Pissed Beyond Imagining

[johnnyreb1977]

09/12/05
Woman, Claiming to Be Katrina Victim, Arrested for Theft by Deception

When a disaster like Hurricane Katrina strikes, communities and human beings pull together. But there are people who actually prey on giving people during times like these. In one local incident, a woman passed her family off as victims of Hurricane Katrina.
It happened at the Holiday Inn on Abercorn Street in Savannah. Using crocodile tears and a paper-thin story, she tricked people into giving her a free hotel room and buying merchandise for her. It didn't take long for her scam to be exposed.
Her name was Donna Walker. "She came down crying, she said they had nowhere to go, no food, no diapers, no nothing," said Demetra Simpson, a clerk at the hotel.
Simpson says it all happened last week. "She was crying. She had the guests crying."
Walker claimed she, her toddler daughter and 11-year-old sister were from Louisiana, victims of Katrina. Instantly, people wanted to help.
"We had a couple of guests who took them to the grocery store, Wal-Mart, Kmart," said Simpson. "They got diapers and clothes and merchandise. Everything."
The Walkers were given a discount room rate, and guests took up a collection. Walker's story started to crack when she showed up with a different car the very next day. Then people started asking questions. They didn't have IDs, they didn't know their own address.
And when they gave an address, the city they gave was nowhere near New Orleans.
"She couldn't give an address, couldn't remember the ZIP code," said Simpson. "We kind of figured it out."
"This is a time that is ripe for this kind of scam," Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Sgt. Mike Wilson said.
He says Walker's name wasn't even real. They arrested Bebe Ladona Pina of Douglasville, Georgia, for theft by deception. "To exploit that generosity is really shameful," said Wilson.
"It's not right at all," agreed Simpson. She says the act fooled a lot of people, and now the hotel's guard is up.
"People out there are really in need, and they are taking food and clothes, trying to get them free, taking advantage of the situation," she said. "It's not right."
The police say, if you want to give, don't trust anyone at face value. Send donations to the Red Cross and Salvation Army and let them decide who really is in need.

Sometimes I fucking despise people. Katrina is a God damned natural, national disaster and people like the bitch in the article above use that to prey on others' compassion. I hope they throw the book at her.

No, fuck that. Throw the book at her, kick her ass out of Georgia (she doesn't deserve to live here) and then shoot her ass in the back as soon as she crosses the border.

[missemme]

I totally agree with you Johnny, I think people have to be warped to take advantage of a situation like that. It happens everytime theres a disaster. Some people just don't have any morals. Very sad.

[BurningStar4]

johnnyreb1977 said:

No, fuck that. Throw the book at her, kick her ass out of Georgia (she doesn't deserve to live here) and then shoot her ass in the back as soon as she crosses the border.

Well, I'm glad I don't live in a country dictated by you lol


A lot of people suck, I've said that for years. But this certainly isn't the worst crime of the century either. I think it's sad that someone would do that, but she could of done a lot worse too.

[johnnyreb1977]

Well, I'm glad I don't live in a country dictated by you lol


A lot of people suck, I've said that for years. But this certainly isn't the worst crime of the century either. I think it's sad that someone would do that, but she could of done a lot worse too.

You'd hate it, BurningStar *lol*. The government would govern the least bit possible and people would pay for the crimes they commit. I totally agree that people suck and totally disagree about this not being that bad of a crime. This person -- and I use that word grudgingly -- robbed a community by using it's people's compassion for victims of a natural disaster. She raped them when she violated their trust in human decency. She attempted to murder honor when she perpetrated such a low, inhuman con against innocent people who wanted only to do the right thing. She needs to have the book thrown at her. She needs to have her children taken away from her; they should be raised by a parent with damn morals.

[BurningStar4]

LOL! I would hate it, it sounds like I'd be living under the Third Reich


You do crack me up though, these lines had me bursting into laughter:

"She raped them when she violated their trust"
"She attempted to murder honor"
"inhuman con"

That sounds like conservatism if I ever heard it

I'm not saying her morals are high, they are rather low. But to put it as one of the worst crimes, I have to disagree I think child molestors, rapists and murderers are higher up on that rope.

