Today in Washington DC ... [updated]

Talk about the well off stealing from the poor! Hope these people realize that they aren't safe from this kind of situation. This is why I don't have many possessions anymore. I never really did anyway, but I let go of things I don't need a few years ago. It all started when my mom had died and how we had no choice but to trash everything. It was painful to do it, because me and my brother were literally throwing away her life. Everything she worked for, everything she liked. All she did was work, work, work, even while sick just to keep up with the bills, which she couldn't. She was doing ok until she got sick and ended up in the hospital for over a month and for two years, she never got out of the hole, in fact, she only sunk deeper no matter how hard she tried. But even before and after we were getting rid of her stuff, people were coming out of the wood work demanding we sell them her house for $5000 or cheaper.

When my grandma died many years ago, it was worse because every relative was fighting over her possessions. What began as a discussion on who gets who, it ended up being a free for all. I even had one aunt declare that because her and her son cried the hardest at the funeral, they should be entitled to everything. It's just crazy how sudden people transform into vultures over material things. It's sad too.

I have many more examples but this is where I learned that having a bunch of stuff is just clutter. I have taught my girlfriend this concept, even though she wasn't much of a pack rat anyway, she still had clutter just laying around. Now me and her could move out today in under an hour if we wanted to. I remember when I had told some people this, they would be shocked by it. "Oh why would you do that, you could maybe pass some of that to your kids", I always said what's the point? Be it now or in 20 years, it'll all be in a rubbish pile somewhere.

Originally posted by doctorvannostren
OK Im gonna play devils advocate here. Ill actually be doing you a favor because it will keep this pointless thread alive.

Are you a child? Do you really live in this world and still not understand what kind of animal you, I, and everybody else is? You cant tell me that all you guys are this shocked right now. With every moment that passes somebody is being MURDERED somewhere.

So the woman gets evicted. By law she was given at least 30 days notice. Thats after her landlord let her slide for god knows how many months without paying. Shes elderly, but thats life. She KNEW what was going to happen yet made the decision to do nothing. I dont buy her not having money either. Obviously if shes living in NW she has something. She needs to conform to the world shes been living in for 80 years or swallow her pride and call family or friends when she needs assistance.

As far as people taking her stuff goes, I dont know what you guys would rather see happen. I even saw a post where some guy suggested her having a gun as a solution! I mean gimme a break. So you would rather have a murder scene than an eviction!? Would you rather the stuff just rot on the sidewalk!? You cant make me believe that those successful men and women were taking that junk without permission.

And then another member proceeds to ramble on about this entire city being possessed by satan! Ive lived here my entire life and will try everything in my power to stay, because I love this city. Going somewhere else is like going back in time 10 years. This thread is nothing but a group of sheep following each other single file. Your next thread should be titled: "OMG gas prices suck!"

Let me ponder a bit about the point you try to make with your post..

Results 1 - 10 from 148 in finding a point. (the search took 0,34 seconds)

Uhm I see no point..Therefore=FAIL!

This story grinds my gears to no end. You have a much more level head than I because I would have pulled up beside them, gone into my trunk and grabbed the tire iron, and let them know how things were going to go. I don't take that crap.

I'm just glad she is going to be alright (hopefully) but this really sheds a light on the way America is heading, if we aren't already there. My best wishes.

reply to post by Helig


You would be surprised by how many wealthy parasites are out there. In my homestate during hurricane relief operations these same kind of people would come by multiple relief distribution points multiple times a day trying to get more than what was allocated. They had terrible attitudes, were picky and did not thank us. They were far worse and persistent than any other income class of people.

I was told this was typical and do not cater to them. Just because theyre rich doesn't mean they should get more than anyone else.

And that is why I'll never live in an inner city where nobody knows anybody. I tip my hat to you sir for your care and compassion to a fellow human being. To those that do both good deeds and bad deeds....What goes aroung comes around. God bless you.

I would have lost it and started smashing sculls in, Scum like that don't deserve to live among us.

Its hard to believe that not one good man stood up and protected this Lady's belongings. Thats D.C. for you I guess.

