The Old Folks Home

[vehve]

One thing I have to comment on from the original story Wisher posted a link to. While DUI is something I do not accept, potheads were always a welcome surprise when I worked security. If I have to deal with a person who's high, I'll take the pothead over a speed freak any day. The only risk with them that I've noticed, is that they are sometimes too dumb to understand simple instructions. But they were never aggressive, while someone who has just injected whatever drug has been mixed with the bleach and whatnot in their syringe is completely unpredictable.

 

[hennible]

Potheads are rarely a danger they may eat all your food, and should not drive when high... That's about it with most...

Wisher there was another excellent story on FB about police going above and beyond... If I didn't suffer from short term memory loss ( haha ) I'd share it... All I remember is that it was a tear jerker...

 

[Bunnylady]

Our local news picked up this storyout of Johnson City, Tennessee:

The Johnson City Salvation Army is reviewing its emergency shelter policy after the organization turned away a homeless family with a teenage son on a cold night earlier this month, all because of the boy's age.

Tim Lejeune says on one of the coldest nights of the year, despite the organization's white flag waving outside the shelter, the Salvation Army turned his family away, because his son is 15 years old.

"They said he's too old to stay on the women's side, because of the women running around in their pajamas and they said he's too young to stay on the men's side in case some pervert wants to do whatever," Lejeune said.

Lejeune says his wife, their 15 year-old son, 16 year-old daughter and five year-old son, all down on their luck, have been living in their car for the last several weeks.

Lejeune says it was so cold one night earlier this month he took his family to the Salvation Army. Noticing the organization's white flag blowing in the cold air, generally a symbol that all are welcome due to hazardous weather conditions, he says he expected the organization to welcome them with open arms. Instead, he says the shelter told them there was no way they could stay there with a 15 year-old boy.

"He said, 'I'm sorry, your son, y'all can't stay here, because of his age,'" Lejeune said. "I said, 'Are you kidding me?'"

"It was just heartbreaking," 15 year-old Dustin Lejeune said late last week.

Prepared to return to their cars to sleep in 18 degree weather, Johnson City police officers came upon the family and took up their cause. However, that proved unsuccessful.

Certain the family should not be expected to sleep in their car on one of the coldest nights of the year, the officers brought the family to the Johnson Inn and then did something remarkable. They pooled their resources and were prepared to pay for a motel room for the family with money out of their own pockets.

"They collected money to put the family up and when they were at the Johnson Inn, the clerk that was working there that night realized what was going on, so they themselves comped the room for the family," Maj. Garry Younger said. "In return, the officers took the money they collected and went and bought groceries that they gave to the family. I'm very proud that we employ people with that fortitude that care about the citizens."

Police officers AD McElroy, Justin Jenkins, Toma Sparks and Robert McCurry were not the only ones to help this family with a selfless act. Along with police, Washington County-Johnson City 911 dispatchers on shift two helped raise enough money to buy this family groceries, dinner and leave some cash behind for them.

Salvation Army Captain Michael Cox says the organization has a longtime policy that prohibits boys ages 12 to 16 from staying at the shelter. According to Cox, the policy is in place for safety reasons; ultimately to protect children.

Cox says space limitations at the shelter do not allow the building to house maturing boys. He says that policy has only been an issue once before in the last decade or so. That said, he says the Salvation Army is now revisiting its shelter policy.

"It was an unfortunate situation altogether, because we did not have the facilities to put that family in place," Cox said of the situation. "We did offer further assistance and that was denied."

In the moments after we first met the family we shared their contact information with the Salvation Army. Monday their car was parked outside the organization. The organization has filled up their gas tank and even let them spend a couple nights at the shelter, but not because of any change of heart. Lejeune says their 15 year-old son is now receiving mental help at an area hospital.

"He ended up having a breakdown and ended up at Woodridge and felt it was all his fault that we were homeless that we couldn't go anywhere, because of him," Lejeune said.

While the family awaits the release of their son, they say they are now trying to get their kids enrolled in school and find a permanent housing solution.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Anyone near Cooskie Mtn. California?
Are you blowing away?

I probably should have waited to ask since you likely lost power.

 

[tntchix]

There are plenty of good cops but these days it seems "I was just doing my job" is the order of the day. I'm sorry but I could never be one of those who follows some of these unjust rules. Yes, there are criminals that need to be arrested, but riot cops are not needed on our streets to make group arrests for speaking up. I have noticed so much corruption at the local level covered up by cops all over the world because they were told to by a higher up or gov't official. Politicians love dirty cops.

When I see those vids of good cops it warms my heart and I feel genuinely bad for them being lumped into the same group as the nasty ones who will stop at nothing to further their hidden agenda or someone else's. I would absolutely love to see those stories all presented together as a national story but without commentary from the guys behind the news desk. They don't report the news anymore. They just throw their opinions on the airwaves to get a reaction.

