Awesome - Her Car Gets Impounded And It Is A Blessing In Disguise
Officer Zimmerman had many years of experience when it came to suspicious vehicles, but he foolishly assumed this would be one of his usual routine traffic stops.
The woman handed him her paperwork but then glanced over at the backseat. Officer Zimmerman had been in the force for so many years, but that day he saw something that he couldn't ever to stand for.
Doing What He Had To
Officer Zimmerman dedicated his life to serving his community in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He strongly believed in the power of his badge, he believed in it with his entire heart.
Usually most people would use their weekends to rest and reset, but Officer Zimmerman spent his weekend patrolling. He was aware that crime never spelt, and that's why he spent every day out, trying to do some good in the world. It was a col Saturday in October when he saw something that really opened his eyes.
Danger Awaiting
On that cold Saturday, Zimmerman was monitoring the traffic on the road, as usual. He made sure to scan every single license plate that happened to zip past, waiting for the scanner to beep at any second.
The device would make a beeping sound when picking up a stolen vehicle, or a vehicle that has been involved in a crime. He made sure to be ready in the event that it would detect anything suspicious. In general, the alert would go off over something a lot less serious, like an unpaid fine, for example. However, sometimes it was an indication to a much bigger problem.
Dangerous Game
Zimmerman wouldn't let his guard down for even a second. He was always prepared for the worst-case scenario. Nothing got past Zimmerman.
He had learned that even an innocent individual could do something irrational when confronted with the law. Therefore it was important for him to be extremely cautious at all times. All of the sudden, it happened, the beeper let out a series of urgent beeps. He was well trained for situations like there.
The Plate Was Invalid
The scanner alerted Zimmerman to a vehicle with an invalid license plate. The driver of this car was a woman named Ebony Rhodes. Ebony had had a rough day that day, she was so distracted by it all that she hadn't noticed Zimmerman pulling up behind her. That is when Zimmerman flashed his lights and activated his siren in an attempt to get her attention.
Her heart raced as she felt her stomach drop. She knew this would not end well. However, she did her best to hide her terror and managed to smile brightly as she prepared to talk herself out of the sticky situation.
Pulling Her Over
Officer Zimmerman was hoping that their interaction would run smoothly when she immediately pulled over. He made sure to still get out of his car slowly and carefully.
His training kicked in as he cautiously approached her car. He didn't know what to expect from the driver in the unlicensed car, and he was aware that the driver might try to flee and that if they did, he would have to chase her down.
Terrified
Ebony hadn't noticed how tightly she was gripping her steering wheel until she saw how white her knuckles were becoming. She was terrified. Sweat was dripping down her neck as she looked in the rearview mirror and watched as the cop slowly approached the car.
She kept reminding herself to look normal but she knew the potential trouble she was in. She could not allow herself to panic, but the moment she saw Zimmerman's face, she knew she wouldn't be able to talk herself out of it.
Her Secret
She knew the cop wasn't going to overlook her offences, but she still hoped and prayed that, by some miracle, he would. The car was unregistered, she didn't have insurance and her driving license was suspended.
But this was not the kind of officer that she was most worried about. She felt the tears splash from her eyes. She was seconds from her secret being revealed.
Odd Sound
Ebony's face was soaked in tears by the time Officer Zimmerman made it to her window. He was not expecting to see a crying woman, he was taken aback.
"He came to the car and asked why I was crying and I was like, '…because I know my license isn't good,'" Ebony recalls. Zimmerman was listening intently to what Ebony was saying, but his attention soon focus on an odd sound. There was a weird sound coming from the back of the car. It was when he looked into the back of the car that he felt the shock set it.
Hard Choice
The last few months of Ebony's life had not been easy. She lost her mother and then packed up her entirely family to move to Milwaukee.
But not long after that, she was faced by an unforgiving reality. She wanted to keep it hidden from her young children, but she knew that she couldn't keep it hidden forever.
Children
There, in the backseat of Ebony's unregistered car, were four kids jumping around. Being a single mother of four meant that Ebony had to hustle to provide for her family -- all her children were in the car with her.
But it wasn’t her children that shocked Zimmerman – it was the fact that they had no safety seats. But, unfortunately, after the officer reviewed her documents, he told Ebony she had no choice but to arrest her and impound her car. Ebony’s heart sank. She knew that when they searched the car, the jig would be up.
Arrested
Officer Zimmerman took her and her four children to the police station, where Ebony was able to call a co-worker to pick up her kids and notify her sister, who lived in Chicago. She was the only one who could take care of them while Ebony was in jail.
But that meant taking them back to Chicago, and Ebony couldn’t bear the thought of them being so far away. That said, she had other, more pressing problems. Once the police searched her car, she’d have to come clean.
Search
The Milwaukee Police Department’s Deputy Chief Jeff Glazier was sitting in his office when Officer Zimmerman knocked on his door. He waved him in, and Officer Zimmerman told him there was a situation. Officer Zimmerman was conducting a routine search of Ebony’s impounded car. But what they found was more than they bargained for.
Chief Glazier went to the impound lot to see for himself. “We have to do something about this,” he said once he realized what was going on.
