In Arizona, 61 year old Richard Glassel lost his home over a  two year court battle and a $1,081 legal fee regarding his landscaping.

Glassel, vowing to "get even" stormed his former Association Board Meeting attended by 30-40 homeowners with a rifle and three handguns blazing.  Killing two Board Members and wounding three others before his rifle jammed, Glassel was reportedly wrestled to the ground and disarmed by at least five of the seniors attending.

Desperate property owners are doing desperate things and this horrible tragedy is but one example of what can happen when people are pushed beyond limits where property and rights are involved.

This example should send a strong scathing message to Lawmakers, Lawyers, and Associations across the country that when lives are ruined, desperate people fight back.  All too often and seemingly left with no alternatives, desperation can and often translates into violence including suicide, murder, and dying from depression.  Families are being destroyed and the time is long overdue to ask why.  Let's do more than ask why.... Let's Begin The Correction!   For More on the shooting,  .

In Houston, a broken man who put out hand bills not favorable to the board, faces foreclosure for $23,000 legal fees of a CAI lawyer for the board. He says, "The only way to beat the racket is to kill ‘em all at a meeting". A Houston woman who is losing her home over legal fees says, "I have a loaded gun and will use it when they come to put me out". One Houston man who is losing his home, for CAI legal fees, says, "I won’t kill them (Board) but for $10,000 I can get it done. I will not allow my family to suffer"

The Texas Constitution allows for foreclosures for non-payment of taxes, mortgage loans, and home improvement loans. This changed when Governor Bush signed HB2152 in 1995. This bill was passed in the last few seconds of a waning session, on a voice vote, with the constitutional rules suspended, without any hearings or recommendations, and without a record of who voted for it. Yet, this bill trashed and voided our Texas and U.S. Constitutions, all property rights and all homestead laws.

Bush’s two top contributors are the national lawyers & realtor groups - the ones who profit most.

The lawyers profit in the churning of real estate and realtors profit with the turning of real estate.

Now lawyers foreclose for "legal fees" for letters written about things like "tomatoes growing or plastic pink flamingo in yard", "grass needs edging", "car parked on drive", "outside cat", etc.

Why is this happening in Texas? Why is it mostly happening in Harris County? Why is the problem greatest in California and Florida? CAI lawyers intend to spread this racket nationwide.

WHY ARE WE ALLOWING THESE FORECLOSURES?

After anti-discrimination laws were passed in late 1969, a new method was devised in 1973 by a group of lawyers calling themselves (CAI) Community Associations Institute in Alexandra, Virginia, to cleanse neighborhoods and oust unwanted owners, usually blacks, Hispanics or Asians. TO AVOID FEDERAL ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAWS, THEY ADDED SENIORS TO THE MINORITY MIX. MOST HOME OWNING SENIORS ARE WHITE.

This racket is worked through CAI lawyer-controlled management companies, taking over all contact between boards and owners. CAI placates boards who must operate in secret, by keeping them in perpetual figurehead positions of power and by allowing them to become employees in many cases. Owners can talk only to the CAI lawyer who charges about $300 per hour .

When the lawyer "talk or letter writing time" mounts up to several hundred dollars, a foreclosure is filed for failure to pay "legal fees", financially breaking the owner forcing him to lose his home. Who gets these foreclosed homes? Why doesn’t the FBI investigate this nationwide RACKET?

It uses the cruelest form of INTIMIDATION, it is CORRUPT as explained above, and it is well ORGANIZED by the Community Associations Institute of Alexandra, Va.

WE MUST GET THE FBI TO INVESTIGATE THIS RACKET UNDER RICO LAWS (RACKET, INTIMIDATION, CORRUPT, ORGANIZED)

In Houston, a $30,000.00 legal fee mounted up regarding a "door needing paint". A foreclosure was filed and the CAI threatened the senior owner with a $80,000.00 if it went to court. When this owner attempted to talk to members of the Board about Deed violations, the CAI lawyer wrote to her saying, in part, "Please be advised that under Texas law, it is unlawful -----to contact my client directly----you have been aware that the undersigned represents the Northglen Association----be advised---Should you fail to comply with this request, please understand that -(I)-- will pursue and impose upon you sanctions --- allowed under the Texas rules of Civil Procedures"-

Mark Markel, a Houston attorney, is an officer of the National Community Association Institute of Alexandra, Virginia(CAI), which teaches boards and their lawyers "how to" work the cleansing racket and at the same time become enriched.

According to the investigative report made by Texas Senator Kenneth Armbrister, when management companies take over boards and the communities, it becomes a "de facto political entity" without any rules or regulations. This violates non-profit statutes and these "de facto entities" should be governed by the same rules and regulations as all other governmental bodies. Across the nation, this same problem exists.

Who gets all the foreclosures? Often a method is used to transfer title to the entity foreclosing on the house, while continuing to make payments to the mortgage companies in the name of the foreclosed owner. The mortgage company is kept in the dark. Most the foreclosed homes have some form of federal loan or guarantees and the federal government should be brought into the foreclosure picture, not only because of the new method of discrimination, but because of its involvement in the original loans. Federal lending laws are being broken.

All civil rights groups will be asked to join with Property Rights Foundation. Inc. in making property rights a big issue in future elections. We have written to George Bush & Al Gore. Neither will respond. WE WONDER WHY.

---

Metro News Serving the Houston & Mexico city, Texas Community
P.O. Box 20523, Houston, Texas 77225-0523 FAX 713-349-8512
Mexico City FAX 525-512-6829 Email texmex@texasmexico.com or rights@propertyrights.com

to go to the Arizona Republic

• 1. Violence begets violence (4/22/2000)

• 2. Heroes stop rampage (4/20/2000)

• 3. Suspect known in neighborhood for bad temper (4/20/2000)

• 4. Violence mars community's quiet lifestyle (4/20/2000)

• 5. Violence by seniors likely to escalate (4/20/2000)

• 6. Good folks, nice neighbors become violence victims (4/20/2000)

• 7. Gunman told victims he was getting even (4/20/2000) 

• 8. Home foreclosure racket causing violence (4/20/2000) 

• 9. Complex's shooting puts homeowners groups in spotlight (4/20/2000) 

• 10.. 12 millions dollars for faulty buildings (4/15/2000) (Association lawyer Curtis Ekmark)

• 11. Owners groups - ogres or godsends? (4/15/200)

---

---

Homeowner associations: Witnesses & Experts and Victims of political, legal and judicial corruption and abuse, including several of the victims mentioned in the above AHRC article, are available for broadcast interviews, government hearings and investigations. Please call, write or email requests to American Homeowners Resource Center.