I know there are good and bad in every job, and I realize how dangerous this job can be. It's just that the common reaction (violence) to a unknown threat isn't always the best reaction. I get the whole split second decision thing. I cannot fathom how that changes a person's perspective on either side.

I don't have the answer, but as they say nothing is black and white, only shades of gray.

Well, now I need some more caffeine.

 

[getaclue]

Quote:
That's the term I was trying to think of! Yes, "YELLOW JOURNALISM" has taken over the mainstream media nowadays.

 

[tntchix]

Our news carried this story out of Johnson City, Tennessee - why aren't people marching there?

Salvation Army revisits shelter policy after family turned away due to son's age​

​

Posted: Nov 25, 2014 4:35 PM ESTUpdated: Dec 03, 2014 3:49 PM EST

By Nate Mora


The Johnson City Salvation Army is reviewing its emergency shelter policy

after the organization turned away a homeless family with a teenage son

on a cold night earlier this month, all because of the boy's age.





Lejeune says on one of the coldest nights of the year, despite the organization's
white flag waving outside the shelter, Salvation Army turned his family away,

because his son is 15 years old.​

"They said he's too old to stay on the women's side, because of the women
running
around in their pajamas and they said he's too young to stay on the men's
side in case
some pervert wants to do whatever," Lejeune said.

Lejeune says his wife, their 15 year-old son, 16 year-old daughter and five year-old
son,
all down on their luck, have been living in their car for the last several weeks.

Lejeune says it was so cold one night earlier this month he took his family to the

Salvation Army. Noticing the organization's white flag blowing in the cold air,
generally
a symbol that all are welcome due to hazardous weather conditions, he
says he
expected the organization to welcome them with open arms. Instead, he
says the
shelter told them there was no way they could stay there with a
15 year-old boy.

"He said, 'I'm sorry, your son, y'all can't stay here, because of his age,'" Lejeune
said.
"I said, 'Are you kidding me?'"

"It was just heartbreaking," 15 year-old Dustin Lejeune said late last week.

Prepared to return to their cars to sleep in 18 degree weather, Johnson City

police officers came upon the family and took up their cause. However, that
proved unsuccessful.

Certain the family should not be expected to sleep in their car on one of the
coldest
nights of the year, the officers brought the family to the Johnson
Inn and then did
something remarkable. They pooled their resources and
were prepared to pay for
a motel room for the family with money out of
their own pockets.

"They collected money to put the family up and when they were at the
Johnson
Inn, the clerk that was working there that night realized what was
going on, so they themselves comped the room for the family," Maj. Garry
Younger said. "In return,
the officers took the money they collected and
went and bought groceries that
they gave to the family.
I'm very proud that we employ people with that
fortitude that care about
the citizens."

Police officers AD McElroy, Justin Jenkins, Toma Sparks and Robert McCurry were
not
the only ones to help this family with a selfless act. Along with police,
Washington
County-Johnson
City 911 dispatchers on shift two helped raise enough
money
to buy this family
groceries, dinner and
leave some cash behind for them.

Salvation Army Captain Michael Cox says the organization has a longtime policy

that prohibits boys ages 12 to 16 from staying at the shelter. According to Cox,
the
policy is in place for
safety reasons; ultimately to protect children.

Cox says space limitations at the shelter do not allow the building to house maturing
boys.
He says that policy has only been an issue once before in the last decade or
so.
That said,
he says the Salvation Army is now revisiting its shelter policy.

"It was an unfortunate situation altogether, because we did not have the facilities

to put that family in place," Cox said of the situation. "We did offer further
assistance
and that was
denied."

In the moments after we first met the family we shared their contact information
with
the Salvation Army. Monday their car was parked outside the organization.
The organization
has filled
up their gas tank and even let them spend a couple
nights at the shelter, but not
because of any change
of heart. Lejeune says their
15 year-old son is now receiving mental
help at an
area hospital.

"He ended up having a breakdown and ended up at Woodridge and felt it was
all his
fault that we were homeless that we couldn't go anywhere, because of
him," Lejeune said.

While the family awaits the release of their son, they say they are now trying
to get their
kids enrolled in school and find a permanent housing solution.​

 

[Highcotton]

That's the term I was trying to think of! Yes, "YELLOW JOURNALISM" has taken over the mainstream media nowadays.

Yes and you get a different twist depending which News Organization you are listening to.

 

[ronott1]

It was called the "Yellow Press" when they inflamed the public prior to the Spanish American War and it still exists.

Anyone near Cooskie Mtn. California?
Are you blowing away?

I probably should have waited to ask since you likely lost power.

Yes and you get a different twist depending which News Organization you are listening to.

We are having a Storm in California--It is just a storm. It was being called the storm of the Century...then the storm of the decade...now it is the worst storm in 5 years. We have not had any storms in three years do big Whup!

The rain is nice but it is not hurricane force event here today.

Is that a new type of Yellow Journalism? Stores have been picked clean already and I do not see a reason for it so far.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I guess you're not near Cooskie. That's pretty far north isn't it?
96 mph winds today.