WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:03.799 Say after the tri State bad weather is heading our way with winds up to 2 00:00:03.839 --> 00:00:07.320 fifty miles in our state. Tuned for that and more. Plus later on 3 00:00:07.559 --> 00:00:11.160 we're going to have Randy Freaking in at one thirty to talk about Red Spaceball 4 00:00:11.199 --> 00:00:16.480 and the Community Fund. It's getting ready for action. On Thursday. Our 5 00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:20.559 coverage starts about five am, but nonetheless, albeit the Holy Grail with Marty 6 00:00:20.600 --> 00:00:24.600 Brenneman and Bob Castellini, a bunch of others starting about two o'clock. Joints 7 00:00:24.600 --> 00:00:27.839 there if you can get in, it's going to be wonderful. But most 8 00:00:27.839 --> 00:00:33.840 importantly Hamny County Prosecutor and Melissa Powers has an opinion editorial in the Inquiry about 9 00:00:33.920 --> 00:00:38.880 runaways, what's happening in juvenile court. Also there was another a long editorial 10 00:00:38.920 --> 00:00:42.679 and there was a long story in the Inquiry about snitches are being misused and 11 00:00:42.759 --> 00:00:47.920 the neophyte running against Melissa Powers is saying that there used to be an addit 12 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:53.240 of homicide cases in the Hamny County Prosecutor's office to make sure that the murderers 13 00:00:53.280 --> 00:00:57.200 are getting all that's due to them. As far as rights plus squatters are 14 00:00:57.240 --> 00:01:00.520 a big issue, I know in northern Kentucky and Ohio people are concerned about 15 00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:06.000 leaving their homes and whether squatters may simply come into your house live there and 16 00:01:06.040 --> 00:01:10.000 you can't get them out. And a plus elder justice is percolating on the 17 00:01:10.040 --> 00:01:12.599 side. Also Melissa Powers, welcome again to the Bill Cunningham Show. And 18 00:01:12.680 --> 00:01:19.040 first of all, there's an audit proposed by your political opponent, an audit 19 00:01:19.159 --> 00:01:23.200 as if this is some sort of an accounting matter of the snitches and others 20 00:01:23.599 --> 00:01:26.159 on the criminal cases. How many kinds of prosecutor's office has been recognized for 21 00:01:26.200 --> 00:01:30.120 decades as the top prosecutor's office in the Tri State, if not the nation. 22 00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:34.159 The conviction rate you have for murder cases as well, above ninety five 23 00:01:34.200 --> 00:01:40.599 percent might be ninety nine percent. Can you describe the role of snitches in 24 00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:45.280 murder cases and why they're critical and those who criticize such things don't know what 25 00:01:45.319 --> 00:01:51.599 they're talking about. Well, oftentimes, Bill that in order to proceed on 26 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:59.040 criminal matters, it may involve having informants or snitches Jaoe house snitches involved in 27 00:01:59.079 --> 00:02:02.519 a case. And it is the use of these informants are always determined on 28 00:02:02.560 --> 00:02:07.439 a case by case basis. The decision to offer any testimony and informant in 29 00:02:07.439 --> 00:02:12.719 a trial is also determined by a case by case basis with the attorney handle 30 00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:16.759 meet cases, and then we use a lot of we go back through what 31 00:02:16.840 --> 00:02:23.639 their testimony of maybe if used at a trial, consulting with law enforcement, 32 00:02:23.800 --> 00:02:27.479 review of the evidence, what are the strength and weaknesses of the case. 33 00:02:27.560 --> 00:02:30.159 So there's a lot of factors that go in. No one likes using them, 34 00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:35.840 but sometimes it's a necessity. Is the only way in order to go 35 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:39.719 forward. We would love to have you know, cases proved and witness all 36 00:02:39.719 --> 00:02:45.639 our witnesses to be you know, crimes to occur in front of a convent 37 00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:50.479 for example, where the witnesses are impeccable, but that's not always the case 38 00:02:50.520 --> 00:02:53.479 when you're dealing with criminal matters. So it's used, It's been used for 39 00:02:53.639 --> 00:03:00.479 years, is forever really quite honestly. Some are effective and sometimes it's not. 40 00:03:00.960 --> 00:03:02.840 It's a high risk in using the snitch, There's no doubt about it. 41 00:03:04.360 --> 00:03:07.759 Many times it's the only method to get a conviction. And members of 42 00:03:07.800 --> 00:03:10.400 these gangs in Cincinnati, and you can get somebody killed in Cincinnati for like 43 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:15.240 fifteen hundred dollars or less. And these aren't boy scouts. These are not 44 00:03:15.319 --> 00:03:19.159 members of the Chamber of commerce. And many times if you call her a 45 00:03:19.199 --> 00:03:21.919 snitch and they put the hot white lamps on them, they want to give 46 00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:25.000 information, and you vought your juris ahead of time, telling them, look 47 00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:30.919 this is and then you confirm that what the snitch is telling you independently objectively 48 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:35.400 about some other member of the gang. You confirm that before you proceed. 