RE: The Salvation Army ARC 452 Clinton Avenue Albany, New York 12206
Captains Donna Cole & Gregory Cole

The Salvation Army has done well, if not an excellent and reliable service in helping domestically and foreign countries, We will not dispute this at all. However, the Adult Rehabilitation Center located in Albany, N.Y. has become a huge disappointment for us the beneficiaries and also employees, We expected to be treated like human beings, not violated, disregarded, discriminated, harassed, punished, freedom of speech, freedom of privacy, treated like a criminal, no credibility whatsoever.
The captains Gregory Cole & Donna Cole are two relentless dictators that have taken their position to the extreme and will yield to no one and answer to anyone. Their illegal practices should not be ignored any longer. They are a disgrace to The Salvation Army uniform and the Christian Religion.
The Adult Rehabilitation center is a total fraud and outright failure when it comes to helping people with homelessness and addiction issues. It is just what it is, “A Front”. A money machine exploiting human suffering.
Cole & Co., have the audacity to call it work therapy, it is actually work abuse. They are totally doing The Most Harm than The Most Good. We, the beneficiaries are the back bone of this organization. Most of the work is done by the beneficiaries with little or no recognition at all. All this revenue is being used for good purposes, no argument here, but we do not deserve to be treated like animals. We have no idea what mental state Donna Cole is in, but she has control issues. According to Captain Gregory Cole, “We are leftovers”. Chapel service May 2010. We are harassed all day long by Donna Cole watching us through the windows, talking to us like we are second class citizens, this is America, not a communist country. The captains have no education, they are sick enough to wonder why the census is down to 29 beneficiaries. This center holds up to 90 men. We wonder what they tell the coronel.
The Salvation Army ARC employed Captain Gregory Cole & Captain Donna Cole who are the administrators at this center. The Captains and their workers are undereducated (with the exception of one counselor and the bookkeeper). Everyone else has minimal or no education at all, including social skills.
Captain Gregory Cole & his dictorial communistic wife, Donna Cole were sent from Akron, Ohio to administer the business and rehabilitation aspect of the program here in Albany, N.Y. Why and how they were sent and continue to be here is a mystery. Their Hitler style dictatorship approach has decreased the population of the center and has created a hostile, stressful, mentally unhealthy environment for the beneficiaries and employees alike. For example: Employees must attend mandated AA/NA meetings, which has been ruled unconstitutional and illegal by the NYS Supreme Court of Appeals Ninth District and it is illegal according to the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission. So, what is wrong with this picture? A religion mandating an illegitimate religion?
These two, husband and wife, Gregory and Donna, who outright claim to have met Jesus, violate Salvation Army codes and policies including theft from donations which they take home. Not only do they steal and fudge paperwork, they also violate and/or ignore health hazards, human rights violations, Equal Opportunity Laws, OSHA laws, Time Warner Cable theft and constitutional law. Gregory and Donna Cole actually taunt the legal system and all persons who file complaints against them while providing church services in their chapel. There are many witnesses to attest to this bizarre, erratic, compulsive and outrageous behavior. But, we are not credible witnesses according to them, so this problem continues to arise at an alarming rate.
They have hired their 19 Year old son (Aaron Cole) on the payroll, who just sold a sterling silver tray weighing 30 ounces according to his beneficiary cohorts from Ohio to a pawn shop on central avenue and at times does not show up to work but somehow his timecard is time stamped for the day. Hmmmm…Must be Mommy who clocks in for him (isn’t that stealing?). Is this a healthy environment for a rebellious 19 year old that dropped out of school?
The captains’ wife Donna, takes two of her favorite beneficiaries who originated from Ohio (and happens to be white), to spend the weekend with her, which is totally unethical, it may be a sexual thing, but let’s just assume that’s hearsay.
Also, one of her favorite beneficiaries physically assaulted another, and he was supposed to be thrown out of the program, but, he just received one week without his freedom (restriction). In comparison, if it were a Black or Latino, forget about it. Another beneficiary stole a pair of boots (which unfortunately happened to be Latino), received an indefinite restriction and was threatened with dismissal of the program. Is that logical? We think not.
Captain Gregory Cole & Co., has hidden under the tax free shelter domain for quite a few years now and their demeanor toward us the beneficiaries is to humiliate, discriminate, harass and overwork us for the benefit of the self interest of the Salvation Army, they call it work therapy, we in the real world, call it work abuse, and last but not least, in the name of Jesus, as he proclaims.
These monsters that practice what is the supposed to be most sacred, makes a mockery out of human suffering and the Bible. We are considered second class citizens to them and have no right to complain, we must be grateful according to their distorted beliefs.
We thought Christians were supposed to be kind, supportive and helpful to others. Not these two, they are too psychologically impaired and incompetent or dumb when it comes to dealing with cultural diversity and all matters concerning administration. Ministry school alone does not cut it.
These centers should not be allowed to continue these abuses.
This letter will posted on many websites, media, N.Y. District attorney, state and county entities, etc., and will be mailed to as many people that donate goods to the Salvation Army as soon as possible, maybe, just maybe something will be done. Until then, I pray for the other less fortunate beneficiaries and employees that cannot fend for themselves.

Yours Truly,
Beneficiaries of 452
P.S.: By the way, who is benefiting? It’s not us.