Is this guy even a democrat? State Rep. Uses Sledgehammer To Destroy Homeless People’s Possessions

[warrior1]

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/11/19/2966371/hawaii-homeless-smash/



State Rep. Tom Brower (D) destroying a homeless person’s possessions.

Much like Batkid, Hawaii has found its own superhero. Except that instead of protecting the powerless from harm, he roams the streets with a sledgehammer and looks for homeless people in order to literally smash their possessions.

Remarkably, this vigilante isn’t just some random Hawaiian, but five-term State Rep. Tom Brower (D).

Noting that he’s “disgusted” with homeless people, Brower told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser about his own personal brand of “justice”: “If I see shopping carts that I can’t identify, I will destroy them so they can’t be pushed on the streets.” Brower has waged this campaign for two weeks, estimating that he’s smashed about 30 shopping carts in the process.

“I want to do something practical that will really clean up the streets,” he explained to Hawaii News Now as he showed off his property destruction skills:

snip

[Xipe Totec]

1. Now there's somebody who deserves to be primaried. nt

[hvn_nbr_2]

22. I'd say he deserves to be arrested.

But if he is, it won't be because of destroying homeless people's possessions; it will because of destroying stores' property.

[Xipe Totec]

23. I agree but as an elected official he's probably immune from prosecution

The bastard probably knows this and is taking advantage.

[NightWatcher]

24. Primaried or kneecapped?

Hmmm

[RC]

2. Is he trying to start the Democratic version of the Tea-Party, or what?

Aren't there laws about destroying other people's property? Tom needs to be explaining his actions to a judge that grew up on the streets.
What the hell is wrong with him?

[Bjorn Against]

3. He needs to be arrested for destruction of property

This guy is a criminal and should be treated like one. The party should also pull all finding from him and run a primary challenger.

[Aristus]

4. Bastard.

Cowardly bastard.

It's easy to pick on poor people; that's why so many people do it. Try that shit with someone who is not so vulnerable. Try it with someone who isn't hungry, tired, exposed to the elements, frightened...shit, I don't have the words, I'm so spittingly angry!...

That God-damned fucking son of a bitch...

[russspeakeasy]

5. + 100000000000000000000

[sabrina 1]

31. Thanks for saying what I wanted to say, or might have said which would be much more

graphic, and not fit for print.

I hope some liberal Legal organizations get involved in this on behalf of the victims of his illegal activities and I hope they win and he has to pay out of his own personal bank account for the property he has destroyed.

This is so hard to believe that I'm wondering if it is a joke??

[Arcanetrance]

6. Fucking disgusting and sorry for posting the story again I didn't see it already posted

[MNBrewer]

7. He's supposedly also a Christian.

Would Jesus smash the meager possessions of the homeless, or would he drive the money lenders out of the temple... Hmmmmm. If only we knew which he would pick.

[ChazInAz]

8. Grandstanding

I wonder if this idiot is aware that the shopping carts are still the property of the retailers.
While he's bullying homeless people, he's also destroying items that belong to huge businesses that don't take kindly to such vandalism.

[PowerToThePeople]

9. Those carts are property of some store

and they are not inexpensive. I would think that vandalism or destruction of property or other such law may apply here. Definitely not on the left end of the political spectrum. But, he may well be a Democrat today, as a party we have a good percentage of right wingers in the "big tent" now.

[In_The_Wind]

10. The man is a joke!

[magical thyme]

11. despicable. here is his mail/email, to show this bully some tough love.

House District 22
Hawaii State Capitol
Room 315
phone: [phone]

[e-mail]

[eShirl]

12. What the hell is wrong with him?!

[tkmorris]

13. I'd say the Democratic Party is a big tent...

But this asshole would probably stomp it flat and set it on fire.

[Blue Diadem]

14. Scare the homeless to force them to use the one way flights off the island.

He already frightened one homeless man who watched him smash a cart. Violence against an inanimate object is meant to give a message to the homeless, be afraid.

Snip: "rather than build more shelters or offer more services for the poor, lawmakers approved $100,000 over the next two years to offer one-way flights off the islands to any of the state’s estimated 17,000 homeless persons."