I think we (as a country and as people) should be more concerned with all the convicted child molestors who now have no record because of this disaster who are probably being housed in homes where children live or in shelters amongst other children. Or about the rapes and murders that occurred in the Superdome/Convention Center, etc. and ones that may take place in the future in these new shelters or inside residential homes.

I would be a little pissed if someone lied to me and took stuff from me in this situation, but I also realize it's not the worst thing she could have done. I would assume she is poor (with children) and she probably figured it was the only way to get some help. We should all help each other out as a collective society every day, not just when a disaster hits and only help those who are victims of disaster. What about victims of poverty? Which is clearly who this woman has been victimized by, just because she stated the wrong cause does not make her the worst person to tread the earth.

It's shallow when a person will not donate some money to a homeless person but will donate money towards disaster relief. What about this huge disaster people suffer from everyday called poverty? It is also shallow that the government does not give more money out in aid to those who are in poverty, but can shell out billions in a heartbeat for a disaster.

Aren't those some things to think about before we start crucifying people like this woman whose situation and motivation we may not fully understand because we're not in the same exact position? Could you say with 100% certainty you would not do the same thing if you and your family were starving and were homeless? I know I can't. As much as I would hate lying to someone, I can't say I wouldn't do it and be completely positive about it.

[johnnyreb1977]

Nope, not the Third Reich. Not even close. It would just be a land where justice ruled (if ever such a land could truly exist).

And there's nothing wrong with conservatism; Now, arch-conservatism is a whole other matter *shudders*. Just like arch-liberalism *really shudders*.

I agree with pretty much everything else you've stated. Being a child advocate, I think that child molestation, or child abuse of any kind, is repugnant. I also agree with you that murder, rape, etc. are also horrible crimes. It's just that I equate this woman's crime with each of those, but on a moral level.

If you molest a child -- or commit rape -- you are violating the victim's space and trust. This woman did the exact same thing when she violated the space and the trust of those people she conned. It may not seem that way, because her crime was not so brutally visible. But, to me, it is the same.

If you murder an individual or individuals, you are taking a life that you have no right to take. Each of us has the right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness...But, we have the responsibility to not let those rights interfere with another person's rights to same. Her actions took money and time away from the true victims of Katrina. Moreover, there are now a lot of people who won't give because their trust has been weakened. Thus, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (i.e., Property) have been taken from the people.

Not going to say much about the rapists and murder portion of your response. You're absolutely right. These people have got to be found immediately.

We definitely should help each other out more, regardless of if we are helping in a disaster or helping in our daily lives. I try my best to do that myself, with the organizations I'm a part of and the tutoring I do. But, how do you know she is a "victim of poverty"? What is a "victim of poverty" anyway? Don't blame everything on the government or on "fate". Everyone has a choice. Some choose to do nothing; others choose to do everything in their power to make a decent life for themselves, barring unjust actions.

My mother's family was what you would call impoverished. There were ten of them (this was way before birth control) and they had to work their butts off every day to survive. And that's exactly what they did. They worked. They did not feed off the good will of their neighbors like some sort of parasite.

My own family, my parents and I, are not rich by any means. We live by the skin of our teeth most of the time, either by the money my parents make or by my own medicaid check (I was born with a birth defect and have spent the majority of my life in a wheelchair). I am constantly worried about the bank taking my land, taking my home, and putting us on the street. That is why I am always looking for work. That is why I am hoping to be called as a substitute teacher any day now. That is why I am hoping and praying for a part time tutoring position until I can get something full time.

But still, I can say with absolute conviction that we would never stoop so low as to try to use a natural disaster, or anything of the kind, to swindle money from anyone. You get out and you look for work. If you have to work at McDonald's flipping burgers, then by God you do that. If, in the meantime, you need welfare, then you should have that -- until such time as you no longer need it. You do not...NOT...lie and cheat in order to get money you do not deserve. You get off of your butt and do the right thing.

[BurningStar4]

Well Johnny - I am sorry to hear about your circumstance, but medicaid is a form of welfare - so even you receive aid from the government to help live. If you didn't have medicaid I am sure you and your family would have absoloutely nothing to live on - no matter how much you worked.

