BRAD'S COMMENTARY
Friends,
Per this letter, Angela's heirs and immediate family have retained the services
of an attorney, Peter G. Ramah in Saginaw, Michigan
in an effort to prevent me from using Angela's name or picture, though I do so with
the highest regard and honor. It has also been stated that I am causing an invasion
of privacy. This letter was carbon copied to Barbara and Donald Kropp,
and to Michael Thomas - Saginaw County Prosecutor.
I found Mr. Ramah's assertions vague and unsubstantiated. In
response, I have sent an email to him asking for clarification and reconsideration.
While I wait for his correspondence, I want to take a moment to voice my concerns.
The fact that I have to address this issue is bewildering. The relentless opposition
that I have received from Barbara Kropp in regards to my relationship with Angela
during our life together, and toward this foundation after her death, is beyond
anything that I could have imagined. It is none of my business, but as the mouthpiece
for her family, I would think that Barbara's time and money would be best spent
elsewhere; perhaps comforting and caring for the well-being of Angela's children
during these moments of heartbreak.
Rather, it seems, she spends her time organizing her strategy against me and this
foundation, as though she's made me her unwilling opponent in a game of chess. What
do I say? What do I do? Okay...you win! Satisfied? Now, how about spending time
with your grandchildren.
Where is Barbara's sense of pride in her own
daughter, Angela L. Kropp?
What is Barbara doing for this foundation that will help Angela's children? Quite
frankly, I am astonished by the fact that she's found so much time to concern herself
over me and my own ambitions. As the grandmother of two motherless children, where
does she find the time?
Will they grow up some day and say, 'My mother was a great woman. Her boyfriend
loved her so much that he tried to start an art school in her name after she died.
He wanted to keep her spirit alive and pass her dreams onto children like us. We
probably would have studied there, but my grandmother put an end to his plans.'
I would rather they leaned over to the young child next to them and said, 'Did you
know that this school is named after my mom? Yep. She was an artist, too. Let me
show you something that she taught me how to do when I was a little girl like you.'
Forgive me for being blunt, but Barbara will accomplish nothing by destroying this
foundation that will benefit her, her family, Angela's children, or anyone else.
Sadly, her destructive actions will only satisfy her own desires. No one, including
her, would prevent this Foundation from operating if Angela had built it herself.
I am doing nothing differently than that which my girlfriend would have done if
she had the support she needed to do it.
Furthermore, I founded this organization to honor the wonderful, loving mother that
Angela was, and to give children, particularly her own, an opportunity to express
themselves in ways that she had always encouraged. What sensible person would not
appreciate and encourage that kind of selfless dedication? Even more puzzling -
what type of person spends time and money to put an end to all of the good things
this foundation wants to offer? Perplexing.
Unlawful Use, Invasion of Privacy, and Deception?
Interestingly, Michael Brown, Angela's ex-husband has collaborated with
a musical artist, Cate Rich, to produce, publish, and promote a song dedicated in
Angela's memory. Though his actions are admirable, by Barbara's standard, isn't
the publication of this song, along with its underlying message and purpose an invasion
of privacy. Furthermore, isn't someone making money off of this deal? Are Cate Rich
and Michael Brown being ordered to cease and desist? Isn't this a convenient double
standard?
Read more about Mr. Brown's dedication
or buy the music here.
Case Funeral Home has published Angela's obituary with names, relationship, and
hometowns of each member of her immediate family. By Barbara's standard, isn't the
publication and availability of this information an invasion of privacy? Are they
being ordered to cease and desist?
Read Angela's obituary here.
The Saginaw News and mlive.com tell a story of the horrific events surrounding Angela's
death. Didn't they profit by sensationalizing these events? This information is
freely available on the Internet. By Barbara's standards, is this not an invasion
of privacy? Are they being ordered to cease and desist?
Read the article here.
I start a non-profit, charitable foundation to honor the love of my life - to celebrate
her life, her dreams, and to preserve her memory...and I get this letter? I get
threatened with litigation and court sanctions? It leads me to ask; is this complaint
truly about an invasion of privacy, illegal use of Angela's pictures, or deception.
Forgive me if I sound paranoid, but this sure feels like a very direct, personal,
and vengeful attack. There is simply no other rational explanation.
My Response
Perhaps my intent is less than clear. The Foundation has done nothing, nor proposes
to do anything in the slightest degree, which would affect unpleasantly the mental
condition or privacy of any sound, reasonable and intelligent man, woman, or child.
That being the case, Mr. Ramah's message further validates the Foundation's
mission and purpose, and more clearly identifies its benefactors.
The demands detailed in his letter prove to me, more than ever, that we need to
continue to promote and support healthy, functional,
and civil environments in which to raise our children.
In my opinion, this demand to cease and desist sends the wrong message. As a
community, we need to serve as role models, bringing
honor and recognition to those who have set an example for our
youth. By identifying these community leaders and by promoting
their charitable deeds, we inspire our children to
find and serve a healthy purpose within our society. This
is undeniably the fundamental mission of the Angela L. Kropp Creativity Foundation;
to recognize Angela for her contributions to society, and to continue her
works.
Angela was undeniably for this cause. Anyone against the honorable
use of her name knows nothing of this woman's private, personal,
or social life. I am shocked that anyone would try so desperately to deny her existence.
Angela did not spend her life in overstuffed cardboard boxes, tucked away into the
dark corners of her basement. Placing her name, pictures, or memories into
such after her death is not what she would have wanted and certainly not what she
would have expected. Angela loved attention, and such actions
go against everything that Angela believed in. This Foundation exists
because of Angela, and to remove her name or likeness from its
works undermines its purpose.
