Cops seize couple's home because son sold $40 worth of drugs...unknown to them...

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/03/us/philadelphia-drug-bust-house-seizure/

"I'm a working guy. I work every day, six days a week, even seven if I have to," Sourovelis says. One day this past March, without warning, the government took his house away, even though he and his wife, Markella, have never been charged with a crime or accused of any wrongdoing.

"I was so upset thinking somebody's going to take my house for nothing. That makes me crazy," Sourovelis says, shaking his head.

The nightmare began when police showed up at the house and arrested their 22-year-old son, Yianni, on drug charges -- $40 worth of heroin. Authorities say he was selling drugs out of the home. The Sourvelises say they had no knowledge of any involvement their son might have had with drugs.

A month-and-a-half later police came back -- this time to seize their house, forcing the Sourvelises and their children out on the street that day. Authorities came with the electric company in tow to turn off the power and even began locking the doors with screws, the Sourvelises say. Authorities won't comment on the exact circumstances because of pending litigation regarding the case.

Police and prosecutors came armed with a lawsuit against the house itself. It was being forfeited and transferred to the custody of the Philadelphia District Attorney. Authorities said the house was tied to illegal drugs and therefore subject to civil forfeiture.


......In two years, nearly 500 families in Philadelphia had their homes or cars taken away by city officials, according to records from Pennsylvania's attorney general.

Authorities use a civil forfeiture law that allows them to seize people's property when that property is connected to the sale of illegal drugs.

http://www.ij.org/asset-forfeiture-report-florida

Florida’s civil forfeiture laws provide some protections for property owners but also give law enforcement a large incentive to use forfeiture—and agencies appear to do just that. The government must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the property was related to criminal activity and thus can be forfeited, a higher standard than most states but still less than the beyond a reasonable doubt standard required for a criminal conviction. Also, in Florida owners are not presumed guilty; instead, the government bears the burden in an innocent owner defense.

Unfortunately, though, law enforcement in Florida still receives 85 percent of the funds generated from civil forfeiture. As a result, Florida law enforcement makes substantial use of civil forfeiture at the state level, just as it does through equitable sharing. In a mere three-year period (2001-2003), the state took in more than $100 million in forfeiture, and Florida law enforcement received anywhere from $16 million to $48 million per year in the 2000s through equitable sharing. (These counts may overlap, as it is not clear whether Florida included equitable sharing revenue in its response to information requests.)

This expansive use of civil forfeiture has not only benefitted law enforcement institutionally, it has also led to personal gain. In 2003, for instance, it was reported that top Tampa Bay police brass were keeping seized cars for their own use. The seized fleet consisted of some 42 cars, including a Lincoln Navigator, a Ford Expedition, and, Police Chief Bennie Holder’s favorite, a $38,000 Chevy Tahoe.[1]

Let me get this right.

You hate police

You hate doctors

you hate all forms of gov

You cowboy you....

Don't get me wrong I like the cowboy code and way of life but I would rather be a mountain man.....

Or even better and freer a sailor...

is that a duck billed platypuses on his head? lol

Here you are. Getting us some wood for the fire....

Oh hell just get on and we'll be free for a few miles or until we hit a check point....

Make sure you bring your papers, comrade.

Hey I had to go to the DMV and get a replacement registration and guess what...It was free...it used to cost $2.50. Our keepers are feeling some compassion for our plight.

Ever watch Jeremiah Johnson, T?

riceme wrote:

Ever watch Jeremiah Johnson, T?

One of my old favorites...here Pilgrim you skin this one and I'll go get you another...LOL

FOUND IT....

TEOTWAWKI wrote:

[

Oh hell just get on and we'll be free for a few miles or until we hit a check point....

Teo, that's a awesome pic of you.

For you

Wish i had joined them instead of going to Vietnam....born to be wild....

TEOTWAWKI wrote:

Wish i had joined them instead of going to Vietnam....born to be wild....

Hind sight is 20/20 my friend

Live for who you are now. You cant change the past.

Sometimes people who have bad experiences in the past utilize those memories to be a better person. As I know you have. I know its hard to reconcile with those days, but perhaps you would not be the wonderful person you are today had you not experienced those life lessons.

You can let go of the past. I have. I think of my past as another person. Because its not who I am today as with you. That is not who you are today.

Be free. And I mean that. As long as I have known you here and you know I love you. I wish for you to be free inside of yourself, with yourself about that.

Now Happy Friday night..... Enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZhfFXEMMI4

You have a brilliant mind Chrissy...take good care of it, the world needs your input.

TEOTWAWKI wrote:

You have a brilliant mind Chrissy...take good care of it, the world needs your input.

ah shucks. thanks. Im having coffee now, that might help.

Back at ya btw...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHQ_aTjXObs

TEOTWAWKI wrote:

riceme wrote:

Ever watch Jeremiah Johnson, T?

One of my old favorites...here Pilgrim you skin this one and I'll go get you another...LOL

FOUND IT....

Mine, too. Tombstone is my favorite... Jeremiah Johnson is in the top 5... My cousin and I watch it all the time

Chrissy* wrote:

TEOTWAWKI wrote:

Wish i had joined them instead of going to Vietnam....born to be wild....

Hind sight is 20/20 my friend

Live for who you are now. You cant change the past.

Sometimes people who have bad experiences in the past utilize those memories to be a better person. As I know you have. I know its hard to reconcile with those days, but perhaps you would not be the wonderful person you are today had you not experienced those life lessons.

You can let go of the past. I have. I think of my past as another person. Because its not who I am today as with you. That is not who you are today.

Be free. And I mean that. As long as I have known you here and you know I love you. I wish for you to be free inside of yourself, with yourself about that.

Now Happy Friday night..... Enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZhfFXEMMI4

I refer to it as my past lives.

My son's favorite movie is tombstone..he can quote every line....