This is one of those stories that often never makes it to the Front Page of any newspaper or website. It’s a story about Property Rights and Eminent domain. It’s the story of one man who tried to fight back, and sadly it’s the story of a man who lost it all in the process. It’s also a story that can happen to anyone who is reading this article.
The story begins back in 2009 when Andrew Wordes, otherwise known as the Roswell Chicken Man, began his fight to raise chickens on his property. In February 2009, the city of Roswell, GA started to cite Andrew Wordes for raising livestock in his backyard. Wordes, who had started raising chickens on his .97-acre homestead in 2005, decided to fight back. And guess what he won.
But sadly, that’s when the real trouble started:
You see, the story actually has very little to do with chickens. While the city of Roswell, and cities just like it across America, would like people to believe it’s a story about chickens, the real story is about the rights of property owners.
When taking a look at a map that was published back in 2003, as part of Roswell’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan for city improvements, one thing becomes painfully obvious; The city had already planned to take Wordes’ property.
The Map showed that the city had major plans for his property. In fact, his property sat right in the middle of a planned city park. His property was being targeted for “city improvements”, and this fight had nothing to do with chickens. The chickens were really just the catalyst for the city to unlawfully seize his land.
After initially winning his fight in municipal court, the City of Roswell made Wordes life a living hell.
The Harassment Campaign Against Andrew Wordes
On Dec. 14, 2009, the city council approved a new ordinance banning roosters and using lot size to limit how many chickens a resident could keep. Wordes claimed that the harassment started immediately after the meeting when Roswell police ticketed him for no insurance and a number of other moving violations.
- In September of 2010, Roswell prosecuted Wordes under the new ordinance claiming he had too many birds for his lot size. The judge found him not guilty since he had the chickens before the ordinance became law.
- In September of 2010, he was convicted of grading sediment on his land without a permit and having inoperable vehicles in his yard. He was sentenced to community service.
- In November of 2010, code enforcement served Wordes with a nuisance citation.
- After winning twice in court against the city, the county then got involved and actually cited him for “not properly stacking his firewood.”
- In 2011, the 84-year-old women who held Mr. Wordes’ mortgage was harassed by the city into selling Wordes mortgage for forty cents on the dollar. The city then began the foreclosure process.
- While in the process of trying to save his home, Andrew Wordes was arrested by Roswell Police on the day that he was to bring paperwork that would’ve delayed his bankruptcy and the foreclosure on his home.
- Wordes was jailed for violating his probation after the city claimed he only served 122 of the 150 hours of community service that he had been ordered to serve. He then served 99 days in jail.
After his release, he placed a sign on his property that read “Trespassers will be construed as a bodily threat” and then waited for authorities to arrive and remove him.
On Monday at 10:45 a.m. Marshalls arrived at the home. After a two-hour standoff, Wordes advised the Marshall that they needed to immediately leave the property. That’s when the explosion happened. After years of battling for his right to keep his land, Wordes finally had enough.
On a website dedicated to Andrew Wordes, one of his friends wrote:
We all lost a little something today. Andrew was a man of faith, with a strong love for God. He was a staunch Constitutionalist with a passion for our freedoms and liberties.
You pushed Mr. Wordes to this point. You marched around Roswell bashing Andrew, annihilating his character, marking him as crazy and filing lawsuits whenever you could, bankrupting him and denying him rights given to property owners in the United States.
Andrew fought the good fight, not just for himself but for others because he knew it could happen to anyone. And it is. Eminent domain is being abused all over our country, just look it up. Communities are plagued with repeated abuses of the use of eminent domain. It’s tragic and your neighborhood could be next. Andrew fought to his last breath, for himself, for me, for you. In his mind, he went on his terms. Right out of Atlas Shrugged. Andrew is at peace now but it’s not over.
The sad truth about this story is its 100% true.
It’s also not an isolated incident.
From the Federal Government seizing property because of “environmental regulations”, to local municipalities who use code enforcement agents codes to intimidate people into giving up their land, we have a huge problem in this country. Our property rights are being shredded before our eyes, and it’s only a matter of time before this story becomes an everyday occurrence.
The Chicken Man, Andrew Wordes, in his own words from an interview he gave last month on the Rusty Humphries show.
The government is a BIG machine run by people. It has no heart; it has no soul. It can be manipulated to suit the agendas of both leftist and conservative movements. The important things to remember about this machine are: (1) Stay out of its way if at all possible – avoid confrontations, (2) If you can’t avoid it, “steer into the skid.” If they tell you you need to move off your land, get them to give you better than “fair market value” for it (or at least what it is worth), (3) Use the courts to your advantage – if something is unfair, you can generally get a judge to over-ride it, (4) Use the media to your advantage. If you can get an overwhelming number of people to object, you may be able to stem, or even reverse the action, (5) NOTHING IS HOPELESS – don’t kill yourself – you can always re-start somewhere else.
