Response to Georgia Eviction

Link to the article that appeared on my Facebook wall this morning: http://www.alternet.org/story/155292/dozens_of_police_evict_georgia_family_at_gunpoint_at_3am

Initial reactions: I am a very mood/emotion-driven person. It is part of why I started this blog, to get things off my chest that bother me, frustrate me, or otherwise have been on my mind. I felt a multitude of varying reactions.

Disgust-  I find the sheer degree of overreaction absurd. The simple thought that there may be Occupy people there drove them into such a panic they had to have that many people show up? Honestly? I could understand if the family had been violent, loud, outspoken in their refusal to leave. But this is a home with an 85 year old woman and a child in it. It's not as likely they're going to pull out guns and start shooting.

That they came in at 3 am at all to evict this family also disgusts me. I don't know specific details, perhaps they'd been told they had to be out by a certain date but it does not sound like it at all. In fact, it sounds like they were utterly surprised by it.

To come up to anyone, though, at this hour of the night and expect them to pack up and get out is unnecessary, cruel, absurd, and disgusting. Not only did they terrify the family, they also destroyed possessions and it sounds like they had absolutely no respect for the family.  This reminds me a bit of the police's response to the Occupy movement in general. Guess what, though?

You are still a person, regardless of your political views. Whether or not this family was part of Occupy, regardless of whether or not they support gay rights or whatever, that still gives the police NO right to treat them like this.

That's a problem that is getting disturbingly repetitive in our society today. It's coming up on the news more and more, things that are done to people unfairly. Cruelly. The people who were casually sprayed in the face when peacefully, calmly, even politely protesting in Oakland, I believe it was?

People being beaten, arrested for the most minor of made-up offenses. I understand that those in power are afraid of change, afraid of people discovering their own power, afraid of people getting angry and saying enough is enough. However, it is beyond my comprehension that people are okay with things like this occurring.  Yes, she was late on payments. Yes, life is not fair.

That doesn't mean it's okay that life isn't fair. That doesn't mean that it is okay that these things are happening. That doesn't mean that it's okay to just ignore it and pretend things will get better, to blame the people for what happens to them.

How is it that we come to this, yet we learn as children "Do unto others what you would have them do unto you"?  It is painfully simple. Beautifully so.  How would you feel, were this to happen to your family? Without warning, especially?

There are 24 empty houses for each homeless person. Look it up. Was this really necessary?


Aside from the fact that Occupy is not a violent movement, how many other things do you see wrong with this?  With this and so many other things happening daily in the news?

Why are more people not speaking out against these injustices?


I mean, the fact that they responded so extremely to what sounds like an anonymous tip is appalling. What, your instinctive response is to go on the attack with all kinds of weapons and force someone to leave their house, even though when you arrive there is ONE person camping in a tent outside??

Yes, they were lied to. That makes it worse, because they could have just knocked to see if anyone was home, instead of freaking out and forcibly evicting them for no real reason. 




Fear is a terrible thing. It's very sad when we see the police, who are supposed to be there to protect us, and are afraid of them instead.

The fact that he purposely chose to do so at night when there would be no cameras makes a very clear point that he knew it was wrong. They had to know, going in there, that something was amiss. And. They. Did. Not. Care.

If you too are disgusted by this, share this on your facebook. Share this with your friends. Share the article, share the knowledge.