Asking For Help

This blog post is written specifically to share with you all what I was talking about in the dozens of messages I sent to ask really every one I could think of that may be interested in getting involved (sincere apologies to anyone I may have forgotten, no offense was intended!). I do realize that it is short notice on a holiday weekend. I wouldn’t go to this effort of reaching out to every one if it was SO IMPORTANT!

911- PLEASE HELP!

We are asking our friends for all the help we can get. We are looking for people to join us at the old Steam Plant in Vinton, Iowa around 930-10 am tomorrow morning (5/7/2022) to either hang out as a witness (bring your lawnchair!) or volunteer your time helping us with repairs to the building at the direction of my dear friend, the property owner.

She has a lot of the materials she needs, and more donations are on the way! We are so very grateful to the generous souls that have donated or offer further donations!! YOU ARE APPRECIATED!

Unfortunately, due to legalities my friend is unable to offer anyone anything in return for your time and efforts. There will be a cooler on-site if you would like to store beverages or snacks that need to stay cold, and there will be a grill if you want to bring some meat or something to cook.

We are planning to quit work for the day around 8 pm or so, and it’ll be time to relax around the bonfire!

We will be back at it again on Sunday, and welcome anyone that would like to join us then as well. I will actually pry set up my hammock and tent for anyone that would like to camp out over night and stick around for some adult beverages :)

The Backstory

Ok guys and gals, here’s the deal.

Remember last summer, when I shared with you what happened to Jim and I on the morning of July 1st? Here’s a before and after pic of the 3 lots that Jim owns here in Vinton, Iowa.

If you want to read more about that, you can head over to that blog post called Legal Theft.

A significant amount of building and yard tools that Jim had accrued throughout his life or inherited from his father were deemed to be JUNK and disappeared that day, so if you have tools that you’d like to bring with to use, that would be helpful.

What TF is Going On?

Honestly, my head is spinning from everything…. I feel like I am living in the Twilight Zone!

Last spring, there was a new position created here in Vinton. Our Code Enforcement Officer is Blake Hansen. That poor guy accepted an exciting new position, and he thinks he is serving justice. I’m afraid to tell ya, he is unfortunately the scapegoat for a campaign of class warfare.

I have talked to several people around town, and many of them reported there have been letters mailed to many residents in town regarding the code violations on their residential and commercial properties. You may not be up-to-date on the city ordinances, but you would be surprised about the specifically vague wording that has been voted into place that gives Blake the authority to write these letters. For example, a vehicle ON YOUR PRIVATE PROPERTY can be considered JUNK if it “has flammable fluids in it.” (City of Vinton City Ordinances,Ch. 50- you can access our city ordinances at https://cityofvinton.org/city-ordinances/)

Your friends and neighbors have been receiving letters about violation citations… Check this out!

• A friend received a letter declaring that the antique classic car they have had parked on their property for 20+ years was JUNK. They drove it occasionally, it was licensed, registered, and insured. The couple drove it down to the next city council meeting and the issue was dropped.
• A long-term local business owner has had a long-standing battle with the city about the vehicles, materials, and other assets he stores on multiple properties. He has spent a small fortune constructing buildings to satisfy their demands that could have been spent else where, and in some cases might even increase his property taxes as well.
• Another friend had the radiator go out in his vehicle and because of health issues he has had difficulty getting the funds together to have some one fix it. It was being stored at a mutual friends property when a letter was sent indicating he neeed to move it within X amount of time or it would be removed. When it was clarified that the vehicle was being stored in the back yard which was permitted according to the city ordinanaces at that time, the issue was dropped.
• A lifelong resident and family here in Vinton were the victims of a fire to a large building on their property within the last year. They also own multiple vehicles in various states of disrepair, and have stored materials on their property for decades. The familly patriarch’s health is in decline and they don’t have the financing to put up a new building to house the belongings they have accrued. In spite of these circumstances, they are now being forced to bring in a dumpster and start throwing things away, sell vehicles they dont want to sell, and have the added burden of a ticking clock over their heads on top of everything else they are dealing with personally. They have “reached their limit” in extensions and if the city isn’t satisfied with their efforts, they will proceed to “abate the nuisance” themselves and I wouldn’t be surprised if theyfine and overcharge them for doing so.
• Have YOU received a letter? What about your neighbor or loved one? Let me know if you need help, or have any questions!

Mother’s Day Weekend

This year, I am honoring Mother’s Day Weekend by volunteering my time and resources to help a good friend with the work that an independent contractor listed as necessary to bring her property up-to-date on the building codes.

Guys. When most people look at this building, they see just an old brick building. If you take a look inside, you might see what I see…. it’s BEAUTIFUL!!! And the plans we have for it once its finished ARE EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL!! We have solidified all the details, but it will be a place that people of any age can come to for activities like yoga, reiki, spiritual classes… I think I heard my friend mention something about a skatepark… we’ve talked about cork and canvas offering… there is a large yard that we’d like to use for gardening- food and medicinal herbs… we have a lot of great ideas and are excited about all the possibilites!

