I found this shocking video at TinyHouses.com. As shown in the video, the government is now making SWAT type raids and levying heavy fines against poor people in the desert east of Los Angeles, and essentially forcing people off their land for what many would consider minor issues. (Millions of people live like this in isolated areas of the U.S.) I’m wondering if this an isolated incident in order to snatch up land for future development or is it part of a larger state or national plan? Don’t watch the video if you’re easily disturbed by this sort of thing. I’ve added it here because building code issues are one of the most popular topics on this blog.
Update?
I suggest a google search to see if things have changed.
With all due respect, I disagree with the warning not to “watch the video if you’re easily disturbed by this sort of thing”. To the converse, people should be encouraged to watch it. People need to be aware and know what it going on, because this is not an isolated case and it has occurred in other parts of this country. And will probably spread.
This is coercion and harassment, supported and enforced by a county agency. I suspect that if this were to go as far as a lawsuit in court, the publicity would anger and recruit many people and civil rights organizations with support for these people. Because they represent ALL of us and our rights.
I suspect the county was ‘reassured’ by the county legal department or consul that their actions had full support of the local laws. But that is not in concrete, and with the right defense lawyer team, they would lose. And be held accountable.
These people need our support. If they don’t, this will set a precedent for similar coercion and harassment throughout this country. Everywhere.
Good point. I agree. If this isn’t stopped it will likely spread.
Use to be hard times for people not considered white. Welcome to oppression by the fascist U.S.A. Now everyone can experience oppression. The gov. rather have land empty, than people living off grid. They even tell ya how large, and what kind of home you may build, on your own land.
Serfdom is back!
I dont understand your white comment.
It should be interesting as the economy just gets worse. Its getting very hard for the average person to own a home.Funny how many rules a person has on what they do on property they own. I could see problems if you bought land with many homes around you and wanted to build a home that wouldnt blend in.
Social Services’s moto is “SELF SUFFICIENCY, and SELF RELIANCE – but that is just a lie.
Our government really wants people, “dependent”, on the system, in order to control us better, when the New World Order becomes more overt. Keeping us distracted, defenseless, and dummied-down with government bullies intimidating people is all part of their plan. They are merely perfecting their methods with these innocents.
I think so, too.
Nicely put…
i’d like to add to my above comment that i support ‘the code’ and do not disagree with code enforcement IF it is legitimate – as in, it protects people and the environment. but if someone violates the code and it doesn’t harm people or the environment, then who cares? in this video, it is obvious the people are not affecting or harming anyone or anything.
issuing minor fines for code violations is one thing (which i don’t agree with), but EVICTING these people from their property is another thing altogether.
on what grounds are they doing this? as this is in complete violation of our rights in the U.S., it makes you wonder how far this is going to go.
very scary when they are trying to prevent us from living on our own and supplying our own water/energy/food.
with these ‘building codes’ they try to trap you. try to get a permit for an earthbag building where no code exists, and they run you through all kinds of hoops and make you do unnecessary things that cost a lot of money (or tell you outright you can’t build). so then one is encouraged to just build without a permit. that would just mean you get a fine IF they find out and use their time/resources to harass you. but now if they start seizing property or evicting people for ‘code violations’ – just wow. we can’t let this happen, we have to stand up for ourselves.
Of course the government are attacking these ppl, they are living a self-sustainable lifestyle, and not paying the bullshit fees and taxes. Come to Texas, gov officials, we know how to deal with you ppl, with a shotgun. The government is extorting these ppl to get money.
That’s why they’re using SWAT type raids. At first they catch people off guard and no one gets hurt. Over time, people are going to wise up, get armed and get organized. This could get very serious when people start getting killed.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/create.html
allows you to create a petition and send it to elected officials. I am willing to launch this with support from this group to spread the word.
Up to you. They probably won’t pay any attention and/or you may get on some watch list. Sounds negative, I know, but that’s how bad things have gotten.
