Thread: Rene Greff - Lawbreaker and Illegal Alien Supporter

Activists from Save Our State originally took Arbor Brewery and Corner Brewery owners Matt and Rene Greff to task for hiring illegal aliens and working double-time for the illegal alien boycott. This is the original Ann Arbor News article where Rene Greff supports her employees who march for Amnesty in Detroit:


Matt and Rene Greff

Rene Greff came to the attention of Save Our State after a May 2, 2006 Ann Arbor News article quoted her supporting the illegal immigrant boycott. Here is the article:


Rene Greff


Ann Arbor News, May 2, 2006
Little local impact seen from immigrant boycott
Immigrant workers mostly went to work
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
By Khalil E. Hachem
News Staff Reporter

A few local residents stayed away from work and a couple of restaurants closed to support the protest, but the nationwide economic boycott to show immigrants' power had little impact in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Monday.

A check of local businesses showed that apparently only a few immigrants stayed home as a result of the boycott. Most businesses contacted by The News said immigrant workers reported to their jobs early in the day.

"It is the busiest season of the year,'' said Stewart Beal, co-owner of Burns Lawncare and Landscaping in Ypsilanti, which employs five immigrant workers. "They are here to work and they really value their jobs. They are very good workers.''

Immigrant workers and their supporters called for a national day of economic protest Monday, boycotting work, schools and shops to show immigrants' importance to the country. They are protesting legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that would make it a felony to be an illegal immigrant.

No marches or demonstrations took place in Ann Arbor or Ypsilanti, but some restaurants closed, including La Fiesta Mexicana in Ypsilanti and La Fiesta Taqueria in Pittsfield Township.

The restaurants closed in support of immigrant rights, said Estella Cardenas, an employee whose sister, Michelle Roman, owns both restaurants. Cardenas said while she and her sister don't support illegal immigrants, they're originally from Mexico and understand the hardships involved in moving to this country from another nation and becoming successful.

Roman attended the rally in Detroit on Monday and has been an activist in support of immigrants for many years, her sister said. Both restaurants were to reopen today.

"We want all immigrants, regardless of nationality, to know we support them,'' Cardenas said. "It's especially important to let people know that (immigrants) are not criminals, they are here to work.

"It's not right to cross the border undocumented, but I do think that (immigrants) have contributed to the economy of this country.''

Non-immigrant workers at the Arbor Brewing Company in Ann Arbor decided to work double shifts Monday to allow their eight immigrant co-workers to stay home and participate in the boycott, said owner Rene Greff.

Tom Rousher, general manager at the Ypsilanti Marriott at Eagle Crest, said he offered 12 immigrant workers the day off to participate in the boycott, but they declined.

Area school districts contacted by The News did not report any absent students as a result of the boycott.

Cheryl Call, a Spanish teacher in Manchester and migrant coordinator, said all four migrant students were in school Monday. She said the boycott may send the wrong message about migrant workers.

"I believe something has to be done,'' Call said. "Perhaps this boycott might not be the voice the dominant culture wants to hear.''

News Staff Reporter Stefanie Murray contributed to this report. Khalil E. Hachem can be reached at khachem@annarbornews.com or 734-482-3225.

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More information was posted at Save Our State on May 26, 2006 about Rene Greff and her husband Matt Greff:

Arbor Brewing Company owners admit to hiring illegal aliens and many of their employees speak spanish and no english. Arbor Brewing Company not only hires illegal aliens instead of Americans, but publicly supported the May 1, 2006 illegal immigrant boycott. An article in the May 6, 2006 Ann Arbor News stated that "Non-immigrant workers at the Arbor Brewing Company in Ann Arbor decided to work double shifts Monday to allow their eight immigrant co-workers to stay home and participate in the May 1, 2006 boycott to support illegal immigration, said owner Rene Greff." The Arbor Brewing Company is a small brewery located in the heart of Ann Arbor's Main Street Area. Their address is:

Arbor Brewing Company
114 E. Washington St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 213-1393
http://www.arborbrewing.com/front-page
http://arborbrewing.blogspot.com/
http://www.blogger.com/profile/17420322

The owners are Matt and Rene Greff (residents of Ypsilanti) and are very active in the area's Democratic Party. Matt and Rene Greff also own the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti Michigan. Scheduled to open in May, the Corner Brewery will be a microbrewery and beer garden, and will allow Matt and Rene Greff to expand their brewing activity to retailable volumes.

