By the early 2000s, many Americans were beginning to realize that they were targeted. As a result of emails and conference calls among a small group of targets, in 2004-2005 an organization was formed. The group adopted the name Freedom from Covert Harassment and Surveillance (FFCHS). A target by the name of Sylvia Snyder from New York City first headed the group.
In early 2005, Sylvia conducted the first national FFCHS conference call. Sylvia stepped down not long afterward and migrated to Israel. She may have died in 2007. In the meantime, Derrick became the coordinator of the group. For the next couple of years, FFCHS operated only as a loosely organized group of targets. In 2007, the targets who acted as a board for the group decided to make FFCHS a non-profit organization. Derrick, as the head of the organization, prepared the paperwork. Because Derrick lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, FFCHS was incorporated under the laws of Ohio. The board never received a copy of the charter.
Derrick was never elected president of FFCHS; in fact, there was no title of president until 2007, when by-laws required for the charter established the officer positions. No elections had ever been held. Derrick simply at first assumed the role of group leader in 2005 after Sylvia’s departure and later the title of president in 2007 under the new FFCHS non-profit charter.
Until 2015, Derrick assumed the role of both president and treasurer of FFCHS. In the summer of 2015, the board started reorganizing FFCHS in hopes of obtaining a much-needed grant. During the reorganization process, the board, with much resistance from Derrick, created a treasurer. Derrick only very reluctantly turned over the finances to the treasurer bit by bit, and even went to people outside FFCHS to solicit their support in squelching the functions of the new treasurer.
The board insisted on the treasurer taking control of the finances, and passed resolutions requiring Derrick to turn over the various accounts to the treasurer. During that process, the new treasurer made some startling discoveries. She learned that Derrick had sole control of the non-profit organization. More importantly, she discovered that when he opened a checking account for FFCHS, he opened it in his name with his social security number, not under the FFCHS non-profit Tax I.D.
In 2013, Derrick decided to move from Ohio to California. After his move, FFCHS continued to operate under the Ohio charter. The board insisted that Derrick obtain the charter under the laws of California. After more than a year, FFCHS was finally incorporated in California. Again, Derrick never shared the paperwork or the result of the paperwork with the board.
As the new treasurer assumed control of the finances, she learned that funds received through PayPal had not gone into the treasury but instead had been intercepted by Derrick. After finally getting a copy of the membership list, the board saw that targets who had paid dues had not been credited for those dues. Some of those targets had sent their contributions addressed to FFCHS; nevertheless, those funds had not gone into the FFCHS treasury, as Derrick was the acting treasurer.
Despite repeated requests from the board, Derrick would not change the checking account and the credit card to FFCHS instead of his name. Because of Derrick’s entrenched opposition to much-needed changes in FFCHS and because of the financial discrepancies that began appearing, the board was forced finally to remove Derrick from the presidency. That action was a unanimous decision by the seven-person board of directors.
The board is still grappling with changing the non-profit charter to FFCHS instead of Derrick’s sole proprietorship. As that scenario plays out, Derrick is attempting to counter the action of the board by organizing opposition to the board and encouraging conference calls and emails on his behalf.
Some targets are under the impression that Derrick appoints the members of the board and that the board betrayed him by voting against him. That is patently untrue. Under the by-laws, board members are elected by the sitting board members, not appointed. Candidates for board membership can be nominated by the board or by dues-paying members of the targeted community.
Those candidates are then invited to send in their resumes. If considered acceptable, the candidates are asked to an interview conducted by the board in its weekly telephonic meeting. Then, the board votes on that person. A vote of 2/3 of the board membership is required to elect a new board member.
The FFCHS updated by-laws under which the board operates are provided to members of the targeted community in a link by that name in the newsletter.
Comments
thanks for the clarification