Federal Disaster Recovery Reform
Fund-Raising Summary:
The funds I am requesting will go toward receiving documentation
through Freedom of Information Acts (FOIA) from Federal and State Agencies and
Departments in order to build my cases more solid to achieve this much-needed
change of direction in our country for disaster victims and disaster spending.
It's difficult to get Federal Disaster Reform without proof of the misuse of
funds, fraud, and unethical actions that hurt those who the funds are intended
to help. And it's difficult to get FOI documents without money, especially when
our city is charging well over the actual cost amount to deter me from getting the
information.
Cedar Rapids Flood BACKGROUND:
In 2008, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (U.S.) experienced a historical
flood of magnitude proportions - 10 square miles. Thousands of homes were
flooded, as well as nearly every public facility- main public library, central
fire station, police station, sheriff's station, city hall, school district
administration building, school district warehouse, an elementary school,
county administration building, animal control, ground transportation center
....
"Although the flood was a disaster, what happened
afterwards was shear tragedy." (As quoted by our then-NW Neighborhood Association president.)
No one knows the exact amount, but it's in the billions the state received from FEMA
and The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Iowa got $3.8 billion from the American Recovery Reinvestment Act. The Governor created a state I-Jobs program bonding nearly a billion dollars. With the help of those in charge of these funds, the were
(ab)used and wasted, mostly by non profits and developers, as well as our city building
everything new, whether needed or not. This even included buying a hotel and
building a convention center, building a year-round farmer's market and an
amphitheater playground.
While businesses were immediately handed $50,000 grants without
question, the flood victims waited for help and were stuck with documenting
every cent, while making immediate decisions about where to live, what to throw
out and what to keep and clean (and where to put it), filling out continual
paperwork, standing in line to get help, rehabbing their home, going to work,
and watching their family.
Landlords did not get any assistance to rehab for nearly eight months, and then it came with strict conditions. They were also denied assistance with their carrying costs - loss of rent to pay their mortgage, insurance and property taxes. They are still denied this, unless they participate in the buyout.
After four years, this inequitable treatment still continues in
extensive and broad ways, and the city wastes millions and millions more of our
taxes to rebuild this city with their dream projects that were planned before
the flood.
One by one, thousands of flood victims watched their
Constitutional Rights disappear; specifically the 4th and 5th
Amendments.
MY GOAL: Federal
Disaster Recovery Reform.
Unfortunately, reform usually doesn't take place unless 1) there
is proof for the need. Proof for the need usually has to come from
accountability of the abuse, fraud, or unethical actions; and 2) there is
continual steadfastness to do so. After four years, I still have not let up on
this goal. If it doesn't happen, future disaster victims will continue to be
abused as we (and other disaster victims) were, and trillions of wasted tax
dollars will be wasted to help the rich get richer, instead of going to the
intended cause of recovery.
The specific Constitutional Rights that were seriously violated
with the majority of flooded residents:
IV. Right of
search and seizure regulated
The right of the people to be secure in their
persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and
seizures, shall not be violated, and no
warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or
affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the
persons or things to be seized.
V. Provisons
concerning prosecution
No person shall be held to answer for a
capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of
a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the
militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any
person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or
limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness a
against
himself,nor be deprived of life, liberty, or
property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for
public use without just compensation.
Here is why:
Although there are SO many inequitable treatments between groups
(flood victim vs. non-flooded person; commercial flooded property owners vs.
residential flooded property owners...), I will focus on one major issue:
the issue of the backdoor eminent domain.
Excerpt from one of my written reports:
Six months after the
flood, on December 10, 2008, the Cedar Rapids City Council approved dividing
the flooded neighborhoods up into three zones:the "Greenway;" the "Construction
Zone;" and the "Neighborhood Revitalization Zone."
The Greenway:This area
consisted of 192 parcels, nearly all homes.It was closest to the river, and it
was decided that this area would be on the "wet side" of the levee - once the
levee was constructed.
The Construction Zone:
This area consisted of 554 parcels, nearly all homes. It was in between the
Greenway and the Revitalization Zone. It was told to the public that this area
is needed to construct the levee.However, although the City discussed flood
protection on both sides of the river and throughout the city, the Construction
Zone in the Time Check neighborhood was predominantly larger than any others "“
actually larger than all other construction zones combined.
Revitalization Zone: This
area consisted of the remaining flooded parcels and deemed as the area to
rebuild.
The onset of inequitable
treatment began immediately, especially in the lower-income neighborhood named
"Time Check," which included a high percentage elderly and disabled homeowners
and renters.
1(a)Explanation "“ Permits, Funds, and
Volunteers:
(1)Building permits were
denied to most households on the east side of Ellis Blvd. NW., which was
closest to the river. Later, the City released this restriction. Commercial
properties just as close to the river were not denied building permits.(This
inequitable treatment between residential and commercial flood victims is
expounded upon in a later section.)
(2)Immediately
upon the passage of the December Council vote, the City and their third party
administrator for Jumpstart residential assistance (Affordable Housing Network,
Inc.) immediately began denying any and ALL disaster recovery funds to the
hundreds of residential property owners living in both the Greenway and the
Construction Zone.
Many
of these homeowners had already begun using the FEMA funds and their own money
to rebuild.All funds, including State, Federal and Local Government funds have
still since been denied to them, while others outside of those zones were
allowed funds from all sources. In addition, it is understood that because of
their location in the Greenway and Construction Zone, banks would not loan them
money to help them rebuild.