Corner Brewery
Ypsilanti, MI
http://www.cornerbrewery.blogspot.co...8B190DD3BD61=0
http://www.cornerbrewery.com/

This is information from their Corner Brewery web site:

We opened Arbor Brewing Company in July of '95 as a couple of starry eyed, twenty-something beer lovers with dreams of making good beer, new friends, and a positive impact on our community. The experience continues to exceed our wildest expectations.

Ten years later, we're just as excited to be opening a new brewery and beer garden in Ypsilanti, MI. This project will enable us to realize two more dreams: offering our award-winning beers to a wider audience through state-wide distribution, and creating a European-style beer garden in our own home town. We believe that craft beer is, perhaps more than anything else, a social icon. It represents family, friends, camaraderie, and community. And nowhere is this more true than at the local beer garden - an evening and weekend resort laid out amidst shady trees and sprawling lawns.

We chose the name Corner Brewery because our vision for the brewery comes from the pre-prohibition American beer scene when there were tiny neighborhood or corner breweries in every city tucked into residential areas just like we are. And like those neighborhood breweries of old, we hope to become a comfortable community gathering place.

That is also why we decided to create the Ground Breakers Club as a way for our neighbors and friends to participate in the creation the first brewery to make beer in Ypsilanti since WWII (without a $25,000 equity investment!).

We think of it as a fun investment with dividends paid in beer and V.I.P. treatment! We look forward to you joining the club.
Matt and Rene Greff

Here is an article on Matt and Rene Greff from ecurrent.com.

http://www.ecurrent.com/ag/2005/rest/arbor05.php\
Arbor Brewing Company
Local Brews and Responsible Dining
by Nora Flaherty

Rene and Matt Greff aren't lifetime restaurateurs -- in fact, until the mid-'90s, she was a corporate trainer and he was a database analyst. Then Rene says, "Matt discovered brewing and decided it was his calling in life."
The Greffs answered Matt's calling by opening the Arbor Brewing Company in 1995. When they opened the restaurant, they were looking to create a neighborhood place that would recall classic European neighborhood pubs. "We envisioned someplace that was the center of the community, that was family-friendly but not like a Bennigan's -- a nice mix of where you go to watch sports, where you go to talk politics -- kind of just where people in the community go to just get together and participate in life."
Today, ABC is that kind of place -- its clientele is a nice mix of students, professionals and townies, and although it gets kind of rowdy at night it's never overwhelming. You can watch sports there, but you can also play pool or just sit around. And of course beer is a focus at Arbor Brew -- they keep a number of house-brewed beers on draft, and you can now take home bottled beer. Some of what's available are a couple of stouts, a couple of wheat beers, a few lagers and ales and some beer-geek-friendly brews that are a little less mainstream.
Although the food at ABC is more or less what you can expect to get at any "nice" bar and grill, the Greffs have been working to make their kitchen a place that's both more environmentally responsible and more vegetarian-friendly than those of many other restaurants. The Greffs themselves became vegetarians a few years ago, and since they take most of their meals at the restaurant, they decided that the menu needed to change. And for those who do enjoy a burger, it's worth knowing that ABC uses only local, grass fed, hormone-free beef and that most of their vegetables are organic.
Arbor Brewing Company, located at 114 E. Washington Street, is open Monday-Saturday 11:30am-1am, Sunday 1pm-1am. Call (734) 213-1393 or visit www.arborbrewing.com.

