Couple held at gunpoint, arrested after buying home

[XanaDUer]

Metro Atlanta / State News 8:07 p.m. Friday, April 20, 2012

SNIP-The Newton County Sheriff’s Office is investigating why a couple was confronted at gunpoint by neighbors and then arrested and forced to spend the night in jail when they tried to move into the home they had just purchased, Channel 2 Action News reported...

The neighbors didn’t believe the couple when they told them they had bought the home and called the Newton County Sheriff’s Office. The Kalonjis didn’t have the closing papers with them, so deputies arrested them, charged them with loitering and prowling and took them to jail.

http://www.ajc.com/news/couple-held-at-gunpoint-1423138.html

[warrior1]

1. why did I sense they would be

African Americans. This shit has got to stop.

[malaise]

2. Ditto

It's open season on African Americans
Were I that couple I'd be selling and moving out about now. Why would anyone want to live among those racist scumbags? Of course I'd also be suing them first.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

14. I wouldn't be giving them what the want!

I'd be staying and inviting the entire family over every Sunday for subdued BBQs in the back yard!

[malaise]

17. I understand your view

but my home is my place for peace and I refuse to live in a hostile environment

[jberryhill]

21. You assumed the sheriff was African American?

You were correct, but that is an odd assumption.

[CreekDog]

28. are you saying that institutional racism only occurs at the hands of whites?

should bone up on that topic then. i think you might not understand it.

[MoonRiver]

24. I had the same thought.

Ugh.

[Spider Jerusalem]

42. Not African-American, African African.

"An immigrant from the Congo"; there in the story. "African-American" is not a synonym for "black".

And his wife is Romanian.

[Sancho]

3. thank goodness this wasn't in Florida...

they'd have just shot them first and then called the cops...

[XanaDUer]

4. I know- same thought here

"Stand Your Ground- Real Estate Version".

[SammyWinstonJack]

11. Or Tx. Accuse them of stealing and then shoot them in the back.

[DrDan]

23. 20-some states have similar laws - another tragedy is just a matter of time

[TheWraith]

29. Actually pretty much every state has such laws.

And said laws had nothing to do with the Zimmerman case except as a fig leaf for a police coverup.

[DrDan]

37. lots of folks seem to think it does

[TheMastersNemesis]

5. Too Many Georgia Crackers

Those Georgia crackers are such pond scum. If I were a fireman and that neighborhood were on fire I would let it burn. At least I would give them a hose to fight their own fire. They are NOT fellow Americans. Whatever bad happens to them is deserved.

[safeinOhio]

6. I lived in Georgia back in the 60s

Meet some of the nicest people in the world and some of the worst people. The good part was, it only took a few seconds to figure out who was who.

[Bonhomme Richard]

7. The dumb ass hillbillies should be arrested for.....

threatening with a deadly weapon and kidnapping.
Cowards to boot having to take a weapon just to confront some middle aged couple.

[MineralMan]

8. Wow!

I'm thinking there won't be mutual cookouts for this family and those neighbors. The Sheriff's deputies need retraining, at a minimum. Racism really blows!

[TheMastersNemesis]

9. This Entire Election Will Be About Race

I do not see how we can live through this election without having a cold civil war. The hate code is getting more strident every day. It is the GOP's main plan. The hidden mantra is that Obama is turning the country over to minorities and giving everyone's money to the slackers and cheats.

[jberryhill]

22. Starting with Sheriff Ezell Brown

This is him, btw:



Oh, I get it. You assume the sheriff is white, because.... Why?

[MineralMan]

25. I assumed nothing.

I said that the deputies needed retraining. And so they do. The race of the Sheriff is completely irrelevant.

[Phentex]

32. What racism are you referring to?

I know you aren't talking about the sheriff. You said Racism blows which refers to what in this particular case?

[MineralMan]

33. I was referring to the neighbors who held these people

at gunpoint. Do you disagree with my opinion of racism?

[Phentex]

34. What do you know of the neighbors?

In this instance, I am unsure what your opinion of racism is.

[MineralMan]

35. About the same as I know of you.

Racism blows. I think that's pretty clear.

[Phentex]

36. I agree with you...

I just find it curious that so many people in the two threads I've read jumped to some kind of idea of racism when they don't really know what color all of the people are. If they are not referring to color, then I don't know what they mean.

FTR: Racism is awful. This story was an example of terrible behavior by people (of any color) and a real shame. I also think this is just one story and probably happens more than is reported on the news. I also think there are stories where neighbors refused to get involved out of fear. I also think guns should never be used in a situation like this when there are so many other ways this could have been handled.

I'm just really finding it quite curious that the race issue was so quickly brought up on DU regarding this news story.

[Comrade Grumpy]

27. Did the sheriff personally arrest this couple?

[Nay]

10. If I were those buyers, I'd invoke the 3-day buyer's remorse law and refuse the house. Can

you imagine being black and trying to live in that neighborhood?

[ecstatic]

16. That's a good point!

It's clearly not a safe place to LWB.

[XanaDUer]

26. I'd be uncomfortable living there.

I hope things work out for this poor family. The fun and joy of moving in has, pretty much, been ruined for them forever, imo.

[socialist_n_TN]

43. The 3 day buyer's remorse law only applies to refinances.......

not to purchases. Once it closes, you own it.

[siligut]

12. I am glad this is getting news coverage

It is disgusting and change needs to happen. I hope there is a backlash.

[BiggJawn]

13. Only in Murrika!

And before somebody criticizes me for that statement, please tell me what OTHER so-called "First-World" country this shit goes on in? Shoot unarmed black men, beat them to death in jail and claim they had "seizures", "He had a GUN!", etc.

I think we're heading for race riots, and the white racist Authoritarians are going to start them. All they're waiting for is Obama to be re-elected and that'll be all they need to be convinced that "their" country has been "taken from them".

[ecstatic]

15. On the bright side, at least they weren't shot and killed

That could have been the case if it weren't for the lessons learned from Killerman.

[Kaleva]

18. I think the neighbors are facing some serious legal issues.

I don't think there's a law in Georgia that gives them the right to enter a house they do not own and threaten to shoot the people in there unless they leave.

[onethatcares]

19. after the lawsuit is settled,

they can invite those "friendly" neighbors to a mortgage burning bar b que.

They might want to cook a large pig though.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

20. I'm just enraged when I read stuff like this.

I sincerely don't understand how Liberals and other rational people are
able to live in communities like this.

The police are completely out of control. They should have allowed the
homeowners the opportunity to call the Real Estate agent, bank or an
opportunity to go get their papers. So many cops are fu*king imbeciles.

[cyglet]

30. I don't understand

how I live in this country anymore. It seems to be getting worse and worse.

[ZombieHorde]

31. The man who was arrested seems to be a black guy.

I wonder if his skin color was a major factor in this unfortunate situation.

I am glad no violence occurred.

[hughee99]

38. A lot of people jumped on the racial aspect of this

because one of the victims in story is pictured. Based on this story, it's unclear as to whether the new neighbors were black, or the sheriff was black. If a black couple had this issue and the black neighbors went to a black sheriff, who found a the couple on a property without the paperwork to show they owned it (trespassing, as far as the police could tell at that given time), is it just possible this isn't nearly as racially charged as is being assumed?

[Phentex]

40. I wish none had been pictured...

but the responses have been quite interesting.

[intheflow]

39. Crackers Gone Wild.

[B Calm]

41. In Florida they could have shot them. .

[Liberal_in_LA]

44. awkward relationship with the neighbors ahead.