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I am Angela Albright of 2190 U.S. Hwy 78 Tallapoosa, GA 30176 and on
Tuesday morning December 27th around 9:30 a.m., I was sorting clothes in
my laundry room when the phone rang and my daughter in law asked why the
police were taking down the “mannequin” from our home. I was not aware of
the police being at my property and told her so; I then got off the phone and
went outside to investigate.
Two police cars, a city truck and a group of City of Tallapoosa employees were
gathered at the side of my home. They had my Christmas decoration in their
possession having just come off a ladder where they had cut the support
system and Christmas lights from my roof and tossed my mannequin into a
city truck. I asked the officer closest to me (Officer Pate) what they were doing
and he told me (very rudely) they were removing a public nuisance. I asked on
whose authority had they stolen my Christmas decoration and he told me
Philip Eidson the city Manager. I asked for my property to be returned to me
and he said he was told to remove it and destroy it and they were taking it with
them. I told officer Pate that he did not have the right to remove property from
my home and he told me he did have the authority given to him by City
Manager Mr. Eidson.
I just could not believe that a city manager could direct police officers to come
to my home, put up a ladder and steal my property. No person had ever
complained to me about this decoration, no phone call had been made, not a
letter, nothing at all. Everyone I knew who had commented thought it was a
very amusing decoration. I could not understand how Mr. Eidson could have
this done. I went upstairs and called my attorney and some other people
because I had never been faced with such a thing in my life as this blatant
abuse of authority.
I was told to go to the City Hall and ask for my stolen property to be returned.
So I did as instructed and went across the street to City Hall. I informed the
women at the desk that I needed to speak with Mr. Eidson when told he was in
a meeting I told them why I was there and one woman went to inform Mr.
Eidson came back and told me to me wait that he would see me.
In Mr. Eidson’s office he asked how I was doing and I told him I was very
upset that he had instructed the police officers to steal my Christmas
decoration and destroy it. I asked why and how he thought it was in his
authority to do so. I also informed him I wanted my stolen property returned
to me.
Mr. Eidson told me he had received numerous calls of complaint about my
decoration and he decided it had to come down so he had it removed. I asked
why neither I nor my husband had been made aware of these complains and
was told he didn’t have to call me and that a police officer had been sent out to
talk to me. I informed him no one had ever spoken me or my husband about
these alleged complaints. So he called officer Pate into his office.
When he asked officer Pate had he ever meet me, the officer responded “yes
only moments ago at her residence.” When asked by Mr. Eidson if he had
talked with me before hand officer Pate claimed he had knocked on my door
before cutting down the decoration and got no answer and that he had
informed the building owner earlier about this being a public nuisance. When
I told officer Pate I was the building owner and he had never talked with me or
my husband he had nothing to say. I asked once again why I had not been
contacted. I told them I knew they knew my name and my phone number and
that in any case my phone number was listed and that I am located right
across the street. Mr. Eidson said he didn’t have to inform me and Officer Pate
said he had done so, which he had not, as he had admitted moments earlier
we just met and had never spoken. Chief of Police Scott Worthy came into the
office at this point and was very nice to me and informed me he would have
my property returned to me right away.
I left the City Hall and in just a few minutes Chief Worthy personally returned
my decoration, he was very cordial, helpful and seemed perturbed that the
incident had even occurred. It seems to me that he was not aware that Mr.
Eidson had instructed his officers to perpetrate this crime.
I do not believe it is right for a City Manager to be able to direct officers of the
law to break the very law they have taken an oath to uphold and protect. I can
only wonder at what other crimes could have been committed in this manor or
who could be the next victim.
As for the decoration, (see photos at page bottom) it was a mannequin the
size of a real person that hung off the side of my place tangled in Christmas
lights as if it had fallen while decorating the building. I put it up as a whimsical
look after seeing a similar one in an email. It was not a statement of any kind
and had I known any complains had been made I would have gladly removed
it but I was not asked (or even told) to remove it, no effort at all was made to
inform me there was a problem. I was under the impression that we still have
rights in this country and that having a government employee come onto you
property and remove something took more than just deciding to do so and
doing it.
