When you are driving you car and suddenly get stopped by a cop, what would be the emotions running through your body? Although you might not be guilty of anything, the mere fact that you have been made to stop by authorities would be enough to make anyone feel a little uneasy. Well, this mom was made to stop her car and checked by the police. What ended up happening was something nobody expected...
When she was called to stop by a cop, this lady started to panic a little. There was a lot of sweat dripping down her cheeks as she held on to the steering wheel. She knew the inevitable was coming but she could not help but feel a little scared and worried. After she stopped her car, she could see that the cop was slowly walking towards her car.
And although she was incredibly stressed, she tried her best to keep her anxiety in check. She was going to have to deal with this anyhow so she could the thought of an escape was out of the question. Since she was already in trouble, she knew that there was nothing she could save or do in order to save herself. She opened the window and waited for the moment of truth.
And so when the cop stood in front of her, she was incredibly nervous. She feel that her hands were shaking, but tried hard to keep the cop from seeing this. She knew that a shaky hand meant she was nervous, which would paint her in a negative light. It was a big struggle to try and keep her hands from shaking so much. She could also sense her heat beating faster and faster...
And her racing heartbeat and shaky hands were not the only things she needed to handle. Even her brain was working at 1,000 miles a minute playing some other scenario. Her mind was racing so quick and she was wondering whether she would go to prison or not. She was scared to know how this would all turn out. She got a sense that she was in trouble but felt helpless...
So who is this lady going through such a stressful time? Well, her name is Ebony Rhodes. She had already been through some of the most difficult months of her whole entire life. She and her entire family had shifted to Atlanta, Georgia, after the death of her mom. She was raising her four kids, which meant that her whole life was for the well being of her children.
And she made the decision to move to Atlanta for a good reason. It was lucky for her because Atlanta was a place that provided her some great job offers. However, even though this was the case, Rhodes still had to face some facts. She was actually keeping a secret. This was only done for the well-being of her kids, but it was the time the truth finally slipped.
And we all know that losing someone so important from your life is a tough experience. Rhodes was dealing with her grief and it was especially hard for her because she had to play it very cool since her children looked to her for support. She knew that life is not certain, that sometimes people go through tough times. She had experienced this firsthand.
And after her mother passed away, Rhodes had one goal and one goal only. She wanted to give a comfortable life to her kids. Her only priority was to provide for her kids and to find a good job that could pay well. She only wanted to focus on her family and what they needed. However, she had a past. And unfortunately, the time came for her past to catch up to her.
So Rhodes was just going about her usual day. She was busy driving her kids to the library on a seemingly regular afternoon. There was no sign at all that this day would turn out to be so memorable. Rhodes was telling her kids to study hard and do well in school since their finals were approaching. She was aware that a good education can better someone's life.
And as she was driving her kids to the library, all that Rhodes could dream of was her kids doing well in their studies. And as a matter of fact, this was her only thought on her way while driving them. Since her mind was occupied, she did not even notice that a patrol car was approaching her. Then, after a while, the sirens and honking made Rhodes realize that she was in trouble.
Rhodes just wants her children to enjoy life and have one better than she did. Her wish was for them to be productive members of society living a comfortable life. She basically wants them to be as happy as they can possibly be. She was a loving mother so of course, she wanted what was good for them. And as she was lost in her thoughts, she snapped out of her daydream to realize she was in trouble...
Rhodes knew for sure why she was pulled over. Her tag was expired because she did not have enough cash for a renewal. This was not all, she was also driving her car with a suspended license and without insurance. All these violations were bound to get her kicked into prison for sure. But this was the least of her worries. Her biggest fear was her big secret finally getting revealed. Rhodes began to cry.
She knew that all these issues could have been handled before turning into traffic violations, but her life was not running smooth. There were bigger problems she needed to worry about. But she also knew that any of these issues were enough to get pulled over by a cop. She already knew that there was no way for her to escape this anymore. Rhodes' fears were so big that she did not even want to think about it...
As soon as the cop got to her window, her fears came true so she began to cry. She was not even sure of the reason she cried herself. "She came to the car and asked why was I crying and I was like, '...because I know my license isn't good,'" Ebony revealed. And once the cop ran an inspection, her worst fears came true. The officer told her that her car would be impounded. Rhodes knew this would leak her secret...
Rhodes was certain that she had made a big mess of her life and was flooded with regret. Life was about to get sadder as she did not handle her past correctly. She could not save herself any longer and she was extremely terrified. After the cop told her that her car would be impounded, Rhodes was fearful because of some other thing that would come into light. Something way more awful.
She and her four kids were escorted to the police station right after. Rhodes then made a call to her co-worker to pick her kids up and inform her sister living in Florida. If she was in prison, her sister was the only one capable of dealing with her kids. However, there would be a need for her kids to live in Florida, and Rhodes did not want to be separated from her kids. She had other problems to deal with. The cops looked through her car which led her to confess...
The police station was truly terrifying but Rhodes knew her time was coming all along. She always thought that she would have enough time to fix things before it got to her. But it became too late. It was heartbreaking to just think of her kids moving all the way to Florida. However, there was no way she could stop this from happening. It was time for her to speak out about what she was hiding...
