This police officer had been in the force for many years now and had seen many things. What he saw on this particular day was something he just could not stand. He was a good officer and always went out of his way to ensure that he did the right thing by everyone.
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Being a policeman is hard work, at the best of times. It often involves having to make difficult judgement calls. When this officer saw what a woman driving in front of him was up to, he knew that he had to somehow intervene.
Caught Red-handed
When Ebony Rhodes realised what was happening, she tightened her grip on the steering wheel. Sweat was steadily dripping down her face. She watched in her rearview mirror, as the police officer following behind approached her vehicle.
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She was trying her best to stay calm. Panicking would not help her at all in this situation. She knew that she was in big trouble. She didn’t think that she would be able to talk her out of this one. She prepared for the worst as she wound down her window, cursing her bad luck.
Starting A New Life
Ebony Rhodes had been going through a very difficult time of late. Life had been hurling all sorts of challenges her way. After the recent loss of her mother, she and her family packed their bags and headed for Atlanta, Georgia. They would start a new life there.
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When life gives you lemons, the only thing you can do is try your hardest to remain strong and make the best of the cards you’ve been dealt. Ebony had to stay strong for the sake of her kids, whom she loved more than anything in the world.
Keeping Secrets
Being a single mother of four certainly has its challenges. In order to successfully provide for her family, she needed to get herself a stable job. This is why the family headed for the city, where job opportunities are much better.
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However, things did not quite go as planned. Ebony had to face up to a reality that was very unforgiving. She was determined to keep it a secret for the sake of protecting her children. No matter how hard she tried, however, she wouldn’t be able to keep something like this a secret forever.
She Wanted Them To Succeed
On this particular afternoon, Ebony was driving her children to the library. Whatever the circumstances, she wanted to give her children the best chance at life and she would try her utmost to make that happen for them.
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If the children did well in school, then they would have a better chance at life. She wanted to give them all of the resources that they needed to succeed, so she regularly took them to the library so that they could study in peace.
In Another World
The kids had finals coming up, so now was a more important time than ever for them to be studying hard. This had been consuming her thoughts recently, she was constantly worrying about them and wishing that things were different.
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This was where her head was at when the police patrol car pulled up behind her. She was so caught up in these thoughts, that she hardly noticed it happen. Then, the siren lights abruptly pulled her back down to reality. At this moment, she knew that she was doomed.
Unfavourable Circumstances
When she caught a glimpse of the flashing lights, she knew that she was being pulled over. It was only a matter of time before this would happen. Her car had an expired tag and she hadn’t been able to get enough money together to be able to renew it.
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This wasn’t even the worst of it. Her license had also been suspended and she had no insurance. This was not something that the police would be understanding about. There was something worse playing on her mind. The secret that she had tried so hard to conceal was now in danger of being exposed. Her mind raced with all sorts of terrible thoughts and she couldn’t help but begin to cry.
Things Were Not Looking Good
By the time the officer approached the car, Ebony had tears streaming down her face. When the officer noticed this, he was taken aback. “She came to the car and asked why I was crying and I was like, ‘…because I know my licence isn’t good,” Ebony recalled.
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While the officer, of course, felt sorry for Ebony, she had no choice but to arrest her and impound her car, after taking a look at her documents. Ebony’s heart was in the pit of her stomach. There was not a chance that her secret wouldn’t be revealed at this point.
Sending The Children Away
The officer took Ebony and her four children to the police station, where she would have the opportunity to call a co-worker and request that they pick her children up and notify her sister of the situation. She was living in Florida at the time.
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She was the only person that would be able to look after the kids while Ebony was in jail. However, this meant that they needed to get to Florida. Ebony couldn’t stand the thought of her children being that far away, especially at a moment when she needed them the most. However, she needed to sort this all out as soon as possible. She would have to come clean now. The police were about to search her car.
Car Search
The Atlanta Police Department’s Deputy Chief, Jeff Glazier, was sitting in his office when the officer who had arrested Ebony knocked on his door. He told her to come in and she proceeded to explain the situation to him.
