The elected officials of Collegedale have decided again to take other people's property into the city without the permission of the property owners. The owners have never voted in a Collegedale election for these officials.
Mayor Turner was very clear in the CTFP Weekly that the purpose was to get money. Not from citizens of Collegedale but from people outside the city. You might say the Collegedale officials were coveting their neighbor's money and property.
Could this be described as extortion? Well, look at the process in a common sense way. The leaders of Collegedale takes control of property outside their city. They then tell the property owners to pay them a certain amount of a regular basis. The property owner is told that if you refuse to pay this money we will take your property and sell it to pay that money we have demanded of you. You as a citizen have no choice
Extortion (also called shakedown, outwresting, and exaction) is a criminal offence of unlawfully obtaining money, property, or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime groups. The actual obtainment of money or property is not required to commit the offense. Making a threat of violence which refers to a requirement of a payment of money or property to halt future violence is sufficient to commit the offense.
Under United States federal law extortion can be committed with or without the use of force and with or without the use of a weapon.
A key difference is that extortion always involves a written or verbal threat whereas robbery can occur without any verbal or written threat.
To keep this from happening the Tennessee legislature voted down a change in our laws to keep this from happening in the future. Why? The money from lobbyist and city politicians. As I wrote in another opinion piece that an old saying that lawyers could steal more money than bank robbers. This was true until politicians discovered annexation.
Even though many political leaders claim Christianity they should do a deep study of the scriptures about the sin of covetousness of what others have earned.
N.D. Kennedy Sr.