Outrageous – Foreclosure mill Halloween Party Photos show contempt of homeless

Originally posted by Afterthought
reply to post by PuterMan

 

Great post, Op!

I loved the fact that the bottom of the first photo stated that the woman in it was a FORMER employee.

It said that the person who took the pictures was a former employee.

Photos from a former employee of the law firm of Steven J. Baum: Two Steven J. Baum employees mocking homeowners who have been foreclosed on.

Originally posted by ShadowAngel85
More often than not, that image is true. Truth hurts but it's a fact. Most homeless people are drunken bums, they are dirty, they don't have anything and a lot of times it was their own fault, they end up on the street, end up as drunken losers, junkies or other scum. It's not like you lose everything and your home when your life is on track and you are focused on making sure to not end up like them.

And looking at the pictures i don't see much wrong. It was Halloween, they were trying to have fun, apparently had fun and in the end, didn't hurt anyone with it. So who cares, let them have their fun, hard working people deserve that.

I will agree that it used to be that way, but in the last few years it has become far less common. More and more families are becoming homeless and are doing everything within their power to still retain their dignity.

There are too many reasons to state about the causes of this, but those people need to be treated as fellow human beings and given some respect for how hard they are working to try to support themselves and their families.

The staff at the law firm were not just trying to have fun, they were acting in a manner that shows they have no respect for the hard working people whom they have forced out of their homes and into the streets.

Have a little empathy for those less fortunate then yourself.

Originally posted by Drezden
You guys need to understand the difference between homeless and squatters. When I lived in the Midwest and even East Coast I saw only homeless people.. then I move to the west coast and there are more squatters than homeless. Squatters are mostly young people who decide not to let their parents pay for their college, and instead they buy trendy brown and black hobo chic clothes, and hop trains and sit in your downtown with signs and harassing people when you don't give them money.

squatter
An individual who settles on the land of another person without any legal authority to do so, or without acquiring a legal title.

In the past, the term squatter specifically applied to an individual who settled on public land. Currently it is used interchangeably with intruder and trespasser.

Source

What you are describing is a panhandler.

panhandle
pan·han·dle 1 (pnhndl)
v. pan·han·dled, pan·han·dling, pan·han·dles Informal
v.intr.
To approach strangers and beg for money or food.
v.tr.
1. To approach and beg from (a stranger).
2. To obtain by approaching and begging from a stranger: panhandled money. See Synonyms at cadge.

[Back-formation from panhandler, beggar : perhaps pan + handler.]

Source

reply to post by gamesmaster63


Oops! My bad.
Thanks for correcting me. Although, it still doesn't negate the fact that the person, probably enjoying the festivitites, doesn't work there arnymore. I have to believe that the person who took the photos was not a professional photographer hired to take the obscene photos, so they must've worked for the company. The photographer themselves may have been dressed as a foreclosure victim, but we'll never know.

Originally posted by Afterthought
reply to post by gamesmaster63

 

Oops! My bad.
Thanks for correcting me. Although, it still doesn't negate the fact that the person, probably enjoying the festivitites, doesn't work there arnymore. I have to believe that the person who took the photos was not a professional photographer hired to take the obscene photos, so they must've worked for the company. The photographer themselves may have been dressed as a foreclosure victim, but we'll never know.

You are absolutely right, we will probably never know, just as we will never know if the photographer was enjoying him/herself or not, or the reason they took these obviously irreverent pictures.

I have to wonder, was the person fired for giving these photos to the NY Times, or did they quit out of disgust of this type of behavior? Something else we will never know.

All I'm really saying is that people should show each other greater respect than these pictures show anyone. When you show others respect you tend to get respect shown you in return.

