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California church used homeless as slaves


Eldorado

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"The leaders of a California based-church have been accused of imprisoning homeless people, forcing them to beg all day and taking the money.

"Dozens of victims had their papers taken, their welfare benefits stolen and were punished if they spoke of "things of the world", officials say.

"Imperial Valley Ministries (IVM) operates about 30 affiliate church groups in the US and Mexico.

"A dozen of the group's leaders were arrested on Tuesday."

Full report at the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-49667769

 

"A dozen leaders of Imperial Valley Ministries, including the former pastor, are charged in an indictment unsealed today with subjecting dozens of mostly homeless people to forced labor, coercing them to surrender welfare benefits and compelling them to panhandle up to nine hours a day, six days a week, for the financial benefit of the church leaders."

At Justice dot gov: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/church-leaders-indicted-forced-labor-conspiracy

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Is this like that loaves of bread and fishes trick back in the good old days? 

~

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and that is just a tip of the iceberg,  almost every homeless on the street with a cup asking for money are not doing by themselves, homeless beggars have their territory just like drug dealers do,  and they have to pay protection money. 

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1 minute ago, aztek said:

and that is just a tip of the iceberg,  almost every homeless on the street with a cup asking for money are not doing by themselves, homeless beggars have their territory just like drug dealers do,  and they have to pay protection money. 

Seems like a multi million business. 

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I see different women taking shifts sitting on corners with the same few children holding signs that say single mother help need money for formula.  When they are out you will see them covering all four corners around a city block.  Huge organized scam.  You would think the police would follow these people as they change shifts and try to bust the scammers.

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around here 99% of the male panhandlers have the generic "homeless" sign tagged with "veteran" the females of course play "homeless mother"

a guy ive know over 30 years, a bit slow and got worse joined the navy and did one term in the gulf war, he was a boiler tech, im told not a high end job, when he went to go another 3 they turned him down,

jumping ahead he burnt all his bridges stiffing people and mooching, but the gov that had been treating his health issues took him in for some program to teach him to care for himself they set him up in an apt, i dont know the details his mooching got too much for me,

so these panhandlers cant get gov help for their service as john did? mothers dont get aid for kids?

i was also told places like goodwill and salvation army and churchs that are legit trying to help all pretty much are zero drugs or drink, hum, rules?

i see these panhandlers some out daily, in fl they have to have a permit to mooch, they are mostly kept looking, not dirty, clean fresh clothes, good shoes, i find it hard to believe they sleep in the woods or alley and clean up in the circle k bathroom,

i bet there is a lot i do not know and ignorant to, but i do believe that getting past any caught up in a cult they do this like a job, they are the boss and almost zero rules.

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60 Minutes did a segment on panhandling about 20 years ago or so and some of the fake bums were making ~60,000 a year in New York. What I remember about it was they were bragging.

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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a short story about this phenomena in the 1890s.  THE MAN WITH THE TWISTED LIP.   What these people do is evil.  It steals from the truly down and out who are desperate and worse, it makes those who are willing to be charitable, jaded and cynical.  

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In the case of the women with the babies I mentioned above, they are all from another country, I'm thinking Syria.  I'm guessing that someone brought them here and is holding their visas and making them earn a living this way.

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