This article was originally published by Matt Agorist at The Free Thought Project.
There is no question that 2020 was one of the most difficult years in American history. As the government shut down the economy, driving unemployment to record levels and forcing businesses to close their doors forever, tens of millions of Americans found themselves in dire straits.
To deal with the unprecedented hard times, some folks like Tim Leslie and his family began to get creative, buying property and homesteading. However, because the land of the free is is but a fleeting myth in this country, government officials did all they could to thwart it.
Last year, Leslie lost his job. With no other options in mind, he bought a plot of land in Polk County, parked an RV on it, and began to live off the land. On the property, Leslie has chickens, goats, and a vegetable garden for his wife and their two kids, 9-year-old Knox and 18-month-old Daisy.
“We plan on building a forever home here and, you know, growing old and giving it to our kids,” Leslie told WSB-TV.
After he was fired, Leslie took his life savings — draining his pension and 401(k) — and bought the property in Polk County. The purchase took place in November of 2020.
The family’s dreams of homesteading on their own property came to a grinding halt, however, and has morphed into a nightmare thanks to the intrusive and utterly cruel nature of the state.
Leslie and his family are no longer living on their own property and are instead living in an RV park because county officials forced them to move. The county issued the family a steep fine and then ordered them to move or face arrest and have his property stolen — because living on your own property in an RV is “illegal.”
“Before I could go to court, they showed up at my property, the building inspector and the code enforcement officer, and told me that I had to be off my land or they were going to seize my vehicles and my assets,” Leslie told Choi.
This move is especially insidious for two reasons. The first reason is obvious; Leslie and his family own the property and no one should be able to tell him what to do on it — especially due to the fact they are a struggling family during unprecedented times in a pandemic.
The second reason is that Leslie checked the law before making these moves and he is following it.
According to WSB-TV, Leslie says he checked the county codes before buying the land. He showed them the section that allows for “single-family dwellings” in an agricultural district, under which his property is designated. Under the county’s definition for “dwellings”, it specifically includes “manufactured homes, mobile homes, industrialized buildings, and recreational vehicles.”
“It showed that we could have our animals here and be in our camper temporarily. So that’s the reason we moved out,” Leslie said.
Despite following the law as stated above, Leslie’s citation is for “living in campers/RV.”
“This is a question about property rights,” said attorney Ari Bargil with the Institute for Justice. “Mr. Leslie owns the property on which he situated his camper. And as a result, he has the right to live there, as long as he’s not harming anybody through his use.”
One would think that the media coverage on the case, coupled with the egregious nature of kicking a family off their own property for trying to survive during a pandemic, would make officials rethink their move. However, one would be wrong.
According to WSB-TV, the county manager, the police chief, and the county commission chair all refused to comment on the case but Polk County police chief Kenny Dodd had no problem standing behind the move.
In an email to the news station, Dodd cited several codes for kicking the family off their own property, extorting them, and threatening to steal their property.
According to WSB-TV, one states, “temporary buildings and trailers shall not be allowed in any district except when utilized for construction site contracting work.”
Another requires that “single-family dwellings contain 12-hundred square feet minimum.”
Chief Dodd also referenced section 700.03, which lists the purpose of the codes to include “aesthetic values of land and property,” WSB-TV reported.
But constitutional experts disagree. Bargil pointed out that there is no legitimate basis for them to kick the family from their property.
“There is nothing that says that he can or cannot have a camper on his property,” Bargil said. “They’re trying to compile this mishmash of ordinance applications in order to be able to say you can’t do this. But the reality is that this is a unique use of property. It’s one that’s not contemplated by the city’s ordinances. And for that reason alone, it should be allowed, at least temporarily.”
Now, the family’s move to become more sustainable is costing them money and livestock. Since they are not there to look after the land at night, coyotes are poaching their animals.
The fact that the government is doing this to an innocent family for attempting to live a sustainable life on their own property is tyrannical. However, the fact that they are doing it when millions of people are unemployed and on the verge of starvation, makes this especially insidious.
“People are struggling financially. I think it’s important that cities allow people some leeway so that they can figure out creative ways for them to be able to make ends meet, and to get by until they’re able to get back up on their feet,” Bargil said.
We agree.