The police are suppose to be here to protect and serve the citizens of he city
yet at the direction of one man they are now allowed to not only break the law
and circumvent our rights but in that very act treat the victim of their crime as
if she (read me here) were a criminal. If complaints were made and/or people
upset at this decoration I wish they would have informed me but nobody did
so, now I can not sit quietly by and let this go without calling it wrong and
criminal.
Some people have warned me against speaking out because they are sure
there will be reprisals from Mr. Eidson and/or the police department. I
thought about this but what was done was just so wrong that I have to speak
my mind and stand up for what I think is right. I have done nothing wrong,
and even if they didn't like my decoration they do not have any legal rights to
just removing it without just cause. Even if they decided they thought it a
public nuisance they must take the proper course of action to have it removed,
and just one phone call to me would have had it down with out them taking
the law into their own hands.
Angela Albright
Tallapoosa, GA 30176
If you would like to tell the police department what you think
their number is 770-574-7211
The number to City Hall is 770-574-2345
If you need to reach me my number is 770-574-5250
Tuesday morning December 27th around 9:30 a.m., I was sorting clothes in
my laundry room when the phone rang and my daughter in law asked why the
police were taking down the “mannequin” from our home. I was not aware of
the police being at my property and told her so; I then got off the phone and
went outside to investigate.
Two police cars, a city truck and a group of City of Tallapoosa employees were
gathered at the side of my home. They had my Christmas decoration in their
possession having just come off a ladder where they had cut the support
system and Christmas lights from my roof and tossed my mannequin into a
city truck. I asked the officer closest to me (Officer Pate) what they were doing
and he told me (very rudely) they were removing a public nuisance. I asked on
whose authority had they stolen my Christmas decoration and he told me
Philip Eidson the city Manager. I asked for my property to be returned to me
and he said he was told to remove it and destroy it and they were taking it with
them. I told officer Pate that he did not have the right to remove property from
my home and he told me he did have the authority given to him by City
Manager Mr. Eidson.
I just could not believe that a city manager could direct police officers to come
to my home, put up a ladder and steal my property. No person had ever
complained to me about this decoration, no phone call had been made, not a
letter, nothing at all. Everyone I knew who had commented thought it was a
very amusing decoration. I could not understand how Mr. Eidson could have
this done. I went upstairs and called my attorney and some other people
because I had never been faced with such a thing in my life as this blatant
abuse of authority.
I was told to go to the City Hall and ask for my stolen property to be returned.
So I did as instructed and went across the street to City Hall. I informed the
women at the desk that I needed to speak with Mr. Eidson when told he was in
a meeting I told them why I was there and one woman went to inform Mr.
Eidson came back and told me to me wait that he would see me.
In Mr. Eidson’s office he asked how I was doing and I told him I was very
upset that he had instructed the police officers to steal my Christmas
decoration and destroy it. I asked why and how he thought it was in his
authority to do so. I also informed him I wanted my stolen property returned
to me.
Mr. Eidson told me he had received numerous calls of complaint about my
decoration and he decided it had to come down so he had it removed. I asked
why neither I nor my husband had been made aware of these complains and
was told he didn’t have to call me and that a police officer had been sent out to
talk to me. I informed him no one had ever spoken me or my husband about
these alleged complaints. So he called officer Pate into his office.
When he asked officer Pate had he ever meet me, the officer responded “yes
only moments ago at her residence.” When asked by Mr. Eidson if he had
talked with me before hand officer Pate claimed he had knocked on my door
before cutting down the decoration and got no answer and that he had
informed the building owner earlier about this being a public nuisance. When
I told officer Pate I was the building owner and he had never talked with me or
my husband he had nothing to say. I asked once again why I had not been
contacted. I told them I knew they knew my name and my phone number and
that in any case my phone number was listed and that I am located right
across the street. Mr. Eidson said he didn’t have to inform me and Officer Pate
said he had done so, which he had not, as he had admitted moments earlier
we just met and had never spoken. Chief of Police Scott Worthy came into the
office at this point and was very nice to me and informed me he would have
my property returned to me right away.