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Then "Rene" logged onto Save Our State and left this post:

(stopracism @ May 25 2006, 05:36 PM) is wrong. Arbor Brewing has never knowingly hired an illegal alien. We do hire fully documented immigrant workers and have several such staff members who are taking English classes and working hard to achieve the American dream. Every single person on our staff has the proper documentation and pays into the Social Security system.

++

Joe Turner gave a rebuttal:

Rene:

I cannot speak to this specific situation, but to be honest, your rebuttal is not as convincing to many of us as it may be to you. For all I know, you are telling the truth.

However, for too long, employers have hid behind the "knowingly hired an illegal alien" line. Just because some illegal alien who can't speak english shows you papers indicating he is an American look real, that is not plausible deniability. And you are not off the hook, in my eyes.

"Fully [fake] documented immigrant workers" are going to pay into Social Security, that is a given. They are also going to claim zero exemptions, pay minimal state and federal income taxes on their low wages and then collect huge earned income credit refunds after they file their fake tax returns.

I will say once again, I do not know you or your business personally. But, on their face, your rebuttal means nothing. In fact, if you are truly believing that you are in the right, I challenge you to tell us what, if any, background checks you did to verify these documents/statements on applications and would you be willing to do a rigorous check today to verify work authorization status of your current employees?

In the end, when you tell me that you have several employees taking English classes, I am automatically skeptical of your claims.

++

In addition, Drumsme7 also gave an excellent rebuttal:

Rene,

What was your reason for supporting the "boycott"? You know & I know this "boycott" was nothing but an excuse for illegal aliens & their cheerleaders to pressure our government into accepting lawlessness. You know damn well that this has NOTHING to do with LEGAL immigrants & EVERYTHING to do with ILLEGAL ALIENS

So again I ask you, why support it?

And I'd also like to ask you what the unemployment rate is in your town for native born Americans? It seems you seek out "immigrants"

And how many college kids are struggling & would love to find some work? Remember them Renee? Remember when you were in college & AMERICANS looked out for one another & helped our young adults out? Remember that? This was before the current class of "Americans" allowed themselves to become brainwashed by radical leftist professors & actually cared about their own people. This was before greed, under the guise of "compassion", worked it's way into the minds of American business

I'm not convicting you, since I have no idea if it's true, & I truly hope it's not. But if it is true, you can just continue to kid yourself that you're doing this out of "compassion" & that you believe invaders from a foreign country have more of a right to jobs than our own citizens. How "progressive" of you. My, my, a democrat who uses the old "workers rights" rhetoric to harm her own country for profit. Will wonders never cease?

Again, I have no idea what your business dealings are & if I'm wrong I apologize for thinking the worst, but all of us are all too familiar with the lies & excuses certain "Americans" use in order to increase their profit margins

If you are hiring illegals, & I'm not saying you are, but if you are, I'd suggest taking a long look in the mirror & think about what you're doing. Is it really worth destroying your country for momentary gain? Will you be able to look your children in the eye & tell them that mommy took part in the destruction of their country & their futures simply for profit?

The invasion & colonization of our country is tearing this Nation apart & destroying the American dream. Is being able to afford a new car or putting a pool in really worth that?

Drumsme7 also said:

I thought I'd make this a little more realistic......

""Fifteen-year residents of Ypsilanti, Detroit kid Matt traces his Polish/German/French lineage back to a Greff Brewery in Nancy, France. "Treason is in my genes," he says. Do you really think I'd allow my phony ideology to interfere with my profit margin? Hey, why should I hire an American citizen at a living wage when I can hire an illegal foreign national for less than half of what I'd have to pay an American? Yeah, yeah, I know it's wrong, but I'll just donate a few bucks to some democrat cause & that will ease my mind about screwing over my country & my own children for profit.

You see, I'm a phony. I act as if I care about people & I get involved with phony causes that actually do nothing to help anyone. But it alleviates my guilt about screwing over the American worker & destroying my country for profit, But hey, I get to play the game with the local media, who act as if I'm an up & coming young professional, & they gush about me & my "business sense" & my "compassion" for my fellow man. How cool is that?

