EG revised 2014 Pt 2

REVISED OCTOBER 2, 2014

Linda Leonard, Artist

Specializing in Equestrian, Gymnastics Dance and Movement

Movement Works Studio

MY WEBSITE SHOWING MY PASTELS AND OILS:

http://movementworks.weebly.com/

The stone that the builders rejected is become the head of the corner. The Cornerstone is one of Jesus' most important titles.

Kindness is not igoring evil but witnessing against evil and asking authority to get involved and do the job entrusted to them. Jesus said to defend the fatherless and the widow, the vulnerable from those who attack and steal from them.

Eric Gordon is basically in sales and so knows how to ferret out peoples weakest points quickly and goes on the attack Mr. Gordon is too irresponsible, immature and cruel to be in "team" meetings where clients' very private issues and secrets are discussed.

I pray no other mental health care patient EVER has to undergo the mental anguish Mr. Eric Gordon has put me through.

Eric Gordon must have done something really really bad to one or more clients for management to have taken almost all his job duties/classes away about a year ago as shown by the LifeSkills Day Program Calendars for the past year. A DMH investigator needs to look at this/these events and if management has paid enough attention to Eric Gordon's more under the radar but still damaging acts to clients since then, using the extra time given to him by reducing his job duties to only the 2 art classes and sales because he was under so much stress.

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Thank you, Ms. Wilcox, for responding to my phone call about my concerns for privacy and safety in regard to my complaint about Eric Gordon.

I do not think, though, that it is a matter of my venting but of providing protection and safety for all of SLH/Cornerstone clients and staff. Mr. Gordon has been acting erratic and abusive towards clients and has showed a huge amount of rage for at least 5 years. Even though years go by, he gets worse each time I see him and his rage and threat to clients and staff will continue and get worse as he keeps testing the boundries without any consequences to him. He needs intensive, intensive therapy to come back to reality and/or Mr. Gordon needs to be banned from all St. Luke's House/Cornerstone properties for client safety.

Exit interviews, at least questionnaire on a computer program are need for staff who are leaving possibly in disgust from the way clients are treated by Mr. Gordon and to identify if there are staff members abusing other staff and/or clients.

Like a child, Eric Gordon needs for SLH/Cornerstone staff to act as one and not be enabling or continue to allow Mr. Gordon to play one administrative or therpeutic person against another, pitting the "good mommy" against the "bad mommy" and back up and protect Dr. Parveen who only asked him to do his job and serve all clients with an interest/background in art including providing supplies that the County Council, SLH and the recent Grant provided Mr. Gordon for ALL qualified patients. I believe, Cornerstone is losing many good employees, in part because of Mr. Gordon's behavior to consumers and staff esp. those replacing him in some of his duties and/or who object to Mr. Gordon's treatment of clients that has been ignored for years by management and continues to worsen.

The Grievance Policy rightly provides protection for clients filing a formal complaint of having a meeting with Program Manager/s within 5 working days of receipt of complaint. AND FURTHER A LETTER WITHIN ANOTHER 5 DAYS STATING WHAT ACTION WILL BE TAKEN ON COMPLAINT.

I am requesting that this Grievance meeting with a Program Manager take place quickly rather than as you requested that at the receipt of my formal letter of complaint that you file it, consider it venting but still considered officially on-the-record. For my protection, I need the stated promises of the Grievance Policy to be observed and a letter stating the actions to be taken in response to my grievance 10 days after receipt [within 5 days all program managers are supposed to convene to discuss and 5 days after that a letter with actions taken sent to client filing grievance].

Arlene, Bel Pre cluster supervisor, should be emailing my written complaint soon. [Emailed last Friday September 11, 2014.]

This is a matter of human life and cannot be put off or ignored any longer. Cornerstone Administration should not be acting like an abused family pretending abuse is not going on and need to act as one to protect the lives entrusted to their care.

