SWAT Team disperses Crowd of Hundreds awaiting Housing Applications!

SWAT Team disperses Crowd of Hundreds awaiting Housing Applications!

www.miamiherald.com

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Police in riot gear intervened Wednesday when hundreds of people seeking a chance at subsidized housing grew frustrated after officials ran out of applications.

At least one person was arrested and at least six others were hospitalized for exhaustion during chaos at the Boca Raton Housing Authority some believed would grow into a riot.

Judith Aigen, executive director of the housing authority, said the crowd surged forward when told applications only remained for the disabled. She said mothers with children and people in wheelchairs were nearly crushed.

"We have got a major crisis right now," she said.

People began gathering at the housing authority before midnight, and before long there were far more than the 600 applications officials planned to distribute. Many of those waiting were women with infants or toddlers in their arms, or a baby on the way.

(visit the link for the full news article)

This is another one of those situations where I really don't even know what to say...Riot gear police and SWAT to disperse a crowd of families desperate for housing? Such a sad situation we are in now...

www.miamiherald.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

We gotta remember though that looks can be deceiving. What might those people have done to the others there, not to mention the officials handing out the forms, had the SWAT teams not been there? People are notorious for being a little dense when it comes to being told no.

If there's no more applications, then there aren't anymore, and the people need to go home. Otherwise, they can wait. I think it's a shame that people can't afford to live in homes anymore, and have to resort to living with others. However, I think that the attention has been misplaced on the local authorities, when it should be on the lawmakers that put us in this situation in the first place.

I think those lawmakers need to relinquish their homes to those who need them, and move into more reasonably priced homes. They make far too much money for no more than they do.

TheBorg

Another sign of just how out of touch with reality government entities have become.

"Sorry, we only have 600 applications, the rest of you can just go back to your tents and cardboard boxes."

Yeah, it's a good thing they just happened to have the SWAT team on hand, eh?

spitzer seemed to know what to do with it!!! $80,000 for prostitutes!!!
I'm sorry but anyone who has that kind of money to waste like that is getting paid way too much!
but don't just blame the policy makers....we're the ones that don't think that big mac is worth the amount that the person making it would need to afford to live! its the businesses that think it's much, much better to contribute to the developement of china's new and improved slave system!! and well....by God.....the work in our shop has come to about a screeching halt since the first of the year....and you wouldn't believe how many are griping that they aren't making it.....that's the only paycheck they have and it isn't enough....while....ain't no one really out looking for a different job!! they're out there....and they pay far better than what we're getting! they'll go running to the government for help first. na.....the blame can be spread far and wide!

oh, ya, you can blame those nice tax breaks also....they had to cut the safety nets some to be able to give us the impression we could afford them. so out of the 600 or whatever applications that are taking (they decided to let everyone come back and at least apply). they'll have a raffle and pick out the 200 that will eventually get help....eventually...they'll have to wait up to three years to get it.


[edit on 14-3-2008 by dawnstar]

[edit on 14-3-2008 by dawnstar]

reply to post by TheBorg


I agree, when people get together in numbers, mob mentality can take over.When this happens, normal people can do irrational things both violent and destructive. And the whole mob can join in. This situation is one of the scariest times for a officer of the law. Very difficult situation to control without force.The trouble is when they use force the situation could escalate. Where I come from if you have ANY gathering which is likely to exceed 500 (I think) people then you must let the police know, and have an ambulance in attendence. Though we may feel that it was wrong for the "swat team" to be there, the saftey of the officials handling the applications must be looked after, after all they are just doing their job.Though it is a worry that its all happening in the first place.

reply to post by skribal


It wasn't intrinsically wrong to have the SWAT team there.

But it was wrong to not anticipate the demand for applications.

They expected a big enough crowd to warrant having a SWAT team on hand, but neglected to provide enough applications?!

How many more applications could they have printed with the money spent on law enforcement?

This situation smells of either incompetence or of being deliberately orchestrated, IMHO.

actually, I think it might prove just how out of touch with reality the policy makers are....ya know, the ones telling to that all is fine and please, please, go out and spend your money, here we'll even give you some to spend!! they have all those people who need housing, and they have only enough funding for 200, and then those 200 will have to wait for someone to get off the program to get the help??
like I said, the government should not be in the business of deciding who should be getting the help, and who shouldn't. many of those applicants work, are paying taxes, are in need of help.....so some of them will be helping others have the housing they cannot afford. we're going about this all wrong, if you want to improve the situation, you've got to do something to ensure the working person can live on what he is making....increase wages, lower costs...not import illegal aliens and ship the work overseas for china's slave labor force to do. This is just a glimpse of what is to come if we continue down the path we are one. the more money they dump into the economy to try to get things to stay afloat, the less buying power that money will have, the bigger the masses at these places asking for help will be....the more who will be denied. sooner or later the have nots that are paying for the haves (even spitzer's nice $80,000 prostitute habit paid for by his public service salary) and there will be riots and such!

Originally posted by TheBorg
If there's no more applications, then there aren't anymore, and the people need to go home

What if they have no home to go to?

After all, these people were waiting for applications for subsidized housing...

like I said in many thread that has to do with the economic situation in this Nation now, wake up America we are heading into a dangerous situation as more people are left on the streets and with nowhere to go.

Yes riots will be expected and that is why our for the people government has been working very strongly to make sure that they will deal with the new wave of homegrown terrorist and insurgency that will be growing in numbers as citizens loses hope.

This is the future of America.

WOW !!

You guys really do have a kind and generous society going on over there...

A SWAT team to disperse folks who missed out on public housing ?

You've got to be kidding me ?

And the US has the nerve to yearly condemn human rights in China, yet they bitch and moan when China serves one back...

Grow the hell up and learn to treat your own people well before you start criticising other countries human right records...