Could the govt. declare YOUR home "blighted" and exercise eminent domain

[pnwmom]

-- then hand it over to developers?

If you think you're safe, you might want to check this site out. You'll be surprised at what can be declared blighted.

http://www.castlecoalition.org/CastleWatch/bogusblight/index.html

"City officials nationwide are condemning well-kept homes and small businesses by declaring them “blighted.” In an effort to bring attention to this abuse, CastleWatch is featuring a property each week that has been formally declared blighted by the city or municipality in which it is located.

"If your home or business has been declared “blighted” and you feel that’s not the case, send us a photo and details."

[Mind_your_head]

1. Do they pay for "blighted"????

Or is this just some 'steal my home' scam????

I must feel FEAR, FEAR, FEAR. I didn't cut my grass last week, I'm BLIGHTED!!!!!

[pnwmom]

4. This is not a joke. It's a real concern of a relative of mine,

who owns a home in a low-income waterfront neighborhood.

What happens is that developers come to a city with a plan for "redevelopment." They promise the city lots of new jobs and tax monies, if the city will cooperate in the plan. The city's part is to declare the necessary land "blighted" and, as you can see from the pictures, it doesn't take much for them to do that. After they exercise eminent domain, they take the property and hand it over to the developer.

Yes, the city has to pay the owners. But if the owners don't want to sell -- tough luck. And they have to take whatever price the city decides to give them -- which is low because the city has declared the property blighted. The price paid usually isn't enough to even buy a condo in the new redeveloped neighborhood.

All over the country this is happening to perfectly good neighborhoods of hard-working -- but not high-income -- people.

[Mind_your_head]

12. I agree w/ swamp rat's post below.....

more pictures, information would be helpful, necessary in fact.

As to what might be happening in New Orleans.....it's just set-up for the absolute worst!!!! I hang my head in shame for my country at this point, Perhaps the "good" that will come of it is that they can empathize w/ how the Native Americans felt when they were forced to give up their lands.....I dunno. :cry:

[mcscajun]

16. In most cases, they pay for the value of the land and house on it.

How the "value" is determined is the issue. Assessed value, market value, what?

[pitohui]

20. they do pay

i wish some developer would buy us out and let us get the hell out of here

[Swamp Rat]

2. "... send us a photo and details."

What will they do? Here in New Orleans they are doing that to tens of thousands of homes, a lot of which can be restored.

[pnwmom]

5. They're just asking for details for their site, I think, so they can

continue to alert people as to what is going on. It's a nationwide problem, and should be a nationwide scandal.

[Swamp Rat]

7. I certainly appreciate what the're doing.

I have about 1,000 photos I can send them.

[pnwmom]

9. You should. What is happening with good property in New Orleans

is the same that is happening to property everywhere. If you're low or middle income, and happen to own property in an area a developer has his eyes on, watch out.

[earth mom]

3. Read the current controversies. It'll make you sick to your stomach!

:puke:

http://www.castlecoalition.org/current_controversies/index.html

:grr:

[pnwmom]

6. thanks, thegoldenrule.

It is sickening.

[earth mom]

17. Our rights are being taken from us and the people still have NOT

taken to the streets!

This thread should have hundreds of posts on it! What's the matter with everyone?! :banghead:

:kick:

[Jamastiene]

8. Yes.

Congress enacted a law saying they can. They don't have to delare it anything to take it though, except theirs now.

[Kurovski]

10. It's theft.

And it's disgusting.

K&R.

[Nikki Stone 1]

11. The Supreme Court decision last summer allows them to do this

And no, it's definitely NOT a joke. It is a ruling that undermines property ownership for the average person, which, the last time I heard, was one of the undergirdings of American democratic capitalism. In other words, we are all renters now.

[Pushed To The Left]

13. This should become a core Democratic issue

Most conservatives don't like eminent domain either, but I think this is an obvious civil rights violation of homeowners. This is one area that clear-thinking people of all political philosophies seem to agree on. This eminent domain abuse needs to be eliminated!

[pnwmom]

14. Big business tends to like it, but small business owners are being hurt,

as well as homeowners in most states (some states don't allow this). I think the Democrats would be helping a lot of people if they made a push on this. We have to do something, because the Supreme Court ruled in favor of this practice. The only way to stop it is to enact legislation.

[pnwmom]

15. Here's info about the Supreme Court case on this issue

http://www.ij.org/private_property/connecticut/6_23_05pr.html

Washington, D.C.— Today, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a blow to home and small business owners throughout the country by allowing the government to use eminent domain to take homes so that businesses can make more money off that land and possibly pay more taxes as a result. . . .


Chip Mellor, the president of the Institute for Justice, said, “The majority and the dissent both recognized that the action now turns to state supreme courts where the public use battle will be fought out under state constitutions. The Institute for Justice will be there every step of the way with homeowners and small businesses to protect what is rightfully theirs. Today’s decision in no way binds those courts.”

“The Court simply got the law wrong today, and our Constitution and country will suffer as a result,” said Scott Bullock, senior attorney for the Institute for Justice. “With today’s ruling, the poor and middle class will be most vulnerable to eminent domain abuse by government and its corporate allies. The 5-4 split and the nearly equal division among state supreme courts shows just how divided the courts really are. This will not be the last word.”

“One of the key quotes from the Court to keep in mind today was written by Justice O’Connor,” Bullock said. “Justice O’Connor wrote, ‘Any property may now be taken for the benefit of another private party, but the fallout from this decision will not be random. The beneficiaries are likely to be those citizens with disproportionate influence and power in the political process, including large corporations and development firms.’”

SNIP

[undergroundpanther]

18. The wealthy are THIEVES

EAt the rich or they'll take EVERYTHING.Fucking PIGS,pirates.First they bought our government now they take our homes..everything..I wish these wealthy fuckers would suffer for once.Pisses me off.

[undergroundpanther]

19. Kick and reccomend

Forgot to do it with my other post.. I was pissed off.

[NewJeffCT]

21. This is not a recent phenomenon

Didn't they spread the railroads this way back in the 1800s? - condemn anything in the way of a potential rail line and then hand it over to the railroads?

[iconoclastic cat]

22. I think we could make a case that the White House is blighted.

And I condemn it every day.