mayor and her record on crime.

“We have the World Cup coming up in 2026 and the Olympics coming up in 2028.” Bass said. “He (Moore) has said he has no intentions of staying five years. I have no intention of a five-year contract. But we are going to begin a community process citywide to ask Angelinos what they want and need to see in order to be safe. And that will provide a roadmap for how we select a chief, but it is important that we have a chief in place.”

Yet another issue that the city government needs to address that has Bass’ attention is its current inability to prevent homelessness “now”. Speaking to Black journalists, Bass said, “Here’s where you guys can all help us, and we desperately need your help. I’m very worried that we’re going to have another spike in homelessness because of evictions that are kicking up now, because of the eviction moratorium going away.”

“The city council passed tenant protections, and where you could be helpful, and we could be helpful to you is we need to get the word out,” Bass continued. “And so, we’re going to be coming to you for advertising. we need you to advertise, and we need to support your advertising.”

When asked by California Black Media what best prepared her for taking on the responsibilities of the mayor, Bass said, ” I think it’s been my life’s work. I don’t think it’s been one thing. There are the 14-years at Community Coalition, but that’s always been my foundation. Of course, being in the state house and Congress is very helpful. I know that was why the government alignment happened so quickly because I was building on many, many, many years of relationships. I think what’s always driven me is my commitment to the issues and my purpose is to stop the suffering of our people on the streets.”

As she has been dealing with the homelessness crisis, Bass has been building her City Hall team. Members of her senior leadership team include Chris Thompson, Chief of Staff, and Mercedes Marquez, Chief of Housing and Homelessness Solutions. Filling many of the open deputy mayor positions, she has hired Rachel Freeman, Deputy Mayor for Business and Economic Development, Karren Lane, Deputy Mayor of Community Empowerment, Brian K. Williams, Deputy Mayor of Public Safety, Randall Winston, Deputy Mayor of Public Works and Nancy Sutley, Deputy Mayor of Energy and Sustainability.
The deputy mayors are tasked with hiring based on an assessment of the personnel needs of their department. Currently many departments are understaffed and that is affecting the city’s ability to deliver essential services.

MIAMI, FL—- Black women are the fierce culture creators of trends, ingenuity, and innovation. In celebration of the genius of Black women, Media and Film Production Company Hip Rock Star, an award-winning Black women-owned socially conscious firm produced HBCU Honors™, Miami’s Richmond Heights: The Black Shangri-La, and HBCU Homecomings: The Journey to the Yard.

HBCU Homecomings: The Journey to the Yard travels to seven Historically Black Colleges & Universities to chronicle the ebb and flow of the ultimate family reunion. This intergenerational celebration is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. From early morning parades to missed flights, it is all a part of this memorable journey back to the yard. April Garrett, a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, delegates her planning months in advance with other alumna cheerleaders and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated sorority sisters. Hampton University graduate Belinda Gordon-Battle, also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, recalls her courtship with her husband, LaTeef Battle on campus and their wedding in the 1886 Memorial Chapel at the University – Black love. HBCU Homecomings is presented by American Family Insurance.

Watch HBCU Homecomings trailer here: Trailer

“It was a dream to work with other Black women producers and production crew to produce HBCU Honors™, Miami’s Richmond Heights: The Black Shangri-La, and HBCU Homecomings: The Journey to the Yard. It was a huge undertaking and truly an honor to tell our stories through our cultural lens,” said North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alumna Jessica Garrett Modkins, Executive Producer and Director. “As a fourth generation HBCU graduate, it was imperative that we produce these DocuSeries and an award show to amplify the greatness and the impact of Black excellence and HBCUs like never before,” the CEO and Founder of Hip Rock Star continued.

Spelman College alumna Michelle M. Bailey, HBCU Honors™ creator, and Co-Executive Producer stated, “The award show is not just about amplifying current outstanding HBCU alumni. In HBCU pride fashion, the award show was created with a multi-focused purpose.”

“But, it [HBCU Honors™] is also an opportunity to support future honorees…HBCU students who are our next gen leaders,” the former BET Networks Senior Vice-President continued.

Taped live from Miami’s Black Archives-Historic Lyric Theater, the inaugural HBCU Honors™ lauds eight extraordinary alumni from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) whose ground-breaking achievements have helped change the world. Emmy® award-winning producer and actress Wendy Raquel Robinson (“The Game”) hosts the star-studded black-tie affair that is unapologetically all about the greatness of HBCUs. She is a proud cum laude graduate from Howard University.