(3)In
addition, volunteer groups, such as Hands On, Eight Days of Hope, Christian
World Organization (the "Greenshirts") came to Cedar Rapids to help and were
required to sign up at the Linn Area Long Term Recovery Center.Those at the
Center decided who got volunteer help and who didn't. The homeowners in these
two zones were also denied volunteers.
End of Excerpt.
Approximately seven months after the flood, the city sent out
"Right of Entry" forms to flood victims in the Construction Zone.
(Since then, all persons on the buyout list received this form.) I went before
the City Council and complained. The staffer overseeing these stated to the
Council that this is only asking for permission to go on their property; not to
enter any home. The Council directed her to send out a second letter explaining
that. The second letter said to basically sign the first, but it did state that
"right of entry" is a legal term asking to enter onto the property;
"we are not asking to enter any structure on the property."
The City, however, used this form as an opportunity to do just
that. They hired environmental crews to go into these homes and trash them.
They put large holes in the walls and ceilings in every room, tore off siding,
gutters, and even doors. If a flood victim wanted to rehabilitate and go back,
they couldn't, because it would mean even more work, and people were just
exhausted to even stand up to it.
The goal of the environmental crews were to deem the home an
"imminent threat." By doing so, then three things happen:
- FEMA will pay for the
demolition (thus saving Community Development Block Grant, CDBG, funds for
other projects);
- The demolition of these
historical homes bypasses the Historical Commission for approval;
- They can be demolished
without paying the property owner first.
FEMA has "imminent threat" for those buildings that
are actually an immediate public danger. (We all probably saw many images of
this with Katrina.) Nearly all of these homes were NOT in any danger to the
public! There is evidence of this.
However, the environmentalists would deem these an imminent
threat due to such things as lead paint, asbestos, and even an added on garage
falling down - the house was in great shape, and though the owners were still
considering rehabbing it, they destroyed it to the point it could not be
rehabbed. - Yes, we have photos! :-)
Before we were allowed to go back into our homes after the flood
receded, the fire department and other non-qualified persons
"inspected" our homes and taped colored placards on them. There were
four levels of placards:
Green - can go ahead and occupy;
Yellow - some damage, rehab it;
Red - some possible structural damage;
Purple - serious structural damage, must be demolished.
The purple tags are those homes that FEMA would consider as
imminent threat/danger to the public, and need to be torn down immediately. However most of
the homes that the City pulled this backdoor eminent domain on were yellow!
They have even demolished green-tagged homes.
Might I add that after the City purchased these properties with
Federal funds, they have and are in the process still of giving hundreds of
them away for FREE to their friends -developers, contractors, and non profits.
The two non profits were the same two in charge of the residential funding for
rehab and the volunteers. Interesting, isn't it? This conflict of interest
still continues to be ignored, even by the Federal Agencies.
When flood victims entered into the "voluntary property
acquisition," most homes were demolished usually well before the property
owner was compensated. Some even waited two years to get paid. In 2010, over
500 homes were demolished; 80% of them were done before being paid for their
home.
Yet, the City continued calling it a "voluntary
acquisition." Who is going to back out of an acquisition when their homes
is gone?
Those of us involved in the Time Check neighborhood (the largest
neighborhood that was flooded) before the flood knew for years before the flood
that the city wanted our property for redevelopment. The Army Corps told
the City for decades that they were eligible to receive Federal assistance for
a levee on the west side in Time Check - we, at that time, met the cost to
benefit ratio required to receive Federal assistance for the flood protection. However, the City's response was that they "did not want
to detract from the aesthetics of the river." The Army Corps even warned
the City that we were not protected for even a 100-year flood. The city did not act
on any of these warnings or recommendations.
Disasters, especially floods, have been utilized as an
opportunity for the community to "economically cleanse" the area.
These residents were of lower income, elderly and disabled. They
were taken advantage of and mistreated. Their Constitutional Rights were
trampled on. It happened in New Orleans, and it happened here, and I'm sure
it's happened in nearly all the other floods that our country has experienced.
I can guarantee it will continue to happen as long as nothing is done about it.
We must end this. On behalf of all disaster victims now and in
the future, please help!
I have the tenacity to get this done, but I do not have the
funds. I lost my teaching job after the flood due to the flood issues, and I am
still waiting on my buyout of my flooded home. I am mortgaged to the max on my replacement home, so that I can pay my bills while continuing to work on this goal fulltime. I have spent four years
and thousands of hours voluntarily researching, and although these funds will not be
going to pay me or anyone else, I need them to get more public information. FOI is not free.
Before anyone asks, we have begged for help from every angle we
could think of - ACLU, FEMA, HUD, and even state and federal elected officials.
Many of us have contacted major national news stations and new programs (our
local media will not cover it, as they are in bed with the city), and even
good-hearted activists like Ellen, Oprah, and even Michael Moore (I can see his
new movie: "Disaster Recovery; A Capitalist Story."
Thank you for helping future disaster victims to get a voice and
keep them from having their Constitutional Rights stolen!
PS - I invite you to search on YouTube for videos of me speaking and search through my "notes" (located under the profile picture) or other comments on FB. Go to the Cedar Rapids Gazette and read comments. Google to find news articles and clips. You will be able to verify the advocate I (and others) have been against these injustices and waste of ALL of our taxes.