Before I met Eric Gordon, Melissa Jacob, then Peppertree supervisor, in seeing my artwork as I was moving in said Eric had two art classes, one for everyone at Radner Museum annex and the secret art class at Southport Day Program that you had to show Eric your portfolio to get into and she thought I would qualify and said why don't you put some of your paintings up in the living room, Gerda Sejour, housemate, objected when I mentioned this but said that Dunsinane was one of the places they showed to visitors because it was so nice.

Before I had met Eric, during a potluck supper, a man in his late 40s mentioned Eric and I asked about him. This man was very, very embittered and the only thing he would tell me was that he would work now only in his room and his mouth turned down with incredible bitterness everytime he mentioned Eric's name or class. I said that I had wanted to ask Eric about getting into his secret class and this man would only say "Let's just say, I will work only in my room." since he had sounded serious about his work and was continuing with it, though never again in Eric Gordon's class, later when Eric did unbelievable things from the first time I attended HIS art class, and most of the work at that time done by consumers were abstract or Brut art I thought that Eric did not like clients who did realistic work.

Then remembered I had seen two of Eric's paintings hanging in the Southport lobby and hall, both realism and one of a guitarist looking upward reminded me of one of the best computer graphics I have of a gymnast looking upward during floor exercise. When I tried to compliment Eric on this painting and talk about it, he ran away without saying anything.

Since Eric showed zero interest in my work, later, I thought, maybe I could talk to him about art in general, the only thing he would ever say was that he had a Masters in Art and another time when I mentioned Degas to try to discuss my interest in movement in art, Eric put his nose in the air and turned away without saying anything.

Eric Gordon in 5 years would never look at my portfolio either originals or on a flashdrive I brought. Even when I only brought in only one work on wrapping paper of sketches Eric refused to discuss it with me, and walked away when twice I asked for help in composition of the gymnastic sequences I was working on. I asked for advice in glazing oil colors and he said he did not know anything about oils or glazing. Whatever the question he would refuse to give me a straight answer or often any answer.

That government Grant and other funding was given with the understanding that it would help every Cornerstone client who qualified, it is not Mr. Gordon's personal property to dole out art supplies, use of camera, share a bit of his knowlege from his Masters in Art and help with applying for gallery art shows, computer laptop, etc. to his favorite clients or hoard. And Mr. Gordon's abuse and intimidation of clients in his classes based solely on his whim or on Eric Gordon's anger at not being the only one in his art classes who have training in art.

Then THE NERVE of MR. GORDON saying clients don't come to his art classes so don't qualify for help with supplies, use of camera to document their paintings and exhibiting their artwork after he has said and done horrendous things to them when they do go to his 2 classes/Studio Insight.

There have been others who have experience in art who have been driven out of Mr. Gordon's art classes by abusive behavior or banned from art class after his extreme provocation makes them react with anger. It seemed from the beginning when he was so abusive at my first visit to the 1 1/2 hour Radner class where everyone is supposed to be welcome that there were no limits to the way he would treat clients --esp. who paint realistically or who have taken Computer Graphics classes --to get them to leave his classes and which are hard to talk about because the dirty tricks are stunningly abusive, done extremely quickly to avoid detection, and/or convoluted.

Mr. Gordon was okay to me in the year I went to his cooking classes but his sarcastic, quick, uncalled for remarks to other clients in cooking classes made me feel sick and anxious and afraid to ask to join his art classes despite intense pressure from then RCs. When I did it was worse than I possibly could have imagined. Mr. Gordon would go back and forth between a charming, fun sense of humor to a sarcastic, vicious one in the blink of an eye which was extremely upsetting and disconcerting. Gerda Sejour would say repeatedly of Eric Gordon, "He's got a MOUTH ON HIM."

No client should have to go through this and it is past time of remaining silent. I kept thinking/rationalizing Mr. Gordon was having a bad week, a bad month, a bad year. It's been 5 years and Mr. Gordon keeps getting more outrageous in his actions towards clients. Eric Gordon needs intensive therapy -- more than once a week at a facility other than Cornerstone --- to find out who he is angry at and find ways of dealing with this long-standing rage other than abusing clients he projects onto -- I can forgive but I feel that it does not even do him any good to ignore Mr. Gordon's now very out-in-the-open rage and threats to clients who want to attend Southport LifeSkills even to visit their therapist or psychiatrist by his standing and staring at client sitting in waiting room and his willingness to go to any lengths to get revenge for something he is enraged at someone in his past for.