Look, I believe people should work if they can, but the point is most do. People who live in poverty work. Like you said, your family barely makes enough to live comfortably on. For a family of 3 the poverty rate is $18,000 (and that is enough money to buy the bare essentials, a minimal form of shelter, food, medical care) and that does not even include toiletries. A ton of people work minimum wage (or close to it) paying jobs, that is definitely not enough to live on. I am very lucky that my father makes a lot of money and I can have almost anything I need, but he came from a lower class family struggling in NYC and he went on to college because he wanted better - but not everyone can do that - there are many factors that contribute to people living in poverty - not themselves just not wanting to work. The boot-strap mentality is not a good thing to have - "If I can do it, they can do it" - that is not the case.

I say she is a victim of poverty because someone who can afford their own home would be in it - not living out of a motel or whatever it is. Listen to this, a classmate of mine said that he was stopped last weekend on campus by a woman (after he helped her by telling her not to put change in the meters on weekend) who asked if he was a hurricane Katrina victim because she had free someplace for free room & board. Now this guy, he does not look poor by any means, he is always wearing expensive things but she just assumed because he was black, walking with his duffle bag, and was probably kind to her and was in Houston that he could possibly be a victim. He told her he wasn't, and she still continued to ask. Now how do you know that didn't happen to this woman, and because she needed a home and food so badly for her children, she didn't just go along to get along. I am not saying that is what happened, but we must consider all the facts that could have happened to why this woman did what she did before we crucify her, that is all I am saying.

I don't want to make a big argument about this, the point is that not everyone who is in poverty deserves it, they do work and try their best to get by, and government aid is not that much money, it's a couple hundred bucks a month if they are lucky (and the amount of children does not increase this, it stays the same). There will ALWAYS be people in poverty because the rich need them to survive and that is the sad, hard, truth. I only wish that they could just have the means to live more comfortably. I always will give a homeless person some money if I have it on me, or some food if I'm carrying it, because I know if that was me sitting on that ground (unable to work because of say, a mental illness - or even just because of my appearance) I would hope someone would do the same.

[johnnyreb1977]

Hey BS

First off: Yes, I know medicaid is a form of welfare. As I stated above, I believe if you need it you should be able to use it -- until such time that you no longer need it. I plan on doing exactly that. However, I also understand the problems inherent in the welfare system and the fact that it can be a vicious cycle. The system needs a complete and total overhaul.

As for the rest...Please believe me when I say I am not trying to be sarcastic in my response. I am being totally and completely sincere when I say that I wish I could be as optimistic about this woman as you seem to be. I also wish I could come up with a nice backstory for her, about how she can't have a home if she is trying to get a free hotel room and free money. But, I can't. I've seen time and again people who do have homes - they aren't even that bad off financially -- but, they'll con you in a heartbeat in order to get something for free. I've also read the entire news article and plan on e-mailing the reporter for more information. When I get that information, I'll post it here. Perhaps you'll be proved right and she has had a horrible life with all kinds of mitigating circumstances. She may very well be living on the streets, hotel to hotel, with her kids. If she is, I feel sorry for her and I would be willing to do all I could to help her-- after she had paid for her crime.

I think we are going to have to agree to disagree here, hon. Our backgrounds, both personal and professional, are too opposite for us to see eye-to-eye on this. My background in my work with children and my work with adults of all ages who are getting their GEDs tells me unequivocally that if you are willing, you can achieve anything without having to resort to dishonesty. That's especially true of the latter, in this instance. A good portion of those GED students are single mothers, like the woman in the article, poor as dirt and on welfare. Others are married parents or single fathers who want to make the best life they can for their families. I don't believe any of them would ever pull the stunt Ms. Walker did. They have far too much self-respect, for the most part.

[BurningStar4]

I'm always agreeing to disagree, so that is fine

Post any more info you get, I'd love to read it.

I want you to know that I know there are a lot of bad people out there, believe me, I do. I just try to analyze the whole situation as best I can to maybe have hope that people aren't as bad as they seem. I'm trying to be more optimistic in my life lol.

[johnnyreb1977]

I want you to know that I know there are a lot of bad people out there, believe me, I do. I just try to analyze the whole situation as best I can to maybe have hope that people aren't as bad as they seem. I'm trying to be more optimistic in my life lol.

Thank God for people like you to keep cynics like me in check *g*.

[BurningStar4]

I am a very cynical person (I know I must not sound like it in this thread) but I'm trying to bring some optimism into my life, it might make me a little happier haha.