You see how it works? I just tell the leftist braindead media that I worship Howard Dean & they in turn make me out to be some hero for the left, when in reality, I'm totally screwing the American worker. You see, like all leftist phonies, I worship money & I'm the biggest capitalist out there. Money means everything to me. Yeah, so the Americans in my town are out of work, so what? I feel good that I can put these poor illegal aliens to work & hey, my bank account is growing. And as soon as we can get more illegals here I'm going to open up even more businesses

So you see, it's a great deal really. I just continue to spew lies about how I work for "justice", & all the while I grow rich by destroying my own people. Ain't America great?

Another post by stopracism:

Is this "Rene" of:

Matt and Rene Greff (owners)
Arbor Brewing Company
114 East Washington Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
telephone: (734) 213-1393
fax: (734) 213-2835
info@arborbrewing.com
Elizabeth Cain - Arbor Brewing Company Manager
beth@arborbrewing.com
http://www.arborbrewing.com/front-page
http://arborbrewing.blogspot.com/
http://www.blogger.com/profile/17420322

Matt and Rene Greff (owners)
Corner Brewery
720 Norris Street
Ypsilanti, MI 48198-2825
(734) 480-BREW, (734) 480-2739
http://www.cornerbrewery.blogspot.co...8B190DD3BD61=0
http://www.cornerbrewery.com/

Can you provide more information regarding your post Rene? Did you call the Basic Pilot Program at 1 (88 464-4218 and do verifications for your new employees? Written complaints regarding your business practices have been made to local agencies and taxing authorities. In addition, please try to be neutral and objective and avoid the language used in your first post. You have started an argument and we request that dissenters use the Dissenters Paradise thread.

Additionally, Save Our State has visited Arbor Brewing Company several times over the past few months in addition to your newly opened Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Many spanish-speaking employees work in your kitchen and many whites work in more visible positions. No blacks were seen working anywhere. Southeast Michigan is an economically depressed area with many Americans willing to work low paying jobs. It is difficult for Americans to find even restaurant work in this area and you are not making it easier.

Here is an excerpt from an Arbor Brewing Company Application for Employment (grammatical error included):

"I CERTIFY THAT THAT FACTS CONTAINED IN THIS APPLICATION ARE TRUE AND COMPLETE TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTAND THAT, IF EMPLOYED, FALSIFIED STATEMENTS MAY RESULT IN IMMEDIATE DISMISSAL. I AUTHORIZE INVESTIGATION OF ALL STATEMENTS CONTAINED HEREIN AND ALL EMPLOYERS LISTED TO GIVE ANY PERTINENT INFORMATION AND RELEASE THE COMPANY FROM ALL LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE THAT MAY RESULT FROM THE UTILIZATION OF INFORMATION. I ALSO UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COMPANY HAS ANY AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO ANY AGREEMENT FOR EMPLOYMENT FOR ANY SPECIFIED PERIOD OF TIME OR TO MAKE ANY AGREEMENT CONTRARY TO THE FOREGOING UNLESS IT IS IN WRITING AND SIGNED BY ONE OF THE COMPANY MANAGING MEMBERS.

No where does the 'Arbor Brewing Company Application For Employment' ask about eligibility to work in the United States or criminal history. Matt and Rene Greff are making it easy for felons and fugitives from other countries to live in the United States and commit crime. This is ironic given Matt and Rene Greff's political activism, especially in a city committed to women's protection.

We are also wondering if Arbor Brewing Company and Corner Brewery have their kitchen employees tested for tuberculosis or other infectious diseases.

