Ward Lucas is a longtime investigative journalist and television news anchor. He has won more than 70 national and regional awards for Excellence in Journalism, Creative Writing and community involvement. His new book, "Neighbors At War: the Creepy Case Against Your Homeowners Association," is now available for purchase. In it, he discusses the American homeowners association movement, from its racist origins, to its transformation into a lucrative money machine for the nation's legal industry. From scams to outright violence to foreclosures and neighborhood collapses across the country, the reader will find this book enormously compelling and a necessary read for every homeowner. Knowledge is self-defense. No homeowner contemplating life in an HOA should neglect reading this book. No HOA board officer should overlook this examination of the pitfalls in HOA management. And no lawyer representing either side in an HOA dispute should gloss over what homeowners are saying or believing about the lawsuit industry.
I won’t tell you whether I’m a big fan or a big critic of President Obama, but his speech at the White House Correspondents Dinner this weekend was amazing. It was funny, he has the most incredible speech writers and coaches in the world. But the best part of his speech was the final four minutes in which he talked about the risks and dangers of being a reporter.
Bam!
That one went straight to my heart. And I thought of all those people who take chances and write about the National HOA Scam.
Freedom is what it’s all about. The U.S. Constitution doesn’t define what a reporter is or what the Press is. Any lawyer in America will conclude that every single person who takes it upon himself or herself to fight a villain is a reporter, fully protected by the First Amendment. If you write an email you ARE the Press. If you personally contact your neighbors about the outrages, the embezzlement schemes, the harassment of homeowners you ARE the Press. Each and every one of you.
The First Amendment is what our country is all about. It’s also the single amendment that Homeowner Associations boards constantly try to trash.
Never in a million years would I have seen this coming. But In Florida hundreds of people are marching against the HOA scam. Florida’s HOAs commit more crimes and have more criminals than the national prison population. But to actually see homeowners who have the guts to march is really heartening. I love these guys!
I’ve posted on this idiot before. But tonight’s post is about his admission in court that he stole a fortune from his neighbors. He even used his neighbors’ money to buy himself a car. More than a half million dollars stolen and he gets 25 hours community service? Egads, will we never learn?
A new reader on this blog has asked me to post a link to his neighborhood’s struggle. I’m happy to do it, mostly since it demonstrates once again that Homeowners Associations are fascist dictatorships in which homeowners completely give up their property rights.
Stonegate Village Metropolitan District is in Douglas County, Colorado. The Metro District wants to take away the neighborhood activities center and turn it into offices for its own employees. It’s fascinating reading, but here’s a related and intriguing note:
An insider has told me that the HOA scam will someday be dwarfed by the Metropolitan District scam. He says once Coloradans find out how much of their money has been bled away by Metro Districts and how financially strapped Metro Districts are they’ll be stunned. Absolutely stunned. I’m just putting it out there.
If you ever get bored of me telling you about embezzling by Homeowners Association board members, just let me know. But maybe each one of these stories will encourage some young couple to decide against HOA life.
Here’s another trio who not only stole tens of thousands of dollars, but stole two tractors owned by the Richland Township Homeowners Association.
