Montgomery Residents Accuse City of Demolishing Homes to Sidestep Eminent Domain Laws
Mayor Says He’s Simply Cleaning Up His City; Residents Charge City With Targeting Low-Income Families
A group of Montgomery, Alabama residents, once too nervous to buck their elected officials, are organizing in protest what they say is the city’s “reprehensible” practice of demolishing homes to sidestep state eminent domain laws.
“It’s ridiculous the city is doing this,” native Montgomery resident and de-facto community leader Karen Jones said.
“The city is intimidating people,” she said. “They don’t try to give people due process of setting up fines or even putting up a fluorescent poster in the front yard saying, ‘We’re going to demolish your house.’”
Residents and activists have accused city leaders of using a local blight ordinance to target low-income Montgomery residents so the city can take their property and re-sell it to high-end developers without paying compensation.
And now… the rest of the story. …..
Harold