I have only seen a few of Eric Gordon's artwork but two were very disturbing considering his treatment of clients and his blurred line between fantasy in art and reality where you cannot do certain things without damaging REAL PEOPLE. The first small painting that was above his desk in the office he shares with Dwayne of a blonde young woman with thin ink slashes throughout her face and beyond onto her hair and background, the second at Radner Museum open show for the mentally in Mont. Cnty in Sept. 2013, 3/4 lifesize of a man with his clenched fist upraised to his shoulder and razor-type slashes throughout almost obscuring the figure except for his face and fist. Newspaper/zine critics of Matt Secow, a friend of Eric, used this "razor slashes" term for some of Secow's work.

I am grateful to SLH/Cornerstone and staff for helping me with food and shelter for these years and count myself lucky in this help and thank God for it, but I should also have had a chance to participate in LifeSkills events esp. the art classes and the benefits of discussing art with other clients and a reasonable amount of art supplies for my work without having to undergo Mr. Gordon's extremely abusive behavior and to see my psychiatrist without sitting in the waiting room with Mr. Gordon rooted to the spot at the end of the hallway with his intimidating staring for the past year when I visit Dr. Parveen every few months needs to be addressed in this meeting esp. since my therapist, Paula Weiss, now has her office exclusively at Southport clinic and day program, (which Mr. Gordon seems to believe is his own personal property).

At the time Paula asked me to see her at Silver Spring office about 2 1/2 years ago, partly because most clients wanted to see her at Southport due to the classes/computer lab they could attend on the same day, Paula said, "if you are going to be making a complaint about Dwayne and Eric Gordon you don't want to see them all the time." I did not make a formal complaint at that time though I should have.

Medicaid/Medicare and insurance companies, Senate Appropriations for Mental Health care, fundraisers including former First Lady, Roslyn Carter and Tipper Gore who has a Consumer as her secretary, the County Council who provided some money for art supplies etc. who pay for Eric Gordon's salary and provide the supplies and space for Eric Gordon's art groups have been assured by contract that ALL clients, including myself, should have access to LifeSkills and art classes without being humiliated with insults, berating, dirty tricks, mind games, stonewalling or staring.

I could have done much more with my artwork both creating/producing and selling if I had had minimal help and did not have to suffer the mind games and abuse of Mr. Eric Gordon instead of receiving the promised help and access to LifeSkills classes.

I am really stymied in my work with Job Coach by lack of the use of a camera to upload my newer artwork of the past year to my website.

I have asked my job coach Vanessa several times if she could deliver some of my paintings to Mr. Gordon to show at Radner Museum or elsewhere, and if he could make me a large canvas for sequences of gymnasts instead of the wrapping paper which I am now forced to use which seems a waste of oil colors and time and being shut out for 5 years because I did not want to tolerate Mr. Gordon's abusive actions in HIS artclass.

If my Job Coach would act as a go-between I would not have to be the victim again of Mr. Gordon's abusive actions towards me.

Someone said that the jury/commission at Radner Museum is tired of Mr. Gordon submitting the same type of artwork of the same few clients of his Studio Insight, but Eric is the gatekeeper as to whose paintings the jury sees which is why Eric Gordon did such shameful things to me on August 8, 2014 to make it impossible for me to return to his class unless I wanted to submit to more outrageous abuse.

Christina Taylor, former RC, delivered 2 of my paintings in the Radner Museum open show last September. The artwork was kept in Ms. Cho's office or I think Eric Gordon would have made some excuse not to show my paintings.

The job coach supervisor in going through one of my portfolios complaining why didn't I use better paper about finished, professional works that obviously took a long time on brown wrapping paper or thin white paper instead of charchol paper or canvas, the supervisor complimenting canvas paper that I used for a few of my paintings -- please look at my website, who else were these supplies funded by taxpayers meant for - surely they did not intend this money to be used only for clients who paint in the Brut art manner approved by Mr. Gordon???

