[Georgia] Another neighborhood watch fiasco

[TheNewMe]

This seems quite crazy. Read the whole article if you can, particularly the last paragraph by the gun-toting neighbor. I'm trying to post the news video from that link, but having trouble

Newton County neighbors charged after home buyers' arrests
6:53 a.m. Tuesday, April 24, 2012
By Christian Boone
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Quote:A Newton County man and his son who authorities said held a gun on the new owners of a neighboring home were arrested Monday night and charged with aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal trespass.
...
[Porterdale resident Robert] Canoles said he and his teenage son heard noises from the once-foreclosed home next door, vacant for seven months. They grabbed their AR-15s and snuck up behind a man and woman fiddling with the front door lock.

Jean-Joseph Kalonji, 61, and his 57-year-old wife, Angelica, following their real estate agent's advice, had driven to Porterdale to change the locks on the home their son Bruno Kalonji had just purchased. They found themselves prisoners of two men they didn't know clutching semi-automatic rifles.
...
Their fears were lifted when deputies from the Newton County Sheriff's Department, contacted by Canoles, arrived. But their relief was short-lived. The deputies, demanding proof the home was theirs, handcuffed the Kalonjis.
...

Jean-Joseph Kalonji, 61, and his 57-year-old wife, Angelica,

Robert Canoles

Brandon Canoles

[TheNewMe]

Here is a statement from the gun-toting neighbor:

"I don't know what they can charge me with," Canoles said late Monday afternoon, before the interview with authorities. "This is my Second Amendment right. Look, this is the country out here, and we protect our own."

[SeattleGirl]

(04-24-2012 09:41 AM)TheNewMe Wrote:  Here is a statement from the gun-toting neighbor:

"I don't know what they can charge me with," Canoles said late Monday afternoon, before the interview with authorities. "This is my Second Amendment right. Look, this is the country out here, and we protect our own."

"...and we protect our own." Right. You're okay as long as you're white, but it not, all bets are off.

Disgusting! At least they didn't shoot the Kalonji's.

Edited to add: There is nothing wrong with keeping an eye out for one's neighbors, etc. While there is no formal neighborhood watch group in my area, we do all look after each other. But none of us grabs the nearest gun and goes all Rambo on someone just because they don't look familiar. Maybe that's because the neighborhood I live in is very racially mixed.

[Born_A_Truman]

Neighbors from hell!

[jaxx]

I'd be scared to move into the house too with the local vigilantes as neighbors. This reeks of another police dept that doesn't know the law.

[suzie]

(04-24-2012 08:37 PM)jaxx Wrote:  I'd be scared to move into the house too with the local vigilantes as neighbors. This reeks of another police dept that doesn't know the law.

I would imagine that the Kalonjis will be able to afford a nicer place once they've obtained settlement's from the Sheriff's Office. Their liability insurer was probably saying, "Your deputies did what?" when the Sheriff called.

[TheNewMe]

(04-25-2012 01:12 AM)suzie Wrote:  I would imagine that the Kalonjis will be able to afford a nicer place once they've obtained settlement's from the Sheriff's Office. Their liability insurer was probably saying, "Your deputies did what?" when the Sheriff called.

Yeah, they have a good lawyer too: "[their attorney, Don] Samuel typically handles a higher-profile clientele, including NFL star Ray Lewis, former Atlanta Thrashers star Dany Heatley and rapper T.I....The lawyer said he took the case as a favor to Bruno Kalonji, who had taught his kids soccer."

[sandnsea]

Love that southern hospitality!

Seriously, doesn't anybody know how to say "hello, I'm your neighbor" anymore?

[Brewman_Jax]

I live in the metro Atlanta area, which is quite cosmopolitan. I get weird looks if I tell my white friends that my life may be in literal danger if I'm by myself away from the metro area. We're supposed to be in the 21st Century, aren't we?

[TheNewMe]

(04-25-2012 06:47 AM)Brewman_Jax Wrote:  I live in the metro Atlanta area, which is quite cosmopolitan. I get weird looks if I tell my white friends that my life may be in literal danger if I'm by myself away from the metro area. We're supposed to be in the 21st Century, aren't we?

That's creepy. Stay safe! <--I wish I didn't have to say this

[KonaKane]

White guy fiddling with a door lock late at night = Poor guy doesn't have enough light to see in order to unlock his front door.

Black guy fiddling with a door late at night = Burglar


I see.