This article was originally published at ProPublica, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1468343
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1468343
It’s no wonder they think the South will rise again. It never technically fell. Racists from the South and the North banded together in churches across the land, and made side deals to stick it to the Fed ad infinitum.
The same churches that said slavery was Beloved by God are now openly calling for civil war over something they can’t even explain. This, principally, on the belief that they can get their hands on Fed money.
These churches need to be shuttered when they are not open 7 days a week. Their floor space needs to be devoted to the indigent, and their salaries need to be capped.
Then they can start divesting their real estate holding in order to establish scholarships for any child of the slavery that could and would not have existed without their imprimatur.
This urban removal has happened in lots of states. In the 60s, it was called Negro removal in Philly.
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This is the John Roberts version of societal progress.
No longer do universities use enslaved people to build their universities but instead only kick them out of their homes… racism is over ya see…
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What’s the point of this article? It’s discussing a 20th century problem that was recognized by the voters and as the article has already pointed out was voted on in 2012 by the the residents of VA to make these types of land grabs harder.
There’s still much to be done to rectify the wrongs perpetuated on the African American community, but an article could have just as easily been written stating that Virginia has a long sordid history with slavery.
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Colleges and universities have long displaced their neighbors as their space needs or desires expanded. Cal Tech used eminent domain to displace my grandparents from their long term home - and did nothing with the land for many years, well after my grandparents died.
Eminent domain has always been controversial. However, the compensation is always very generous and could be reinvested in better real estate with no tax consequence. Crying about it post squandering the compensation is just silly.
A hundred years ago my grandfather’s farm was purchased by Williams College. My grandfather bought new land and built two houses on it with the proceeds.
And, btw, every state has universities that have expanded through eminent domain, not just ole ‘Ginnie.
Yeah, right. (Two positive words that together mean their opposite. Ain’t English wonderful!)
This is not news. If ProPublica wants another Pulitzer, it should launch a large-scale investigation into whether universities are continuing to use zoning and eminent domain to displace poor or black neighborhoods.
@edgarant - sorry, this was directed at @SHychka
Read the article - what was on the land, what the white neighbors did, what the state did.
A real estate developer petitioned the Manhattan Beach City Council, which voted unanimously to condemn and seize the Bruces’ property under eminent domain, ostensibly for the purpose of building a public park. Protests were ignored, lawsuits were dismissed, and ultimately the Bruces had no choice but to acquiesce to the order. In compensation, they asked for a total of $120,000 for the property and for damages incurred; the city ultimately gave them just $14,500.
And it happens to others as well - aided by SCOTUS - in 2005.
It happens today. If you’re interested, take a look at what happened when the Village of Mt. Pleasant and Racine County fell hook, line and sinker for the FoxConn fraud, encouraged by TFG. You don’t need to fairly compensate everyone, you just declare it “blighted” and pay a “fair” price.
Great journalistic insight. So bringing past injustice to light is useless? If it happened before, we don’t need to know about it?
By the way, did you check with ProPublica and see if they will be, or perhaps, already have? They seem to do follow ups quite often. And
- Both TPM and ProPublica are news organizations.
- This is not “bringing past injustice to light.” The practice has been discussed openly for years. And as noted by Prime Time above, voters in Virginia voters began addressing the issue as far back as 2012.
In the 1980s, I earned a master’s degree from U.Va. and taught for three years as an instructor at Christopher Newport. This is the first I’d heard of this, so to me this article certainly has a point. It grieves me to hear this story, that not one but two colleges/universities that played a significant role in my life were established or expanded by destroying Black communities. But I would rather know than have that knowledge kept from me.
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The redder the state, the greater the margin they have more churches than homeless people.
I can’t speak for Christopher Newport, but UVa has not been keeping it from you. This history has been recognized and discussed since at least 2000 as part of the South Lawn project. If you get a chance for a return visit, the memorial to the Foster family and the Canada neighborhood is a welcome addition to grounds.
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Life being what it is, I have not had a chance to visit the campus in this century. I usually at least skim the alumni magazine, but I don’t recall having seen anything about this in there.
Just because something is public knowledge doesn’t mean everyone knows it. So I’m thankful to ProPublica and TPM for making me aware of this, regardless of whether I should have already known about it.
Old times there are not forgotten.
This sort of reporting is required so that history does not repeat itself. Thanks to the journalist and editors involved in this reportage.