Those who live in poverty don’t choose to be in those situations. On top of that, it isn’t a fun experience that anybody asks for. A woman in Michigan is being punished for something that she did when she was experiencing financial hardships and needed government assistance. Now, a woman in Texas is talking about what happened. In her honest TikTok video, she links this arrest to a growing issue with surveillance in America.
Naley (@naleybynature) posted a video talking about what recently happened to a black woman in Michigan. She says that the woman is facing 10 years in prison and a $250,000 penalty. Why? Because she used EBT benefits to purchase ingredients for a bake sale. As a result, Talia was arrested in August. Apparently, investigators discovered that she bought the ingredients via EBT benefits because they saw a bake sale post on her Facebook. Next, they linked those ingredients to purchases she made with her card. Finally, they determined she would be charged with a crime for this.
Naley said that this is what you call “mass surveillance.” You really can’t do anything without the government watching your every move. Naley goes on to say that this is the “same surveillance that US companies and corporations are investing heavily in.” Not only are we using this type of surveillance in our own country, but this extends to other countries, too. As Naley says, in addition, we’re using this surveillance on “Palestinians in Gaza and in the West Bank.”
Talia was unable to get out of her adverse financial system. This is because “the system is designed against her,” therefore, leading to her arrest. She sees it as “being punished for trying to get herself out of poverty” and that’s really all it is. It’s likely that people in these situations don’t even think about the consequences because they’re just trying to survive and live in this world like a normal human being. Naley states, “This is how capitalism thrives. It needs people to be struggling at the bottom.”
One commenter agreed with Naley, “I really wish people understood how hard our systems make it to get out of poverty. They are inhumane. I’ve been a social worker for over 30 years, and I’ve noticed that most people have no idea what these systems are really like.” Another person chimed in, “I’m honestly struggling to comprehend how they can prove without a shadow of a doubt that she used the same ingredients purchased with EBT to make the baked goods. That level of surveillance is terrifying.” This is the world we live in and it is absolutely terrifying at times.
