82 Year Old Widow has Home Seized for Son's sins.

Associated Press | 1-11-02 | Associated Press

[LloydofDSS]

Jan 11, 2002 Widow's Home Seized After Son's Arrest for Drug Possession The Associated Press ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Police have seized the house of an 82-year-old widow because they say she knew her son dealt drugs there and did nothing to stop him. Fannie Gresham's small home was seized Thursday under a state law allowing authorities to confiscate property linked to the illegal drug trade. Authorities also arrested her 50-year-old son, Tommie "Top Dollar" Gresham, on a drug charge after he allegedly dropped several rocks of crack cocaine and fled. Police records show 29 incidents of drug activity at the address since 1992 and authorities say drug dealers were caught numerous times fetching drugs from the house for street sales. Based on that, and police claims that the elder, widowed Gresham was helping her son's alleged operation, Superior Court Judge Stephen Boswell issued a court order in December allowing the seizure. Boswell gave Fannie Gresham 14 days to move her belongings. Her attorney, Jim Smith, likened the seizure to the widespread illegal taking of property and land from blacks that he says tarnishes America's past. "They have never seized any drugs in this house. This lady is not accused of a single thing," he said. Police predicted more such seizures as they crack down on the drug trade in the city's troubled neighborhoods. A hearing on the seizure has been scheduled in February.

[Delta 21]

OK, Its just me stirring the pot! Me & sick $.01 of Humor..I just couldnt resist.
SPeaking of 15 years ago in Florida, There was a few of these making the rounds in the Key West area.

From the 4th ammendment to "Zero Tollerance" to property confication without due process, it is definatly a tangled web. Where will it end...INDEED.

Delta 21

[stlrocket]

Well - it looks like its back to work for ole granny!

GRANNY EARNING $ FOR A NEW HOUSE

[johnny7]

I'll give her a job as a live-in housekeeper.

I need someone to move my BoFlex and free weights up into the attic.

[riley1992]

"They have never seized any drugs in this house. This lady is not accused of a single thing,"

This ought to seriously bother you. Why doesn't it?

[BlackbirdSST]

I'm also against drugs, I don't think we should punish those who aren't guilty though.Sorry, but this is a natural by product of the WOD's. You can't have it both ways. You are either going to allow this to continue, and get worse, or put a stop to it. I know alot of folks think every issue has a middle of the road, grey areas and the like, but it's just not the case. When you give someone the authority to take an inch they'll have a mile under their jackboots before you know it. Blackbird.

[BlackbirdSST]

If she convinces the court, she gets her property back.Yeah right, it happens all the time. Blackbird.

[BlackbirdSST]

If she convinces the court, she gets her property back.I forgot to add, guilty till proven innocent. Blackbird.

[MindBender26]

Thats good it shows your rational. But why do you think taxpayer money should be wasted stopping people from ingesting whatever they want into their bodies

#1.. Because the average age when a kid gets hooked is 12. Is a 12 year old able to make rational decisions that will drive the restof their lives? Is your 12 year old? Were you so qualified at 12?

#2 Because after the addict crashes their body, they want the taxpayers to fund their health care for the rest of their lives. Isn't it better to stop the problem in the first place?

[SubMareener]

How do they expect an 82 year old woman to stop her 50 year old son from dealing drugs?

Let's see: She can't

• Spank him.
• Damage his self esteem.
• Wip him.
• Put him in a closet.
• Shoot him.
• Strap him in a car and drive it into a lake.
• Drown him in the bathtub.

I guess all she can do it put encouraging words on little post-it notes all over his room. ;-)

These confiscation laws are really un-American! They can't convict the guy of anything so they go after his mother!

[Polybius]

"They have never seized any drugs in this house. This lady is not accused of a single thing,"

This ought to seriously bother you. Why doesn't it?

That is not the question I addressed. I addressed the claim that the old and weak are totally helpless to prevent crime committed by the young and strong.

In a primitive society, that claim may be true. In a civilized society, a 85 year old lady can pick up the phone, call the Police and, depending on the situation, can initiate the mobilization of a SWAT team.

[chainsaw]

Her attorney, Jim Smith, likened the seizure to the widespread illegal taking of property and land from blacks that he says tarnishes America's past.

The first thing you want to do, in a case like this, is pull out the race card and hold it up for everyone to see.

[waterstraat]

Isnt the Drug War great?

How much longer??? before you DRUG WAR FANATICS!! win this war?

so my taxes can be reduced, so I can get back my freedoms, so we have room for violent felons in prison, and so I can get the government to stop snooping on me??

(Things were so much simpler back when all drugs were legal, back when there was no drug-related crime, and the mafia was actually poor)

[Disgusted in Texas]

Why didn't she notify the cops on this??

[waterstraat]

When was the last time you heard of a multimillionaire put on trial for drug trafficking?

Generally, drug laws are enforced against the middle class, and the poor. This is especially true of the drug "lifer" laws.

Does anyone really think that George Washington(a daily opium user), or Thomas Jefferson(who grew acres of marijuanna), would be sentenced to life in prison if we caught them today?

Does everyone???? here really think/believe that we would have been better off if George Washington and Tom Jefferson had spent all of their lives in prison, and lost their homes, instead of starting the United States and becoming presidents?

[Dane]

I know that this may go over your heads, but don't you think that some of the law abiding neigbors may be happy with getting a crack house out of their neighborhood. Of course the AP didn't interview any of her neighbors.

They wrote the article to gin up the ACLU/Libertarian crowd.

[sonjay]

If Georgia law allows for an innocent owner defense, then this lady will have the privilege of trying to prove that she didn't/couldn't know about the illegal activity. If she convinces the court, she gets her property back.

That is completely unacceptable. We have a little thing in our constitution called "innocent until proven guilty." She is not supposed to have to prove her innocence. The state has to prove her guilt, and they are only supposed to take her home after doing so (due process). Of course, first they're supposed to actually charge her with something, then they're supposed to prove it.

Let me repeat: In this country we do not require people to prove their innocence. We require the state to prove their guilt.

[AndyJackson]

Pick up the phone, call the Police and report the crime.

You are kidding aren't you. I once actually tried that long long ago. Fortunately a very kind and understanding police officer very politely informed me what was about to happen to ME if I actually filed that report. This little old lady is just "lucky" she hasn't been hauled off Elian style by some jack-booted thugs.

[Drew68]

Police records show 29 incidents of drug activity at the address since 1992 and authorities say drug dealers were caught numerous times fetching drugs from the house for street sales.

While I am no WOD crusader and I feel that convictionless seizures are an abomination of justice, it should be mentioned that this woman had many chances to do something about her son's behavior.

You can bet that if this was a white family in the suburbs who's kid was busted selling pot out of the house, that home would have been seized after incident numero uno.