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Getbig Main Boards => Politics and Political Issues Board => Topic started by: Hugo Chavez on October 05, 2011, 03:38:19 AM

Title: You gotta see this: federal & local law enforcement stealing property for profit
Post by: Hugo Chavez on October 05, 2011, 03:38:19 AM: Imagine you own a million-dollar piece of property free and clear, but then the federal government and local law enforcement agents announce that they are going to take it from you, not compensate you one dime, and then use the money they get from selling your land to pad their budgets—all this even though you have never so much as been accused of a crime, let alone convicted of one.

That is the nightmare Russ Caswell and his family is now facing in Tewksbury, Mass., where they stand to lose the family-operated motel they have owned for two generations.

Seeking to circumvent state law and cash in on the profits, the Tewksbury Police Department is working with the U.S. Department of Justice to take and sell the Caswells property because a tiny fraction of people who have stayed at the Motel Caswell during the past 20 years have been arrested for crimes. Keep in mind, the Caswells themselves have worked closely with law enforcement officials to prevent and report crime on their property. And the arrests the government complains of represent less than .0005 percent of the 125,000 rooms the Caswells have rented over that period of time.

Despite all this, the Caswells stand to lose literally everything they have worked for because of this effort by federal and local law enforcement officials not to pursue justice, but rather to police for profit.

How widespread is the problem of civil forfeiture abuse nationwide? In 1986, the year after the U.S. Department of Justice’s Asset Forfeiture Fund was created—the fund that holds the forfeiture proceeds from properties forfeited under federal law and available to be paid out to law enforcement agencies—took in just $93.7 million. Today it holds more than $1.6 billion.

The Institute for Justice, a national public interest law firm that fights civil forfeiture abuse nationwide, is now representing the Caswells in defense of their property and their constitutional rights.

Learn more: http://www.ij.org/massforf

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Title: Re: You gotta see this: federal & local law enforcement stealing property for profit
Post by: Soul Crusher on October 05, 2011, 04:22:10 AM: Civil foerfieture laws are disgraceful. When I started the police state thread, this is exactly what I had in mind.
Title: Re: You gotta see this: federal & local law enforcement stealing property for profit
Post by: Hugo Chavez on October 05, 2011, 04:29:27 AM: I've heard about it before, but had no idea it was this bad.

I wanted to puke reading this:
http://www.forbes.com/2011/06/08/property-civil-forfeiture.html

I can't fathom how this is allowed to happen in America?
Title: Re: You gotta see this: federal & local law enforcement stealing property for profit
Post by: Soul Crusher on October 05, 2011, 04:37:39 AM: Quote from: Hugo Chavez on October 05, 2011, 04:29:27 AM
I've heard about it before, but had no idea it was this bad.

I wanted to puke reading this:
http://www.forbes.com/2011/06/08/property-civil-forfeiture.html

I can't fathom how this is allowed to happen in America?

It's a lot worse than you think.
Title: Re: You gotta see this: federal & local law enforcement stealing property for profit
Post by: Hugo Chavez on October 05, 2011, 05:17:17 AM: I think I posted on it a while back, if you just have a lot of cash on you they can take it and you have to prove it's not drug money rather than they having to prove it is... really disgusting.. And I guess they do this like crazy in the south.
Title: Re: You gotta see this: federal & local law enforcement stealing property for profit
Post by: tonymctones on October 05, 2011, 05:31:46 AM: didnt know they had the right to do that?

I knew about imminent domain or whatever but i didnt know they have the right to just take your shit and not give you anything, thats fucked man.
Title: Re: You gotta see this: federal & local law enforcement stealing property for profit
Post by: Hugo Chavez on October 05, 2011, 06:39:04 AM: bump, people gotta see this shit.
Title: Re: You gotta see this: federal & local law enforcement stealing property for profit
Post by: Overload on October 05, 2011, 08:56:19 AM: Quote from: Hugo Chavez on October 05, 2011, 05:17:17 AM
I think I posted on it a while back, if you just have a lot of cash on you they can take it and you have to prove it's not drug money rather than they having to prove it is... really disgusting.. And I guess they do this like crazy in the south.

This does happen a lot.

On a different note, a good friend of mine had recently sold a car for 12k cash. He still had the money in his briefcase and was on his way to the bank when he was pulled over for speeding. When he opened his briefcase to get his driver's license the police officer saw the wad of cash and ended up searching him for drugs and confiscated the the money until my friend could prove the money was from a car sale.

I'm not sure how this all played out in the end, but i believe he got the money back after a lot of back and forth bullshit and hiring a good attorney.

8)
Title: Re: You gotta see this: federal & local law enforcement stealing property for profit
Post by: loco on October 05, 2011, 09:10:02 AM: This happens in the USA? Castro and Chavez style. :'(
Title: Re: You gotta see this: federal & local law enforcement stealing property for profit
Post by: Skip8282 on October 05, 2011, 06:38:31 PM: This is some fucked up shit.

Sounds like they could probably take just about any hotel they wanted. Probably some type of criminal activity has occured almost everywhere?