The Truth
Inside Ebony’s 1997 Buick Regal officers found numerous bags, backpacks, and other items. At first glance, it looked like a hoarder’s car. But then the truth dawned on them. Ebony and her children had been sleeping in this car. It was their only home.
Alarmed, Officer Zimmerman went to Ebony’s cell to talk to her. And that’s when she told him the whole story.
Living On The Road
Since moving to Milwaukee, Ebony had been working shifts at a Walmart store. Her pay wasn’t much, and it was compounded by the fact that she and two of her kids had chronic health issues. She found herself unable to make a deposit on an apartment, and so she and her family became homeless.
For the last six months, the whole family had been living in that car. And the details of that life broke Officer Zimmerman’s heart. No wonder she hadn’t been able to afford safety seats for her kids.
Fear And Shame
Finding a safe place to park her car at night was not easy, and sometimes it meant driving around from place to place. "A lot of times I didn't sleep because the kids were asleep," recalls Ebony. "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 was ashamed of her situation, and so she tried to keep it a secret. For a while, she succeeded.
Failing Her Kids
“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.” Still, this was no way to raise a family, and she knew it. "I apologized to my kids and let them know I'm sorry," she confessed.
Then, when she was pulled over and arrested, she thought they’d just lost their home. But she was wrong.
Finding Shelter
Officer Zimmerman called the director of a family homeless shelter, whom he had met recently. "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.
“And she goes, 'Yeah, I have some room.' And if you know anything about shelters in the middle of the winter, there's nothing available and she had something available. I couldn't believe it." And neither could Ebony.
Help From The Department
Officer Zimmerman 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." But Zimmerman wanted to do more than that.
He did a fundraising drive among the Police Department staff so Ebony’s family could get an apartment. It helped, but after a while, they realized it was not enough to keep them on solid ground. So they went public.
Support
The Milwaukee 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. But would the community come to their aid?
The Right Thing To Do
“It was the right thing to do,” Chief Glazier said. “Because at any point in time in our lives, any one of us can be in that same situation. Offering assistance to another human being is the right thing to do.”
Then, he and the other officers began looking for a more permanent home for Ebony and her children. They even helped with the paperwork to get her into a rental home in a nice neighborhood. But that wasn’t all.
Donations Pour In
The initial goal was $15,000, which they met in a matter of days. So they decided to extend it to $75,000 to help cover the family’s medical expenses. So far, they have raised $64,370.
People from all over donated clothes, food, furniture, and other vital supplies to help get them started. As soon as the housing application went through, Ebony and her children would have a real roof over their heads and real beds to sleep in. The struggling mom couldn’t believe it. Now Ebony looks back on that traffic stop with different eyes.
Part Of The Community
"It's all about being a part of the community," Chief Glazier said.
"I'm amazed we've been able to do this so quickly. I've always been taught that you always give a hand up and not a hand out. Ebony has done a lot of the work getting herself together." And everyone wanted to help. Ebony had received five job offers that paid a decent wage in just two weeks!
A Safe Place
Finally, the housing application went through. Ebony and her kids would finally have somewhere safe to stay!
"I'm so happy, microwave, dishwasher, washer, dryer," Ebony said, "This is the nicest apartment I've ever had. I’m very excited.” She added: “I think it’s awesome, I think it’s really cool, very unexpected, but very cool!”
Surprise Visit
On the drive to Ebony's new home from Walmart, Kevin was excited to see her reaction. He had asked all the right questions and knew where the home she was living in was.
Now, it was time for him to do what he had set out to do. Officer Kevin walked up to her door and knocked, excitedly waiting for her to open.
Thinking The Worst
Ebony hesitantly opened the door. She was surprised to see Kevin there, but she was also a little apprehensive. For a moment, she was busy thinking of all the reasons for the police officer to be visiting.
And she hadn't noticed what he was holding in his hands. Was he here with bad news? She wondered, anxiously.
A Gift
Ebony never expected to see the police officer who had pulled her over to show up on her front doorstep, so all her old feelings came rushing back. So, what was going on? Was he going to arrest her? Or fine her?
Actually, it was the complete opposite. In Kevin's hands, he was holding two brand-new car seats for her children.
Thinking Of Her
After Kevin finished his shift, he went to Walmart and purchased two car seats for Ebony's children.
When he arrived at Ebony's house, he handed her over the two car seats. Ebony was overwhelmed with emotion. Then, Kevin shared why he decided to get her kids' car seats: it was for the safety of her children. Now Ebony looks back on that traffic stop with different eyes.
Reflecting On That Fateful Day
“Milwaukee Police Department is my backbone,” says Ebony. “They helped me come a long way. The whole PD is my family because I can call on them for everything.” And she feels nothing but gratitude for the fateful traffic stop that set everything in motion.
"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."
Not Just A House
And it wasn’t just a house that the police officers had helped her with. Ebony and her children had something they didn’t think was possible.
They had a home, a caring community, authority figures who really cared, and the helping hand that would let them finally have the future they dreamed of. And if it hadn’t been for the cops with hearts of gold, none of it would have ever happened.
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