30,000 line up for housing vouchers, some get rowdy

AJC ^ | 8/11/2010 | AJC

[mikelets456]

Tens of thousands of people lined up at an East Point shopping center hoping to get federal housing assistance became unruly Wednesday morning with reports of fights breaking out in the crowd. An East Point police spokesman said the crowd numbered 30,000, some of whom waited for two days at the Tri-Cities Plaza shopping center. They were seeking applications for East Point Housing Authority vouchers to discount their rent.

As the temperature rose Wednesday, people fell ill.

Sgt. Cliff Chandler, spokesman for the East Point Police Department, said there were no reported injuries from the jostling, but 62 people had to be treated for heat or health-related problems. He said 42 people were treated at the shopping center but 20 had to be taken to nearby hospitals. A toddler was treated earlier in the morning for "some type of seizure," Chandler said.

[screaminsunshine]

Is that a Snoop Dog Concert?
Spawn of the Great Society?

[wbill]

You have to realize that this meant 30,000 people HAD NOTHING PRODUCTIVE TO DO this morning, or yesterday, and so on.

Hammer, meet nail.

We had a "Free Gas" -type giveaway at a station in my hometown not too long ago. Mrs WBill asked "Why not go?".

"Because Several Hours of my time is worth more to me than 20 bucks worth of gas" was my response.

[ForAmerica]

preview of coming attractions
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Yep, crumbs from the masters table!

[Oldpuppymax]

You mean a bunch of blacks who lined up for “free” stuff (i.e., provided by white taxpayers) displayed less than perfectly lawful behavior?? Seems IMPOSSIBLE, doesn’t it!

[ForAmerica]

I wonder why no one was arrested!

[GlockThe Vote]

these people would be better off on farms and in work camps producing food, crops, etc.

Its like 165 years later not a damn thing changed.

[Uncle Miltie]

Handouts can’t fix broken culture.

[DonaldC]

“Its like 165 years later not a damn thing changed.”

I think they are worse off and the damage has been accelerating since desegregation.

[ForAmerica]

(i.e., provided by white taxpayers)
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There are some of us that pay taxes too.

[wbill]

I tried helping a poor family once,

'Tis a huge difference between "poor" and "squalid".

I grew up poor. Didn't know it, though, because everyone else was in the same boat my family was in. :-) I'm sure that Dad would have loved some help fixing furniture; he was busy working 6 days a week, and volunteering to boot.

I commute through a lower-middle class to "poor" neighborhood on my way to work. Everything is neatly kept up, painted, trimmed, mowed, etc etc. My guess, they'd love a hand, too.

I don't commute through the "squalid" neighborhoods. 'Tisn't safe. The cops only venture through there in force.

The difference? I can think of five separate churches that I pass by on my commute, in a dozen-block radius. There are more, I'm sure, a street or two over, too. Dunno about the "squalid" neighborhood, like I said, I don't venture there often. I know there are plenty of pawn shops and liquor stores. Couple of homeless shelters, too.

Whatever you subsidize, you get more of, IMHO.

[wbill]

Seems IMPOSSIBLE, doesn’t it

50-ish posts, and no "I'm shocked" image?

[CodeJockey]

Can't comment on their housing situation, but if you look at those photos, they seem to have been getting plenty to eat.

Never seen so many large gals who supposedly are dealing with tough times.

[ForAmerica]

these people would be better off on farms and in work camps producing food, crops, etc.

Its like 165 years later not a damn thing changed.
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This time we can blame no one but ourselves!

On a lighter note, how do you think you can get black people to work in the fields these days without 40oz’s, menthol and rims?

[macrahanish #1]

Jobs. What jobs?

[wbill]

Never seen so many large gals who supposedly are dealing with tough times.

America is the greatest country in the world. The poor people are fat.

[Hojczyk]

Looks like Katrina pictures...Why work when you make more from the government..how many of theses people are employable??

[varina davis]

Wonder how many Obamavilles we’ll have by November -— and by 2012

[swheats]

Why bring these people out like cattle? I’m sure there were many on the housing authority internal list that could have filled these slots.

[jch10]

Thank you for what you do. It is much needed.

[fr_freak]

Why bring these people out like cattle? I’m sure there were many on the housing authority internal list that could have filled these slots.

I don't know the situation there in Georgia, but I can tell you this, having worked for a housing authority before: there are usually fairly long waiting lists for both Public Housing and Section 8 vouchers, and normally a person is put on the waiting list in the order they filed an application. However, sometimes a waiting list may be closed for a while, usually in order to get their data straightened out, and sometimes when a list is re-opened for applications, they expect a huge rush of people to apply. So, what they do, on occasion, is use a lottery system. Everyone gets an application with a number, then they spin the wheel and the first, say, 200 application numbers that come up get put on the waiting list and the rest get discarded. So, these people could be waiting in line just for a slot on the waiting list for Section 8 vouchers.