Personally I have to much self-respect to have costumed myself in such a manner, especially if I worked for a foreclosure firm, just to tacky.

reply to post by gamesmaster63


I concur!
On the other hand, I wouldn't feel a bit terrible about dressing as a bankster for Halloween complete with pin striped suit and monopoly money falling out of my pockets.

reply to post by PuterMan


this is utterly horrable and I really can't believe that these people get any real joy from acting this way! They most likely do this to distance themselves emotionally from their job of tossing people out of their homes and to make light of this situation! I realize this is no excuse and if there is any justice in the world the employer will pay for their mockery of those they foreclosed on! I do not hold the employees accountable except if they voluntarily dressed that way! It seems we have made a deal with the Devil cause for all the technological development we have achieved over the past 200 years, we seem to have given up on our moral acheivements to the same degree! Maybe we need to give up on some of our technology to gain back part of our morality! It seems something needs to change or we will soon be less humane than the most savage of animals!

Oh no. People dressed up for Halloween.

Seriously, get your big boy pants on and buck up.

People have been dressing up as homeless for Halloween for a LONG time.

reply to post by Aeons

People have been dressing up as homeless for Halloween for a LONG time.

Really? Strange I have NEVER seen that in 63 years of kicking around this planet.

Perhaps you should remove your small boys pants and put big boy pants on yourself.

Originally posted by Aeons
Oh no. People dressed up for Halloween.

Seriously, get your big boy pants on and buck up.

People have been dressing up as homeless for Halloween for a LONG time.

Perhaps...but when it is those who are...in some cases illegally...greasing that process, it is at best in bad taste and at worst, worth a beating.

Originally posted by whaaa
reply to post by muzzleflash

 

I think this attitude is reflected here on ATS over and over by the TPM/GOP and even some Libertarian/conservatives.

Blame the victim!

www.washingtonmonthly.com...

edit on 29-10-2011 by whaaa because: (no reason given)

Reading the article just got me all pissed off again.
Nice for someone like Herman Cain to say that when he relied on EOEE and Affirmative action to get where he is today, including getting his schooling, naacp helped him there. So that he didn't obviously make it on his own merits, just by him opening his mouth you can ssee how unintelligent he is.

Originally posted by ShadowAngel85

Originally posted by PuterMan
Looking at the photo I posted you can see what these people assume or perhaps I should say infer about the homeless they have created.

More often than not, that image is true. Truth hurts but it's a fact. Most homeless people are drunken bums, they are dirty, they don't have anything and a lot of times it was their own fault, they end up on the street, end up as drunken losers, junkies or other scum. It's not like you lose everything and your home when your life is on track and you are focused on making sure to not end up like them.

And looking at the pictures i don't see much wrong. It was Halloween, they were trying to have fun, apparently had fun and in the end, didn't hurt anyone with it. So who cares, let them have their fun, hard working people deserve that.

I've been homeless, I was not a "dirty drunken bum". You seem to be lumping all the homeless into one category which is "people we should ignore as they are no good anyway".

I remember going to the grocery store and asking people for FOOD, not money, and being glared at and denied. I was told to "go away", "F off", "get a job". I was barely 17, I had left an abusive family situation, and I was trying to stay in school while living on the streets. I was also putting in applications at every place I walked by, while being told if I did not have an address or phone number I could "forget it".

I say to you, stop blaming the victims, it shows your lack of social empathy and shows one thing which is wrong with our society.

Yes, I finally got myself a job, stayed in school and went to university. Not all homeless are as you want to believe. Maybe if you were to open your mind and see the truth then you may have to change your whole point of view, and some people are just too weak to do that.

Originally posted by PuterMan
reply to post by Aeons

 

People have been dressing up as homeless for Halloween for a LONG time.

Really? Strange I have NEVER seen that in 63 years of kicking around this planet.

Hobo? I remember dressing up as a hobo as a kid, stick over my shoulder with ripped clothing and all. It was probably because we lived next to a train track and I dreamed of getting away from my own bad situation.

Harm None
Peace

Originally posted by PuterMan
reply to post by Aeons

 

People have been dressing up as homeless for Halloween for a LONG time.

Really? Strange I have NEVER seen that in 63 years of kicking around this planet.

Perhaps you should remove your small boys pants and put big boy pants on yourself.

Never? Really? I have personally went as a Hobo when I was a kid and have seen people go as bag ladies,panhandlers etc..