When I started seeing Paula Weiss in the Silver Spring office 2 1/2 years ago, Eric Gordon called me, prompted I'm sure by both Paula and Dr. Parveen who had seen and liked my artwork and wanted me to be able to work with professional supplies, Eric said that though he usually didn't give supplies to people who did not attend his class that he sometimes went to Silver Spring office and could meet with me there to discuss my need for art supplies. I agreed and said that I didn't just want supplies but wanted to share some of my ideas for possibly other clients exhibiting at equestrian schools since several clients had expressed a need and desire to sell work and I have many magazine photos and book of equestrian photos and that market, judging by the immense number of equestrian magazines listed in library periodicals, is very large.

Mr. Gordon did not let me express this but cut me off after the first few words by making a disgusted noise. Mr. Gordon called the night before our scheduled appointment to cancel. I called him left a message that I would like to reschedule our meeting. Mr. Gordon never called me back.

Cornerstone was right to relieve Mr. Gordon of his duties other than the art groups because he was under too much pressure from being asked to do too much, but I saw his incredible and increased rage when I met with him in his office on November 2013 and when I noticed in the LifeSkills Calender that he was no longer teaching many of the classes, I decided not to make a formal complaint about Mr. Gordon strangling my leather coat in his clenched fist and coming within an inch of punching me in the face at the end of a meeting also attended by my job coach, Vanessa Martinez, in which I said very few words due to his visible anger, very apparent even before we went in his office.

Mr. Gordon said at that time that he had attended a rough meeting, kept running in and out of the room in this very short meeting with me and looked very ill and upset. This is no excuse though for shoving your fist in a client's face

He talked constantly, stonewalled all of the questions I was able to ask. Eric, very, very bitter, complained about a homeless woman that he had framed a number of painting for who then came back to him and complained about the frames. He complained bitterly again about clients who he gives sketchpads or other supplies to who disappear, never return. This has been a constant theme with Mr. Gordon and he never thinks it may have something to do with the way he insults people or his scary erratic behavior and scarcely concealed rage. Needless to say, I did not say this to Mr. Gordon who was visibly upset even before the meeting started.

When my job coach, Vanessa said, "and you thought this meeting was going to be so bad!", Mr. Gordon made a disgusted noise, hustled us out of his office so quickly that I forgot my jacket, at the Southport front doors, I said to Vanessa that I had forgotten my coat, walked back to his office, he darted out of his office with my jacket including sleeves scrunched tightly in his clenched fist which he shoved in my face and turned to stalk down the hall. I don't know if Vanessa was looking in that direction but my back and the quickness of Mr. Gordon's action makes it impossible for her to be a witness, however, Mr. Gordon's behavior has always been so outrageous (5 years), I believe he has done similar things to other clients and a paper trail to client or staff witnessing complaints must exist.

I was very,very sick for about 3 months afterwards remembering other violence I had suffered in my life and decided not to make a formal complaint when I recovered somewhat from this violently intimidating action from Mr. Gordon -- in part to have compassion on the pressure he had been under and give him time to pull himself together with what Cornerstone Adminstration had left him as a second chance with most of his duties removed, the art classes Mr. Gordon had started with the proviso, I'm sure, that all clients in these classes be treated with dignity and fairness.

Would you go to an art class where you had been previously abused repeatedly and then in a meeting to talk about differences, the staff leader of the class without any provocation almost punches you in the face, another clear message to stay away from HIS private clubhouse/art class?

When I was so ill for these three months it was made worse by my therapist, Paula Weiss, who had shown the highest integrity and real concern for patients in her care, uncharacteristically got very angry when I told her about Eric shoving his fist in my face about 2 weeks after it happened, Paula would not let me talk about any of the other things Eric Gordon had done to me in the past or how traumatised I was feeling, which we previously had barely touched on, she kept saying firmly and angrily "My colleague, Eric...." to interrupt and used other distractions to prevent me speaking of it.

I did not think it was possible for Paula to show anger, when I told my then RC Christina Taylor as we were walking around the building to the dentist's office that Paula was angry with me, she stopped dead in her tracks, turned around and said, "Paula??? angry???"