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

reply to post by schrodingers dog


S+F for you, SD.

You are undoubtedly the right material for a true american hero.

bless you

I wish to also throw in my kudos to dog for being a great Human Being.

SD...I'm interested to hear if you take one of the suggestions to get this some media attention.

If not the Post...(I doubt the Wash. Times would be very interested.... Forget them!) ---

Possibly City Paper?

Or, Mayor Fenty's office...perhaps a Ward District Representative...

Just off the top of my head. I know you said you didn't want to invest too much emotion into it, but a little community activism perhaps?

Let me know if I can help in any way......

[edit on 2 October 2009 by weedwhacker]

Originally posted by Kryties
You would never see that happening in Australia. Here, we have laws governing how long a person can be given to collect their stuff when evicted from a house. The only time you EVER see peoples stuff on the side of the road is if it has been put out there by the resident deliberately for someone else to take. We have what we call "Council Cleanup" every few months - it's a time to get rid of all your old junk but there is an unwritten agreement between ALL Aussies that if it's out on the side of the road for cleanup, it's fair game.

Back to the point though, tenants in Australia are given a minimum of 48 hours from eviction in order to collect and secure their stuff. If the stuff is not collected, if it is in a rental home it becomes the owners property or if it's a mortgage home it goes to government auction.

[edit on 2/10/2009 by Kryties]

We have the exact same thing here. If you read my original posts:

Eviction Process in Illinois:
1) Tenant must be at least 30 days (most judges will turn you down unless it's more than 60 days/2months) behind in their rent to file paperwork.
2) Landlord must notify the tenant that they are being evicted, then file paperwork with our county courts, usually another 5-7 Business days from the time of the eviction filing to the court date. At that point, the tenant must appear in court.
3) After the eviction is approved by the courts, the tenant has 5 days to remove his/her items from the premises.
4) If items are not removed, the landlord must file more paperwork to have a State/County Sheriff present to supervise the landlord removing the tenants items and to keep any fights from breaking out. The Landlord is required by law to notify the evicted tenant of the DATE and TIME that the officer will show up to supervise a forced eviction.
5) Once everything is removed, the sheriff leaves.

So again... She knew about this at least 45-60 days in advance and had that time to remove her stuff. She also had a 5 day notice when the actual eviction HAPPENED. Then even if she DIDN'T remove her stuff, she probably had another couple weeks before it was actually forcibly removed from her home.

And before we get into the whole "Mortgage Eviction Vs. Rental Eviction" argument, the laws are the same here in the US. US mortgage companies must follow the same rules.

I actually think that the laws you cited in Australia are worse... so wait, if she doesn't remove her items and it's rental property, the landlord just automatically gets to steal everything she owns? And if it's a mortgage foreclosure the government steals it and auctions it off?

That sounds terrible... at least here we give people a huge window of notice and then remove their property so they still have a chance to do with it what they will.

Originally posted by Jamesy_boy
Plus in the UK as an EX tenant my self we have quite a lot of rights.......

It would take quite a bit to shift someone.

And Generally landlords are fairly reasonable in the uk

I honestly can't see a UK landlord shifting a 60 year old women out onto the street.

No matter what.

Really? OK, let's take my family as an example.

We have an 8 unit building. We owe ~ $60,000/yr in taxes on the building, have the building to maintain, and a mortgage that is about $40,000/yr. Our average rent is $1,100/mo for our units.

So let's do some basic math:

We owe $60,000+$40,000=$100,000/yr on the building
We receive ($1,100*8)*12 = $105,600/yr from the building

Income $105,600/yr - Expenses $100,000/yr = Profit $5,600/yr.

So if we have a 60 year old woman living in our building who has refused to pay rent for 3 months, owes us $3,300+ dollars (including late fees) we should just let her stay? Let her steal that money from our family? I mean we still need to pay the bills every month and on tax day, but we should lay out that money to help her?

What about us? What about our family?

I'm not saying that this is the case here, but I think you're being a little naive thinking that no old people would ever get evicted if they can't pay their rent in the UK... sorry.