++

Here is an article dated January 15, 2004 from the Ypsilanti Courier in which Matt and Rene Greff give reasons for working for candidate Howard Dean in Iowa.

http://www.ypsilanticourier.com/2004/comment/040115.htm

Political truths
What Rene Greff talks about when she talks about Howard Dean, who she wants to see win the Democratic primary, actually is a condemnation of both the national Democratic and Republican parties.
Greff and her husband, Matt, of Ypsilanti, have gone from politically uninvolved to activists who will spend the weekend in Iowa working for their candidate, Howard Dean.
What led the Greffs to Dean was a process that began with disillusionment and ended with Dean, who she describes as passionate about what he is telling voters.
It is no secret that fewer and fewer people are interested in politics and that the level of cynicism about politics – especially politics as practiced at the national level - - continues to grow.
What is the source of that cynicism? Well, one major source is the fact that no one really believes the people who run for president actually believe what they are saying.
It’s become a marketing game; no one talks about issues or what candidates think about those issues. They talk about how the candidate is coming across, whether he or she is an effective pitchman, whether his or her handlers are playing the right political cards.
Some national pundits have gone so far as to echo Dean’ political critics by saying they believe his forthrightness will prove a liability.
Put another way, what those pundits, who supposedly are enlightened observers of our national political scene, are actually saying is Dean would be better off if he attempted to mislead voters more, disguised his beliefs more, spoke less from the heart more.
We’re not endorsing Dean here, we’re condemning a system that has become so dishonest that even the news media, which are supposed to provide us with the information we need to make enlightened decisions, are more concerned with image than substance.
At the national level, not telling the truth has become an asset and telling the truth has become a liability, and the people who espouse that philosophy tell us that we are cynical for becoming ever more reluctant to participate in or get excited about national leaders who don’t have enough respect for us to even see a problem with telling us the rules dictate that they attempt to mislead us about what they really believe in or want to do.
If people want to know why Dean has the following he does, they need to listen to what the Rene and Matt Greffs of the world are saying: They were tired of people not being straight with them, and then a guy came along who they believe is telling them what he believes and is passionate about what he believes.
That is a damning statement about the state of our political system and the news media that says it is covering that system but doesn’t ever confront the issues or the candidatesÂ’ dissembling about those issues.

++

Here is a snippet from the Depot Town Rag, a publication of the:

Depot Town Association, Inc.
P.O. Box 970235
Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197
(Depot Town is a part of Ypsilanti Michigan):

"Fifteen-year residents of Ypsilanti, Detroit kid Matt Greff met Rene at Kalamazoo College and traces his Polish/German/French lineage back to a Greff Brewery in Nancy, France. "Brewing is in my genes," he says. Their Corner Brewery on E. Forrest Avenue at Norris Street opened in May, and plans to be fully operational by this month. In addition to a serving area and small food service, an old fashioned outdoor beer garden is planned for the future."

++

Cherokee Girl also wrote:

Figures there would be no response from this Rene.

Did I read correctly when I heard a teacher say she only had 4 immigrant children in her class. If this is the case WOW!!!!!
You don't hear something like that to often these days.

++

More about Matt and Rene:

Arbor Brewery currently (August 4, 2006) have several signs on their front window which read:

"Arbor Brewing Company is
Now Hiring
Waitstaff and Hosts!!!!!
Must have previous experience,
a good attitude and love beer.
If you previously applied
please reapply and ask to speak
with a manager"

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Arbor Brewery also has a myspace web site:

http://www.myspace.com/arborbrewingcompany

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Here's an Ypsilanti Courier article from August 2003 in which Matt and Rene Greff hosted Howard Dean in their new home in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Presidential Hopeful Coming to Ypsilanti

