Slog - Comments on He's a mean one, Mr. MoneyTree http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo I have a story in this week's paper about efforts by payday lenders to court minority communities by hiring black and Latino spokesmen and spreading money to nonprofits like the Urban League and El Centro de la Raza. The story mostly focuses on George Griffin, a black political consultant who's been hired by MoneyTree, a Renton-based lender. But the company's CEO, Dennis Bassford, shouldn't go unnoticed. I interviewed Bassford and Griffin together at the First Hill MoneyTree. I describe in the story how Bassford lurched over the desk between us to yell at me, getting inches from my face and... Copyright 2008 Thu, 28 Dec 2006 10:53:02 -0800 Mon, 15 Jan 2007 14:25:26 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by josh goodonya

]]> josh http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579233 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579233 City Thu, 28 Dec 2006 10:56:11 -0800 Comment by Correction Central It's *Moscatel*, not Muskatel.

]]> Correction Central http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579239 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579239 City Thu, 28 Dec 2006 11:09:01 -0800 Comment by Long memory Someone should ask George about former City Auditor Nora Masters, who accused him of sexual harassment while he worked for Mayor Rice and left the City after her complaint was dismissed.

]]> Long memory http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579248 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579248 City Thu, 28 Dec 2006 11:29:28 -0800 Comment by georgesux Long Memory remembers this: http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=2529896&date=19970321

]]> georgesux http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579252 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579252 City Thu, 28 Dec 2006 11:40:57 -0800 Comment by Original Andrew I'd let loose with the Xena battle cry then do a back flip over his desk.

]]> Original Andrew http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579254 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579254 City Thu, 28 Dec 2006 11:42:55 -0800 Comment by Mr. Yuk
When I saw the headline and George Griffin's face in the paper, I knew instantly what this was about. I think it suprises no one that knows George that he is working for the payday loan industry.

The allegation does not surprise me either. He acts all friendly, but is extremely creepy.


]]> Mr. Yuk http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579263 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579263 City Thu, 28 Dec 2006 11:56:15 -0800 Comment by SeMe Predators working for predatory lenders? Pimping aint ez.

]]> SeMe http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579265 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579265 City Thu, 28 Dec 2006 11:57:54 -0800 Comment by tomasyalba In future I hope everyone is nice to that other "Grinch" Al Moscatel. He (ex-Mercer Island and UW b-baller) is a young gun of an oldish family listed by P-I as among largest stakeholders in viaduct-adjacent land. Continental Furniture/Continental Tower block, and the Herpes block under Club Venom including that parking lot where people get shot now and again at closing time. Chastened by "Grinch" award, Moscatel will behave really super-nicely from now on to all his fellow citizens.

]]> tomasyalba http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579272 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579272 City Thu, 28 Dec 2006 12:18:28 -0800 Comment by S.MIRK hoorah for being tough and shouting at assholes.

]]> S.MIRK http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579425 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579425 City Thu, 28 Dec 2006 16:07:30 -0800 Comment by Bob Odd that The Stranger would preoccupy itself with eliminating a rather marginal financial industry that gives poor people in WA access to a billion dollars in loans each year, and generates almost no complaints to the regulating state agency (the advocacy and complaints of unaffected, patronizing limousine liberals notwithstanding), and then leave entirely unaddressed larger financial industry concerns of the poor and middle class alike: Credit card "penalty" interest rates, late fees, and bank overdraft fees that are not capped, are punitive, and affect way more people adversely than payday loans do. How many more poor people have credit cards as opposed to those who take out payday loans? 1000-times more? 10,000-times more? Apparently social justice only appeals to The Stranger in small doses, and its righteous indigation is meted out only for the more politically marginal (heaven forbid anyone persecute poor wittle MBNA, for example!).

]]> Bob http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579879 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/12/hes_a_mean_one_mr_mo#c579879 City Fri, 29 Dec 2006 15:29:55 -0800 Comment by Interesting Angle So...

The Stranger, Basically a group of middle aged, white, wannabe hipsters sends in a newly hired Little Brown Girl (latino), to criticize a white man, who hired a black (African American) man as his community outreach person?

Pot, meet Kettle

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