This really comes at no surprise to me. LA County has rules and regulations for everything. I suspect that the bottom line is money. LA County and the city certainly wouldn’t hesitate to use whatever means possible to obtain land that is beneficial to them. One only has to look at the history of the LA aquaduct and the Owens Valley to understand.
It could be development. But there could be another possibility.
Just to the east of Antelope Valley is the city of Barstow and the town of Hinkley. Some here might remember the movie Erin .Brokovich. Water contamination was the issue. The story was centered in Hinkley. Now this is all just conjecture, but suppose the water in that area is contaminated. The county maybe using code enforcement to move people off their property without disclosing the real reason. If the county was somehow complicit in the contamination, the liability issues would be enormous.
I believe it was less then a year ago Barstow residents went without water for a while because of military contamination of ground water.
It just makes one wonder why now? The economy has tanked. The state, county and city coffers are empty. What is the likely hood of developing a major highway, or rail? With the glut of houses on the market, housing seems just as unlikely.
Very interesting. All we can do is guess their motive. They’re not running everybody off. One guy was mostly harassed about his antique car collection and made to pay for licensing each one. So I think it’s mostly about raising funds for the various departments. If they drive everyone off the land, then there’s probably other reasons.
You know the whole thing seems fishy. You can’t get blood from a turnip. Most people who are living in that area are poor. That is the reason they are living there. It is a desolate and hostile environment/less expensive property. As desert areas go it is not all that attractive. It is not Sedona or even as nice as the eastern Mojave.
The county can write all the citations they want, but if the residents have no money then those fees become tax leans. Those leans if left unpaid means the county will seize the property and auction them off. Eventually the people will be forced to move and relinquish their property. Much easier and cheaper then using eminent domain.
How the county would benefit much from enforcing motor vehicle registration is beyond me Most likely the guy with the cars needed to have them filed with a certificate of non-operation. Probably only 20 dollars a car. Not much in revenue. Of course there is a probability that the county has various ordinances against non moving vehicles being stored. Usually they require them to be hidden from view behind a fence.
I suspect they’re starting with those who are least able to defend themselves and then they’ll gradually attack those with more money. Also, some with inside knowledge might buy up the land for something in the future.
There’s already a fair amount of money involved. One article I read said one family was slowly drained of $100,000 in life savings. The retired couple lost everything. First they fine people on the weeds, then piles of junk, and the process escalates. So again, I think money is at the root of this.
This could answer the motive question possibly…
http://www.streetinsider.com/Corporate+News/Exelon+%28EXC%29+Acquires+Antelope+Valley+Solar+Ranch+from+First+Solar+%28FSLR%29%3B+Affirms+U.S.+DoE+%24646M+Guarantee/6823382.html
This may be old news, just ran across it randomly having read this article a week ago and it jumped out at me.
Thanks for the link. That could be the reason.
An investigative journalist should look into this. Find out who bought up the land that was taken away from those people.
Yeah this is outrageous. We moved to remote Utah from NW California because of precisely this crap. It’s our mission to eventually find the most out of the way places to live so that we can be independent and not have government tell us how to live, what to think, what to eat, what to say…etc. This sort of passive (and increasingly overt) fascism was exactly what we have been trying to avoid. It’s too bad we have to fight the far left, and the far right – it seems that every extreme group wants to control people. Ayn Rand was a prophet it seems.
“There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What’s there in that for anyone?
***But just pass the kinds of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted – and you create a nation of lawbreakers***
– and then you cash in on guilt. Now that’s the system, Mr. Rearden, that’s the game, and once you understand it, you’ll be much easier to deal with.”
– Atlas shrugged (emphasis mine)
They might consider that a thought crime… (just kidding).
One of my favorite quotes from my favorite thinker.
