Excerpts modified from: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. The Real Property and Improvements Known as 2544 N. Colorado St.
When Rochelle Bing (42) bought her modest row home, on a tattered block in North Philadelphia 10 years ago, she saw it as an investment in the future. Something to leave her family. Rochelle works full-time as a home health assistant for the elderly and disabled. In summer, when school is out, she tends to her grandkids while their parents work. One of her grandkids was taken into custody for selling drugs. No fault of Rochelle. She had no idea he had left some of the wrappers he had used in a bedroom she gave him free use of.
Not that any of this mattered to the State.
The State sent a task force of 'law enforcement officials' in to seize Rochelle's house. They filed a court claim, quickly approved, that gave Rochelle just 30 days to dissuade a judge from granting a decree of forfeiture that would give the DA's office title to her property. Rochelle was devastated.
"For me to lose my home she recalled recently, For them to take that from me, knowing I had grandchildren - that would have hurt me more than anything."
Rochelle had no idea how long (years) and how difficult (in the extreme would be an understatement) the fight would be when she went up against the State. And while Rochelle's predicament might seem implausible - if not unjust (how could someone who's neither accused nor convicted of a crime be forced to give up her property because of another's misdeeds?) it's actually not uncommon - and as the State seeks out new revenue streams, becoming more so.
In 2000, officials racked up $500 million in forfeitures. By 2012, that amount rose to $4.2 BILLION - an eightfold increase. The State is well known to prey on the poor and the weak (see drug laws). And hey, whom better to attack than the lower class? The weakest in society. Given the functional illiteracy rate among many Public School districts is well below 50%; they're the ideal target.
The State doesn't even bother with naming Rochelle on the forfeiture order, she's simply amalgamated and morphed into an address: '2544 N. Colorado St.' And once the State get's you in it's site, you'll nearly as good as done for. Most "Citizens" lose the battle, and their home.
When Rochelle Bing (42) bought her modest row home, on a tattered block in North Philadelphia 10 years ago, she saw it as an investment in the future. Something to leave her family. Rochelle works full-time as a home health assistant for the elderly and disabled. In summer, when school is out, she tends to her grandkids while their parents work. One of her grandkids was taken into custody for selling drugs. No fault of Rochelle. She had no idea he had left some of the wrappers he had used in a bedroom she gave him free use of.
Not that any of this mattered to the State.
The State sent a task force of 'law enforcement officials' in to seize Rochelle's house. They filed a court claim, quickly approved, that gave Rochelle just 30 days to dissuade a judge from granting a decree of forfeiture that would give the DA's office title to her property. Rochelle was devastated.
"For me to lose my home she recalled recently, For them to take that from me, knowing I had grandchildren - that would have hurt me more than anything."
Rochelle had no idea how long (years) and how difficult (in the extreme would be an understatement) the fight would be when she went up against the State. And while Rochelle's predicament might seem implausible - if not unjust (how could someone who's neither accused nor convicted of a crime be forced to give up her property because of another's misdeeds?) it's actually not uncommon - and as the State seeks out new revenue streams, becoming more so.
In 2000, officials racked up $500 million in forfeitures. By 2012, that amount rose to $4.2 BILLION - an eightfold increase. The State is well known to prey on the poor and the weak (see drug laws). And hey, whom better to attack than the lower class? The weakest in society. Given the functional illiteracy rate among many Public School districts is well below 50%; they're the ideal target.
The State doesn't even bother with naming Rochelle on the forfeiture order, she's simply amalgamated and morphed into an address: '2544 N. Colorado St.' And once the State get's you in it's site, you'll nearly as good as done for. Most "Citizens" lose the battle, and their home.