Coffee- and petition-meister Steve Hildebrand, whom Pickett and his payday-lending pals are targeting for promoting a ballot initiative to cap interest rates at 36%, says Pickett and his out-state agitators (“fauxtesters,” one FB wag calls the fake protesters) are back at his Sioux Falls café, Josiah’s:
He’s brought 20 or more people from Peoria, IL with him and he started dispatching them to Josiah’s today.
Driving Illinois-based SUV’s and staying at suite hotels by the mall, these folks are here for only one reason – fear and intimidation directed at me, and others who are working to put consumer protections on predatory lending in South Dakota [Steve Hildebrand, Josiah’s Coffeehouse Facebook post, 2015.08.11].
Hildebrand says he welcomes honest debate about interest rates and payday lending, but not the payday lending industry’s thug tactics:
While these out-of-state predatory lenders may pay people of color to drum up some ridiculous race charges, this isn’t about race at all. It’s about payday lenders being threatened by the ballot initiative we are bringing to lower their 574% average interest rates down to 36%. It’s about predatory lending, not about race.
The fact that the predatory lenders are using people of color, disguising them as homeless people to attempt to sabotage my business – and YOUR coffeehouse – proves what shameless tactics they will stoop to in order to protect their outrageous profits.
South Dakota should have a healthy debate about predatory lending interest rates. And my Co-Chair Steve Hickey and I welcome that debate. But, instead, fear and intimidation tactics conducted by out-of-state companies like North American Title Loans cast a terrible shadow on the poverty industry as a whole.
The payday lenders’ harassment and intimidation of a South Dakota businessman promoting a ballot measure should appall all South Dakotans and friends of popular democracy. If you disagree with an issue that your neighbors want to place on the ballot, you engage the electorate in honest discussion, rally voters to your side, and try to win in the marketplace of ideas. You do not trick voters with fake petitions and threaten petitioners and the press.
South Dakotans, the proper response to beat back these mafiosi is to sign the genuine 36%-rate-cap petition today at Josiah’s in Sioux Falls. I’ll also have the petition handy here in Aberdeen at the Brown County Fair Thursday p.m. in Centennial Village and Saturday a.m. at the Brown County Democrats booth. Sign, circulate, vote next year, and let’s win fair and square.
Floyd has a mouth like a sailor. I tried to reason with him minister to “minister.” He is a pro. He is a professional racial incident agitator. He knows what he’s doing and I’ve not been that close to someone in that business before. He sets the civil rights movement back a generation. What he is doing was not Kings dream. He is a thug for greedy lenders who will play any card against anyone to protect their profits. What he is doing to incite racial discord and escAlate and create racial incidents should be worth jail time
All that aside,,,, eye on the prize. Please get a petition and get a few signatures. Visit captheratesd.com and we will send you a circulators packet. Thanks.
jerry
Hmmm, the Hampton Inn for the pickets. I guess that place is now a homeless shelter. Who would have thunk it? I wonder if the state of South Dakota knows about this and what their intent is on collecting excise tax for the labor along with Workmen’s Comp? Who runs the company? Is it incorporated? If cash is paid to pickets, then who checks to see if Illinois is also paying disability or unemployment benefits?
Rorschach
Did he bring Kristi Noem’s friend Aaron Schock with him from Peoria? He may not be homeless, but he is faabulous! He could provide some decorating ideas for Josiah’s, and visit with Kristi if she’s in South Dakota, maybe get their picture by the Statue of David.
PlanningStudent
A friend of my hosted someone via Air B n B this weekend who said he was here from St. Louis to fight the 36% rate cap.
jerry
Marty Jackley will be one of the pickets for Picket. We should render Marty homeless homeless from Pierre. We gotta find that Marty dude a new home, preferably, out of state.
Douglas Wiken
Sounds like this outfit must need a business license and if not a business, should file a political campaign funding report.
jerry
Agreed Mr. Wiken. If I were to try a stunt like that, Marty would be up in arms at me demanding answers. Funny what you can get away with in Marty’s South Dakota by the chosen few.
PlanningStudent
There is an organization called something like ‘give us credit’ filed with the SOS to fight the 36% cap. Maybe they are funded through that.
jerry
If they have approved funding through an organization, that kind of takes the fun out of saying your homeless. Interesting
Planning, was that St. Louis infiltrator staying in Sioux Falls?
Deb Geelsdottir
The “scuzzballs” are at it again. Shame, shame, shame. It would be a great feather in SD’s cap if yall could defeat those lowlife sleeze balls. (Hickey, I prefer “sleeze” over “scuzz” when referring to those people.)
P Lansing
Are you trying to be “cute” by casting aspersions on homosexuals, Rohrshock? What is the motive?
larry kurtz
Seriously, Pat: how if you have to rely on pawn shops to make ends meet how are you an objective reporter?
larry kurtz
Rewrite: if Pat is addicted to fringe banking how is his testimony not influenced by the drug?
larry kurtz
Tell us, Pat: is it video lootery, Flandreau or are transfats driving your addictive personality?
Floyd has a mouth like a sailor. I tried to reason with him minister to “minister.” He is a pro. He is a professional racial incident agitator. He knows what he’s doing and I’ve not been that close to someone in that business before. He sets the civil rights movement back a generation. What he is doing was not Kings dream. He is a thug for greedy lenders who will play any card against anyone to protect their profits. What he is doing to incite racial discord and escAlate and create racial incidents should be worth jail time
All that aside,,,, eye on the prize. Please get a petition and get a few signatures. Visit captheratesd.com and we will send you a circulators packet. Thanks.
Hmmm, the Hampton Inn for the pickets. I guess that place is now a homeless shelter. Who would have thunk it? I wonder if the state of South Dakota knows about this and what their intent is on collecting excise tax for the labor along with Workmen’s Comp? Who runs the company? Is it incorporated? If cash is paid to pickets, then who checks to see if Illinois is also paying disability or unemployment benefits?
Did he bring Kristi Noem’s friend Aaron Schock with him from Peoria? He may not be homeless, but he is faabulous! He could provide some decorating ideas for Josiah’s, and visit with Kristi if she’s in South Dakota, maybe get their picture by the Statue of David.
A friend of my hosted someone via Air B n B this weekend who said he was here from St. Louis to fight the 36% rate cap.
Marty Jackley will be one of the pickets for Picket. We should render Marty homeless homeless from Pierre. We gotta find that Marty dude a new home, preferably, out of state.
Sounds like this outfit must need a business license and if not a business, should file a political campaign funding report.
Agreed Mr. Wiken. If I were to try a stunt like that, Marty would be up in arms at me demanding answers. Funny what you can get away with in Marty’s South Dakota by the chosen few.
There is an organization called something like ‘give us credit’ filed with the SOS to fight the 36% cap. Maybe they are funded through that.
If they have approved funding through an organization, that kind of takes the fun out of saying your homeless. Interesting
Planning, was that St. Louis infiltrator staying in Sioux Falls?
The “scuzzballs” are at it again. Shame, shame, shame. It would be a great feather in SD’s cap if yall could defeat those lowlife sleeze balls. (Hickey, I prefer “sleeze” over “scuzz” when referring to those people.)
Are you trying to be “cute” by casting aspersions on homosexuals, Rohrshock? What is the motive?
Seriously, Pat: how if you have to rely on pawn shops to make ends meet how are you an objective reporter?
Rewrite: if Pat is addicted to fringe banking how is his testimony not influenced by the drug?
Tell us, Pat: is it video lootery, Flandreau or are transfats driving your addictive personality?