The Sheriff Says "it's wrong"
CHICAGO (AP) — The sheriff here said Wednesday that he's ordering his deputies to stop evicting people from foreclosed properties because many people his office has helped throw out on the street are renters who did nothing wrong.
"We will no longer be a party to something that's so unjust," a visibly angry Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said at a news conference.
IS that awesome or what???
Dart said that from now on, banks will have to present his office with a court affidavit that proves the home's occupant is either the owner or has been properly notified of the foreclosure proceedings
How do the vultures Mortgage people feel about this?
Glad you asked: I don't care about their reaction.
I want to hear more from Sheriff Dart himself: Sun Times
Where mortgage firms see pieces of paper, my deputies see people.
Yet no matter how difficult they are, evictions are part of our job.
What isn't part of our job, however, is to carry out work on behalf of the multi-billion-dollar banks and mortgage industries.
Too many times, our deputies arrive at a home to carry out a mortgage foreclosure eviction, only to find a tenant -- dutifully paying their rent each month -- who is unaware their landlord stopped using that rent money to pay the mortgage. They had no fair warning that they were about to be thrown out of their home.
I crab about the terrible things police do, pretty much everyday. Despite that, I see police as essential to the stability and safety of this country.
Sheriff Dart has my immense respect today and I say he has set a standard that has me totally surprised.
To recap
Sheriff Tom Dart says renters who are dutifully paying their rent and know nothing about the financial problems of their landlords are being thrown in the street.
He says until banks start taking steps to ensure they know who they're evicting and give tenants enough time to find another place to live his office will not help evict them.
I think this is simply awesome and I wanted you to see it.
Update [2008-10-9 8:25:37 by xxdr zombiexx]: Please make sure to tip azure extra. We posted nearly together and he/she graciously deferred to my post and deleted his/hers. Thanks!