A Court Just Ruled Collective Punishment Is Legal in America

[Nevilledog]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/a-court-just-ruled-collective-punishment-is-legal-in-america

No paywall
https://archive.ph/507aP

Shortly after 5 a.m. on June 9, 2019, a National Rent To Own van went missing from a commercial lot in Granite City, Illinois. When police pulled the vehicle over a few minutes later, they found a woman and her boyfriend inside. They’d stolen it. Both were arrested and charged.
It was an everyday crime in an everyday steel town, just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis.

In the days to come, however, things turned from mundane to bizarre. The woman’s mother, Debi Brumit, happened to live in Granite City in a home she shared with her long-time partner, Andy Simpson, and two of her grandchildren, then a toddler and a baby. They’re good people. Their landlord liked them and wanted to keep them as tenants.

But days after Debi’s daughter stole the van, Debi and her landlord received a letter from the Granite City Police Department. Regardless of the landlord’s preferences, the police said Debi and Andy had to be evicted because of their association with a lawbreaker.

Debi hadn’t stolen the van. Neither had Andy. Nor the toddler. Nor the baby. Not a van thief among them.

No matter. The police did not care that everyone in the house was innocent. Granite City had spoken: Everyone must go.

*snip*

[intrepidity]

1. That's some bullshit right there. nt

[AllyCat]

2. WTH??

[2naSalit]

3. That's the...

Illinois I remember.

[PatSeg]

4. What?!?!?

That is insane!

[Joinfortmill]

5. This is horrible. Must be unconstitutional

[Orrex]

6. But if they'd stolen dozens of boxes of classified materials they'd be walking free

Thank goodness cops are going after the real threats to society.

[SuperCoder]

19. Amen.

Great post.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

7. This type of "law and order" ordinance is a cop favorite and is rooted in Jim Crow laws. FTP.

There are hundreds of municipalities with these rules on the books across the country. K&R.

[Warpy]

10. Also in Nixon's War on Drugs

and all the horseshit laws that came out of that.

Case in point: mother in public housing, teenaged son joins a gang and runs away, gets busted selling dope, Mom and siblings have to be evicted because their home was the teenager's last known address.

You'd think someone in the legal system would have more sense than this, but they don't.

[electric_blue68]

18. Geeeebz.

[electric_blue68]

17. Oh. Damn.

[Solly Mack]

8. K&R

[RANDYWILDMAN]

9. So will the Trump kids be going to prison with dad ? and jared

thought not.


This is only ok for the little/poor/can't defend themselves people

[mountain grammy]

11. Pretty outrageous way to keep people poor.

[TheProle]

12. Three Generations of Punishment

North Korea law specifies 'three generations of punishment'. If you commit a crime, your chil¬dren and grandchildren will also receive the full brunt of punishment, which often involves a lifetime in prison. Children born in prison are raised as prisoners because their “blood is guilty”.

Do better, America.

[bringthePaine]

13. time for Fed Justice to step up

[SCantiGOP]

14. There are a lot of horrible stories out there

A woman in public housing in Columbia SC had her repeat offender son come by one night asking her to let him stay for the night. Neighbors reported that they heard her screaming at him to leave. He had stolen from her previously and she had told him not to come back unless he got clean and got a job.

He was stopped on the sidewalk outside the apartment complex. He said he was just visiting his Mom, but they found he had an outstanding warrant, and a search found several bags of crack.
Within a few days, she had been told to vacate her apartment in 48 hours, and that she was no longer eligible for public housing for allowing a
criminal to come into the property.
An old lady went from responsible citizen to homeless in a matter of days.

[electric_blue68]

15. WTF?! That's outrageous!

[keithbvadu2]

16. Original sin,,, the original collective punishment

Original sin,,, the original collective punishment

[William Gustafson]

20. I see a lawsuit in the future for the Police Department....

This is quite an abuse of power, and any creditable lawyer would scarf this up in a heartbeat to Appeals court. So, hang in there Debi and Andy, you are about to get enough money to get a better place, all expenses paid by the taxpayers of that town....

[Hermit-The-Prog]

21. Should be some lawyers drooling over this. Even treason doesn't "work corruption of blood".

The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture except during the life of the person attainted.

[GoodRaisin]

22. That's absurd.

Police evicting families of people charged with crimes? That sounds just plain stupid.

What is this country coming to?