By Judy Busack
Courier Staff

Democrat presidential hopeful Howard Dean will be in Ypsilanti Saturday for a fundraiser brunch at the Ypsilanti home of Rene and Matt Greff.
The Greffs, who have been residents for 12 years and are the owners of Arbor Brewing in Ann Arbor, were approached about hosting the fundraiser in their home, and Rene said they jumped at the opportunity.
"We have been Dean supporters since he first arrived on the political landscape," said Rene Greff.
This will be the Greffs first opportunity to meet the former Vermont governor, who is seeking the Democratic nomination in the 2004 presidential election.
Dean, a medical doctor, was the lieutenant governor and a practicing physician at the time, when Vermont Gov. Richard Snelling died in 1991, which put Dean in the governor’s office. He was governor until 2002.
Greff said what draws her to Dean is his political courage.
"That is the big one. I think a lot of Democrats felt like our voices have not been heard during the Bush administration. It isn’t just about the war. It’s the tax policy and more. (We feel) the other candidates’ records have let Democrats down. He (Dean) came out and said things I would say if I had been in Washington," she said.
The 54-year-old Dean received a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and was elected lieutenant governor of Vermont in 1986. He is the longest serving governor in the state’s history with the exception of the first governor, Thomas Chittenden.
Dean was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1983 to 1986 and in private practice specializing in internal medicine from 1978 to 1982.
Evie Lichter of Ann Arbor, who will be attending the brunch, said, "I’m passionate about Dean," when asked why she is attending the fundraiser. "I appreciate how outspoken he is. I think he brings a new fresh perspective to Washington.
Sidetrack owner Linda French, who is one of the hosts for the brunch, said she is a Democrat and supports Dean.
"I like his views. I think he has a chance of taking Bush. I think he is the only one who can take Bush," said French. "He voices my views more than anyone, and I’m glad he’s coming to Ypsilanti. There are a tremendous amount of people behind him."
Greff said she and her husband had just moved into their home three weeks ago.
"We have redone the house, going crazy to get ready for this. The day we were asked (to host the event), we had just ripped out the carpeting. This is a great way to christen the place," she said.

The minimum cost for the bunch is $100.
For more information, call Greff at Arbor Brewing at 213-1393.

++

Here are two Ypsilanti addresses listed for Matt and Rene Greff:

Matthew and Rene Beth Greff
1305 Grant Street
Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Matthew and Rene Beth Greff
711 Oak Street
Ypsilanti, MI 48198

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Here is information about Rene Greff from Zoominfo.com, the search engine for discovering people, companies, and relationships:

http://www.zoominfo.com/directory/Gr...e_75333857.htm

Currently, Rene Greff is a chairperson of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, President of the Main Street Area Merchant Association, Vice-Chair of the Advisory Council for the Downtown Center for the Homeless, and Chair of the Mayor's Downtown Street Outreach Taskforce. She is a founding board member for the Oasis Cafe for the Homeless in Ypsilanti and the Michigan Brewers' Guild, and a former board member and Campaign Chairperson for the Performance Network Professional Theatre.

Rene has a BA in Philosophy from Kalamazoo College. Prior to opening Arbor Brewing Company, Rene Greff worked in the fields of graphic design and technical writing. In her personal life, Rene Greff is married with no kids, and one rescued Greyhound. She is a twelve year resident of Ypsilanti.

Kalamazoo College
1200 Academy Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49006-3295
(269) 337-7000

++

Here is information from the Michigan Brewers' Guild and their emails:

http://www.michiganbrewersguild.org/

Fred Bueltmann
(President)
president@michiganbrewersguild.org

Scott King
(Vice President Membership)
vicepresident@michiganbrewersguild.org

Rene Greff
(Special Events)
specialevents@michiganbrewersguild.org

Mike Stevens
(Treasurer)
treasurer@michiganbrewersguild.org

Eric Briggeman
(Secretary)
secretary@michiganbrewersguild.org

Brett Vander Kamp
(Government Affairs)
gac@michiganbrewersguild.org

Katie Poindexter
(Membership Administration)
info@michiganbrewersguild.org

president@michiganbrewersguild.org,vicepresident@michiganbrewersguild.org,
specialevents@michiganbrewersguild.org, treasurer@michiganbrewersguild.org,
secretary@michiganbrewersguild.org,gac@michiganbrewersguild.org,
info@michiganbrewersguild.org