49 00:03:35.800 --> 00:03:38.439 And so for those who say there needs to be an audit, that someone 50 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:43.879 needs to come to audit the ament Cunty Prosecutor's office on the use of snitches, 51 00:03:44.120 --> 00:03:47.280 how does a seasoned prosecutor like you react to the idea of an audit. 52 00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:53.599 Well, I did see the response or comment by my opponent who wants 53 00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:57.400 to conduct an audit of all homicide cases. So I don't know how far 54 00:03:57.479 --> 00:04:02.560 back that she's intending to go with that and overturned convictions if a snitch was 55 00:04:02.680 --> 00:04:08.400 used or an informant was used. I have no idea, but it's it 56 00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:13.560 just points out I think the glaring that is so glaring that she doesn't know 57 00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:16.639 what she's talking about, and she does not have the experience in the criminal 58 00:04:16.759 --> 00:04:24.519 justice system to understand how things work. And and basically I think it points 59 00:04:24.519 --> 00:04:28.639 out that she doesn't She hasn't been in the courtroom and has never handled a 60 00:04:28.639 --> 00:04:31.759 homicide case, has never worked with law enforcement on homicide cases, have never 61 00:04:31.959 --> 00:04:35.959 have never interviewed a snitch, have never gone through all the methods that you're 62 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:40.720 trying to make sure that the snitch is giving you truthful testimony. The last 63 00:04:40.720 --> 00:04:45.839 thing we want is to be able to have a trial where we and we 64 00:04:45.879 --> 00:04:48.639 have a snitch that's not credible. We do the best we can with that, 65 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:54.319 but as you know, the criminal justice process is not perfect. Both 66 00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:57.519 the state and the criminal defendants, we want a fair trial. It's not 67 00:04:57.600 --> 00:05:01.600 always going to be a perfect one. Every day we work in law enforcement, 68 00:05:01.800 --> 00:05:05.639 we want to make sure justice is served in the courtrooms, and we 69 00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:11.120 want to make sure that the people have confidence and what's happening inside the courtrooms. 70 00:05:11.319 --> 00:05:14.279 If we made a mistake, we'll own up to it. This office 71 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:16.600 will own up to it, and we'll fight just as hard to correct the 72 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:19.759 record. When attempts are made to cast down on the work that we do, 73 00:05:20.680 --> 00:05:25.279 we look at it as as this is all about public safety, keeping 74 00:05:25.319 --> 00:05:30.720 people safe, holding people accountable, and punishing the wrongdoers, the law breakers, 75 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:33.639 the criminals that are committing the murders. That's who we want. We 76 00:05:33.240 --> 00:05:35.959 do not. We are looking for the truth. We're always looking for the 77 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:40.120 truth. Of course, audits are always very important. Got to have an 78 00:05:40.160 --> 00:05:43.839 audit now and then you've never heard of it, to have an audit, 79 00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:46.680 I've never heard of that. But anyway, that's a new approach. But 80 00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:50.560 you have a column on yesterday that you hamilet accounty, juvenile courts, stands 81 00:05:50.600 --> 00:05:56.360 on runaways, a miscarriage of justice. Let me share with the American people 82 00:05:56.839 --> 00:06:01.519 your first sentence. Last falls, thousands of Bengal fans gathered to cheer on 83 00:06:01.560 --> 00:06:05.959 the Bengals at a tailgate around the stadium. A teenager walked among them. 84 00:06:06.399 --> 00:06:11.160 She was pregnant, she was on the run, she was under eighteen, 85 00:06:11.560 --> 00:06:15.879 and she was being trafficked, pimped out, and sold for sex to attendees 86 00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:19.759 of the Ruckus party that takes place every home game during the football season. 