July 14, 2008
by Volt and Electra Penn

Independence Day, the celebration of a declaration made over 200 years ago that could be defined as the chance to live, work and prosper without fear of government or corporate reprisal, pursuing all that makes a life happy - like buying a home.

That sweet part of the pledge came true for Mr. & Mrs. Bobo Dickson, a Nigerian couple who, in 2005, had to flee their homeland because Bobo's cover was blown by a gang member. The slim man who favors Levi's and polo shirts had been involved in the financial crimes division of his country's Secret Service, bringing to justice members of the nefarious Nigerian Advance Fee Scam. 

By May of '08 Bobo and Joy Dickson had scraped up enough dough for a down-payment to purchase a foreclosure in Round Rock, Texas. It was a modest brick and siding starter home with faux parquet flooring and a wooden privacy fence. But by July 4th of the same year, the Dickson's suburban tract-dream home lay in the middle of a rotten mortgage/bank paperwork mix up that may never be settled.

After they signed the mortgage papers, Bobo and his wife Joy were ecstatic at the prospect of moving into a safe place. It was their first home-sweet-home and Bobo thought nothing of sacrificing whatever it took to purchase the castle, even taking a second job in order to afford the expenses his full-time position required, which was running his own janitorial company. 

Once the papers were signed, and all the family's belongings had been moved to their new house, Joy took some much-needed time off, from her main 8 hour a day job cleaning up other peoples' messes, but also her 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift at the corner 7/11.

Joy said that on her one free day off, instead of a family outing, she and her children arranged knick-knacks, trinkets, baubles, stuffed animals and even an antique tribal wedding gown brought to America when the couple escaped their oppressors. It was also a way to teach the two little Dickson children, 9 year old Grace and 5 year old Ebubechi , about the Nigerian ancestors they'd left behind.  

For a few nights, after the kids had been tucked in bed, the Dickson's found the peace they had come to the U.S. seeking. Stretched out on their postage-stamp patio, they whispered about how wonderful it was to live in a country where a family's belongings were safe and locks were respected. Smiling, they would go to bed to dream about hotdogs, apple pie, glad-handing Uncle Sam and a welcome-home Statue of Liberty. Nobody imagined that within a month the family's new world would be turned upside down.

"We were devastated," Bobo told me, his hand shaking enough to spill his coffee. "Somebody just came in and cleaned us out. The thieves left nothing, not even an orange crate."

"It felt like we were trapped in that TV show, Fear Itself," Joy said, leaning over to scrub the rug furiously where the coffee stain stood out. "They took everything - bobby pins, the trashcans, even the cup hooks in the pantry."

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Bobo said it was more than just a simple burglary. Not only had they been robbed of all their material possessions and mementoes, but their peace of mind had been ripped off, too. "Never", he said, "Never do I feel safe in my home again."

"In Nigeria we say it is the work of 'Cura-cura'," Joy cut in.  "In daylight the Cura-cura is so sweet, buttering up, helping to make everything right. But in the darkness..ohh, the Cura turns nasty---a monster, stealing everything and only leaving a husk.  My people say if a person is in bed, the Cura will wrap them so up tight to smother their screams when they are dragged away, bed blanket and all."

A fairytale, maybe, but a Cura-cura didn't cause the Dickson's destruction.  The monster that cleaned out Bobo and Joy came in the form of EMC Mortgage Corporation whose parent company is JPMorgan Chase.

Remember that the Dickson's bought a house that had been foreclosed. Even though the proper paperwork was complete the previous foreclosure process was still grinding away. That meant that Field Asset, a property management company that takes its marching orders from EMC, mistook the Dickson's belongings for those of the previous deadbeat homeowner.

After Field Asset drilled out the Dickson's locks they emptied the house in less than an hour. Pocketing anything of value, they gave away everything else to Goodwill and went on to their next job.

On the very day this country listened to the bells of freedom that first rang 200 years ago, Bobo, Joy, Grace and Ebueuchi squat in their empty house, their American dream gone sour. After scouring the thrift stores, the only thing they were able to find of their previous possessions was Ebueuchi's teddy bear and it cost them $5.00 to bail it out of hock. 

The Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley refused to file charges against Field Asset, EMC or JPMorgan. "A mistake is not a crime," Bradley said. "The whole affair was legally justified."

But to quote Williamson County resident, Howard Fomby, "Mr. Bradley illuminates the real truth about justice in Williamson County. It only applies if you are rich, Republican or retired. Nigerian immigrants need not apply."

You're absolutely right, Mr. Fomby. John Bradley completely ignores Texas Penal Code Section 31.03 that states (theft) 'does not' require 'criminal intent'. Commissar Bradley has given the green light to companies such as Field Asset to break into a person's house and steal stuff because it's all sanctioned by the Gangster Business Class.

And of course a spokeswoman for JPMorgan claim they acted in good faith - faith they can roll over anybody who gets in their way, faith that might makes right even though it's wrong and faith that with a toady like John Bradley on your side the law will grant a license to steal. 

Hey folks, that is the new American way, isn't it?

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Have Penn they'll listen. Volt Penn writes speeches for Progressive Populists and reasoned arguments for those on the left of center. He has also written speeches for anybody who has read his work. You can reach Volt Penn through his artist friend, b.b.kemp, at bbkemp@bbkemp.com

Volt/Electra Penn copyright 2008

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