I didnt hear any mention of permits,did the people have a permit?(yeah i know) Ive been looking into how to build a home and without the dam permit they can show up and fine you for anything that dosent meet code.I met someone who does surveying and he told me that people buy forty acres in the sticks thinking theyll be left alone and the tax accesors and inspectors actually use satelites and small planes to look at your place and if anything sparks intertest theyll show up to inspect.
That’s part of the problem, but it’s more than that. I read more stories and they’re clearly harassing people for anything and everything — antique cars that aren’t licensed, weeds, supposed complaints from neighbors 10 miles away, etc. If they applied their system to the entire US, then they’d find problems with almost every home. Plus, their use of SWAT type raids is way over the top. Imagine opening the door and seeing your house surrounded with cops in SWAT gear.
Get ready for intrusive home inspections in Australia:
Australia’s ‘Carbon Police” May Enter Premises http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/06/12/australias-carbon-police-may-enter-premises/
This makes me so angry.
It’s so wrong. My research last night leads me to believe we’ll be seeing a lot more of this. It’s almost inevitable since city, county and state coffers are running low. Local governments have already started down the road to fining people for all sorts of things to make up budget shortfalls. Aggressively pursuing those who are most defenseless is likely the next step. Expect to see all sorts of fines for weeds, brush piles, clutter in the yard, poorly maintained structures, etc. Either that or government will voluntarily downsize. How likely is that?
I’m researching Nuisance Abatement Teams and Nuisance Abatement Programs. It seems the main intent of the out of control government agencies is to extract as much money as possible through fines and taxes.
FOURTH AMENDMENT OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, AGAINST UNREASONABLE SEARCHES AND SEIZURES, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
The key word is “unreasonable”. Since 9/11, everything possible has been deemed to be reasonable by the courts tasked with interpreting the amendment. What good is a bill of rights if it’s enforceable against the same entity that’s charged with determining what it means and when it applies? It’s a classic fox-guarding-the-henhouse situation.
I always wonder what people who really believe in the democratic process have to say about outrages like these. It’s clear as day that the un-elected perpetrators aren’t accountable to anyone and make a mockery out of their duty to the public, all while hiding behind the government’s guns. What do you do when the people attacking you are the ones who are supposed to protect you?
Well said. This could get real serious. See Comply or Else! http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/25816 They think this is part of Agenda 21. Some may think Agenda 21 would be impossible to implement. Think again and read this article about the new Rural Council. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/does-the-new-white-house-rural-council-uns-agenda-21/ This council is supposed to be for economic stimulus in rural areas. Yeah, right. That’s why Homeland Security and the Department of Defense are on the council. So I think all these things are related: Nuisance Abatement Teams, Agenda 21 and the Rural Council.
I really think these people should invest in some nice home defenses. If they lived anywhere other than the desert I’d suggest motion activated sprinklers to drench any intruders.
Buy a bunch of 8 inch diameter, 12 foot long metal pipes, and then put them into 8 foot deep holes and fill with geopolymers or concrete. Space them out enough so cars can’t get through them.
Now you have a nice barrier to protect your property from out of control motorists. Attach barbed wire to these metal posts to keep out coyotes, wolves, and bears. Rig them up so that if the tension of the barbed wire changes, you will be alerted to the fact that something may have damaged your fence. You wouldn’t want some wild animal to kill your livestock or destroy your garden, right?
This is insane, these folks are not hurting anyone, but it looks as the money from tax revenue is the only thing on these ass holes mind! Never mind that the California state govt is broke, this may be a sign of the times. Feel so bad for these folks!
Stuff like this really makes my blood boil. Sometimes I think we need a militant protector for the people to counter the one for the government.
These are people taking care of themselves and providing for themselves, something that is the opposite of the government dependency desired by either the administrations in either Sacramento or DC.
Yes, that’s a key fact. These people are taking care of things the best they can and don’t seem to be hurting anyone. Being poor is not a crime. Not everyone can afford a big beautiful home.
OMG this is HORRIBLE….folks need to organize on Facebook and across the Internet to stop this bullshit nowwwwwwwwwww!!!