The Vice-Chair for the White House HBCU Initiative and Tennessee State University President, Dr. Glenda Baskin Glover received the Alumna of the Year award. The all-star night of Black excellence included tributes, awards presentations, musical performances, and featured special guests Oprah Winfrey. Other honorees include Dr. Sheila Chamberlain, the first Black Woman combat intelligence pilot; Aunjanue Ellis, Oscar nominee; and Pinky Cole, Vegan ATL Entrepreneur Extraordinaire. The HBCU Honors™ is supported in partnership with the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB), which is the official, accredited destination sales and marketing organization for Greater Miami and Miami Beach.

Watch HBCU Honors trailer here: Trailer

The DocuSeries Miami’s Richmond Heights: The Black Shangri-La introduces the grandchildren of the pioneers who are living their wildest dreams and exemplifying the trajectory of the Black World War II homeowners during Jim Crow. This series highlights the achievements of the legacy. The Stirrup sisters kick off episode one.LaToya, LaTasha, and LaTrice are the co-founders of the hair tool solution, Kazmaleje. Episode two begins with Melissa McGhie Proctor, Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. The DocuSeries is based on the book, “Images of America: Miami’s Richmond Heights” by co-authors Patricia Harper Garrett and Hip Rock Star President and Film Director Jessica Garrett Modkins.

Watch the Miami’s Richmond Heights trailer here: Trailer

Additionally, all projects are supported in partnership with APEX Content Ventures to help fund diverse creators, content, and industry infrastructure. All films are streaming on Crackle, Philo, Redbox, Roku, and Plex.

By Maxim Elramsisy | California Black Media

Civil rights icon Xernona Clayton became the first woman to be enshrined with a statue in downtown Atlanta on March 8. The eight-foot statue with its arms open, propped high on a pedestal, looks down on Xernona Clayton Plaza, making the petite icon a giant in the cradle city of the modern Civil Rights Movement.

World renowned sculptor Ed Dwight created the bronze statue despite challenges with his vision. With Dwight by her side, Clayton announced that it would be his final commissioned project. “As he was making this statue he lost vision in his good eye,” Clayton said at a private dinner before the unveiling. “But if he could do this without seeing, imagine what he could do if he had vision.”

More than 20 speakers, including representatives from the Bahamas and Ghana, praised Clayton at the unveiling ceremony, which was followed by “High Heels in High Places,” an event honoring distinguished women in business and journalism. Among the “sheroes: honored at the dinner were California Black Media (CBM) Executive Director Regina Brown Wilson and LA Focus Publisher Lisa Collins. Clayton also acknowledged the mothers of several local celebrities, including Silvia Dickens, mother of Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens, Trice Morgan, mother of rapper T.I., and Mary Tucker, mother of comedian Chris Tucker.

A few of the speakers at the event claimed to be Clayton’s boyfriends, including Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens, who began working on the project as a city councilman, and Clayton’s close friend and fellow civil rights icon, Ambassador Andrew Young.  Former CNN President, Tom Johnson spoke on behalf of Ted Turner, who was ill, lauding Clayton’s outstanding achievements and attesting to her contributions to broadcast media. Clayton was also a consistent supporter of the Black Press across the country.

Martin Luther King III reflected on his memories of Clayton growing up. “There is no greater honor than what is being done here today,” said King III.

Xernona Clayton speaks at High Heels in High Places in conjunction with the observance of International Women’s Day and the Unveiling of a Statue of Xernona Clayton in downtown Atlanta, Georgia on March 8, 2023. Clayton is the first woman honored with a statue in the city often called the cradle of the modern Civil Rights Movement. (Maxim Elramsisy | California Black Media)

At the unveiling, Clayton recalled arranging logistics for a meeting between Dr. King and supporters of the SCLC in the heart of Atlanta. “I pride myself in getting everything right before I start out, and I knew I had all my details in order for this special luncheon hosted by Dr. King, but everything went wrong,” Clayton said. The motel which supposedly had an “open door policy,” expressly told Dr. King to leave. “I Xernona Clayton was thrown out of a hotel. Now, you are standing backed by a street named Xernona Clayton Way.”

“The idea for a monument to Xernona Clayton was born from a 4 a.m. meeting with her in 2020. Our kids didn’t know who she was, and we felt that such an inspiring figure deserved recognition,” said Project Co-Founder Mariela Romero, a Latina journalist, originally from Venezuela, who co-presented the idea for the statue and has been one of the forces helping to make the monument a reality. Romero said when she learned about Clayton’s contributions to the Civil Rights movement and all her personal accomplishments, she was surprised that more Americans of all races did not know about her life story and legacy.

“Seeing the statue standing proudly in Xernona Clayton Plaza, facing downtown Atlanta, fills me with incredible pride and accomplishment,” Romero added. “This project was important to us because Xernona Clayton has been a role model, she has dedicated her life to serving others and we have always admired her tenacity, grace, and vision.”

Romero partnered with philanthropist and Bank of America-Merrill executive Rick Baker to spearhead the campaign that made Clayton’s monument a reality.

