The Cops who evicted family from their Houston home on national TV help raise $235,000 to get them back on their feet and say they hope to 'begin a movement where we work to prioritize kindness'
Police who evicted a young couple and their two children from their Houston home have helped raise more than $234,000 in a bid to get the family back on their feet.
The Harris County Constable Precinct One Foundation set up a GoFundMe page for the Rodriguez clan after CNN broadcast their eviction in a news package aired September 2.
In the heartbreaking segment, Israel Rodriguez, 24, was seen leaving the complex where he lived with his girlfriend and their young sons, Fabian, four, and Israel Jr., one.
Police who evicted a young couple and their two children from their apartment in Houston last week have helped raise more than $234,000 in a bid to get the family back on their feet. Evictee Israel Rodriguez is seen with his young son, Israel Jr.
Harris County cops were seen evicting the young family from their Texas complex after they received multiple warnings from their landlord and the local court
CNN's Kyung Lah speaks with residents in Houston who are facing financial hardship as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Unable to pay their rent, they now face eviction. https://t.co/uLdLoFTDEI pic.twitter.com/2o8zLGjKDq
— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) September 3, 2020
CNN's Kyung Lah speaks with residents in Houston who are facing financial hardship as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Unable to pay their rent, they now face eviction. https://t.co/uLdLoFTDEI pic.twitter.com/2o8zLGjKDq
'It's my fault, because I'm supposed to be the man of the house,' Rodriguez emotionally told the news network as he cradled his youngest son.
'We ain't got nowhere to go right now. It was a lot going on there with the corona. When it hit, I lost my job.'
Rodriguez received multiple warning messages from his landlord and the Harris County court, but he was unable to come up with the cash to cover his rent.
The father-of-two showed CNN a check for $361 - all of the money he had left to his name.
As the family did not have a car, most of their possessions were discarded onto the street.
'It's trash now,' Rodriguez stated, before telling the officers who evicted him: 'We ain't got nowhere to go.'
The police took no pleasure in forcing the family from their home, with Constable Alan Rosen telling CNN: 'We're human beings. It's horrible. It's horrible to have to evict somebody out of a home. This is their shelter. This is where their family life is.'
Constable Alan Rosen helped raise funds for Rodriguez and his family after being forced to remove the clan from their home
Hundreds of people have generously donated to the Rodriquez family via the GoFundMe page
Rosen quickly got to work starting the fundraiser for the family, buoyed by publicity from the CNN segment.
Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson even helped bring attention to the clan's plight, posting about them to his 1.3 million Twitter followers.
The Constable's GoFundMe page was quickly inundated with donations, much to the delight of locals in the community.
'We care. We are compassionate. We are abiding by the guidelines,' Rosen wrote on the page.
'It breaks our hearts to evict people. We hope the generosity demonstrated following this single story will begin a movement where we work together as a society that starts a discussion about poverty, prioritizes kindness and encourages philanthropy.'
As of Wednesday afternoon, $234,446 has been raised for the family.
Update on Harris County evictionsHarris County Precinct 1 is giving an update on evictions, including money they raised for families that were evicted and one family that caught Deshaun Watson's attention. Story: https://www.khou.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/houston-eviction-moratorium/285-d7d1bb5a-7a00-4dab-b9a3-d76052e915b1
Posted by KHOU 11 News on Friday, 4 September 2020
Harris County Precinct 1 is giving an update on evictions, including money they raised for families that were evicted and one family that caught Deshaun Watson's attention. Story: https://www.khou.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/houston-eviction-moratorium/285-d7d1bb5a-7a00-4dab-b9a3-d76052e915b1
A second GoFundMe page - set up by a New York based teacher who saw the story on CNN - has raised $70,050.
Rodriguez and Rosen gave a joint press conference late last week, during which they thanked people across the country for their generous donations.
'It's the best thing that could ever happen to me,' Rodriguez emotionally declared.
Police orders to forcibly remove Rodriguez from his home came just hours before the Trump Administration issued an executive order issuing a temporary halt in residential evictions.
The order gives the CDC authority to block landlords from evicting almost all tenants for failure to pay rent through the end of 2020.
Rodriguez was seen leaving his apartment last Wednesday. The generosity of Americans has now seen his fortunes turn around