Saturday, August 24, 2013

In Paper War, Flood of Liens Is the Weapon - NYTimes.com

In Paper War, Flood of Liens Is the Weapon - NYTimes.com
It's the "sovereign citizen" movement. They are filing bogus liens against the property of government officials:

"...as Sheriff Stanek soon learned, the liens, legal claims on property to secure the payment of a debt, were just the earliest salvos in a war of paper, waged by a couple who had lost their home to foreclosure in 2009 — a tactic that, with the spread of an anti-government ideology known as the “sovereign citizen” movement, is being employed more frequently as a way to retaliate against perceived injustices. Over the next three years, the couple, Thomas and Lisa Eilertson, filed more than $250 billion in liens, demands for compensatory damages and other claims against more than a dozen people, including the sheriff, county attorneys, the Hennepin County registrar of titles and other court officials."

KXAN - HOA used satellites to spot violations | KXAN.com

KXAN - HOA used satellites to spot violations | KXAN.com
But three years after buying the property, the Henry's received a letter from their homeowner's association. "It said that they were doing an audit and they noticed I had a metal shed in my back yard and it wasn't approved by my homeowners association," Henry said. Gavin, who is a disabled veteran, told the HOA the shed was there before he bought the property and none of his neighbors had ever complained about it. He was then told it was now his responsibility to remove it, change it up to code, or else. "They said they would put a lien on my house and this is problem now," Henry said. But that wasn't his only problem. Since the shed isn't visible from the front yard and no one knocked on the Henry's door, Gavin contacted the HOA to ask how they performed the audit. "I was told they went on Google Earth and they were looking into the backyard of the residents to find any disputes," Gavin said. "I felt like that's an invasion of our privacy for one."
----------------
Charming.  Maybe they should contact the NSA next time.  Thanks to Shu Bartholomew for the link.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Mayor: 'Everybody's wound up' over plans for white supremacist takeover of N.D. town

Mayor: 'Everybody's wound up' over plans for white supremacist takeover of N.D. town
"Craig Paul Cobb, 61, who has been called one of the most extreme white supremacists and neo-Nazis in the country, has purchased 13 lots in the mostly abandoned town of Leith with plans to fill the town with other racists and haters and eventually take over the community. Cobb himself lives in a small house in Leith and residents knew he was buying up other lots last year. It wasn't until the past few days that they learned of his scheme to turn Leith into a white nationalists' community, where people could fly Nazi flags and other racial banners, take over the city through elections and write their own laws."
--------------------
This is one intentional community we can do without.

KXAN - Chalk drawing draws citation from HOA| KXAN.com

KXAN - Chalk drawing draws citation from HOA| KXAN.com: BUDA, Texas (KXAN) - In many neighborhoods, playful, colorful sidewalk chalk art is a summertime staple. But in one Hays County neighborhood, parents are finding out their kids' art isn't a game.

A homeowner in the Elm Grove Neighborhood was hit with a citation telling her to remove her children's "chalk drawings" or risk paying a pretty hefty price.

The notice from the homeowner's association prompted her friends and neighbors to contact KXAN for answers.
------------
Kids with chalk threaten property values.  See the special investigative report at 10 on KXAN-TV.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Condo residents go to court over Divvy bike sharing station - chicagotribune.com

Condo residents go to court over Divvy bike sharing station - chicagotribune.com

David Kolin and his wife, Jeannine Cordero, learned Tuesday that the area in front of their North Side condo building soon would be home to a Divvy bike-sharing station, one of hundreds the Chicago Department of Transportation is installing across the city. The station, which can hold up to 15 of the baby-blue rental bikes, opened Wednesday near Addison Street and Pine Grove Avenue. But the three-unit building's condo association, of which Kolin is president, on Wednesday asked a Cook County judge to stop the station from becoming a fixture in front of their home. "We don't think it's appropriate in a residential area to have this thing set up," said Kolin, an attorney. "It's not a very attractive thing to have. It's led to crowds already."
-----------
Wow. Who would have guessed that the association that filed this churlish, obnoxious, NIMBY lawsuit was led by an attorney?  Who could have seen that coming?  Thanks to Mystery Reader for the link.

Upscale condo owners use one door, renters use the POOR DOOR

West Side Rag » NEW UWS DEVELOPMENT COULD HAVE SEPARATE ENTRANCE FOR POORER PEOPLE

"A 33-story building slated to be built on Riverside Boulevard between 61st and 62nd street will have an entirely separate entrance for people of lower socioeconomic means: a door for the poor, or as we call it, a “Poor Door.” The affordable homes will be oriented towards the back of the building, while market-rate units will have a view of the Hudson."
-------------
The developer had to include some affordable units in order to get credits that allow more floor area, and this is worth maybe "tens of millions of dollars." Sounds very inclusionary until you realize that the developer intends to completely segregate the renters from the condo owners.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

3 dead, 5 wounded in shooting in southern Germany | Wichita Eagle

3 dead, 5 wounded in shooting in southern Germany | Wichita Eagle: BERLIN — A gunman opened fire on a meeting in a village in south Germany on Tuesday, killing two people and wounding five before taking his own life, police said.

A police statement said the assailant had been attending an evening meeting of a property owners' association in a restaurant in Dossenheim, a village near Heidelberg, about 273 miles (440 kilometers) southwest of Berlin.

Heated words were exchanged and the man stormed out but returned later with a weapon and opened fire on the meeting before turning the weapon on himself, the statement said.