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Unfortunately for Ebony, the officers on duty had no choice but to search her car, given the circumstances. Ebony was so afraid of her secret being discovered, but there was no way that they wouldn’t uncover it once they had a thorough look inside her car.
Chief Glazier Comes To Investigate
The officer who had stopped Ebony began to search the car, with the help of several colleagues. They didn’t know what they were expecting to find, but it certainly wasn’t this. They got more than they bargained for in this instance.
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When Chief Glazier got wind of what they had discovered, he immediately headed over to the impound lot in order to see for himself. Upon registering what was going on, he said “we have to do something about this.”
The Secret Revealed
Inside Ebony’s 1997 Buick Regal, the police officers found several bags, backpacks and other items. At first glance, this looked like the kind of contents that you might find inside a hoarder’s car. Then, the truth dawned on them.
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It became clear to the officers, that this car had become a home for Ebony and her family. They had been sleeping and living in the car. Chief Glazier was very shocked and headed to Ebony’s cell to find out the reason behind this. The truth was out. Ebony had nothing to lose in telling the Chief the whole story, from start to finish.
An Awful Situation
Since moving to Atlanta, Ebony had got herself a job at a Walmart store. She was paid very little and the situation was made worse due to the fact that she and two of her kids suffered from chronic health issues.
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She ended up in such a bad position financially, that she found that she was unable to put down a deposit on an apartment. Consequently, she and her family ended up homeless. For the last six months, she and her family had been living in that car. When Chief Glazier heard the story, his heart went out to Ebony and her family.
Ashamed
Finding a safe place to park her car at night was often difficult. It, at times, meant driving around for hours on end in search of a good spot. “A lot of times I didn’t sleep because the kids were asleep,” Ebony explained.
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“I was watching to make sure nothing happened – no one tried to rob us… so we’d just stay right there in the car.” She felt ashamed with regard to the situation. This is why she had been so determined to keep it a secret.
No Way To Raise A Family
“When I got off work we would just sleep right there in the parking lot in my car,” Ebony said. “A lot of people didn’t know that because I was still going to work.” This was no way to raise a family, and she was very conscious of that.
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“I apologised to my kids and let them know I’m sorry,” she confessed. When she saw the police car behind her that day, she thought that this would mean that they would lose their home. Fortunately, she was wrong about this.
A Call To The Homeless Shelter
Chief Glazier knew what he had to do. He called the director of a family homeless shelter, whom he had recently met. “I called her up and said, ‘Listen I’ve got a family of five including three boys and a girl, and he’s 17,” he recalls.
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“And she goes, ‘Yeah, I have some room.’ And if you know anything about shelters in the middle of winter, there’s nothing available and she had something available. I couldn’t believe it.” Neither could Ebony, perhaps her luck was finally turning around.
He Wanted To Do More
Chief Glazier told Ebony the good news. “When he called me that day I just started crying because I’d been trying to get into different shelters for a long time,” she said. “No one would ever accept us.” Chief Glazier was not satisfied with this, however. He wanted to do more to help this poor family.
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He organised a fundraising drive among the Police Department staff so that Ebony’s family could get an apartment. This did help initially, but they soon realised that it wasn’t enough to keep them stable, so they went public with their story.
Raising Funds
The Atlanta PD set up a GoFundMe page to help Ebony and her family. “My goal is to pay her rent, food, medicine, and transportation for a year so she can continue to work and save money without the stress of wondering if her family will be homeless again,” wrote Chief Glazier.
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The initial amount that they aimed for was $15,000, which they reached in a matter of days. They then decided to increase it to $75,000 in order to help cover the family’s medical expenses. So far, they have raised $64,730. Amazingly, Ebony now looks back on the moment she was stopped by the police car with immense gratitude.
A New Beginning
“Atlanta Police Department is my backbone,” says Ebony. “They helped me come a long way. The whole APD is my family because I can call on them for everything.” That day completely turned things around for Ebony and her kids.
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“Had I not got pulled over that day, I’d probably still be in my car, just taking a risk every day. Losing that car and getting pulled over that day changed my life.” This is all thanks to a kind-hearted police officer, who went above and beyond what is required to help a family in need.