87 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:25.399 Caseworkers had her name, her information, and her history. She's been missing 88 00:06:25.399 --> 00:06:29.720 since July of twenty twenty three and on the run from her foster care placement. 89 00:06:29.800 --> 00:06:32.920 Despite their efforts, she was slipping through the cracks and so this is 90 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:40.079 a tragedy that happens on large gatherings all the time with runaways and girls, 91 00:06:40.120 --> 00:06:45.279 generally teenagers being trafficked for sex. Explain what the stance is of juvenile Court 92 00:06:45.959 --> 00:06:50.199 relative to runaways and how it's the wrong approach. Well the law. There 93 00:06:50.279 --> 00:06:58.360 are a number of statutes in Ohio that children can be taken into custody and 94 00:06:58.480 --> 00:07:03.279 placed temporarily detention to make sure that they are safe from harm. There's a 95 00:07:03.319 --> 00:07:08.800 federal law also that doesn't allow the children to be held more than seven days. 96 00:07:08.879 --> 00:07:13.680 There's a timeline within twenty four hours if they're taken into custody on a 97 00:07:13.800 --> 00:07:18.360 runaway warrant or a violation of a court order, and typically this involves foster 98 00:07:18.519 --> 00:07:24.959 children and their placements. Currently, to date we have since this was implemented 99 00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:30.639 by Juvenile Court, they decided not to accept runaway charges anymore and instead tell 100 00:07:30.959 --> 00:07:35.560 families or Hamilton County Job and Family Services to file missing person reports for any 101 00:07:35.639 --> 00:07:43.360 runaway or violations of placement orders and then issue them either as a citation and 102 00:07:43.399 --> 00:07:47.720 then contact and have them filed as missing children reports. They claim that this 103 00:07:47.920 --> 00:07:53.279 is a better way to go because it makes it not just in Hamilton County. 104 00:07:54.439 --> 00:07:58.040 There's notice given you know throughout it could be throughout the country. For 105 00:07:58.079 --> 00:08:01.959 example. What that means is is if a police, if a family or 106 00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:07.160 the Hamilton County Job and Family Services, we have a runaway, we have 107 00:08:07.240 --> 00:08:11.120 some right now, we have one hundred. I'm just going to talk about 108 00:08:11.199 --> 00:08:16.360 foster children, not all all runaways, just the foster care kids alone, 109 00:08:16.560 --> 00:08:20.639 one hundred and thirteen kids that have been that ran away from their placement. 110 00:08:20.199 --> 00:08:24.360 Fifty six of them are still a wall since the Court's policy was initiated in 111 00:08:24.439 --> 00:08:31.720 July of twenty three. The example that you pointed out involves one of these 112 00:08:31.800 --> 00:08:35.919 cases where we our office ask for a warrant. Please give us a warrant. 113 00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:39.559 What that enables police to do is to be able to if they locate 114 00:08:39.639 --> 00:08:43.120 the child, take the child into custody and get them before the court to 115 00:08:43.159 --> 00:08:48.639 try to get some services to them, have them evaluate it and see what 116 00:08:48.679 --> 00:08:52.320 they need. What the problem is, why they are running away, If 117 00:08:52.360 --> 00:08:56.840 they're running and so, without getting too technical, what the Court has done 118 00:08:56.080 --> 00:09:01.759 is eliminated all that. Now they're not following the law. They claim it's 119 00:09:01.759 --> 00:09:05.159 the extension of the federal law. So they are writing their own law, 120 00:09:05.159 --> 00:09:09.960 there being activist judges writing their own law saying they're not going to accept any 121 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:15.519 runaway charges and then just do missing person reports. So what that is a 122 00:09:15.559 --> 00:09:18.679 detriment to the child is if somebody, if the law enforcement does locate the 123 00:09:18.799 --> 00:09:22.519 child, they can all they can do is ask the child, will you 124 00:09:22.559 --> 00:09:26.159 come with us? You know, will you please come with us? What 125 00:09:26.200 --> 00:09:30.960 can we do for you? You know, just ask questions. The child 126 00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:35.559 can refuse to be taken into custody and brought back before the court, So 127 00:09:35.639 --> 00:09:41.000 they've eliminated the mechanism that we can help these children. My office keeps asking 128 00:09:41.039 --> 00:09:46.759 for these warrants. Hamilton since this has been this