I left the City Hall and in just a few minutes Chief Worthy personally returned
my decoration, he was very cordial, helpful and seemed perturbed that the
incident had even occurred. It seems to me that he was not aware that Mr.
Eidson had instructed his officers to perpetrate this crime.
I do not believe it is right for a City Manager to be able to direct officers of the
law to break the very law they have taken an oath to uphold and protect. I can
only wonder at what other crimes could have been committed in this manor or
who could be the next victim.
As for the decoration, (see photos at page bottom) it was a mannequin the
size of a real person that hung off the side of my place tangled in Christmas
lights as if it had fallen while decorating the building. I put it up as a whimsical
look after seeing a similar one in an email. It was not a statement of any kind
and had I known any complains had been made I would have gladly removed
it but I was not asked (or even told) to remove it, no effort at all was made to
inform me there was a problem. I was under the impression that we still have
rights in this country and that having a government employee come onto you
property and remove something took more than just deciding to do so and
doing it.
The police are suppose to be here to protect and serve the citizens of he city
yet at the direction of one man they are now allowed to not only break the law
and circumvent our rights but in that very act treat the victim of their crime as
if she (read me here) were a criminal. If complaints were made and/or people
upset at this decoration I wish they would have informed me but nobody did
so, now I can not sit quietly by and let this go without calling it wrong and
criminal.
Some people have warned me against speaking out because they are sure
there will be reprisals from Mr. Eidson and/or the police department. I
thought about this but what was done was just so wrong that I have to speak
my mind and stand up for what I think is right. I have done nothing wrong,
and even if they didn't like my decoration they do not have any legal rights to
just removing it without just cause. Even if they decided they thought it a
public nuisance they must take the proper course of action to have it removed,
and just one phone call to me would have had it down with out them taking
the law into their own hands.
Angela Albright
Tallapoosa, GA 30176
If you would like to tell the police department what you think
their number is 770-574-7211
The number to City Hall is 770-574-2345
If you need to reach me my number is 770-574-5250
| Police report and newspaper story farther down page newspaper photo bottom of the page |
The Police Report
News Paper story
| Story was live on the air with The Regular Guys 96 Rock Atlanta Jan. 5th, 2006 Thanks to all of you who have called and e-mailed me with your support |
1st newspaper story
Second newspaper story
Want to donate to help with legal fund?
The Criminal Warrant hearing for the arrest of
Philip Eidson's arrest was scheduled for Jan. 30,
2006 at 9:30 a.m.by the Magistrate Court of
Haralson County at the Haralson County Court
house, Buchanan Georgia
To find out what happened in court see the what
happened in court link.
case # : 06-3pw
Philip Eidson's arrest was scheduled for Jan. 30,
2006 at 9:30 a.m.by the Magistrate Court of
Haralson County at the Haralson County Court
house, Buchanan Georgia
To find out what happened in court see the what
happened in court link.
case # : 06-3pw
| It happened to me are you next? |
First we put him out in a black
hooded shirt but he didn't show up
well so we took him down.
hooded shirt but he didn't show up
well so we took him down.
In his new shirt
but this wire we didn't trust
so we took him up again
but this wire we didn't trust
so we took him up again
| We attached him to a ski rope and tossed him off for the last time Then he hung for a little over a week before being stolen now he sits downstairs still tangled in his lights, ski harness around his chest rope cut |
| And this is the emailed picture that started it all |
| The Mannequin has been so popular after the News Paper story we have named him "Festavus" many people had their picture taken with him on New Years Eve at the party we had here. |