I did tell Paula Weiss at the end of our December 2013 session, as strongly as I could, "IF YOU CARE ABOUT ERIC, GET HIM SOME HELP." I don't know if Paula tried, but Eric obviously did not get an effectual help with his rage issues.

When I was very sick, almost delirious for about three months, at being very nearly hit in the face by a staff member who also strangled, scrunched up my somewhat heavy leather jacket including the sleeves -- I would think of calling my therapist Paula since she has always been good about calling right back but her refusal to listen to a word said against Eric Gordon two weeks after it happened showed she had stopped being my therapist and started being a defender of Eric Gordon -- I think her uncharacteristic anger was because Paula is something of friends with Eric who can be very charming and the anger was too because Paula must have heard previously from other therapists and/or clients about the very inappropriate things Eric was doing and she did not want to face "a side to Eric she had never seen."

Therapists are human and their emotions can been hooked too despite training in transference. Paula at the end of our November/December 2013 session said "Maybe Eric can't help it." I thought about that and if Eric really can't control his rage and uses it often against clients, then he is even more of a danger to clients than if he were doing all of these things deliberately.

I was not gossiping about Eric Gordon but trying to understand what he had been doing and the recent violent event and what I should do about it TO MY THERAPIST but Paula who had always been totally professional refused even to let me talk about it. Prior to the 2013 meeting with Paula, I had barely spoken of Eric Gordon, partly because she steered the conversation away from him, and it was hard to talk about the things he was doing to me and partly because I had very little time with my therapist, 1 half hour twice a month or 45 minutes once a month.

Who else can you talk about these things with if not your therapist?

Also clients are somewhat protected if therapists in their weekly meetings compare notes if a staff member is abusing multiple clients and Paula's anger and refusal to listen denied me and other clients this protection and Paula's anger showed she had some awareness of the ways in which Eric Gordon had been grossly abusing clients and preferred denial due to her protective feelings for Mr. Gordon.

I think Paula realized she could not be my therapist in truth and defender of Eric Gordon which is why the next visit in February 2014 with my Job Coach, Vanessa Martinez, Paula asked me if I wanted to see another therapist who had joined Cornerstone who used the arts in her therapy, I agreed and Paula Weiss said she would fill out the paperwork to transfer me to this other therapist but Paula never did.

Vanessa told me two weeks ago that she clearly remembers this conversation. I was later unsure about leaving Paula after so many years as my therapist but didn't mention it to anyone and the next visit just talked about forgiveness in general but thought for months that I needed to talk about what Eric Gordon had done to me and not just at the November 2013 meeting with Vanessa. I have only seen Paula about 4 times since November 2013 because of this rupture in our relationship.

In my last meeting with Paula, July 2014, she let me speak a little about Eric Gordon "a side to Eric she had never experienced." but was still obviously still seeing herself as his defender with minimization of his outrageous behavior and I decided to ask Paula at our next meeting if the artist therapist she had mentioned was still at Cornerstone and to transfer me to her but after what Eric Gordon did to me on August 8, 2014 I have been too upset and it has been difficult to be essentially without a therapist since November 2013 to talk about this most important issue in my life.

By my not making a formal complaint about the November 2013 incident, I outline the result of the failure to request Administration hold Mr. Gordon accountable for his intimidating behavior-- some of what Mr. Gordon did to me when I attended his class on August 8, 2014 for the first time in several years in the section called -- MIME MOCKERY OF THE DISFIGURED by Cornerstone staff member Eric Gordon.

I don't want to contact the health editors of the Washington Post and local newspapers, the Senate Appropriations chairman, the County Council, the Advocacy Group for consumers started by Sen. Kennedy or fundraisers but if Cornerstone is going to let this most recent outrage by Eric Gordon pass without action to protect me and other clients and staff, I am not willing to keep silent any longer.