policy that they've developed and 129 00:09:46.840 --> 00:09:52.600 adopted, if not following the law, creating their own law of no complaints, 130 00:09:52.919 --> 00:09:56.720 no warrants pro Kids as opposed to it. Hamilton County, Job and 131 00:09:56.799 --> 00:10:01.399 Family Services as opposed to it, the Guardian Items as opposed to it. 132 00:10:01.519 --> 00:10:07.559 Also, the Public Defender's Office is opposed to it. Because there are I've 133 00:10:07.600 --> 00:10:11.919 got a list of fifty six kids. The narratives are almost all the same. 134 00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:16.279 If it's a female, there's either interest. We've had one female on 135 00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:22.519 the run who odeed began using intravenious drugs, most likely heroine, given to 136 00:10:22.559 --> 00:10:26.440 her by the pimp that was trafficking our So she's now dead and on a 137 00:10:26.600 --> 00:10:31.159 wall. She was a wall when this happened. We have the girl that 138 00:10:31.200 --> 00:10:35.840 you just explained, but mostly the females. What we have are the young 139 00:10:35.879 --> 00:10:39.320 females are victims of trafficking, and the court knows that this is brought to 140 00:10:39.360 --> 00:10:43.279 their attention by my office. They know about it and still refuse to issue 141 00:10:43.320 --> 00:10:48.240 the warrants. They won't do it now. The warrant is our only mechanism 142 00:10:48.320 --> 00:10:52.919 to remove them from a terrible situation. If it's a male, typically the 143 00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:58.120 males are committing all kinds of crimes from our sin down to the burglary, 144 00:10:58.279 --> 00:11:03.039 stealing, call ours, firearm charges, all the way down the gamut. 145 00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:07.080 And we may catch the boys because they're picking up new charges. But the 146 00:11:07.159 --> 00:11:11.279 females are the ones that are at the highest risk and the saddest cases that 147 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:16.360 you hear. All of them are being trafficked, and we know that at 148 00:11:16.440 --> 00:11:22.480 the shelter, our local shelter, here is the known spot where these pimps, 149 00:11:22.519 --> 00:11:26.759 these traffickers go to recruit and then Once a girl is recruited, she 150 00:11:26.879 --> 00:11:31.600 goes back into the shelter and recruits more children, more females to be part 151 00:11:31.679 --> 00:11:35.960 of the ring. And it's just a terrible, terrible situation. And the 152 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:39.799 court, I've made them aware of what's going on. I've pointed it out 153 00:11:39.960 --> 00:11:45.080 to them. I've talked to law enforcement. We've opposed this, we're trying 154 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:48.480 to get it changed. But they are not relenting. They're double down and 155 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:54.120 sticking to it and claiming that they're following the law. But they've extended the 156 00:11:54.200 --> 00:11:58.360 law. An extension of the law is the court decided not to accept runaway 157 00:11:58.440 --> 00:12:03.200 charges and warrants. Well, so it leads to families, and that's just 158 00:12:03.240 --> 00:12:05.279 the job. Those are just the foster children, if you I mean, 159 00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:09.200 can you imagine the poor family a child runs away and they don't know how 160 00:12:09.200 --> 00:12:11.600 to locate their child and the best they're going to get is a missing person 161 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:16.519 report. Well don't you want what do you want? The cop to be 162 00:12:16.519 --> 00:12:20.200 able to take that child and move them from whatever beast situation it is. 163 00:12:20.720 --> 00:12:24.039 I mean, it's just heartless what they're doing. But their agenda and there 164 00:12:24.440 --> 00:12:28.960 they're political philosophy. I don't even know if it involves politics, but their 165 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:35.799 philosophy is harmful and they're hurting the most the most vulnerable segment of our society, 166 00:12:35.840 --> 00:12:39.759 which not only children, but these children that have been on a difficult 167 00:12:39.840 --> 00:12:46.279 road their entire life. And then we're just compounding which will be lifelong problems 168 00:12:46.559 --> 00:12:50.639 obviously in the future if they if they survive it. And you want to 169 00:12:50.639 --> 00:12:54.039 make clear to the American people that you do not want to criminalize runaways. 