"True JACC" Lawsuit In The Jordan Neighborhood: Jerry Moore Takes The Stand, Takes The Fifth, And Then Takes Off (Part Three)

Photo By John Hoff, Dan Rother and Vladimir Monroe

After calling members of the JACC Board mere "figureheads" while staff members such as himself did all the "grunt work," former JACC Executive Director Jerry Moore dug himself in deeper by claiming he tried to contact Kip Browne in October of 2008 in association with the JACC nominations committee, but said Browne didn't return his phone calls.

"That's a lie!" Kelly Browne whispered.

Browne, Jerry reiterated on the stand, NEVER called him back about matters with the Nominations Committee.

"He's lying," Kelly whispered. "And we have the emails to back it up."

Contempt for Jerry Moore hung thick in the room, like urine smell in a parking garage. Jerry Moore said he "disagreed" as to whether some appointees had 1 year or two year terms. (Later, Moore didn't seem able to point to where, precisely, in the JACC bylaws such an animal as a "one year term" existed.

In yet another example of blowing up a petty slight--the kind of petty slights you can reasonably expect when you won't share financial records with members of the Board of Directors, when you have inadequate formal education for the job, but you're raking in $60K a year--Jerry Moore said Browne had "chastized" him in front of "guests," talking about his "performance evaluation," which "I did not find hilarious or entertaining."

Moore denied he ever said...

"(Expletive) Anne McCandless, and also denied he ever told Kip Browne he likes to "kiss white people's asses." No, instead (Moore claimed) he merely told Browne he should be doing more for "the community" instead of "kissing ass."

Jill Clark asked about the "second iteration" of the Nominations Committee. Moore said he was told to "stay away" and he did.

Asked about the "fracas" or "fistfight" or "altercation," Jerry Moore gave his side of the story and it was, well, a rather odd account, to say the least.

Jerry said Mrs. Champion spoke to him that night. (JNS says: her relationship to State Senator Bobby Joe Champion is unknown, but she is NOT his wife) Champion told Moore "this gentleman said you're stealing from the organization." (By which she meant Dennis Wagner had said that of Jerry) At that moment, Wagner walked over grinning "I guess a sadistic way," Moore said.

"Did you ask him?" said Wagner, twice.

Engaging in his usual "charm offensive" tactic, which he has been known to use over and over, Moore suggested everybody could "sit down together" and chat about this some time. At that point, Moore claims Wagner hit him in the back, and it hurt.

However, since it was ONLY A FLESH WOUND, brave and gritty Jerry Moore tried to turn to talk to Champion again, apparently wanting to clear his name before he died of injuries from the SARCASTIC BACK SLAP. At this point, Wagner allegedly hit Moore's back AGAIN.

On the stand, Moore said he thinks "no means no" in the case of his back being touched by a man, so Moore had to "defend himself" from Wagner. At that moment, director P.J. Hubbarb "came across the room" and tried to hit Moore, according to Moore, and did manage to hit Moore "on the shoulder." At this point, Director Vladimir Monroe (pictured above, right) allegedly got Moore in a "full nelson" head lock, no doubt holding Moore still so Dennis Wagner could approach and touch Moore's back again and again...and "Miss Champion grabbed me."

(One member of JACC says Mrs. Champion was actually friendly to Moore, and grabbed him to "protect him." It is indeed a confusing event, and everybody appears to have their own version of events)

At this point, Moore said, some "church staff" pulled Moore upstairs. The "church staff" was identified to me as Deroyce Turner, a guy who bears a striking resemblance to deceased comedian Bernie Mac.

Moore also mentioned Megan Goodmundson's alleged role in the melee. Moore said Megan "came over" and she was "screaming and hollering" but Moore "moved her out of his way" because "there was Hubbard swinging in front of me."

Listening to this gallant, self-serving version of events, Megan Goodmundson laughed out loud. It was not a forced laugh conjured up to intrude on proceedings. It sounded like a genuine laugh which she couldn't keep from escaping her lips. On the stand, Jerry Moore frowned. After he had RISKED HIS SAFETY for Megan, to be mocked, to be laughed at like this. Et tu, Goodmundson?

Turning to the subject of Moore's employment termination, Jerry Moore claimed he wasn't notified of any cancellation of his employment...not after the tumultuous meeting of January 14, 2009, no notification from then until the end of January. Nope. Nothing like that.

Jerry Moore was asked about the Housing Recovery Act. Moore said many millions of dollars were getting set to flow into North Minneapolis neighborhoods, some $68 million dollars.

Imagine how many lunches THAT would buy at the Monte Carlo, I thought.

"Had the issue of money to developers, contractors, real estate agents been an issue (in the neighborhood)?" asked Jill Clark.

Jerry responded that JACC wanted to make sure it was the "people in the community" who got the money. One can't help but think this is another one of those overly-broad phrases when it comes from the lips of Jerry Moore, a phrase like "our youth."

Now it was Defense Attorney David Schooler's turn to ask the questions. JACC Director Dan Rother sat in the front row, at times leaning forward intently. (Rother is pictured above, left) Many have credited Rother's relentless, even obsessive mission to get access to JACC financial records as being the catalyst which brought everybody to this point. One normally doesn't think of "vindicated" as a facial expression, but that's what Dan Rother's face said at that moment.

Before all the lawyers got involved, before the mess ended up in court and was dragged through the internet, Rother had seen the writing on the wall, and had been like Paul Revere riding and shouting, "To arms! To arms! MALFEASANCE! MISMANAGEMENT! TO ARMS!"

As he often does, Rother was wearing a knee length black garb, kind of like the Sultan of Brunei might wear around the palace when he doesn't want to be His Highness, he just wants to kick around. I call it Rother's "Matrix Casual" outfit.

Rother's expression was far away. All those months, all those phone calls, all those emails, the frustration of having to be accused of "harassment" in a court of law, while merely trying to get financial records to do one's fiduciary duty...

Victory. At last. And this was Rother's victory banquet. The main course, of course, was Jerry Moore with an apple in his mouth, his backside exposed to whoever wanted to come along and pat it sadistically, or put a big steaming hunk of Jerry Moore on their figurative plate.

But no way could victory be sweet at such a moment as this. Back in the Jordan Neighborhood, everybody who cared about "the community" was still fighting to deal with vacant houses, with social disorder, with all the awful manifestations of the foreclosure crisis made worse by the long leadership vacuum which had existed under the Myers/Moore faction.

So this was nowhere near the end. This was the beginning, and Rother was still a JACC Director, doing his best to help the neighborhood through its many problems. But, oh yes, for a moment...

One might savor the smell of grilled flesh.