For now, the Leslie family is waiting for a court date to appeal their case and attempt to get back their property. Hopefully, they are successful as anything else would be sheer despotism.
freehold — permanent and absolute tenure of land or property with freedom to dispose of it at will.
No one literally expects to live under these conditions, in this supposedly-free country. We don’t believe in self-ownership or the fruits of our own labor. We do believe in civil asset forfeiture.
That’s not fighting for my freedom.
You don’t even believe in owning something.
I think this travesty happened in GA.
The law in the specific county apparently says living in an RV is okay.
But, really what does it matter if there isn’t even a tent?
Aargh, it is private property.
Such a sad story.
Really makes you wonder if they were targeted for some other reason.
So disgusting.
I pray it goes well for them, and that their children wont be targeted for removal.
Illuminati Adam Weishaupt’s plot requires:
1. Abolition of ALL ordered national governments.
2. Abolition of inheritance.
3. Abolition of private property.
4. Abolition of patriotism.
5. Abolition of the individual home and family life as the cell from which all civilizations have stemmed.
6. Abolition of ALL religions established and existing so that the Luciferian ideology of totalitarianism may be imposed on mankind.
The name of the game is control.
Source: “Hope of the Wicked: The Master Plan to Rule the World” by Ted Flynn
People, we seriously need to learn what it means to stand together. This may not involve you at the moment, but how soon before the government decides something youre doing is unacceptable?
Multiply this by millions, that is our future……
And the impoverished multitudes and fearful population remains silent………The bastards will walk all over us as long as we let them. Just a little it more every day until we are all slaves.
I see the article lists the location as Polk County..,, but no state..? That would be good to know so we can apply external pressure by shining the light of day on this BS . I would never want to live a in an area where The local officials think they have the right to harass landowners. We either stand up to this type of action… or it will become the norm.
Standing by in Montgomery County Texas…
My guess is they picked the wrong location and the neighbors complained …just a guess.
Polk County Georgia
5.4.11 Family Farm (FF).
The family farm district (FF) is intended to provide locations for most types of
land uses allowed in the other zoning district. Uses in this district should not
endanger the public health and safety, not substantially injure the surrounding
property values, and be in harmony with the surrounding area.
5.4.12 Agricultural Residential Very Low Density (AR-5)
The agricultural-residential/very low-density district (AR-5) is intented to provide
areas for general farming purposes (including agriculture, horticulture and
forestland), support of farming activities, and very low-density residential
purposes. The district consists primarily of rural residential properties with
acreage and individual/family farming operations, for example, vineyards,
orchards, soybeans, hay and timber production; beef, goat, pig, dairy and horse
farms and stables; and small specialty farms such as produce gardening,
flower/nurseries and beekeeping. This district is intented to protect from
scattered and uncoordinated development, particularly higher-density, suburbantype subdivisions that are typically incompatible with farming activities (for
reasons such as traffic, water demands, and objections to the noises, smells, hours
and machinery of farming), and to discourage any use that because of its size or
character would create unusual requirements and costs for providing public
services such as water supply, refuse and sewerage disposal. The district is not
intended to attract or support major agri-businesses such as corporate pig or
poultry farming, cattle feed lots or fertilizer manufacturing plants. The district
does allow small businesses, non-intrusive to neighboring properties, to be
conducted on a resident’s property; examples would include artist/craft studio;
research/writing/transcription; farrier; carriage supply sales;
acupuncture/massage; accounting; woodworking; technology/web design. Uses in
this district should not endanger the public health and safety, not substantially
injure the surrounding property values, and be in harmony with the surrounding
area.
Property values are just an exigent circumstance or excuse for govt intrusion.
maps.google
“It showed that we could have our animals here and be in our camper temporarily. So that’s the reason we moved out,” Leslie said.
Despite following the law as stated above, Leslie’s citation is for “living in campers/RV.”
It looks like vultures in uniform were ticketing Leslie, preemptively.
But he is just playing dumb, while knowing full well that he was supposed to have an alternative to the RV..
“It showed that we could have our animals here and be in our camper temporarily. So that’s the reason we moved out,” Leslie said.
Despite following the law as stated above, Leslie’s citation is for “living in campers/RV.”
It looks like vultures in uniform were ticketing Leslie, preemptively.
But he is just playing dumb, while knowing full well that he was supposed to have an alternative to the RV..
Georgia has turned into a Commie shithole.