Clayton became involved in the civil rights movement working for the National Urban League in Chicago. She went undercover to investigate employment discrimination against African Americans at Marshall Fields, a major Chicago department store. She moved to Atlanta at the behest of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, where she organized events for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and grew close with Dr. King and his wife, Coretta Scott King.

Xernona Clayton (center), Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens(right) and statue sculptor Ed Dwight as the statue of Xernona Clayton is unveiled in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. (Maxim Elramsisy | California Black Media)

Clayton was instrumental in the desegregation of Atlanta’s hospitals by organizing the city’s Black doctors. In 1967, Clayton became the first Black female in the southern US to host a weekly prime time talk show. The show eventually came to be known as The Xernona Clayton Show.

In 1968 Clayton’s impact in the fight against bigotry became clear when Calvin Craig, a Grand Dragon of the Klu Klux Klan, denounced the Klan, crediting Clayton’s influence in the decision.

In 1988, Clayton was named Corporate Vice President for Urban Affairs with Turner Broadcasting System. In her role she served as liaison between Turner Broadcasting and civil rights groups, both in Atlanta and across the country.

As a broadcast executive, Clayton founded the Trumpet Foundation and, with Turner Broadcasting, established the prestigious Trumpet Awards in 1993 to highlight the achievements and contributions of African Americans.

With the unveiling of the Xernona Clayton statue an influential Black woman is finally immortalized in Atlanta, a city that still holds several confederate monuments and countless stories and memories of its history in the segregated south.

This California Black Media article was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.”

By Lou K Coleman-Yeboah

They wouldn’t listen, they wouldn’t see, they wouldn’t believe, and now they can’t!

Like the Old Testament Israelites and the Jews of Jesus’ day, He said, “It’s too late! Judgment is already in motion, because you wouldn’t listen, you wouldn’t see, you wouldn’t believe, and now you can’t.

Understand, God allows all nations to “go their own way. [Acts 14:16]. Both Isaiah’s generation and Jesus’ generation “had their opportunities, but for both it became too late. The whole system ended because they wouldn’t listen, they wouldn’t see, they wouldn’t believe. Don’t let that be said about you. Pay attention! Give the more earnest heed to the things you have heard, lest you drift away.” For this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts; “Beware, I am against you.” I will make your chariots go up in smoke and the sword will devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the sound of your messengers will never be heard again” [Nahum 2:13].

Many people, having heard all their lives about the grace and mercy of God, take His grace for granted. They decide on courses and actions which they know are contrary to God’s will, but figure that “God will forgive me anyway” and plunge foolishly into their rebellious way. They assume there will be no lasting damage once they are forgiven. Oh, how wrong you are. For you know that even afterwards, when he [Esau] desired to inherit the blessings, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.” [Hebrews 12:17]. Let this verse be a sobering reminder that there are times when it is too late to reverse the damage done by your decisions. Do not take God’s grace for granted. The Lord will utter his voice and the impact will be terrific in this generation, so said Amos.

Just look around, the events happening around the world, these events are not random. They are not “natural disasters.” They are acts of God. “These trails are a wake-up call, and they are a foretaste of the greater and final judgment still to come. “Do not be deceived! Judgment is already in motion. Wake up!

They would not accept my counsel; they spurned all my reproof. So, they shall eat of the fruit of their own way and be satiated with their own devices. For the waywardness of the naive will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.” [Proverbs 1:30-33].

Business owners in San Francisco say they remain vulnerable to fraudulent ADA lawsuits which have targeted more than 35,000 businesses statewide.

By Selen Ozturk

Last April, the San Francisco and Los Angeles District Attorneys sued San Diego law firm Potter Handy, LLC for filing allegedly fraudulent disability lawsuits with over 300 businessowners in SF and over 36,397 businessowners statewide since 2010.

Since San Francisco Superior Court Judge Curtis Karnow dismissed the DA suit last August, however, nothing has changed to protect these businessowners from being fraudulently sued for millions more.

At least 20 businesses in the Inner Richmond neighborhood and over 100 in Chinatown were sued by Potter Handy around mid-2021 to mid-2022. Many of these businesses were not even certified as ADA compliant, or were sued over violations they could not possibly have committed.

For example, Amanda Yan — owner of Hon’s Wun-Tun House on Kearny Street in Chinatown — was sued in April 2021 for serving food at outdoor tables too low for wheelchairs, at a time when she only served takeout.

Targeting immigrant and minority owned businesses.

To gain quick settlements of $10,000-$20,000, the law firm particularly pressured businesses owned by immigrants and minorities unable to afford legal defense. Under the joint DA lawsuit, the firm would have had to pay over $30 million to refund settlements made in the Northern District of California alone, by conservative estimates.