This weekend, we will be focused on the big ticket items that are cited on the notice for abatement that Mr. Blake served my friend with, and she has the court hearing coming up quick this next Wednesday, May 11.

Why Should You Care?

That is an excellent question.

All around us, there are signs that are civil liberties are slowly being infringed upon. And for some people, there aren’t just signs… the infringement is blatantly clear. You saw what happened to us, but you don’t know how the little actions of a few people that grew like a snowball rolling downhill and leveled all of our belongings and threw it in the dump.

Like I said before, I understand if you are scared of standing with someone because you are afraid they will turn the scope to you and yours. I get it that you are busy, and you have a lot going on…. I totally GET THAT. But the people in the tin foil hats have been proclaiming it from the every corner of the US since the 90s and we are watching their prophecies come true right in front of our eyes! Trust and believe that you have a million things to worry about by design, and its just gonna get worse.

I feel VERY STRONGLY that if the city succeeds in demolishing this building that it is some kind of tipping point. They already act like they can infringe on our freedoms… I see this big item on their to-do list as a prize they covet that will further grow their ego-driven God-complex to the point that they feel completely unstoppable.

You are correct. Currently, you DO have the option to dismiss it as “not your problem” and shrug your shoulders that, “At least it’s not happening to me.” Imagine for a second for me though… how are you going to feel when it’s happening to YOU? Rest assured that if and when it does, you can come to me and ask for help. I won’t rub it in and say I told you so, because I will be able to feel your feelings and I know how unhelpful that kind of behavior and talk is.

Mr. Blake Hansen

Mr. Hansen may not truly comprehend that what he is doing is wrong, and illegal according to the Bill of Rights, truthfully. However, I know that I am not that only one that has commented about how he seems to enjoy his alarmingly tyrannical behavior that is unbecoming of a CIVIL SERVANT to say the least. I will share a little of my own personal interactions with him, and then what I have witnessed in my friend’s situation…

I was not there the day that Mr. Hansen served Jim with warrant to look for a toilet in the tipi. Ted Paxton, Chief of Police, was with him, but the newly appointed Code Enforcement Officer had not even been sworn in for duty at that point (he was sworn in at the following city council meeting).

I emailed Mr. Hansen on May 25, 2021 and I CC’d the Mayor, a Vinton City Council Member, and the chief (see below). Google’s Streak shows that all of them opened my message, but none of them bothered to respond. I requested an opportunity to discuss what we were trying to do with the property, how it would benefit the community, and asked for the patience as we work to pick up the pieces and rebuild our lives. You will see that I requested clarification on two different dates provided in the paperwork. We did submit the necessary paperwork in time, but our request to address the concerns at a city council meeting was denied “because it was turned in late.”

A few days after the email, frustrated with the lack of communication, I went down to city hall. When I asked to speak with him, Mr. Hansen approached the window with an attitude and quickly let me know that they had given Jim “enough chances” and that “it was way past time to handle things informally.”

I said to him that they know good and well that neither Jim nor I have several thousand dollars in our back pocket to install a sewage system, especially within the limited timeframe they had given us, so essentially he was writing us a 30 day heads up that they were screwing us for $750. He rudely cut me off with some belittling nonsense like “well, we gave you a chance…”

His voice trailed off, and I took a deep breath before I said,”Ok, like I just said… yall know we don’t have the money to put in a f*cking sewage system in…”

He cut me off again to scold me for my “inappropriate language.” This infuriates me because he acts like his virgin ears can’t handle a swear word… like the word fucking is so much more inappropriate and offensive than a city official abusing his authority and treating a citizen of his community with disdain and disrespect… I don’t remember what I said as I walked out the door, probably something sarcastic as hell that burned his ass, because I was mad as hell.

That was when I started to realize that if I don’t keep my calm it gives “them” a way to validate treating me with greater disrespect. That was when I truly started to realize that when I react with passionate anger, no matter how justified it may be, they look at others around them and shake their head, pry saying something like,”See, I told you… she’s a terrible person! She deserves it!”

After that face-to-face interaction, Mr. Hansen let Jim know that I am not the owner of the property and they would no longer be dealing with me. This cowardice blatantly violates Jim’s right to elect someone to serve as mediator on behalf, as was indicated in the first paragraph of my email.

And with regard to my friend’s property…

Mr. Hansen has been making attempts to condemn the building my friend owns since last December when the deed transferred into her mom’s name and she started working on it. She was served with a Stop Work order back in _________, costing her 4 months.

We all know that we have had a crappy spring so far, and we are FINALLY getting some decent weather here in Iowa, the state of 5 seasons. So when she started working on the property again the last few weeks, the harassment started up again.