++

Here is information from the Performance Network Theatre and their emails. Rene Greff is a former board member and Campaign Chairperson for the Performance Network Theatre:

https://secure.performancenetwork.or...i?tmindex.html

Carla Milarch (Executive Artistic Director) carla@performancenetwork.org
David Wolber (Marketing Director) david@performancenetwork.org
Emilie Litzell (Development Associate) emilie@performancenetwork.org
Gordon White (Volunteer Coordinator) gordon@performancenetwork.org
Becky Fox (Children's Theatre Director) becky@performancenetwork.org
Box Office boxoffice@performancenetwork.org

carla@performancenetwork.org,david@performancenetw ork.org,
emilie@performancenetwork.org,gordon@performancene twork.org,
becky@performancenetwork.org,boxoffice@performance network.org

Performance Network Theatre
120 East Huron Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1437
Business Line: (734) 663-0696
Box Office: (734) 663-0681
Fax: (734) 663-7367

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Here is information from the Downtown Development Authority website. Rene Greff is a voluntary board member. Here is her profile.

http://www.ci.ann-arbor.mi.us/DDA/

http://www.ci.ann-arbor.mi.us/DDA/boardbios.pdf

Rene Greff - Secretary

Rene Greff has served on the Downtown Development Authority board since 2000, with terms as Secretary in 2001 and Vice Chair of the Board in 2002. She is the Chair of the Living Economy Network, served as Chair of the Main Street Area Association from 2001-2004, is on the boards of Recycle Ann Arbor and Ozone House, and is currently serving on the steering committees of the Environmental Justice Campaign and Democracy for America. Ms Greff has received numerous business recognitions for Arbor Brewing Company, including the Washtenaw County Environmental Excellence Award for Waste Reduction and Recycling (2000) and the Michigan Restaurant Association's Restaurant Neighbor Award for Community Service (2000).

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The City of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County received a complaint about Rene Greff in addition to Joe Turner's San Bernardino initiative. This is the complaint:

We are making a complaint against Rene Greff of Arbor Brewing Company. Rene Greff is a local businessperson and a member of several organizations in Ann Arbor Michigan . Rene Greff tries hard to promote herself as a benefactor, despite her engaging in wrong-doing and almost certainly committing crime by hiring illegal aliens. Hiring illegal aliens is not only reckless and irresponsible, but is in violation of state and federal law. Southeast Michigan is an economically depressed area and Rene Greff should have no problem finding Americans to fill her positions.

Rene Greff is certainly aware that America endures large costs on account of illegal immigration. Illegal immigration is part of a huge human and drug smuggling network that not only includes child prostitution and illegal identification fraud, but litters our borders with garbage and provides an easy entrance for terrorists to enter our country. There are so many illegal aliens using fake identification that vendors sell them in broad daylight on American street corners. Illegal aliens use these fake identifications to find work and apply for government services. Employers who hire illegals know it is wrong, but have little fear of reprisal and openly flaunt their indiscretions, as Rene Greff did in her recent comments to the Ann Arbor News.

Employers maximize their profits by hiring illegal aliens, even though working class Americans lose their jobs and have their wages undercut, in addition to sharing the costs as taxpayers. Government services for illegal aliens includes everything from health care, welfare, education, prison and parole, ad infinitum. Many illegal aliens are paid by their employers “under-the-tableâ€

http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:46f ... cd=4&gl=us

An email from Rene and Matt Greff of Arbor Brewing Company that is going around:

“Hi everyone,

In case you ran across a mean-spirited and deceptive lit piece going around town, I thought I’d provide a little background information. The piece was authored by Doug Cowherd and is sadly being distributed in the 5th ward by people Matt and I thought were our friends from the old Dean for America now Democracy for America group. And I am sure that many of you who were founding members of DFA are going to be as saddened as I am to have our organization connected to this kind of activity.

The gist of the piece is that incumbent 5th ward councilman Chris Easthope is in the pocket of downtown developers and the evidence for that is that he lined his pockets at a big fundraising event held by downtown property owners and developers who don’t even live in the city.

So in case you were scratching you head trying to figure out which big, evil, most likely right-wing out-of-town developer it was that raised $8,000 for Chris’ campaign – it was me and Matt.

