Article from Rare by Bonnie Kristian.
Charlestown, Indiana, is a small town of about 8,000 people where the local government tried to force low-income familiesĀ out of their homes by drowning them in petty fines so the land could be sold to build a fancy new development.
This textbook case of the banality of evil sounds like the basis of a plausible sequel to the Christmas classic, Itās a Wonderful Life, but it is very much a real story. Scott ShackfordĀ explains at Reason:
Property owners were cited and fined hundreds of dollars for every individual violation. Unlike the usual practice in code enforcement, the owners were not given any grace period to correct the problems before the fines were levied: They were levied immediately andĀ compounded dailyĀ until the problems were fixed. And even when the violations were fixed, the owners had to pay the fines. The only relief offered to them came if they agreed to sell their properties to the developer.
Once the developer bought and boarded up the homes, by contrast, the city refrained from citing it for code violations. Neighbors complained that the companyās properties were overgrown and full of garbage and weeds, creating a public health risk. But the law wasnāt being used to target public health risks; it was being used to target people who wouldnāt sell.
Read the entire article at Rare.
Mr. Mayor, I suggest these people come to live with YOU since you are taking their homes. Of course, with new guests arriving, there are some regulations you must fulfill….since many are crippled and needing what they have in their present homes, like bathroom devices , bars, special seats and shower facilities to handle disabilities. Special walk ways must be built for the elderly and disabled. You would be able to handle the social cleaning needs all this traffic will bring but you’re a big man and since you are enthusiastic about your new buildings, we know you’d be enthusiastic about new guests in your household. Please see to getting this done within the prescribed time limit or face what you have been fining others.
We certainly hope there is a recall election in the future for you and your city thugs.
Bunch of Yankee democrats.
A bunch of damn yankee democrats.