Two days ago, I was sitting with her as she spoke with him on speaker phone. I honestly didn’t know she was talking to Mr. Hansen, and maybe it is a good thing I didn’t. Because of the way he was talking to her, I thought it was her own attorney on the phone so I held my opinion in until she hung up!

I specifically heard him make a couple statements that did not sit well with me:

• “You do not have the finances or the manpower to get anything done.”
  • How tf does he know what kind of finances she is working with?
  • How audacious of him to assume she doesn’t have friends that will help her out!
• “We have lost faith in you [and Matt] to get things done at that property”
  • No one asked for his “faith” and we are the kind of people that let the underestimation of others fuel our fire. THIS is why having the numbers show up tomorrow would be AMAZING!! Seriously, I would love it to laugh and picture the look on his face if we get more than a handful of people standing together tomorrow…. STRENGTH IN NUMBERS SHOWING UNITY
• “You have no choice but to demolish the building”
  • He was emailed a copy of the statement from the independent contractor that I mentioned above has affirmed that the building is structurally sound and reparable, so I am not sure why he continues to assert that it isn’t.

A little later, Jim and I were discussing the concerns that are listed on the most recent she was served, and it sounded like the most pressing concern they emphasized was that the building is a public health hazard as it stands because someone could get hurt. I find it rather ridiculous that they are pushing to demolish a building on the premise that someone could illegally trespass on her property and injure themselves, but we live in the kind of society where a burglar can get injured and SUE the property owner. (That’s why a lawyer joked with me once that it is better to shoot to kill someone if they break into your house than shoot to injure… I laughed but thought to myself how fucked up that is).

So a friend donated the supplies and Jim took them over to the property and was able to put up a line of temporary snow fencing within the property line on the side facing the street. I stopped down there while I was on a walk with my dog, and sat there about 20 minutes.

The next day (I PROMISE I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP), Mr. Hansen called my friend’s mother and told her that Jim and I are NOT QUALIFIED TO DO ANY WORK AT THAT PROPERTY!!!!

IF YOU ARE READING THIS MR. BLAKE HANSEN, LET ME MAKE MYSELF PERFECTLY CLEAR!!!

In Closing

I have more to say but its getting really late (or early I guess) and I would like to catch a few zzzzzz’s before we get to work in the morning, so I am going to close it up here…

Basically, we are group of people that have essentially been shunned it seem by a society that acts to undermine our efforts to rebuild our lives. I speak for myself when I say that I am very vocal in sharing the injustices that I have endured and witnessed, so if you don’t believe me or you think I am exaggerating, then you have not been paying attention!!

We recognize that it is not everyone around us that is doing this… Many people are actually rooting for us to “get our lives together.” That’s laughable to me because honestly I don’t know that I have met an adult yet that “has their life together” and maintains that status for very long… while still many others don’t join us because they fear that would earn them a big red ‘x’ on their back as well.

But if ever I could ask YOU (yes YOU specifically) for a favor, or if you think maybe you owe me a favor or two… I am calling it in!! We are fully capable of doing the work ourselves with just a handful of us, but any one able to show up for us would be so very greatly appreciated!

Quite frankly, that asshat and anyone else involved or pulling the stringsfrom behind the scenes have crossed many lines in their pursuit of “improving” in our city. This whole campaign started off as CLASS WARFARE and has quickly expanded to target everybody in an attempt to make it look like it isn’t.

If you are a citizen of Vinton and you concerned about this, or you have any other concerns that you feel like need attention, please check back next week when I have more time to follow up on a neighborhood association that I have begun drafting paperwork for and will eventually be registering for incorporation. It is time for WE THE PEOPLE to remind our elected officials that we live in America and we are not interested in selling our freedoms or submitting to their baby steps toward totalism any longer!

6 jours pour faire 100.000. Le Morvox a signé.

#injustice #SurveillanceNumerique #TechnoContrôle

https://petitions.assemblee-nationale.fr/initiatives/i-5174

There's 4 guys RIGHT THERE on the scaffolding with clearly no threat to the safety to the workers & the Weather Channel has explicitly said there is no chance of storms in the next 6 hours.

This isn't about lettering on a wall. This is about justice & the rule of law.

#injustice #contemptofcourt

In a landmark ruling, four Palestine Action activists known as the “Filton Four” have been sentenced as terrorists for criminal damage, despite being acquitted of terrorism charges receiving a combined total of over 25 years in prison. Their “terrorist connection” sentencing marks the first such case for non-violent protest in modern British history.

The sentences:
Charlotte Head - 6 years
Leona Kamio - 6 years
Fatema Zainab - 5 years and 8 months
Samuel Corner - 8 years and 8 months

#PalestineAction #UKpol #Genocide #Politics #Activism #Israel #Fascism #Genocide #Shameless #Injustice #Terrorism #Palestine