Now first of all, I wish we were property owners in Ann Arbor (if we were maybe we’d have a car with air conditioning). And second, while it is true that we don’t live in the city, we live within easy biking distance (9 miles) and have certainly spent more time and money in Ann Arbor over the past 11 years than anywhere else. It’s not like we live in Santa Barbara and collect rent checks from the Arbor Brewing Company. We’re committed owner-operator-renters who are very involved with our business and our community.

To imply that we are carpet-bagging developers only interested in maximizing our own profits at the expense of the city is unfair and, frankly depressing. Ours is a great community of activists and I certainly don’t mean to imply that our efforts are greater than anyone else’s, but like many local progressive business owners, we have spent many tens of thousands of dollars and hours using our business to support progressive causes and candidates like Michigan Peaceworks, Planned Parenthood, Ecology Center, Sierra Club, Alma Wheeler Smith, Liz Brater, Lynn Rivers, and of course Howard Dean to name but a few. We have always tried to give more back to Ann Arbor than we have taken, have readily agreed to serve on boards and task forces, have worked to expand commercial recycling and composting downtown, and have fought against spending tax dollars to support developers. And have hosted and supported DFA for over three years.

Now since the smear flyer doesn’t mention us by name, this really isn’t about us, of course. To me, however, it is a frightening harbinger of things to come. I don’t know Chris’ opponent Sonia Schmerle personally but I have to assume she is a good and decent person who truly wants what’s best for her ward. But unfortunately, she was either unwilling or unable to stand up to Doug Cowherd and refuse to distribute his divisive and misleading message. It is so ironic to engage in republican-style dirty tricks to try and convince voters that you are the more progressive candidate. And I should also say that I was appalled to hear that the person distributing the flyers was also taking down Chris’ lit pieces. If this isn’t illegal, it is certainly not a shining example of our democratic process.

The reason I supported Chris Easthope strongly enough to hold a fundraiser for him – even though he opposed the parking structure I fought for – is that he is a true progressive in the best sense of the word. True progressives are not knee-jerk ideologues doing the bidding of any group that we might label pro or anti-development or anything else. And true progressives don’t use republican style black and white rhetoric to bully voters. (That’s probably why we lose so often – we feel compelled to acknowledge that the issues are complicated and not easily encapsulated in 30 second sound bites.) Chris is smart, creative, compassionate, and honest. He is a strong leader and I have seen him stand up to the mayor and his colleagues on council many times. He has fought for affordable housing, living wage, and the rights of the disenfranchised in our community. He has also listened to the concerns of independent owner-operators like us and understands the careful balance between encouraging urban growth and protecting the charm and character that makes ours one of the best downtowns in the state. He is not afraid to be the lone voice –but he also doesn’t relish it. He has tremendous leadership and a depth and breadth of knowledge that the city needs now more than ever as it faces tough contract negotiations and difficult decisions about the future of our downtown.

Just wanted to make sure that the truth isn’t the big loser in tomorrow’s election.

Thanks for your time

p.s. come celebrate our democracy at the Rebekah Warren election night party at Arbor Brewing or the Paul Schreiber election night party at the Corner Brewery.

Cheers! Rene and Matt Greffâ€

Welome to Alipac stopracism.

Anyone that hires illegals is taking food right out of the mouth's of the American people.

PS
Stopracism, you might want to send this to Glenn Beck and mention that he might want to talk about this on his program. How seeminlgy innocent Americans with businesses of all sizes get caught up in hiring and then defending their practice of hiring illegals. And it seems that when Americans express anger over the business owners betrayal, the business owners coupled with the illegals and advocates, still shine up, take out and use the almighty ( stupid) race card.

These are Arbor Brewery and Corner Brewery Health Violations from the Washtenaw County Environmental Health Division web site.

From food stored at improper temperatures, to a dishwasher not sanitizing properly; from insects in several locations, to food improperly stored underneath sewage lines; from unlabled chemical spray bottles, to missing paper towels at handwash sinks; from unclean utensils, containers, ovens, to a food employee observed washing food in a handwash sink, this litany of “criticalâ€

Rene Greff again uses the “not being honestâ€