Hello everyone.
I have joined steemit because I have been literally run out of my home and am losing my income due to constant harassment. I started making YouTube videos about 5 years ago now and it turned out pretty good.
I was buying 56 acres of land and built a fully off grid tiny house on wheels. I was becoming self sufficient and used the natural resources of the land for most of my needs.
But one day a jealous channel started attacking me and my viewers. It since turned into something bigger. He started spreading slanderous lies about me. Many people believed the lies and joined forces with him.
The attacks moved on to vandalism, death threats, stalking and harassing my viewers and myself. My subscribers would literally get death threats if they did not leave my channel. Many left. It was not worth the drama.
These YouTube trolls would actually invent stories and evidence to turn me in for crimes that I did not commit. I was always under investigation by some sort of authorities. The FBI, Sheriff, County police, local police, health dept, town hall, fire dept and many more. They even turned PETA on me in attempts of getting my chickens removed. (The FBI were the scariest. I was actually on my knees praying.)
Watch the video: Police Investigating Me For Arson Charges
Two police cars and the DEC are at my home investigating me
The trolls actually took one of my videos, edited it, and turned it in as evidence for arson. There was a wildfire near our home but we were camping 1.5 hours away at that time. The authorities had to investigate many formal complaints though and responded. After viewing my own unedited video, they left. They would not listen to my side of the story though. NY police don't have time for that stuff.
All of those attempts failed each time. But the authorities had no time to listen to my side of the story and always left.
You see, when stuff like this comes from the internet, then it must be some sort of fantasy. Nobody takes this stuff serious. I mean, come on - its the internet after all. Its just fantasy and made up stuff - right?
I eventually got married and we were going to have a baby. But the stalking and harassment started to grow. They came to our home three times a week trying to scare us off. They stole things and vandalized the property constantly. Well, the police in New York are busy dealing with bigger problems so I got no help there. I was on my own.
I set up game cameras and they would take out or wipe the memory cards. Its not hard to do actually. The cameras are easy to spot in the night with their red glow.
With a baby on the way, I could not live like this.
The original aggressor even made a video threatening to have our unborn child taken away from us. Watch the video
So in April we packed up and moved to a beautiful 18 acre property in mid Michigan. These are country people and the local authorities don't take much flak from outsiders.
Out here we have been investigated by the local town inspector but since I do everything by the book here, he just looked around for all the many violations I was turned in for, visited with me for a while, and left.
I took advice of many people and just ignored the trolls. That is what the online support groups say. That is what all the cyber bullying sites tell you to do. So I did just that.
They would come out and take photos, throw stones at the house, blow off fireworks and other little things but we ignored them. Until they amped up the attacks. You see, ignoring them is not a good idea. They want attention and they will get it. This time they destroyed my truck. My only source of transportation and I had a pregnant wife.
When I tried to file a report with the Sheriff on the damaged truck they did not even take my address down. The minute I mentioned that the people responsible were on an internet group and were openly bragging about what they did to me, the police were no longer interested. You see, its online, it must be fantasy right?
I am on my own.
My YouTube channel is sinking. My websites were hacked and I am rebuilding them. My sources of income are dropping faster and faster.
I cannot even get a normal job because the trolls sent an informational packet out to all the local businesses with some pretty nasty filth about me. I am shunned.
So I drive on.
You know what the ironic part of the whole thing is? They claim that if I just get off the internet forever and completely and get a normal job they will leave me alone. But at the same time they block me from getting a job.
I have turned to Steem community in an attempt at making my way online as always. I am hoping to build up a good network of friends and viewers here who will follow my daily videos.
My wife and I make videos about our life on the off grid homestead. We show people how we use the power of the sun for nearly all of our needs from electricity, to hot water, to cooking meals. We preserve our own food, make soap and recycle materials as needed.
We are trying to become self sufficient by using the resources on our own land. We raise our own chickens for meat and eggs, hunt, fish and grow our own vegetables.
I am uploading all of our videos from the time we moved here in April to the present. Then I will continue on with daily videos and articles of off grid living and self sufficiency.
Please join and follow along. Please share my story with your friends. And please give me an up vote to help promote my story.
Leave a comment. I always try to answer every comment I receive.
Thank you,
Troy from The Do It Yourself World
(P.S. If you see a troll commenting, you will know them by the hate, please give them a down vote for me. Thanks)