Census workers quitting, scared of violence.

[Blowback]

http://www.khou.com/news/local/Census-worker-says-visiting-homes-has-been-scary--93163894.html

HOUSTON -- Sherry Chesney, of Baytown, said she thought census work would be a fun way to meet people, but hasn't turned out that way.

"I have no idea how people are going to react," Chesney said."If I'm going to be yelled at, or screamed or spit on."

But she says all of those things have happened to her this week.  Chesney is one of the thousands of census takers across the country, going door-to-door, following up with people who either didn't fill out forms, or didn't get one.

If people aren't home, she leaves a note. But a few people who have been home have actually gotten violent.

"She was outside and she didn't want to have an interview, and cussed at me and picked up a lawn table and threw it at me," she says.

Chesney says she was able to dodge the flying lawn table.  She says it's gotten so bad that some of her fellow census workers have quit.

"It doesn't pay well enough to put your life in jeopardy or your safety," she said.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Census Bureau says the workers are trained on how to stay safe and avoid confrontation.  But Chesney says she never got any training on how to dodge flying lawn furniture.
 

[larsonstdoc]

  This isn't good because if somebody gets hurt or killed you know what's next--armed guards for the census workers.  Why didn't these morons send their forms in?  IT WAS SO EASY.  Question-- was the form in multiple languages?

[Blowback]

I had a census worker come to my house yesterday.  He tried to get my full name, phone number, sex and all that stuff.

I told him all I was going to tell him was how many people lived there, and thats it.   He kept trying to get me to give more information, but he left after he got the message that I wasn't going to answer any more questions for him, or fill out his little survey.

I was actually surprised when he didn't come back with the cops.

[donnay]

I got another visit from the Census people today and I wouldn't answer the door.  He left a message on the "Notice Of Visit" sheet that he needs the names of the people and our ages and that if we wanted to we could call him.

This was after we ran two other census people off--we gave them just exactly what is expected of us via the Constitution and that is the number of people in household.

They are persistent--but so are we!

 

Oh larsonstdoc-- we have never received any form--all they keep on doing is showing up at our door.  Again, I have a "Don't Tread on Me" Flag waving out in my front yard...you'd think they'd take the hint.  I guess they aren't the brightest bulbs in the chandelier!

[larsonstdoc]

I got another visit from the Census people today and I wouldn't answer the door.  He left a message on the "Notice Of Visit" sheet that he needs the names of the people and our ages and that if we wanted to we could call him.

This was after we ran two other census people off--we gave them just exactly what is expected of us via the Constitution and that is the number of people in household.

They are persistent--but so are we!

 

Oh larsonstdoc-- we have never received any form--all they keep on doing is showing up at our door.  Again, I have a "Don't Tread on Me" Flag waving out in my front yard...you'd think they'd take the hint.  I guess they aren't the brightest bulbs in the chandelier!

You mean you didn't get one in the mail back in Jan or Feb?

[donnay]

You mean you didn't get one in the mail back in Jan or Feb?

That is correct...no form was sent or given to us.  We are just being harassed by the Census people now.

[larsonstdoc]

I had a census worker come to my house yesterday.  He tried to get my full name, phone number, sex and all that stuff.

I told him all I was going to tell him was how many people lived there, and thats it.   He kept trying to get me to give more information, but he left after he got the message that I wasn't going to answer any more questions for him, or fill out his little survey.

I was actually surprised when he didn't come back with the cops.

I think you'll be OK.  All they are suppose to find out is how many people live there and what their names are.  If you have a renter in your house they want to know that--say a college kid that rents a room from you.  Don't give them any more info than is required.

[larsonstdoc]

That is correct...no form was sent or given to us.  We are just being harassed by the Census people now.

  I thought everybody in America got these.  It was very simple and took about 5 minutes to fill out. Only asked the names of who lived with me and their birthdays, no social security numbers.   Now the Census said that they sent a 50+ page questionnaire to 3 million residents randomly in America.  Very intrusive--Do you own guns, etc.
 IF THEY WOULD HAVE SENT ME ONE OF THOSE I WOULDN'T OF FILLED IT OUT--THAT IS AGAINST THE CONSTITUTION--INVASION OF PRIVACY,ETC.

  Do you live out in the country or in a densely populated city?  If you live in a city I could see why they might of missed you.

[donnay]

  I thought everybody in America got these.  It was very simple and took about 5 minutes to fill out. Only asked the names of who lived with me and their birthdays, no social security numbers.   Now the Census said that they sent a 50+ page questionnaire to 3 million residents randomly in America.  Very intrusive--Do you own guns, etc.
 IF THEY WOULD HAVE SENT ME ONE OF THOSE I WOULDN'T OF FILLED IT OUT--THAT IS AGAINST THE CONSTITUTION--INVASION OF PRIVACY,ETC.

  Do you live out in the country or in a densely populated city?  If you live in a city I could see why they might of missed you.

I am Rural.  They are finding me enough to harangue me-- this is the third Census Person who has come to our house.   

[larsonstdoc]

I am Rural.  They are finding me enough to harangue me-- this is the third Census Person who has come to our house.   

Well I would tell them name and birth date of all who live with you and that is all.   I'm sorry you are having all those problems.  Like you said before, if they already have the info, don't answer the door.  SOUNDS LIKE NOBODY IS TURNING THE PAPERWORK IN.  GOOD LUCK.

[canandy]

Six census workers have died in auto accidents in the past week, including two Texans whose vehicle was hit by a tractor-trailer Friday as they were delivering census materials.

That collision was one of two fatal car crashes involving part-time census takers in Texas, census officials said. There have also been fatal crashes in Florida, South Carolina and California.

