Posted on 12/08/2014 8:41:14 PM PST by boycott
TARRANT, Alabama -- A woman caught shoplifting eggs in Tarrant Saturday didn't leave with handcuffs and a court date. Thanks to a Tarrant police officer, she left with food for her family.
Officer William Stacy was called to the Dollar General on Pinson Valley Parkway when employees caught the woman trying to steal a dozen eggs, Tarrant Police Chief Dennis Reno said.
The woman had her young children in the car. She told Officer Stacy that she was only stealing because she was trying to feed her children.
Stacy talked with Dollar General, and they said they wouldn't prosecute. So Stacy made an offer.
(Excerpt) Read more at al.com ...
The moon won’t be affecting the tide at all on 1Jan.
So what is this woman going to do next week to feed her kids?
We are awfully good at enabling. Our local food pantry gives food to people so they can use that money to buy cigarettes and beer. I only know that because I take the food to their car.
I went grocery shopping at Walmart Sunday night. Just buying food for 3 weeknight meals, no junk food, costed $87. Then I went to a privately owned grocery on the way home to pick up a few things not available at Walmart and that was $35. I have a family of 4. $200, food stamps or not, goes pretty quick at the grocery store nowadays. Especially if there are teenagers in the household.
“I am a young, Christian, Conservative college student “
I doubt I am a christian, never was a college student, sure am a conservative thol, but I help others. Paying for some old person’s meal in a restaurant, giving $10.00 to the guys on the off ramps, donating to christian help groups. Just little things like that. One never knows.
I understand what you are saying, AppyPappy. However, we don’t know all the details behind this woman’s actions, do we? She wasn’t stealing eyeshadow or lipstick. She wasn’t stealing liquor or cigarettes. She wasn’t stealing lobster or prime rib. She was stealing a dozen eggs. So much is left out of the article.. was she newly unemployed? Was she a stay at home mom whose husband left her high and dry? The LEO could have made a quick “click” (an arrest); however, he saw more to the story. So much more that he BOUGHT her the eggs and hopefully gave her info so she can get on her feet. Wouldn’t we be the same people who blasted her for allowing her kid’s to starve? IMHO.
If she had gone to a church and asked for food, she would have gotten it. Instead, she committed a crime. If she had received justice, what would have happened to her kids? They would have gone to foster care.
In short, she had a bad plan that could have been disastrous. What did she learn from the experience?
Last Christmas, I was riding with my sister and we stopped where a man was holding a sign wanting work/money. My sister asked if I was going to give him money because it was cold. I said “No. Why would I pay a guy to stand on a corner in the cold? That’s cruel”.
So why did we reward this woman for committing a crime? What is her long-term plan for survival?
“What is her long term plan for survival?”
I want you to ask yourself this: how can a person even fathom a long term plan for survival IF her children haven’t eaten. Most people will deal with the immediate emergency at hand and then plan for the long term. I’m not saying at all that stealing is good. What I am saying is that in life... there are those people who need help. If I had been at this store and realized her kids were hungry, I would have purchased the groceries for her. Children are innocent. People get themselves into dire straits.. sometimes by their own actions and sometimes by bad luck/actions of others. Yes.. the kids in foster care would/could have been awful. Hopefully, she gets help and can get her life on track so she can buy her own food. The LEO obviously saw more than black and white and used his legal discretion.
I completely see where you are coming from, AP. We just differ in how our eyes see it. You want her to commit to a long term goal of success but want her punished for her actions. I think to myself, “There but for the Grace of God goes I”.
I want her to learn that stealing is wrong and dangerous. She didn’t have to steal. She could have asked for help. Risking your children being put in foster care is a very bad strategy but it worked perfectly this time.
“Hopefully, she gets help and can get her life on track so she can buy her own food.”
Who is going to support her if she decides that avenue is too much trouble? Who is going to pay her rent? Who is going to buy clothes for her kids? Are we going to let her kids starve if she decides she doesn’t want to work?
I admire you and hugs to you, AP. We are going to have to agree to disagree in a way. I do hope she gets her act together, and seeks some sort of employment help (to find a job). I hope she can find a church to supplement her food via donations while she is down. Perhaps she knew that stealing was wrong.. she kept her kids in the car who didn’t see her do it or were involved. But, let’s say for argument’s sake that she was arrested:her kids would have been taken, she would have a criminal record (there goes some job opportunities) and her life would have gotten a lot less. Sometimes justice isn’t served best by a man or woman in a black robe. Sometimes justice can be served by a local cop who viewed the situation and decided she needed a reprimand vs handcuffs.
Not sure about other places but here we have ‘emergency’ applications where they can get benefits within 3 days.
Would you let your kids go without food for 3 days?
I was just answering your question not voicing an opinion. jeez
There are a lot of desparate people right now in this country. There are also a lot of good people wearing police uniforms out there. The bad apples get all the publicity.
Not all churches have food pantries, and those that do, are stretched to the max. Plus, they have to sign up and jump through loops to receive a food basket. I never get tired of the ignorance of those who don’t have a clue what they are talking about. The churches don’t just hand out food - most of the time they serve their members first. If there is anything left, they service the community.
This time I hope Saban destroys Urban.
You must live in a very cruel area of the country. All of our churches provide vouchers for food to anyone who asks through the local food pantry.
Sure beats stealing.
Some need to read the story of King David in the Bible. There was a time when he was hiding from Saul in caves, and stole to eat. Yet, God forgave him and called him a man after His own heart. Some on here need to lighten up - they sound just like liberals with their judgmental attitudes and trying to tell people what to do and how to live. Of course, stealing is wrong, but, if faced with the same circumstances, what would others do? Listen to their kids cry and go to bed hungry?
Amen. I remember a time when I was behind a woman with little kids at the grocery store. She didn’t have much money, and NO she wasn’t using food stamps. She didn’t have enough money for milk, so she was going to put it back. And, NO there weren’t junk food items in her cart either. I paid for her milk. Yes, but for the grace of God, there goes I.
Not in our community - most of the churches I know require people to jump through hoops.
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