In response to my post, “Seminarians–For Heaven’s Sake–Involved in a Shake Down?,” former New York State Attorney General Dennis Vacco writes:

Thanks for picking up my article on ROC-NY. I am not surprised that your eye caught this piece given the involvement of the City University of New York and the Union Theological Seminary, an affiliate of Columbia University. It seems to me that both of these fine institutions are being used by the leaders of ROC-NY. While I applaud the pro-bono mission of the CUNY law clinic known as Main Street Legal Services, Inc., it strikes me that this taxpayer-funded institution is overstepping its mission when representing the disguised union-organizing goals of ROC-NY. Just imagine the outrage if Main Street Legal Services were to represent pro-life demonstrators outside an abortion clinic. The law clinic shouldn’t be allowed to represent ROC-NY when the latter organizes picketing outside restaurants in New York. Moreover, a look at ROC-NY’s 2005 filings reveals that they took in over $787,000 in contributions. It seems to me that they could well afford to pay for their lawyers.

The role of UTS appears to be more subtle, but no more appropriate. One of the restaurant chains under attack, The Fireman Hospitality Group, actually brought charges against ROC-NY before the National Labor Relations Board. ROC-NY agreed in a settlement to discontinue demonstrations (picketing) outside Fireman-owned restaurants. Shortly after the settlement was agreed to, UTS students started demonstrating in front of the very restaurants that ROC-NY agreed to stop harassing. Eyewitness accounts reveal that ROC-NY leaders are actually leading these “worship services” which, by the way, don’t require any permits from the City.

What stimulated my interest in all of this is how ROC-NY is taking advantage of its nonprofit status. But once one researches this matter, one finds that the organization is successfully manipulating not only its legal status, but CUNY, UTS and the NLRB.

I think that if the IRS or some of the organization’s benefactors started asking some questions, ROC-NY would change its tactics.