Maybe you have a similar law to the Aussies where the landlord just gets to keep all of your possessions if you don't remove them... that would explain never seeing something like this.

~Peace

Sad to say but I seen this also In my home town. I seen a lady holding 3 kids crying on a strangers cell phone. from what I understood she was calling her husband and familly she seemed to have skipped 2 months of rent and the owner put all her stuff on the sidewalk when she left to do her groceries or something.

Ya I know she should have paid. The owner to needs to pay his morgage but seriously devastating and disgusting to see. Specially to see people pass by and just grab a lamp or something on the way like nothing was ... She was screaming her head out : thats mine, thats mine please I have nothing left. To make things worst it started to rain.

I didnt live to far and was going to get some cigarettes when this happened. I was so upside down when I saw her scream because people were taking her stuff I crossed the street on the way back and pushed a guy ( It was just stronger then me, it was the right thing to do for me at that moment ) that was going through her belongings but there were others just standing there like voltures waiting while this older man was trying to calm her down. The 3 kids obviously didnt understand what was going on from the look on their face. But as I was about to get into an altercation (he standed no chance anyways) the lady just came up to me and said thank you but its too late they have already taken everything that was valuable for me and their is nothing left (She had just avoided jail for me). They even took my pictures from my children and my mariage and tears kept going down her face ...

Without ever saying a word I shacked my head and just left while looking at that /?%?? that was still stairing at me like if he didnt understand why I came up to him like that. Unbelievable. Even if I was trained to put emotion a side this obviously triggered something in me. I never seen her or her kids again.

This could of been a member of my familly or a friend and no one did anything to help besides one man, olderly man who was trying to calm her down and let her use his cell. He was visibly desapointed in what he was seeing but intimidated.

For this my brothers and many other things I have no respect and pitty, specially for those who pray on the weak. I seen so much worse but that is an other story ...

Trust No One, Fear No One ...

[edit on 2-10-2009 by NIGHTRID3R]

reply to post by schrodingers dog


This is disgusting, I used to live near DC during my childhood. Ive seen some crazy stuff but this is aweful. Why would these people stop, get out of their cars, and go rummage through this womans belongings all without hearing this person crying her eyes out?? Would it even matter if it were their mother or grandmother?

reply to post by schrodingers dog


You're a good person S-dog. The world would be a better place if more people acted as you did.

Big S/F for you.

Originally posted by spacebot

Originally posted by doctorvannostren
OK Im gonna play devils advocate here. Ill actually be doing you a favor because it will keep this pointless thread alive.

Are you a child? Do you really live in this world and still not understand what kind of animal you, I, and everybody else is? You cant tell me that all you guys are this shocked right now. With every moment that passes somebody is being MURDERED somewhere.

So the woman gets evicted. By law she was given at least 30 days notice. Thats after her landlord let her slide for god knows how many months without paying. Shes elderly, but thats life. She KNEW what was going to happen yet made the decision to do nothing. I dont buy her not having money either. Obviously if shes living in NW she has something. She needs to conform to the world shes been living in for 80 years or swallow her pride and call family or friends when she needs assistance.

As far as people taking her stuff goes, I dont know what you guys would rather see happen. I even saw a post where some guy suggested her having a gun as a solution! I mean gimme a break. So you would rather have a murder scene than an eviction!? Would you rather the stuff just rot on the sidewalk!? You cant make me believe that those successful men and women were taking that junk without permission.

And then another member proceeds to ramble on about this entire city being possessed by satan! Ive lived here my entire life and will try everything in my power to stay, because I love this city. Going somewhere else is like going back in time 10 years. This thread is nothing but a group of sheep following each other single file. Your next thread should be titled: "OMG gas prices suck!"

Let me ponder a bit about the point you try to make with your post..

Results 1 - 10 from 148 in finding a point. (the search took 0,34 seconds)

Uhm I see no point..Therefore=FAIL!

Well good riddance guy. Dont give up though, im pulling for you!