The thing that makes this tacky is that these are the people putting the people out of their homes.

IF I was going to dress up this year I was going to make write ludicrous self serving, entitled statement on a piece of cardboard and go as an OWS protester. Does that make me anything other than a person dressing up for Halloween? No I think not because I support the OWS movement 100%, but I bet someone could take a picture of me and claim I was some bank employee at the company party and peoples panties would be all up in a bunch. Relax people it's frickin Halloween!

Originally posted by PuterMan
reply to post by Aeons

 

People have been dressing up as homeless for Halloween for a LONG time.

Really? Strange I have NEVER seen that in 63 years of kicking around this planet.

Perhaps you should remove your small boys pants and put big boy pants on yourself.

Never? Really? I have personally went as a Hobo when I was a kid and have seen people go as bag ladies,panhandlers etc..

The thing that makes this tacky is that these are the people putting the people out of their homes.

IF I was going to dress up this year I was going to write a ludicrous, self serving, entitled statement on a piece of cardboard and go as an OWS protester. Does that make me anything other than a person dressing up for Halloween? No I think not because I support the OWS movement 100%, but I bet someone could take a picture of me and claim I was some bank employee at the company party and peoples panties would be all up in a bunch. Relax people it's frickin Halloween!

Originally posted by amazed
I've been homeless, I was not a "dirty drunken bum". You seem to be lumping all the homeless into one category which is "people we should ignore as they are no good anyway".

Amazed makes a good point here. Great post btw a real slice of American life. One that people don't like to think about. The tendency is to see "dirty drunken bum" on the street and use that to define all homeless.

We've always had drunken bums on the street but they are not a fair representation of the homeless we see today. You won't won't be able to pick the newest wave of homeless out of the crowd because they look just like you and me.

I don't care how hardworking these people are. I don't care what holiday antics they feel they deserve. Bottom line they've chosen to appear as arrogant scum and probably are the whole year round, might as well stay in costume. They weren't hobos or bums read their signs they're victims of foreclosure. You know a little PR never hurts especially at the holidays.

Kids often give up their trick or treating to collect for charities. It's funny how compassionate children can be. Too bad so many are taught to lose that before they reach adulthood.

reply to post by amazed


Maybe Americans do the Halloween thing differently. In the UK and Ireland I have never ever seen anyone dressed as a 'hobo' for Halloween. Always witches, ghosts etc.

Anyway maybe the firm Steven Baum is about to get it's comeuppance.

Cummings seeks records documents

Document Request Follows Disclosure of Foreclosure Party Photos

Washington, DC (Nov. 4, 2011) – Today, Ranking Member Elijah E. Cummings sent a letter to the law firm of Steven J. Baum requesting records, documents, and communications relating to allegations of improper and potentially illegal actions in the processing of foreclosures.

“Given that your firm represents some of the nation’s largest mortgage servicers,” Cummings wrote, “these revelations are disturbing. If true, they demonstrate a culture of disdain for families suffering foreclosure and a disregard for the rule of law.”

And

In his letter today, Cummings requested that the firm provide all documents relating to:

• false or misleading foreclosure documents, “robo-signed” documents, or improper mortgage assignments;
• attempts by the firm to foreclose on borrowers who were attempting to obtain, or who had obtained, loan modifications;
• instances in which the firm illegally or improperly charged for foreclosure settlement conferences, overcharged on foreclosure fees, or attempted to persuade foreclosure defendants to waive their legal rights;
• preparing for, carrying out, or communicating about the firm’s 2010 Halloween party; and
• instances in which the firm compensated Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or a client for improper foreclosure practices.

Originally posted by PuterMan
reply to post by amazed

 

Maybe Americans do the Halloween thing differently. In the UK and Ireland I have never ever seen anyone dressed as a 'hobo' for Halloween. Always witches, ghosts etc.

Naw, we do all sorts of costumes. My grandkids were a dragon and a black cat, respectively. Costumes can represent memes and puns, cartoon characters...it's wide open.

Us curious Colonials, eh?