Change has many meanings depending on how it is used. From past to present to a verb but one thing all the definitions seem to have in common is the use of the word “Different” or “Alter”. Making a difference is exactly the type of change Austin refers to in his story. Most people think of this type of change as protesting to stand up for what you believe in, and it goes as far back as the 13th century when barons rebelled against King John to gain legal protection from monarchial rule. Then you have all famous Boston Tea Party of 1773 to the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs & Freedom, mostly remembered for the day Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I have a Dream Speech” and even more protests to date and we have a dream also.
There is manty more ways to make change, although protesting is one of the most impactful and always an option, and we are here to help pass this message and help anyone we can, anyway we can, anytime we can. Even though we both come from such different backgrounds there is one thing we have in common and that is that we both at some point in different scenarios needed help in some way or another and both had to face that many of those times no one helped or even turned a blind eye.
69 million people broke down on average in the United States last year and I am sure this number is low, but I wonder how many of those times did someone stop to ask, “Are you good”, “Are you OK”, “Do you need any help”. Well, we do every car, all the time. In 2023 44.5% of the nations SNAP cases that were denied, terminated or suspended were done so inaccurately or the notice provided to the household was inaccurate, unclear or insufficient. The main 2 reasons are recorded as being due to incomplete applications or verification issues. I, personally, cannot tell you how many times when I went into the local DSS office it was so crowded and intimidating, especially for someone with growing mental health issues, that to have someone by my side would have truly been a lifesaver to me and my loved ones. Last year in the US landlords filed almost 1,115,000 evictions, myself being part of this statistic after being in my apartment for over 4 years. Through this process of wrongful eviction in my case I learned that evictions are considered civil matters in the legal system so you are not entitled to a public defender and must obtain private representation which in many cases people being evicted are not in the financial position to hire an attorney, I know I couldn’t. I called the local legal aid office, which in turn turned out to be a joke because they had no one to represent in court and they only offered phone assistance. I am no longer in my apartment.
I’m not a parent but since meeting Austin, a single father who is a victim of a crooked family court system, I’ve grown to his feelings & emotions of how this can affect a person, especially a father. Austin has spent years fighting to be a part of his daughter’s life again, motion after motion, only to have a system that has empowered its judges too much power to continuously deny said motions, simply, in my opinion, based on personal bias. We have filed judicial complaints and much more, however, this is the kind of fighting we will do for you. People aren’t aware of how to handle these types of things in any part of the court system, and we have dedicated ourselves to finding out how until all the issues are addressed so that the court system can no longer wrongfully split up families or evict innocent people or convict without a speedy trial and the list goes on and on. Did you know that a sitting judge has absolute immunity while they are on the bench. They have absolute immunity from liability from their judicial acts, even if their actions are malicious, illegal or erroneous. So, again I say, change needs to be made and we are aware that this change may not and probably will not come in our lifetime, but someone needs to get things started. Then and only then can we have a chance at seeing change and a better tomorrow for our children and generations to come.
We truly believe in people helping people and this is why we created HOOTSOTRAA and to possibly built onto this by passing on a message of humanity that our society has not seen in a very long time. We aren’t here to take advantage of those needing help but to try and meet people where they are when they need it and provide whatever help they need and if we can’t do it ourselves for whatever reason then our promise to you is that we will not stop until we find someone that can be fair and reasonable. You need to know and can now relax knowing that you have someone on your side.
Due to our concept of meeting people where they are and since the start of our business, we have used nothing but personal funds to operate and this is mainly from just one of us, Austins monthly income as I, Dennis, have been out of work almost 4 years fighting yet another broken branch of government, Social Security for my disability. We provide literally anything that we can for people anywhere at any time of the day, so we have decided to offer the chance for others to donate towards the success of this mission for others. 100% of your donation goes to cover items directly handed out to those in need when we come across them from Blankets to Food or clothing and baby food. We will continue to do what we can but cannot realistically reach the number of people we would like to without your help. Rest assured not 1 penny goes to us or our bottom line as our main goal remains to be helping people and to pass our message and even if we can reach one person, make one change then things are on the way to a better future for the children and their families to come. Feel free to become part of the movement and join us to follow our journey and maybe even contact us via email, through the site or arrange to in person at anytime to get to know more about us and what we are doing. Until then one person at a time one message at a time anytime, anywhere, anyway we are Austin Johnson & Dennis Lancette, we are HOOTSOTRAA.
We must care more for one another; we are but one human race. From someone’s call for help or a hand reaching out from where they lay? It’s a must, this thing that so many lack. We all need a telling off and must get back on track. A path where we are never afraid to talk. THANK YOU!
