‘Sovereign Citizens’ Sect Seizing Vacant Homes Around Atlanta
A group calling itself Sovereign Citizens believes that banks have no legal authority to own property, the government has no authority to collect taxes, and the courts have no jurisdiction over them.
Group members, though, apparently believe they have a right to live in foreclosed properties, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Sect members have taken over 20 metro Atlanta properties, including a shopping center, and have set up residence in at least two dozen Atlanta-area homes, including one worth $1 million, the story says.
After moving in, group members often use quit-claim deeds to take over properties and post no trespassing signs to keep others away. In the latest conflict with law enforcement, Clayton County SWAT team members surrounded a home on Friday believed to be inhabited by Sovereign Citizen members. The couple inside the home left without incident.
