FLASH -- May 2002
The State Liquor Authority slaps The National Arts Club with a $5,000 fine and a 15-day deferred suspension of its liquor license for violation of state laws, after the Club pled "No Contest." If the Club doesn't enact demanded reforms, it faces full suspension of its license or revocation. To read full coverage, click on the blue text
FLASH -- April 15, 2002
130+ members of The National Arts Club petition the Board of Governors calling for Club president O. Aldon James to step down while under criminal investigation by the District Attorney of Manhattan and the New York State Department of Finance. To read the petition, click on the blue Petition to the Board of Governors)
FLASH -- March 25, 2002
The Concerned Artists of The National Arts Club present to the membership a complete platform Blueprint to Reform The NAC. It is a comprehensive proposal to overhaul The NAC in order to restore a democratic structure and accountability to the administration of the Club. The platform also calls for NAC president, O. Aldon James, to step aside from his duties while under criminal investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney and the New York State Department of Finance. To access the complete platform proposal, click on the blue Platform for Reform.
FLASH -- January 4, 2002
A combined force of police and detectives stormed into The National Arts Club by court order, seizing documents, records, computers and computer disks as the joint Manhattan District Attorney/NY State Dept. of Finance investigation into the James/Leitner administration intensified. A grand jury has been convened to review findings and possible charges. For the latest press coverage, click on the blue: Latest Coverage on City Raid of The NAC
FLASH -- September 27, 2001
All of us have been deeply saddened and outraged by the atrocity inflicted on our city and our country. A number of people in the arts have asked Concerned Artists if we know who to contact to offer time or donations for victims of the World Trade Center disaster, especially for those involved in the arts, or to receive assistance if needed. Here are several websites that you can contact for this purpose. Click on the blue text next to the organization name for links to these sites for further information.
FLASH -- September 21, 2001
It has been brought to Concerned Artists' attention that the James/Leitner administration has secretly and systematically made agreements with outside organizations, offering to their memberships full access to and use of NAC facilities for only a small fraction of the cost sustained by NAC members for the same privileges. Having been done surreptitiously, these organizations -- apparently with the consent of Aldon James etal. -- have offered no reciprocity to NAC members in return (in contrast to clubs such as Lotos or Salmagundi), nor do they have much in reciprocity to offer. Concerned Artists does not yet know the full extent of this new rip-off perpetrated on NAC members who must pay almost $800 a year (including dining room assessment) for what can now be obtained by others for a minimal fee. We do not know at this time whether or not Aldon's Board of Governors is aware of this outrage, nor do we know as yet what exactly the James/Leitner administration's motives are -- financially and politically. As of now, three organizations have been uncovered. Click on the blue URLs below for the organization websites. Their membership fees will be easily found as well as descriptions of all their privileges at The NAC.
FLASH -- August 9, 2001. Challenge to validity of Gramercy Park Trust dismissed by court.
Federal District Court Justice Gerald E. Lynch dismissed plaintiffs' claims in the Federal civil rights lawsuit (brought by The National Arts Club, O. Aldon James, and several students and teachers from Washington Irving High School against the Gramercy Park Trust, Sharon Benenson, and Arthur Abbey) that the 1831 trust indenture over Gramercy Park, is invalid and should be dismantled by court order, ruling that jurisdiction in Federal court does not exist. Justice Lynch previously ruled on June 25 that the plaintiffs' claim of racial discrimination against the group of mostly minority schoolchildren escorted into the Park by Aldon James would enter a discovery phase through January 2002. Excerpts from the ruling: " In recent years, there has apparently been some contention among the trustees, as well as among factions of the property owners, and even among factions within one of those owners (NAC and Concerned Artists), a not-for-profit entity. The background of hostility among some of the parties . . . has been visible to the Court . . ." "Should plaintiffs establish entitlement to equitable relief (the racial discrimination charge), the parties should be on notice that equity will not reward any party that puts factional warfare or personal spite above seeking a good faith resolution of a claim of harm to children."
FLASH -- August 2, 2001. Aldon James caught using racist insult.
Mr. O. Aldon James is caught calling the black Founder & Chairman of Harlem Opera - "...that BOY..."
He referred to the Founder & Chairman in that way, when talking to a reporter of the NEW YORK POST. This was reported to the Chairman and Lawyers of Harlem Opera, by the reporter himself, Thurs. July 26, when he quoted Mr. James as saying "..that BOY is mad!" This incident is posted on the Harlem Opera website and in the Town & Village newspaper for August 2.
(click here for Harlem Opera website) (click here for Town & Village article)
FLASH -- July 27, 2001. Concerned Artists and the local Town & Village newspaper reveal secret bylaw of The National Arts Club that allows Aldon James to use all Club assets for any possible legal defense costs on his behalf.
