Law enforcement officials pushed back hundreds of people who were crowding around a large pile of merchandise outside an Augusta grocery store Tuesday afternoon. But the goods sitting in the parking lot of the Laney Supermarket didn't make into anyone's hands.
Instead, the food people hoped to take home was tossed into the trash.
"People have children out here that are hungry, thirsty, could be anything. Why throw it away when you could be issuing it out?" asked Robertstine Lambert.
The Marshal of Richmond County, Steve Smith, says the food wasn't theirs to give away, so they had to trash it.
"We don't have authority to take possession of the property; we just have to make sure that it's handled, disposed of by law," Smith, said.
SunTrust Bank in Atlanta owns the property and they're sending the merchandise to the landfill after evicting the Chois, the owners of the grocery store.
The Chois didn't want to speak on camera but they say they were kicked out by the bank because they owe them thousands of dollars.
They say they offered the food to a church, but members didn't show up to claim it.
The Chois didn't want to speak on camera but they say they were kicked out by the bank because they owe them thousands of dollars.
They say they offered the food to a church, but members didn't show up to claim it.
That's when word that store products were abandoned spread through the community.
About 300 people came to take merchandise home, but they were held back by law enforcement.
"These are brand new items; we saw the potential for a riot was extremely high," said Sheriff Richard Roundtree.
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When I was in the Army, we called it Disgusta Ga.
ReplyDelete"People have children out here that are hungry, thirsty, could be anything..."
ReplyDeleteWhy is that? Did they sell their food stamps to buy booze and cigarettes instead of feeding their kids? Did any of the welfare queens think of getting off their asses and doing some work so they could buy food?
I would also bet that there are legal and liability issues if the bank gave the food away in that manner. And these free-loaders would sue the bank in a heartbeat if they ate some of the food and then they got sick, whether the food was tainted or not.
Sensible folks don't feed roaches either.
ReplyDeleteNo work = No eat