Atlanta Police Department’s Deputy Chief Jeff Glazier was in his office when the cop who apprehended Rhodes came into his office. The officer explained that she and the other cops were doing a routine search of Rhodes’ car. And what they found had left them utterly shocked. It was such an unexpected discovery that Chief Glazier went to take a look for himself. Once he realized Rhodes’ situation, he said, “We have to do something about this.”
We need a lot of empathy to be able to understand each other as human beings. Empathy facilitates generosity. Sadly, Chief Glazier is not the type of person who wants to feel bad for someone, he wants to take action. He knew he had to step in before things became too dark for the woman and her kids. Life is hard but sometimes good-hearted people pop up in time of need.
When her car was checked, the cops discovered several bags, backpacks, and miscellaneous items in Rhodes’ 1997 Buick Regal. Their initial thoughts on this were that Rhodes may be a hoarder. But after a while, the truth began to surface. It was actually because she and her kids were sleeping in their car. And Chief Glazier was in awe and grabbed Rhodes’ cell to talk to her. She then explained everything to the Chief...
It was indeed a shock to see so much stuff being stored in her car. The cops were sure Rhodes had a cluttering problem looking like such a huge pile of bags. They thought she must have had a hoarding problem or that she was just messy by nature. But authorities were just assuming these things. They needed to have concrete proof of how her family was living. They would soon find out.
Rhodes had to work several shifts at Walmart after moving to Atlanta. Her job was actually paying her horribly. If that was not bad enough, she and her kids all had health problems. This was the reason she could not even save up to live in an apartment. So, the whole family ended up living homelessly for the past six months. As soon as Chief Glazier realized this, his heart broke and was touched...
There is only one advantage of living in a car. You can go from one destination to the next easily. However, if it becomes a home, there is no room for anything or anyone. Imagine a whole family living in a car? Impossible right? But Rhodes and her family were doing this. There was no way out of this and the had no choice. They were in grave need of help so the officer could not just watch them any longer.
And it was extremely hard for Rhodes to keep safe. She needed to find a new parking spot where she and her kids would spend the night free from danger. "A lot of times I didn't sleep because the kids were asleep," Rhodes added, "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 had kept this secret for so long and now the time came for it to slip out...
To live in a car as a family was certainly not easy. There were times the mother of 4 needed to get a little creative. We all know that one cannot just park their cars wherever they like. This lead to Rhodes having so many nights spent without a wink of sleep which soon took a toll on her. She already knew that their living conditions would separate their family but somehow she always hoped things changed for the better.
“When I got off work we would just sleep right there in the parking lot in my car,” Rhodes revealed, “A lot of people didn’t know that because I was still going to work.” This she knew was not good for her children. "I apologized to my kids and let them know I'm sorry," she also explained. So when she was stopped by a cop car, her biggest fear was losing her home. But she was wrong about this.
Rhodes would then use the parking lot at work every day. Co-workers and customers never suspected that a lady and her 4 kids would be living in this car. However, as soon as she was arrested, Rhodes was certain that her life was about to change forever. She had mentally prepared herself to go through the worst, but to her surprise, her life was to get better. How was this possible?
Chief Glazier made a call to a manager of a family homeless shelter she met in the recent past. "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 explained, “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." Rhodes could not comprehend what was happening...
Chief Glazer could not just watch this woman and her whole family suffer this way any longer. Since he was a hands-on kind of guy, he had to dive in and do whatever he could. So he began asking around for favors. He made calls and met with whomever he thought would be able to help. He soon found a place for Rhodes and her kids. He found a shelter, where they could sleep in bed and have clean rooms.
Chief Glazier had another incredible news for the single mom. "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 described. "No one would ever accept us," she also revealed. Chief Glazier did another amazing favor. He started a fundraising campaign within the police department to help her get money for an apartment. The money was not enough so they reached out to the community.
Rhodes could not believe Chief Glazier’s efforts. She was touched by all that he had done. With the help of the chief and the police officers, her life not was finally turning around. Due to Chief Glazier and the rest of the community that helped, Rhodes and her family were now in a better place. Rhodes was now, more than ever, hopeful about living a normal, productive life...
A GoFundMe page was then initiated by the Atlanta PD for the benefit of Rhodes 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,” Chief Glazier posted. Their goal of $15,000 was met within a few days only. Then, they set their goal higher to $75,000 for the family’s medical costs and ended up with $64,370. Rhodes now see the cop who stopped her as a guardian angel.
This money that they ended up raising was enough to not just pay for the past-due bills but was enough to change their whole lives. The generosity and compassion that the police department showered upon Rhodes and her family was all to ensure that they never had to sleep in the car ever again. But the family needed to do some reflection first...
“Atlanta Police Department is my backbone,” Rhodes later gave a statement, “They helped me come a long way. The whole APD is my family because I can call on them for everything.” She now looks back at the day she got pulled over as the most important day that flipped her whole life over for the better. She admits. "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."
Rhodes had to go through so much trouble and hardship. But now it was all over. She was able to live through an experience that would have been impossible for some of us to get past. There were so many times she felt like giving up on her life too. But in the end, her efforts paid off. Her life was back on track. And she and her children now have a place to call home and a future to aim for...