Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Just show me a sign -- I can't break it down

Sheriff
came into workplace yesterday and said he needed to see a particular employee for a minute, to give him a piece of paper.
I called the employee up to the front.
The Sheriff gave him the paper and left.
The guy looked at his piece of paper, read a little, then handed it to me and, stressed, asked "What does this mean?"

I read it -- gist was landlord wanted him to leave the house he was renting from her by midnight Thursday. It began with three -- sort of -- accusations: You did --
this,
and this,
and this.
So I want you out by Thur. night.

The stuff she listed was, (if you will pardon use of local vernacular), "a load of crap." It was obvious that the landlord just wanted the guy to move out and was sort of "trumping up" allegations -- such as, You didn't mow the lawn often enough.

I asked him point-blank, "Do you have loud parties?" Because he's in that age group. He said No, he doesn't. And there was nothing on the piece of paper about loud parties. And nothing about him not paying the rent. So it appeared that the basics of being a desirable tenant were intact.

The more I think about it, the more disgusted I feel.
And come to find out, today, as this guy is OUT of work, probably losing pay if he's on the clock (I don't know), running around making arrangements to move on short notice, during the work-week when he hasn't got the time, calling up to get the income verification for the new rental situation, and with his department inconvenienced because he's not here to help with production -- I call up a local lawyer, a former State's Attorney, and guess what? The landlord can GIVE a person the three day get-out notice or whatever it is, but you can IGNORE IT. (?!) It's one of those. You can ignore it and stay 30 days.

So it was all basically just an Exercise In Intimidation 101.

Bottom line for my co-worker: he's moving, and that's good because that landlord doesn't deserve any more of his money.

However:
this incident has caused me to look askance at the Whole Scene where sheriff deputies come into a private company and "serve papers" to workers, many of whom are terrified immigrants. It has crossed my mind before that it's just a lot of sadistic bullying (not by the law enforcement guys -- they're just doing what their boss says they're supposed to) -- but by local "businesses" and miscellaneous what-have-you's who grasp desperately at any slim opportunity to feel superior to somebody.

Most of the time these yahoos do not feel superior to anyone, and with good reason.

I wondered, is there an epidemic in our Society of Picking On The Poor? When I asked the attorney that, she said, with sardonic "Friends"-style 'spin' in her tone, "Ya think?" And she followed that with, "Try driving-while-brown."

Huh. D-W-B.

------------------------------------
Then I think about the national scene, and I think, It isn't just Picking On The Poor. It's PICKING ON PEOPLE, and maybe the poor absorb more of the abuse because they're not as lawyered-up as the wealthy.

There is something about Appearing Vulnerable, these days, which seems to draw fire.

And whereas before, I assumed if a sheriff's deputy walked in here with "papers" (oooh, papers!) that it was about some legitimate unpaid bill; this goes to show where "assuming" stuff gets you... now, after reading that silly Get out of the house you're paying rent on because I say so ("fee-fi-fo-fum!") sheet of paper, I find myself questioning the whole picture.

Like -- what percentage of the papers brought in here by sheriff's office people over the past three years have been silly, gratuitous displays of smug contempt and mindless bullying, and nothing legitimate at all?

And meanwhile -- this is the best part, a front-page story in our paper warns people to lock garages, cars, and "sheds" because -- there's been people calling in about theft, burglary, and vandalism.

No kidding -- that's because The Law is out here interrupting the Work to intimidate the powerless on behalf of local bullies and busybodies, instead of protecting the community.

Eeerrrrmmmmhh ... need pillow, book, cat.

-30-

1 comment:

  1. This post gives me so much to think about. I think there is more picking on being done. Politicians and media types tell the unemployed to "find a job." But there are no jobs. The rich want to keep their tax cuts, but those tax cuts aren't creating jobs and that lost revenue means cuts in infrastructure or services or it means that the middle and working classes have to make up for those taxes by paying higher local fees, etc.

    Imagine a world where compassion is the driving force. How wonderful would that be?

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