Selling
smokes at Grand Rapids Home for Veterans - the real story.
Ok this is
what we know happened at the home.
VA employee
whose name I think is Tom Harrisson, went to NY to get non taxes smokes, and
brought them back to Michigan. Some were given to contacts at other locations,
some to Contact at GRHFV, Ken.
Ken ran the
“store” from the smoking location outside of Kozy Corners. As expected, Ken
being in a powered wheel chair, had to “run up” to his unit from time to time
to get med’s and use the restroom.
Jeff, was a
veteran who spent a lot of time sitting out in the smoking area. Ken got Jeff
to “watch the store” while Ken was off running to use the can or get his meds.
After a while Ken showed Jeff how to do things and paid him a small fee to sell
smokes if someone wanted a pack or so, while Ken was out doing his thing.
John was
also brought into it to further sell smokes.
Tony, whose
medication put him on 12 hours different schedule, slept during the day and was
up most of the night. In the morning hours he would sit out in the smoking
area, and eventually ken got him to watch the store in the morning when ken had
to make a meds run or bathroom run.
I do not
believe Jeff or Tony were actively selling smokes outside the designated
smoking area. John I am told, was selling to guys on his unit, who could not
get down to that smoking area, due to its location at the far end of the
complex.
After a
while, something happened and Ken told everyone he had to keep things close,
and not do it so openly. Apparently this is when Ken got written warning to
stop selling smokes from the administration.
He did not
tell the others that he got that warning. Nor has anyone shown me that they got
the paperwork telling them to stop. So when the home reports that “they were
told to stop”, I question, WHO was told to stop? Ken, or all 4 of them or who
exactly. I think this is a misrepresentation by the home when they claim that
all of them were informed.
Now I see
this as 2 groups of people involved. The Administrators, and the workers. Tom
and Ken were the administrators, who violated the law. The 3 helpers were just
that. Helpers. They got brought into it.
In Michigan,
it's illegal to sell a tobacco product to another person for resale without
being licensed. And many of us did not know this until that was posed as part
of a WZZM-13 news article on 19 Dec 2017.
Now
understand most people do not know or believe that it is unlawful to sell a
pack of smokes. To them it is no different than selling an apple, a pencil, a
bottle of soda pop, or anything that is personal property; and they see the
pack of smokes as personal property as they paid for them.
We had guys
“rolling” their own smokes, and then selling packs of 20 of them in little
plastic baggies. Is that unlawful to do too? If so the AG could potentially
have over 30 more cases just like this one.
Also, if the
assistant AG Joel Froeleich knew everything that was going on at the home as he
many times claimed, why didn’t he speak up and put a stop to this years ago?
Understand this went on for about many years.
Now Ken was
keeping books and records of who bought what, and how much they owed him, to
keep track of the money. Proceeds went to paying for wireless internet because
the home after all these years had little or no internet access for residents.
Also, Ken
allowed guys to get smokes on credit, and they would pay him each month when
they got their disability checks. A significant number of these veterans died
owing Ken, and he wrote their bills off as a loss. He still made money just not
very much of it.
Now the
homes administration knew this was going on for months and did nothing. Then
all of a sudden they decided to do something? Why? Policy change?
This whole
thing is about a guy bringing in cheap smokes to a bunch of broken veterans,
who had little or no money who wanted to have a smoke. Yes Harrison violated
the law, and yes Ken may have knowingly violated the law, but those two are a
separate issue. They knew what they were doing.
The other 3
helpers, John, Jeff, Tony, were not involved in that decision and were brought
into it later to help Ken. They have been punished by being discharged from the
home, out to the street, (except for John who is still there) and advocates for
the veterans had to help them find permanent safe housing. We just got the last
one into proper housing on 15 Dec 2017.
So why this
now? The veterans were under the understanding that their fate was left to the
homes administration, who then proceeded to discharge them. They were also told
if they ever did that again they would be prosecuted.
Now without
warning, they are being prosecuted. Many believe this is because the Attorney
General Bill Shuette has had several cases thrown out of court. His record at
the Vets home is dismal. So far only 1 successful prosecution and that was
because a news reporter found a video of a nurses aid shoving a veteran into a
desk. If not for the news reporter, that conviction would have never happened.
Score ½ for
the AG.
Several
other cases covering improper reporting of bed checks at the home were thrown
out of court by judges. 8 cases, 6 thrown out, 2 about to be thrown out.
So far, the
AG’s office has failed to prosecute or even bring charges against any of the
senior or top administrators of the Sara Dunne administration for the abuses
can crimes they committed upon veterans at the home.
Some people
think the AG is doing this to save face and for political reasons because he is
running for the office of governor in the 2018 election and to get this victory
at the start of the year would give his campaign a much needed push and feel
publicity.