The whole thing infuriates me.

[KamaAina]

21. Turnabout is fair play, I guess

Mainland states, notably Nevada, have been shipping homeless people out to Hawai'i for years.

[Blue Diadem]

26. Still doesn't make it right.

If a homeless person wants to leave that is one thing, but smashing things and frightening them takes it to another level.

[Blue_Tires]

29. So how does smashing carts help solve the issue?

You know Brower is sending a VERY ugly message that it's perfectly OK for the general public to break out the sledgehammers and baseball bats and try to "fix" the homelessness situation...

I'd like to think that in a civilized society, elected officials from Hawaii and Nevada (or wherever) could behave like human beings and find some solution to the "one-way airfare" method of helping the homeless..

[KamaAina]

30. It doesn't

besides, my snarky comment was directed at the idea of Hawai'i sending people back to the mainland, not at Brower. I'd like to direct lots of stuff at him, but none of it's legal.

[bvar22]

15. Being a "Democrat" doesn't mean what it used to.

In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be[font size=3] established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed.[/font]

Among these are:

*The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;

*The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

*The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

*The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

*The right of every family to a decent home;

*The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;

*The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

*The right to a good education.

All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.

[font size=3]America's own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for all our citizens.[/font]

Please note that the above are stipulated as Basic Human RIGHTS to be protected by our government,
and NOT as COMMODITIES to be SOLD to Americans by Private Corporations.

There was a time, not so long ago, when voting FOR the "Democrat"
was voting FOR the above Values.
Sadly, this is no longer true.

---bvar22
a long term, mainstream-center FDR Democrat,
now labeled a "Fringe Leftist".
I haven't changed.

[L0oniX]

34. Tom Brower (D) Has the party moved to the right enough yet?

--L0onix
a long term, mainstream-center FDR Democrat,
now labeled a "Fringe Leftist".
I haven't changed ...either.

[EC]

16. wow

a dumb, heartless Democrat? Is he really a Democart? Why is this a good thing to the people that are applauding this? Isn't there something more constructive that can be done about the homeless?

[Tree-Hugger]

17. What a disgusting piece of trash.

Mofo needs some big time karma.

[reddread]

18. Jerry Brown is, Barack Obama is. What has anyone asked them about their policies?

They use bulldozers in Fresno.
Where is the outrage?
We have elected officials who need to answer to us,
why havent people put them on the spot about homelessness?
The homeless were better off 8 years ago.
What does that tell you?

[Trillo]

19. Is it a metaphor?

As metaphor it certainly explains why we have such disparities of income, in the U.S..

[NuclearDem]

20. Wow, what a heartless son of a bitch.

[stage left]

25. I wrote an email to this total waste of air and space.

This is it.

Dear Representative Brower
I just viewed news clips of you bashing shopping carts. As a concerned citizen of the US and its emerging corpocracy, I just wanted to remind you that shopping carts do not belong to the homeless you are targeting. They belong to the stores they came from(I noticed one with the name of a store on it) and are very expensive. Therefore you are destroying corporate property and should be subject to arrest for vandalism and destruction of said property. The owners of this property should band together and call for your arrest forthwith. It is my sincere wish that they will do so as soon as possible. I would also suggest that the Democratic party in Hawaii drum you out of its ranks. You, sir, are no Democrat.

[KamaAina]

27. Hawai'i has a lot of DINOs

because the people are usually akamai (smart) enough not to vote repuke. When noted homophobe Mike Gabbard (Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Tamayo's dad) switched from (R) to (D), the Dem party actually had to caucus to decide whether they wanted him!

[KamaAina]

28. The store down the street from my old place has carts that lock

when you push them past a yellow line painted around the parking lot.

Why doesn't Rep. Brower (R-Someday Soon) put down the sledgehammer and make it easier for stores to install those?

[quinnox]

32. I think this guy needs to meet "Big Bubba", a youngish homeless guy

who is awful big, and awful strong, and will show just how pissed off and unappreciative he is of this clown destroying his stuff.

[Enthusiast]

33. He has to be a POS Republican in actuality.

DINO