170 00:12:54.120 --> 00:12:58.720 What you want to do is use the warrant issued by a judge to a 171 00:12:58.759 --> 00:13:01.799 cop that when you love, okay to girl being sexually trafficked at a REDS 172 00:13:01.840 --> 00:13:05.679 game of Bengals gamer anywhere, I have this warrant, I'm taking you into 173 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:09.840 custody and I'm gonna put you at twenty twenty. You're gonna go see a 174 00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:13.720 magistrate and that begins the process of getting her out of that life. But 175 00:13:13.799 --> 00:13:20.559 when you don't issue the warrant, that means you decriminalize crime. You decriminalize 176 00:13:20.600 --> 00:13:24.000 it, and you say, well, just file a missing person's report along 177 00:13:24.039 --> 00:13:26.639 with tens of thousands of others, and the cop doesn't they have the authority 178 00:13:26.919 --> 00:13:31.360 to take physical control of that child to begin the process of getting them help. 179 00:13:31.639 --> 00:13:37.080 And this is again Judge carry Bloom is the chief judge and Juvenile Court, 180 00:13:37.159 --> 00:13:41.840 and she says, we're not going to issue warrants and just file a 181 00:13:41.840 --> 00:13:46.600 missing person's report, which harms the children that she is supposed to help and 182 00:13:46.679 --> 00:13:50.440 protect. And so you don't want to criminalize runaways, but you want to 183 00:13:50.440 --> 00:13:52.720 get them in the system so they can get some help. They have a 184 00:13:52.799 --> 00:13:56.360 ladder out of the hole in which they find themselves not now. Lastly, 185 00:13:58.159 --> 00:14:01.399 one of the big issues happening in Hamiley County. I heard about a case 186 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:09.720 in an upscale community recently in what squatters moved into a house. And can 187 00:14:09.759 --> 00:14:13.279 you tell the American people, just generally speaking, what rights does someone in 188 00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:18.960 Ohio have when they're gone for a couple of weeks or three weeks or six 189 00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:24.279 weeks and someone's living in their home. That seems to me to be a 190 00:14:24.320 --> 00:14:30.960 burglary, but maybe not really explain squatters and how that's developing into a problem. 191 00:14:31.399 --> 00:14:35.279 Well, squatters, they have legal rights in Ohio, surprisingly, and 192 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:39.960 it makes it difficult for the homeowner to actually remove that person there from the 193 00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:43.360 home. Do you have to follow an eviction process? And that can take 194 00:14:43.399 --> 00:14:48.159 anywhere from six to eight weeks. But the first thing in order to evict 195 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:52.000 a squatter is to smile and see hopefully a criminal trespass charge at the very 196 00:14:52.080 --> 00:14:58.679 least, maybe a burglary offense. We have successfully prosecuted in the past squatters 197 00:14:58.720 --> 00:15:03.360 for b and E breaking and entering deft. Sometimes they even file records with 198 00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:07.360 the auditor's office and their false documents. We've had one where they're tampering with 199 00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:11.759 records. This squatters they have no legal rights to the property, but they 200 00:15:11.799 --> 00:15:18.200 can actually acquire possession by occupying the property even though they don't have permission of 201 00:15:18.240 --> 00:15:22.639 the owner, and they over a period of time, the longer they're there, 202 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:28.840 they obtained these rights, says. Often it's an abandoned property or a 203 00:15:28.960 --> 00:15:31.919 ten you know, the homeowner is gone for a period of time thirty days 204 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:37.360 or more, and people actually move in. They don't have their legal right 205 00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:39.879 to live in there, but no rental agreement, no permission from the property 206 00:15:39.919 --> 00:15:43.960 owner. But they what they turn on the water, they turn on the 207 00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:48.600 electricity, they put it in their name. I mean, there's lots of 208 00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:52.000 things that these squatters are doing that is just just insane to think and normally 209 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:56.840 that they could be treated and give any any kind of right. Now in 210 00:15:56.879 --> 00:16:00.039 Florida, which I think is being effectively signed today by Guv. DeSantis, 211 00:16:00.279 --> 00:16:04.759 they are giving the police to the right to immediately remove squatters. In Ohio. 212 00:16:04.879 --> 00:16:08.440 The police cannot go in and take it, say knock on the door 213 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:14.000 and kick