Your Tax Dollars At Work
Katrina certainly devastated a lot of lives, and there are thousands upon thousands of folks working very hard to get their lives back in order who deserve and value what help we can give them.
But then there are also people like Theon Johnson
This winter, FEMA put up over 300 Hurricane Katrina evacuees in New York City hotels. Almost all of them have gone back to their lives, their jobs. But not Theon Johnson. He’s currently sprawled out watching Halloween 5 on one of the two full-size beds in his room at the JFK Airport Holiday Inn. He is one of four evacuees still living in a hotel in the city.
The others left in February and March, when, after spending more than $500 million, FEMA stopped paying for hotel rooms housing some 40,000 evacuees across the country. That left many scrambling for places to live. But thanks to the city’s squatters-rights law, evacuees here were safe. Their rooms weren’t paid for, but since they’d been in them for more than 30 days, the hotels couldn’t just kick them out. Only a judge’s order could evict them.
…When Johnson’s caseworker, Sharon, comes around, she gives him some bus passes and maybe a few bucks, but she’s getting frustrated. “They sit around on their butts watching TV. There’s only but so much I can do if they’re not willing to help themselves.”
After being flown here for free back in September, Johnson’s been at the Holiday Inn since Super Bowl Sunday. On April 21, the hotel served Johnson with three notices of occupancy termination, saying that it would begin court proceedings if he wasn’t out by May 9. He wasn’t, so it did. If the court boots him, Johnson could end up in one of the city’s homeless shelters. He’s been broke for over a month now. FEMA sent him $9,000 in housing aid, but he spent it all on booze, cigarettes, some clothes, and food—partying, mostly. “I spent my money just the way I wanted, and I think [fema] should send me some more,” he says.
I wish we could boot his lazy ass to Mexico; there are a hundred hard-working illegals in my town that I’d much rather have in this country and help out with my tax dollars than this piece of crap.
Nanny State | Mr. Bingley | 
June 16, 2006 7:34 am
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I wouldn’t be surprised if the poor case worker didn’t get fired or at least sanctioned for saying they WERE sitting on their butts.
True that.
Man, and I’ve been working for a living like the chump I am. I’ve never even seen Halloween 5!
“If the court boots him, Johnson could end up in one of the city’s homeless shelters.”
Good. The sooner, the better.