Because I shared her grandest dreams and deepest secrets, I have the privilege
of knowing that removing her name and image from public view and appreciation is
not what Angela would have wanted to replace the impact she left
on this world. She was proud of her accomplishments and wanted
to share them with everyone she met, that she might inspire
and encourage others to dream like she. It was her dream to help
the world today, and for tomorrow. Any attempt to remove her namesake from our lives
is a dishonor to everything she was and worked so hard to accomplish.
It sends a message that everything she did was insignificant and should be soon
forgotten. It was not. Rather, it should be preserved
and mulitplied.
The Foundation needs your continued support. However, please do NOT offer
assistance or support to the Angela L. Kropp Creativity Foundation if:
- you believe that doing so is unlawful
- you believe it will result in the invasion of another's privacy
- you believe that our practices are deceptive
- you believe that the Foundation is supported and/or encouraged by the Kropp family
Though I have made every attempt to publicly disclose the organizational structure
of the Foundation - its mission, purpose, history, function, associations, and endorsements,
it appears that I have left room for interpretation. To clarify those things:
- The Angela L. Kropp Creativity Foundation was founded in honor
of my girlfriend, Angela L. Kropp, who died as a result of injuries sustained in
an automobile accident.
- The love and honor that I hold for Angela, her children, and her meritous deeds
warranted the Foundation's name, and my naming of the organization after her serves
no other purpose. In light of this demand to cease and desist, it is an unfortunate
circumstance that she shares the name 'Kropp', and that this coincidence is being
used as the basis for the assertions made in Mr. Ramah's letter.
- The fundamental purpose of the Foundation is to honor Angela while
reaching underprivileged children, children of broken families or absent parents,
physically and emotionallly neglected children, and emotionally tormented children
using art as a tool to help them express themselves - their wants, their needs,
their beliefs, and dreams.
- No attempt has been made to use Angela's name for a profitable
purpose, to misrepresent her or her family, to mislead or to deceive, to elicit
funding, to invade the private lives of her heirs or immediate family, or for any
other detrimental purpose, lawful or otherwise. Furthermore, no attempt
has been made to suggest her family's sponsorship, approval, status, affiliation,
or connection with, to, or for the Foundation.
- No correlation has been made between the Foundation and Angela's
heirs or immediate family. No solicitation has been made on their behalf, intentionally
or through association, in support of the Foundation. Every effort has been made
to ensure their privacy, to omit any reference that might suggest that they support
the Foundation, and to ensure that all images of Angela that are displayed on the
site have been done so respectfully and within the context of the law.
- No donations have been made, nor will be accepted by parties who
have donated or intend to donate based on an understanding that the Kropp family
is involved in my efforts, which they are not.
- Furthermore, let it be known, per Mr. Ramah's letter, that Angela's family
disapproves of my actions, and have demanded that I cease
and desist.
- In the spirit of publicly disclosing the Foundation's financial
records, I note that it has received two monetary donations, one being from Michael
Brown, Angela's ex-husband, for $1.00. The other was from a dear and mutual friend.
- For my selfless acts, I receive no compensation. All operating
expenses of the Foundation have been paid by me, to include those for registration,
organization, licensing, website development and hosting, and administration. All donations are charitably given to children
in need, and are done so without compensation.
- No member of Angela's family has approached me with an intent to assist in my endeavors,
though I have invited Barbara Kropp to help via an email - to which
I received no response. Rather, Barbara Kropp, Angela's mother,
is the only member of the family that has expressed her distaste
for the Foundation, going so far as to publicly denounce it as a 'scam', which
it is not. Furthermore, a demand has been made to
cease and desist by Angela's unnamed 'lawful heirs and immediate
family', a carbon copy of which was forwarded to Barbara and Donald Kropp.
- All efforts have been made to maintain the privacy of Angela's family. Though no
reference within the website has been made as to their names or places of residence,
most of this information is freely available elsewhere on the Internet and in publicly
available records. I believe it safe to say, that visitors of the Foundation's website
do not visit for the purpose of learning undisclosed information about the Kropp
family, or with the intent to invade their personal lives, and that no undue hardship,
humility, or invasion of their privacy has been caused by this Foundation. At
no time prior to this demand to cease and desist have I even acknowledged
their existence.
- I ask that you please respect the privacy of Angela's family, and
that you do nothing to incite or aggravate them.
In closing, this Foundation is about Angela
and her passion to change the world. Any other misrepresentations, by her family
or otherwise, are offered without regard to her, and are done so in the interest
of self concern.
This cease and desist demand is doing Angela's memory and ambitions an injustice,
and is an outright dishonor. Furthermore, it prevents her own
children from appreciating the honor and purpose that the Foundation
is attempting to provide. As such, Angela would
not want this Foundation to come under attack by anyone.
Anyone who was truly close to Angela would agree with and support
that statement.
Per this demand, I do not anticipate any assistance
from the Kropp family with regards to this foundation. With no disrespect to them
or their profession, only attorneys who will profit from this discordial situation.
These are monies that would be better spent on Angela's children, in support of
this Foundation, or to the benefit of any other charitable cause, or at bare minimum, toward the lives of Angela's children. Nonetheless, I
eagerly look past these obstacles and set my sights on the greater good. If I must
build the Angela L. Kropp Creativity Foundation alone, and in the face of this adversity,
I will bring encouragement to our community's children using
one crayon at a time. In all that I do, I will always have Angela in
my heart. It is she alone who inspired me to do what I am doing.
Please take the time to leave your comments, in support of or against
the Foundation, or to the nature of these demands. Also, you may email me, Brad
Osmond, at info@angelakropp.org.
Friends, thank you all for the love you have shown to this wonderful woman.
She loved you all as much.
Respectfully,
Brad
"Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll
be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t." - Eleanor Roosevelt
- a woman who transcended her shortcomings to become one of the most admired figures
of the 20th century.
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