The deaths are the first fatalities of the 2010 Census, but it is unclear whether all victims were working on the census when they died. One incident involved a tire that blew out, and one appears to have been related to a heart attack, officials said.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 21 employees died on the job between 1998 and last year, including a woman who was mauled by a dog and a census taker in Kentucky whose death while checking addresses last year was ruled a suicide.

About 635,000 part-time workers have been hired to go door-to-door to follow up at addresses that did not mail in a census questionnaire. Most were trained last week and began making visits Saturday.

"When you have 600,000 people out there, all sorts of things happen," Census Director Robert M. Groves said Monday.
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Census officials said the crash rates involving census workers are no higher than those for commercial delivery drivers. During the 2000 Census, 13 census takers died in auto accidents.

In one of the most recent incidents, a 67-year-old worker was driving Friday from the regional census office in Midland, Tex., to pick up materials for Lubbock when his vehicle failed to stop at an intersection and was sideswiped by a tractor-trailer. The driver and his passenger, a 31-year-old census worker, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Also Friday, a 73-year-old census worker in South Carolina had just completed training and was on her way to be fingerprinted when a tire on her car lost its tread. She lost control of the vehicle and struck a tree. She died at the scene; her husband and a co-worker in the car sustained minor injuries.

When workers die on the job, the Census Bureau pays for funeral expenses, and their heirs are eligible for survivor benefits.


source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/03/AR2010050304350.html 

[Whistler®]

That is correct...no form was sent or given to us.  We are just being harassed by the Census people now.

I live in a city. In an apartment complex of 1500 units. WE did not get forms either. We did get the waste of money letters telling us we would be getting a census form shortly. Never came, but the census workers have been by at least 4 times. Talked to the first one and said there are 2 of us, 1 35yr old male, 1 32yr old female, we are both human. Census worker ignored me, asked to come in again saying it will just take 10 min. ..... we can reschedule.... can i have you phone number and full name ....LOL.... I said you should have paid attention when I gave you the required information, Good Day, and closed the door.
Now I just ignore the knock at the door 

[donnay]

I live in a city. In an apartment complex of 1500 units. WE did not get forms either. We did get the waste of money letters telling us we would be getting a census form shortly. Never came, but the census workers have been by at least 4 times. Talked to the first one and said there are 2 of us, 1 35yr old male, 1 32yr old female, we are both human. Census worker ignored me, asked to come in again saying it will just take 10 min. ..... we can reschedule.... can i have you phone number and full name ....LOL.... I said you should have paid attention when I gave you the required information, Good Day, and closed the door.
Now I just ignore the knock at the door 

You can follow what happened on this thread with the first two Census workers:  http://forum.prisonplanet.com/index.php?topic=101203.40

This was the second census worker, who I ignored, but caught my husband off guard while doing chores:

This was the follow up visit and the dialogue that took place:


CW - "Hi I'm from the census for a follow up."

Hub - shouting out from behind the idling backhoe and with a shovel full of chicken shit and earplugs in - "I see who you're representing. X people live here. That is all the information I am going to give you and all the information I am constitutionally required to give you."

CW - "Are you sure, this information is needed to help your town, don't you care about your town?"

Now, May 7th I had another Census Working banging on my door.  Each Census Worker has been a different person every time. 

Hub - "Lady, the last thing this town needs is more federal entanglement and looted dollars with strings attached. My local taxes support my town and I contribute to local causes as needed so don't tell me about "caring" about my town."

CW - "But this also goes to support the schools and grants for your children!"

Hub - "Now you've really done it. My children do not use the school system, so I am already paying for nothing as it stands. They will not use federal grants or handouts to attend higher education either, not if they are still minors and I have anything to say about it."

CW - "But this is critical for..."

Hub - "It's critical to get placed into a database for no damn good reason. Look, lady, I've got shit to shovel and so do you. This conversation is over, X people live here, good afternoon."

Too bad it was noisy, dirty and hot at the time, I would liked to have taken her to school and and had a good rant about "what you just said was wrong for so many reasons".

May 7th 2010-- yet another census worker has entered our property--I just didn't answer the door.

They left a "Notice Of Visit" flyer on my door saying:

The man's name is Gerry (no last name).  He can be reached at XXX-XXX-9111 (I thought the last numbers were a bit ironic) and we can do this over the phone and it will only take two minutes of my time.  He just needs names and ages.

[Whistler®]

lol...Excellent.
 The chicken shit is the best part   

[clearmyst]

Don't fill them out. Nothing will happen 
In fact large segments of the country do not fill the out and its merely fear of what may happen that keeps people from filling it out much like paying taxes.

[Overcast]

Don't fill them out. Nothing will happen  
In fact large segments of the country do not fill the out and its merely fear of what may happen that keeps people from filling it out much like paying taxes.

Mine's still blank. Not so much by intention - as by.... I got enough BS to deal with.

But... when they do come, I'll be tactful. Most are just people that need a job right now, and all.

hmmm, maybe I'll give them some Alex Jones videos, eh? It's legal, right?

[Kilika]

Well I would tell them name and birth date of all who live with you and that is all.   I'm sorry you are having all those problems.  Like you said before, if they already have the info, don't answer the door.  SOUNDS LIKE NOBODY IS TURNING THE PAPERWORK IN.  GOOD LUCK.

Unconstitutional advice. They have no right to that information, period.

[Damascus]

I sent mine in and still got a visit today asking for an interview. I told them I sent my form in and they will get the same answer that I put on the form 1, that is all. The middle aged lady then walked off, I hope she wasn't offended because I was firm but not threatening.

[wfy9621]

A subscriber wrote to Bob Chapman and said he was hired--only has had a few hours of work tho. Thinks the Census overhired and doles out small numbers of hours, just so they can brag about no. of jobs created.