Guys, are you serious? Still people line up to express how terrible this is? This is NOTHING. This is America! She will still go to bed with a full stomach. Are you people really this sheltered from life in the real world?

Originally posted by titorite
They were stealing... Her stuff may be in the street but it IS STILL HERS! Take photos. Get names and addresses... Call your cop friend again... and if you have the room help her store what she has...

That is a very sad thing to hear about Schordingers dog.

Freaking horrible.... and that is what this country has become..... Horrible.

Travesties like this have become everyday... and that is what is in my mind..... how does one be the change they want to see in such a case?

If this was DC city limits - the police won't do a darn thing, unless it was one of their own.

Those people are the same ones who will beg for your help when bad times come, but they'll be the first to revolt everyone against you and throw you out of your own house so they can get the space. This is why i have no friends, just my wife and my kids, no one else matters. I use to think it was awsome to have bbq at my house and have people come over, the day i asked for help to move no one was there, since then i could care less who calls me or not to go and hang out. i'm in this sh*t on my own and that's just fine.

You should be posting this story on other sites, as specially where it will be seen by a much larger group of people & possibly even some of the scavengers themselves.

Post it on Myspace & Facebook, along with close-ups of the peoples faces..

Name and Shame..!!!

reply to post by schrodingers dog


...anyone remember what roy batty said to chu in his lab, in 'Blade Runner?'...

here is part of it, by William Blake, an american poet in 1791 (shortened for

the sake of time).

"A Prophecy


The Guardian Prince of Albion burns in his nightly tent,
Sullen fires across the Atlantic glow to America's shore:
Piercing the souls of warlike men, who rise in silent night,
Washington, Franklin, Paine & Warren, Gates, Hancock & Green;
Meet on the coast glowing with blood from Albions fiery Prince.

Washington spoke; Friends of America look over the Atlantic sea;
A bended bow is lifted in heaven, & a heavy iron chain t158
Descends link by link from Albions cliffs across the sea to bind
Brothers & sons of America, till our faces pale and yellow;
Heads deprest, voices weak, eyes downcast, hands work-bruis'd,
Feet bleeding on the sultry sands, and the furrows of the whip
Descend to generations that in future times forget.----

The strong voice ceas'd; for a terrible blast swept over the heaving sea;
The eastern cloud rent; on his cliffs stood Albions wrathful Prince
A dragon form clashing his scales at midnight he arose,
And flam'd red meteors round the land of Albion beneath[.]
His voice, his locks, his awful shoulders, and his glowing eyes,

Appear to the Americans upon the cloudy night.

Solemn heave the Atlantic waves between the gloomy nations,
Swelling, belching from its deeps red clouds & raging Fires!
Albion is sick. America faints! enrag'd the Zenith grew.
As human blood shooting its veins all round the orbed heaven
Red rose the clouds from the Atlantic in vast wheels of blood
And in the red clouds rose a Wonder o'er the Atlantic sea;
Intense! naked! a Human fire fierce glowing, as the wedge
Of iron heated in the furnace; his terrible limbs were fire
With myriads of cloudy terrors banners dark & towers
Surrounded; heat but not light went thro' the murky atmosphere

The King of England looking westward trembles at the vision

Albions Angel stood beside the Stone of night, and saw
The terror like a comet, or more like the planet red
That once inclos'd the terrible wandering comets in its sphere.
Then Mars thou wast our center, & the planets three flew round
Thy crimson disk; so e'er the Sun was rent from thy red sphere;
The Spectre glowd his horrid length staining the temple long
With beams of blood; & thus a voice came forth, and shook the temple "

I wrote this because all around us we see calamity, from the curbside

shame endured by this innocent old woman, to typhoons and tsunamis in

the pacific. In your last hours, do you want to be remembered for taking

an old lady's shoes, when you have plenty?

shame on them.

Any way to help? Yes, don't do that. Be kind to your neighbor even during

calamity, but run if they start shooting!

reply to post by doctorvannostren


What? Did you register just to bash this thread?
I can understand someone not being supprised that this could happen in America today, but to bash people for feeling sympathetic, sad and outraged over this is...