|
Grievance 48 - Forfeiture
The U.S. Constitution failed to require the government to convict an American of a crime before seizing the citizens property. Federal statutes allowed seizure of property without filing a charge, and even when an individual was judged not guilty. "Civil asset forfeiture" became a common occurrence as law enforcement agencies sought to crack down on crime. In a case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court, a woman was deprived of the car which she owned with her husband after he was convicted of being in it with a prostitute. The Court ruled 5-4 that she could be deprived of her part ownership even though she was innocent of any crime. Most forfeitures were not challenged in court because the owners felt the value of the property was not worth a lawyer's fee to present the case. After years of injustice, politicians sought to correct the problem by enacting legislation that should have been a part of the Constitution's Bill of Rights, and by such definition that no court of justice could dismiss a rightful owners part of legal property, no matter how small its dollar value. With an AUTHENTIC CONSTITUTION in harmony with the natural Cosmic Laws of the universe, and producing High Moral Values and Democratic Ideals, government is constitutionally bound to prove "cause" for seizure of private property, instead of owners to prove innocence. |