I agree with you Bob Smith, but will add, Do your best to seek God and trust that He will make a way. My heart goes out to this poor mans suffering. Had he told others about this and had those others cared enough to share he would still be alive and helping others prepare for what is inevitable in my opinion……
So sad, not the first time this has happened 16 years of paying for land you never got to keep, living the dream, more like dream prevention…man it’s ok to listen to leaf blowers night and day for hours but roosters…I don’t know the whole situation doesn’t sound right that is for sure it does seem like harrassment but the water issue why didn’t the city fix?
I would also like to make a note about environmental surveys they are super costly and prevent building Iknew someone that purchased 22 acres and wanted to build a senior home well the cost over the top costs for environmental study and engineers that it prevents people from their dreams unless they have millions….
Chickens stink…bad!
I think you’re missing the whole point of this.
Yes she is-probably because she lives in a bubble and watches TV all day, drinking and eating twinkies-you know, one of the thick ones!
This is the same thing that we see occurring everywhere, just on a smaller scale. The local, state and federal government are abusing citizens all over the US. This is about control and land seizure. Like many other examples, this man was someone who just wanted to exist and live.. The local Roswell government wanted his land and will turn tyrannical until they run this man off. People are fed up with this country and their representatives. The charges they kept applying to this man were obviously nothing more than harassment. People will and are already rebelling, and whatever happens, these pos deserve it!
Makes me ashamed to live in Georgia. What a bunch of selfish snobs. I hope their city park turns into a sink hole.
See what happens when the communists take over? We have been warned, MANY times now, clear back to the 50’s, maybe even earlier, everybody just blew it off as ‘nonsense’ and paranoia. Well folks, it is now HERE. What are you going to do about it? They love idiots and cowards and apathy. Keep up the good work, your kids will really thank you for being cowards some day.
We became face book friends just before this happened and I had just had him contact his state senator for an investigation,he was treated unfairly and I also spoke out because the Mayor is a member of Bloombergs mayor’s anti gun group,he knew the city wanted his property all along and wouldn’t fix it so it would drain oar anything to actually help him.
The people of Roswell should vote the entire government out for destroying this man’s life. Eminent domain is pure stealing and theft of one’s property and the Supreme Court should be admonished for allowing it to be “constitutional.” Chicken Man’s pursuit of happiness was halted by corrupt deceitful politicians who should be ousted and never allowed to run again.
i don;t know who in the hell thinks discussing the presidents is gona help any thing ;; this is about the city doing some one wrong” people should have stood up for this man ” and now people should vote out the city mayor and manager ‘if i was gonna kill my self hell go shoot the dam city folks first ” crooks cheats ” ass’s what comes around goes around you roswell screw balls ;; hope his people takes you all to court ”
This Tragedy breaks my heart as to what our own Govt. is doing to all of us. We need to Stand United against our corrupt Govt.
My suggestion is that within the community you live in, you form a United task force to protect yourselves and your neighbors. United we stand , divided we fall. This is our country, don’t ever forget that.
As can readily be seen , the United States of America and all REAL Americans are DEAD , all that is left is a hollow constitution to cover the fact that we are ruled by evil Satanist communist sons-o b-t–es like the demi-gods of Roswell Georgia and the demonrats in Washington DC along with the mount olympus GODs in the United Nations .
I can well relate to this. My dad and grandfather owned 12 cotton warehouses on the Mississippi levy in St Louis. They were both card-carrying, fat-cat (donors) Republicans. Roosevelt was elected in ’32. Darst, a Democrat, defeated the Republican Mayor of St Louis in ’34. The federal government seized my dad’s river-levy properties in 1937 (the year I was born, youngest of 4) in the name of, “Right of Public Domain”. O’Donnell v United States Government, famous Supreme Court case and $2 million later, my dad was awarded $33,000 as an “equitable” settlement. That’s the way it works when the Dems are in control. Take from the producers, and pocket the proceeds in the guise of giving to the poor.
If Iam put througt that kind of a knighmare, I will not go down alone. Some where along the line those SOBs need learn they have to pay to play.
Maybe he should have looked into a reason to find the state or county doing this at fault on their own against ordinance and taken there property from them or causing them a headache. The law supposed to work both ways . time to use it to our advantage.
You know what has to be done everyone can blah, blah, blah and it just goes on and on and on and they take more and more and more until they are met with a unified resistance. If this was occurring when our forefathers of this nation was young this would NEVER been happening today. We have a government that has become so big they have become giant BULLIES AND WILL GO TO ANY EXTREME TO GET THEIR WAY. And the sheeple just take what ever punishment they receive.The Unification of the people of the United States is very badly needed in order to stop the oppression this countries government which is currently enslaving everyone no matter what race you are. That is why our country is called The UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
In many cases it involves elder abuse. My mom was a widow. They changed the property code and fined her the next day. She requested and was given time to build a wooden fence around the property. A year later they came, taking pictures of inoperable vehicles, eye sores, and they fined her without giving her a chance or time to comply. She asked the judge for a lenient fine since she was a widow on fixed income. The judge fined her $100. The city manager and city engineer called her begging her to pay for the Attorney fee, $2000 they used in city money to hire a prosecutor. My mom refused of course. The two gentlemen were fired. I am sure glad I made my mom aware of what they were trying to do to her. At first she was overwhelmed, wanted to give up because they were being so nasty and rude to her. At first my mom felt she was ready to sell the Mansion, with 8 bedrooms, three kitchens, three living rooms and diners, six restrooms and a beautiful main living room with a 6′ fireplace. It was at Indian School Lane in Banning CA. Irving Berlin had once lived across the street at the Briar Gate Manor where he wrote White Christmas. And the Wright brother who was the architect designed and help build the house next door. I told her they were harassing her because she was an elderly widow and they want her to sell the property. The house wasn’t for sale but some oddly annoying people kept showing up asking if it was for sale. Without ever seeing inside they would start immediately start criticizing and saying it wasn’t worth anything. My mom kept the house for at least ten more years.