Filed by former SF District Attorney Chesa Boudin and George Gascón of LA, the 58-page document stated that over 800 federal cases statewide were filed by Potter Handy plaintiff Orlando Garcia; over 1,700 by Brian Whitaker; and thousands more by other “Serial Filers” — chiefly Scott Johnson, who filed over 4,000 since 2010.

Given that this averages to a case daily for 11 years, the DAs alleged that “it is literally impossible for the Serial Filers to have personally encountered each listed barrier, let alone to intend to return to hundreds of businesses located hundreds of miles away from their homes .”

A Potter Handy attorney accused the DAs of exploiting the situation while they both faced recall threats. In his dismissal, Judge Karnow said that California’s “litigation privilege” covered the firm, “irrespective of the maliciousness or untruthfulness.”

Morgan Mapes — president of the Clement Street Merchants Association; secretary of the citywide Council of District Merchants Associations; and owner of Clement Street vintage shop Golden Hour — had her shop sued by Garcia for $40,000 in November 2021.

Mapes said Garcia “was quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. All pictures and information were scrubbed from the internet. About seven months later we settled for $20,000, maybe $25,000 with lawyer’s fees … We were holding on by a thread already, coming out of the pandemic.”

ADA compliance

The Potter Handy suits were filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act, which protects disabled people from discrimination, including prevention of access to publicly open facilities. Passed under George H.W. Bush in 1990, no agency (and no new tax) was created for the act; per Congress, ADA enforcement remained with individuals “acting as private attorneys general” and imposed no financial penalty for violations, only injunctive relief.

However, Potter Handy often paired its federal claims with state claims under California’s 1959 Unruh Civil Rights Act, which prohibits disability-based discrimination and allows plaintiffs to sue for a minimum of $4,000 per violation.

“You can’t have a city with infrastructure built before these civil laws were put into place and expect tenants to bear the weight,” said Mapes. “I think it should be common practice for landlords to take more infrastructural responsibility. If I put in a table that’s too tall or my fitting rooms aren’t up to code, that’s on me, but stairs or an entry ramp on the landlord.”

“The city needs to subsidize some accessibility costs,” she said. “As a queer black woman, it’s a prickly situation rallying against a civil rights issue, but this seems extortive. The vast majority of these businesses are minority-owned.”

‘They’ll keep suing’

Jimmy Hsu, who owns four businesses on Clement Street by Fourth Avenue — The Wishing Well Workshop (with his partner Jake Savas); So Fresh So Clean Laundry; Kinship Salon & Barber (with his wife); and Blue Danube Coffee House — had his salon and cafe sued.

Hsu said “Brian Whitaker complained that the salon’s doorknob was ADA noncompliant. I don’t even have a doorknob, it’s a push door! I split that $10,000 settlement with my landlord since they sued him too. I paid $10,000 myself with the cafe; they said our moveable A-frame sign was blocking the door. I posted handicap inspection signs on my businesses because they tried to sue all four and settle for $4,000 each.”

Another store on his block, Home Hardware True Value, nearly closed when they were sued in 2022 for closely-packed aisles that were impossible to properly widen.

“I had to tell to hire a lawyer,” said Hsu. “It’s the only deterrent you have, otherwise they’ll keep suing. I’m an Asian immigrant too — most of the mom ‘n’ pops here are run by those without the time or resources to defend themselves, so they settle.”

Nor did this pattern begin, for Hsu, with Potter Handy. In 2005, Patrick Connally — a disabled man who was president of San Rafael-based nonprofit DREES (Disability Rights, Enforcement, Education, Services) and, later, a KUSF radio host — threatened to sue Blue Danube for bathroom violations.

“That building was built in 1934,” said Hsu. “I did all I could with my money and space — door adjustments, handlebars — and paid an attorney to use his letterhead for a reply thanking .”

Hsu said “I think the city, state, or federal government should have some oversight body to disbar these firms from making so many fraudulent accusations. If you settle with 100 stores in Chinatown for a low $10,000, you make a clean million. What’s the downside?”

While this wave of fraudulent lawsuits remains unresolved, SF small businessowners already face another.

Between last November and February 23, 179 businesses received Department of Building Inspection complaints — particularly minority-owned shops in Chinatown, the Tenderloin, and the Inner Richmond, including Mapes’ Golden Hour — regarding unpermitted awnings or storefront gates. Over that period the previous year, five complaints were filed.

Mayor Breed has been working with the Board of Supervisors to write a law which would deprioritize non-urgent enforcement and create an amnesty program for awning owners who don’t have a permit, which can cost up to $3,000.

Nevertheless, Hsu remains skeptical: “The fault’s with a judicial system that allows this greed, but it’s just part of running a business in San Francisco now, isn’t it?”

Above: The Blue Danube Cafe in San Francisco was one of hundreds of businesses hit by fraudulent ADA lawsuits last year.