This bylaw was passed by the Board of Governors in 1989 but never revealed to the membership or added to the set of Club bylaws available for inspection. It indemnifies any Club officer or Board member through the entire assets of the National Arts Club in case of any loss or liability (which therefore would include legal charges) sustained in the course of "usual and customary activities" of the Club.
(click here for Town & Village article) (click here for secret bylaw) (click here for NAC bylaws)
FLASH -- July 23, 2001. The New York State Liquor Authority files a formal complaint against The National Arts Club and O. Aldon James.
The New York State Liquor Authority filed a formal complaint today against The National Arts Club with four counts to cancel or revoke the liquor license. The counts are summarized as: 1) permitting a person not mentioned in the liquor license to use the license; 2) allowing an undisclosed person to have an interest in the license; 3) refusing to appear or testify under oath at an inquiry (Aldon James); and 4) failing or refusing to disclose information required to be disclosed, namely, the books and records. (for related Town & Village articles click here)
FLASH -- July 19, 2001. The Harlem Opera repudiates O. Aldon James.
July 20, 2001: The Harlem Opera released an official statement on its website stating:
"Mr. O. Aldon James, President of the National Arts Club, is a pathological liar and manipulative racist
of the worst kind. He has insulted and abused Harlem Opera's leadership and musicians since it's first concert at the Club in May 2001. Mr. James has lied to the media about racial attacks on Harlem Opera's artists by National Arts Club dissidents." A full article explaining its position is included.
The article totally refutes the defamatory article against Concerned Artists in New York Magazine
(see below) and related claims made by Aldon James. (click on blue text for link to the Harlem Opera website click here)
FLASH -- May-July, 2001. Important press coverage exposes impropriety within The NAC.
Articles in the New York Times and the local Town & Village newspaper cover the struggle for
The National Arts Club and the efforts of Concerned Artists. Town & Village commenced an expose series on financial irregularities at The NAC. Both papers reported that the New York City Department of Finance, responsible for the collection of taxes, has begun an investigation of The NAC's dining/ catering operations, based on serious issues raised by the Concerned Artists of The NAC, (click blue text here for all articles) and as discovered by the November 1997 independent court-ordered audit of The NAC by Weiser & Co (click blue text here for audit summary).
FLASH -- April/May, 2001. Various NAC members receive hoax letters of a racist/anti-Semitic nature alluding that they were written by the Concerned Artists.
Dear Web Site Visitor:
It has recently come to our attention that unsigned, virulently racist and anti-Semitic letters have been mailed to a number of National Arts Club members that purport to be from the Concerned Artists of the National Arts Club. Those letters did not come from the Concerned Artists.
We disavow any such hateful racist propaganda. The Concerned Artists'name has been coopted, evidently as part of a deliberate, cynical disinformation campaign to discredit the serious financial and other management issues that our group is concerned with. As we have stated in our previous signed letters, we abhor racism and want nothing to do with any form of discrimination.
We include artists and supporters of the arts from all walks of life. Several are survivors of the Nazis. There are Concerned Artists who have contributed to the civil rights movement at one time or another
in their lives. The support for our group from the Gramercy Park neighborhood, including prominent minority individuals, is overwhelming.
Concerned Artists calls upon the Aldon James/Steven Leitner administration to repudiate such evil tactics and to join with The Concerned Artists in finding out who the culprit(s) is. We would hope to think that the administration would be as outraged as we are in this shameless use of racial and ethnic slander.
We believe this to be in the administration's interest. This horrid hoax emerged just days after a scathing series of exposés on The NAC's financial operations commenced in the Town & Village newspaper. (Click on the blue text here for the articles to date) The administration faces a great risk that NAC members and the general public may begin to strongly consider that this outrage was perpetrated from the highest levels of their administration to deflect attention from the serious questions being raised.
The account of the incident involving the Harlem Opera singer Bridgett Hooks at The NAC's annual meeting and Board election has been grossly misrepresented by the administration. Aldon James decided to move the annual meeting/election for the club, now well over 2000 members, from its traditional venue in the spacious Grand Gallery to the much smaller space in the Sculpture Court. An uproar ensued. Hundreds of members were unable to enter the meeting area or cast their votes. The election process was in total chaos. When the singing began, these members realized the proceedings were under way while they were still shut out, and began to protest even more vigorously. It is saddening to all of us that the singer found herself caught in the middle of the conflict. ALL club members should hope that The Harlem Opera performer will return and delight us again in better circumstances. At no time did Concerned Artists ever attempt to orchestrate or incite any of the unfortunate but understandable disruptions, as insinuated by the James/Leitner regime. Never at any time did any of us call for the singer to sit down, nor did any of us hear of such. The meeting was videotaped and transcribed by a court stenographer. This material would show that at no time did any Concerned Artist member initiate or incite any disruption.
If you receive anything questionable in the future purportedly in our name, particularly of a racist or slanderous nature, please contact us immediately. (Click on the blue text here for information) PLEASE: if it is not clearly posted as ours on this web site, it is certainly not from Concerned Artists.