Eminent domain is my area of practice. You should know that the property owner is compensated for the value of the property taken, and damages, if any. Attorney and other costs are covered by the condemning authority. He should have been appropriately compensated unless there were business damage considerations, which is covered by a separate set of laws/rules. Eminent domain is important to everyone for sometimes not so obvious reasons. This piece made no mention of compensation so I would assume that he was realistically compensated. If the government subverted rules of trust then that is a different issue. Hopefully that wasn’t the case.
This case had nothing to do with eminent domain but with corrupt officials who had a funny idea as to what they should do. Governance through threats and subversion should never be accepted by anyone, and that is what he was dealing with, corruption, subversion and threats by a government. Tough to fight city hall, with their deep pockets and, I hate to say it, but judges who have a funny sense of their obligation to act. This thing is just so outrageous. Eminent domain may have been the start, but eminent domain was only at the periphery. Corruption is the main issue. Sad
welcome to America home of the free
If you add home of the brave ,we might get something done
One may wish to be careful with the words used by those sorceress’ and sorcerers called lawyers. Words like “resident”, “livestock”, “citizen”, person, and many others that people THINK they know what they mean but take on an entirely different meaning when defined in their statutes (which many falsely believe is law). One may notice that all their purported rules and regs applies to “residents”. What people do not understand that “residence” is a “benefit” and political choice and has nothing to do with geographical location. Like myself I am no “resident”. However one must be willing to give up all those things that “residents” enjoy. Real liberty is responsibility.
Person: “In law, man and person are not exactly-synonymous terms.” Bouvier’s Law Dictionary, 1856, 1 Bouv. Inst. n. 137
Minimum Contacts: “A doctrine referring to the minimum due process requirement for subjecting a non-resident civil defendant to a court’s personal jurisdiction. The defendant must have sufficient contacts with the forum state.” International Shoe Co. v. State of Washington, 326 US. 310, 66 c.c. 154, 90 L.Ed. 95.
“Allegiance is a duty owing by citizens to their government, of which, so long as they enjoy its benefits, they can not divest themselves.” Military Government and Martial Law, William E. Birkhimer, Major, General Staff, U.S. Army, 1914, page 64).
So unless one is willing to “lose his life so that he may gain it” according to the only true King they will continue to be under bondage to the STATE. No “resident” and no “citizen” =no jurisdiction.
This is tragic, and a textbook case of the state of using overwhelming force to steal property and subvert the constitution.
However, Mr. Wordes always had the opportunity to step aside and escape. This was, ultimately, about an armed robbery, “your property or your life.” And while I sympathize with a robbery victim, I can’t put myself in the shoes of someone who digs in their heels and allows a robber to slaughter them over a piece of property. That’s immoral. God does not want you to kill yourself to make a statement or allow yourself to be killed over property. Over faith–yes, over property–no.
In this country we face a far more insidious problem. People every day are murdered by cops or by the system without any due process, just summarily executed. While I mourn for Wordes, I will not fight for him the way I will stand up and fight for those who are murdered by the state arbitrarily. I pick my fights carefully, meaning who I will stand beside. The real victims in this country are those who are given no due process at all.
I wish that Mr. Wordes friends in his church could have reached him, helped him to simply move out of his 1 acre plot to another town. This could have been a sad parable of the big city encroaching on small town life, without a tragic ending. There is no reason to dig in ones heels against an unstoppable force. You will not win justice with such a sacrifice.
My prayers are with Mr. Wordes, but I wouldn’t have stood with him when the bulldozers showed up. I would have only come by his place the day before to help him pack and tote boxes to his new homestead. Sometimes a fight isn’t worth fighting.
,,,,,First of all ,,,His homestead is 97 acres ,,,not a one acre shack ,,,and second of all ,,,Where do you think our founders would be if they would have givin’ up when the English come a callin’ ???,,,and it’s pretty DAM bad when your own DAM city comes after your DAM property !!! So don’t tell people to just Give Up Against An Oppressive Gov’t ,,,,Sometimes We Need To Fight For What Is OURS !!!
Thank you Roy.. You took the words right out of my mouth. It’s people like Old Poor Richard is what is wrong with this country…
Amen.
The article says less than an acre (.97) – does anyone know which is right?