And I will also request a thorough investigation of Mr. Gordon's mistreatment of patients over a period of more than 5 years by the Montgomergy County Government's Licensure and Regulatory Services and Department of Mental Health investigators and why Mr. Eric Gordon's jobs other than 2 art classes were rapidly removed from the LifeSkills Day Program Calendar beginning around November 2013 and why the last two calendars do not list any staff members teaching ANY of the classes though this naming of staff teaching each class has been standard for years - is it because Mr. Gordon is being given back some of the jobs taken from him and Admin doesn't want clients who previously complainted about abuse from Mr. Gordon during his classes to know?

Clients and staff should not be expected to deal with these SEVERE problems with Mr. Gordon's actions ALONE any longer. It is long past time for Adminstration to get involved.

Eventually, and maybe sooner Eric Gordon is going to really hurt a client or staff and this situation which has gone on for years can not continue to be ignored. It is not fair to clients or other staff or even Mr. Gordon and is jeopardizing Cornerstone and other mental health facilities reputation and funding even apart from my complaint. If a mental health agency cannot deal with a staff member who has been abusing clients for so many years and is belligerent about being disciplined for abusing and intimidating clients and just continues on doing it, who can? If Cornerstone needs help, maybe the Abused Persons Agency at Crises Center or The Board of Licensure can help in how to handle a staff member who becomes more intimidating as he is called on abuse of clients.

Dr. Parveen asked me to go up the ladder at Cornerstone with my complaint first. Though she hasn't stated this, I feel she needs protection and help and the fullest support of all of Administration. I was so touched when Melissa, my housemate, told me about Dr. Parveen coming out late at night to check Melissa into Fenton House.

Dr. Parveen works so hard to help patients, then Eric Gordon comes behind her and tries his best to undo her good work. Same with other staff members who really care and try to help not hurt clients. Allowing Mr. Gordon to spread such misery and anguish for so many years in exchange for selling a few paintings is not a good deal for clients, he ignores venues other than galleries except for 2 restaurants, and does very little with online promotion, Senate Appropriations and other who have provided funding for St. Lukes/Cornerstone esp since the merger was allowed with Threshold and there are many more clients for Mr. Gordon to abuse.

Near monopolies are not a good idea and Cornerstone needs to be much more vigilant in protecting clients from abusive staff.

I think Mr. Gordon himself knows he needs help though he would also fight against it. About 3 years ago, when I returned to his class and told him I had met with Dr. Parveen, he gave an engaging, mild smile and said quietly, "When do I get to see a psychiatrist?"

I have often wondered if Mr. Gordon has DID, Disassociative Identity Disorder since he cycles or platforms between several very different personalities so quickly.

Ms. Cho, Director, sent an open letter a few months ago stating that there were 3 Consumers on the Board of Directors. I recently called the receptionist at Southport who put me through to someone who rudely said to ask my RC for to research their contact information. Why should even an RC have to RESEARCH, this information should be readily available unless the 3 consumers on the board are just for show? My RC, David, has not been able to find any information. I am requesting contact information for these 3 Consumers, I believe that the Board of Directors should be made aware of what is and has been going on with Mr. Gordon from me and the threat to clients, staff, Cornerstone funding and reputation by Mr. Gordon's actions. If there is a concern about the 3 consumers' privacy by giving out there personal phone numbers, Cornerstone could easily create an extension at Cornerstone as they did for the Consumer Advisory Group a few years ago so that the clients of Cornerstone could leave messages and their phone numbers and talk to other consumers without gatekeepers and inform the board of things that are drastically wrong.

Eric is not mature or responsible enough to hear people secrets, very private information in staff meetings, he uses this information against them along with his training in sales how to immediately find people's weaknesses and exploit them, and a lifetime of manipulating people to bolster his very fragile and insatiable ego. Eric Gordon has a gaping hole inside of him which no amount of humiliation and abuse of clients has been able to fill, Cornerstone Management needs to stop supplying him with victims and start protecting clients and staff. He has no good spiritual resources within and tries to fill his emptiness with cruelty which makes him feel alive for a few minutes, then needs another victim.

And Management needs to, in solidarity, pressure Mr. Gordon to get immediate psychiatric help from someone not remotely associated with him as "a colleague", ie, outside of Cornerstone, Montgomery.