the squatter out. The owner, the homeowner has to go through 214 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:18.919 an eviction process, which is absolutely insane. But Florida. Hopefully Ohio will 215 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:25.759 follow Florida's lead and give the police the right to immediately remove the squatters and 216 00:16:25.799 --> 00:16:30.480 not have to go through that formal process of eviction. Unbelieved you, I'll 217 00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:33.039 contact you know, I'll get a hold of the Governor's office, the Speaker 218 00:16:33.039 --> 00:16:36.960 of the House, Stevens. Huffman, the Senate. This has got to 219 00:16:36.960 --> 00:16:40.120 be the law in Ohio. And I talked to Rob Sanders. The same 220 00:16:40.159 --> 00:16:44.679 thing's happening in Kentucky. It's popular now among squatters to move from place to 221 00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:48.240 place and they monitor a house they move in and they claim to have a 222 00:16:48.360 --> 00:16:52.879 verbal lease, or they dummy up a lice online and say Tony Bender owns 223 00:16:52.919 --> 00:16:56.120 the house in Montford Heights, and they go online the Recorder's office, Tony 224 00:16:56.159 --> 00:17:00.159 Bender owns this house. He's not here, and we'll go online get a 225 00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:03.680 lease. Sign Tony Bender's name to the lease. Yes, he's the landlord, 226 00:17:03.720 --> 00:17:07.640 but I have I got a two year lease. And they dumb me 227 00:17:07.720 --> 00:17:10.240 up some payment of one type or another, and they're in the house. 228 00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:11.960 The cops shows up and says, wait a minute, you're not supposed to 229 00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:15.839 be. Well, here's the lease. Tony Bender signed the lease, he's 230 00:17:15.839 --> 00:17:18.279 the landlord, and I got it enough. Cop says, well, I'm 231 00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:22.799 done. Then you got to go to court. That takes months. It's 232 00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:27.680 unbelievable. It is unbelievable. I'm hoping that our state catches up to what 233 00:17:27.880 --> 00:17:33.720 and uses for it is an example, and our lawmakers pass a bill that 234 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:36.720 allows it, does not keep this. You know, from that we can 235 00:17:36.799 --> 00:17:41.599 protect ourselves. But in the meantime, you can take steps to a victor 236 00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:44.799 squatter. And the first thing would be is that you want to contact your 237 00:17:44.880 --> 00:17:49.160 local police department and hopefully get that trespassed charge at the very least. And 238 00:17:49.200 --> 00:17:55.960 then there's other things going on like if they're vandalizing, they're using drugs in 239 00:17:55.960 --> 00:17:57.680 there. If you can find out any of these kind of things, then 240 00:17:57.720 --> 00:18:00.599 he's giving some actions that the police can take, so you can try to 241 00:18:00.680 --> 00:18:04.920 use the criminal justice system in that way. Make sure that right, make 242 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:08.400 sure that you are trying, you know, you're preparing to prove your case 243 00:18:08.440 --> 00:18:14.039 in court with videos, photographs, any damage or proof of this squatting. 244 00:18:14.440 --> 00:18:18.640 Make sure that see what your utility bills have been changed into their name. 245 00:18:18.920 --> 00:18:22.000 Make sure they're not paying you know, you're paying your property taxes. They're 246 00:18:22.039 --> 00:18:26.680 not. I mean, there's lots of things that they're doing to stay in 247 00:18:26.759 --> 00:18:30.880 the property. It's really a major problem, and now we're seeing it all 248 00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:33.400 over Twitter. To sit there and teach people more of this, how to 249 00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:37.960 do it and take advantage of this old lall we got to run. Melissa 250 00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:41.880 Powers, thank you, and TikTok has videos telling squatters how to do this. 251 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:45.039 Melissa Powers, you're doing great work, and once again, thank you 252 00:18:45.079 --> 00:18:48.400 for coming on the Bill Cunningham Show this Tuesday afternoon. Thank you very much. 253 00:18:48.880 --> 00:18:49.920 Yeah, welcome, Thanks for having me. Bell I have a great 254 00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:53.039 day, Melissa Powers. Let's continue with more. We're going to talk about 255 00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:56.759 this after the news on news radio seven hundred WLW.