If I'm a mayor and want to get rid of the "undesirables" in my city

[candy]

this recent SCOTUS decision is the way to go about it.

Get rid of the housing,get rid of the poor, and put in a Ritz Carlton and/or a sleek new office park.

This entire thing boggles my mind and it seems liberals and conservatives are in agreement on this lousy decision.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

1. Why are you surprised?

If you check, you'll see that those laws have always been in existence. You just didn't notice them until today, when, in a procedural move, the Supreme Court codified them and stated clearly that it's a local matter.

Don't be boggled. It's how it's been. Why weren't you upset last year?

[EFerrari]

8. I"m surprised at the surprise, too. Maybe it's the nakedness

of the grab that is getting to people.

Easier to lose a home via ways we don't see blasted by the media, i.e. gentification, flies pretty low on the radar until it's too late.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

11. But, nothing has changed!

It's that simple. Nothing has changed. Nakedness notwithstanding, every eminent domain law on the books remained unchanged.

Nothing is "easier." Nothing has changed.

You really have to read the opinion.

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/printer_friendly.pl?page=us/000/04-108.html

[EFerrari]

12. I will, thanks for the link. I've watched people losing their stuff

for all kinds of reasons, so I really don't see any change here, just press.

[rzemanfl]

2. I thought you meant the real undesirables, Repukes and fundies.

Sorry.

[SoCalDem]

3. You're thinking small.. buldoze Beverly Hills..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3931634

[Kraklen]

4. They could do that before...

just put in a freeway off ramp.

This really doesn't change anything.

[jwirr]

5. In Iowa years ago those laws were called

power of domain laws and they were used to take land (at a reasonable price) from farmers to construct the power lines for electricity and for such purposes. In the hands of reasonable rulers they can be useful. Unfortunately, we do not seem to have any of those kind of rulers anymore.

[KharmaTrain]

6. It's A Lousy Decision On A Lousy Issue

It's the essence of NIMBY. I'm 6 of one/half a dozen of another about this...and want to read the entire decision before I draw conclusions...however, from what I've read so far, I have seen a couple things playing out here.

Our communities have serious problems with areas that area deteriorating or that need infrastructure improvements (yes, power plants, power lines and so on)...the things we all expect of our communities, but expect them to always be cheap, available and invisible. Some areas roads have been held up for years...that would benefit thousands...because of court battles from squatters in the way of the road wanting more and more for their land or trying to protect their other properties. Eminent domain doesn't always work. So do we allow one person or group of people to create hazzards in a community?

Another factor...while I hate strip malls and the mass franchising of our towns and neighborhoods, something has to be said about neighborhood revitalization projects that can transform an area due to the new construction and jobs. While I would prefer this tied to local ownership...using government funds to help small businesses get established (another issue,another thread), I've seen many areas come back with a new business/housing development and, along with it, improved and upgraded services.

Yes, in many cases poor people are displaced in these cases, but most are in poor conditions to begin with. These people will still have to be looked after...and already is. Gentrification in many areas have driven out low income people and there's no place for them to go. Maybe this can shine some light on this situation.

Again, just fleshing it out here...and I can understand the outrage. On the surface it sounds like this is a pro-corporate action, but I respect the judgement of a Justice Ginsburg and Breyer and reserve my thoughts until I read further into why they opined as they did.

[EFerrari]

7. I don't understand all the surprise I'm hearing.

This is the way it's been forever. :shrug:

[lazarus]

9. No, it's gone further

They could always do it for public works, now they can do it for virtually anything. The skids have been greased, is all.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

10. They've been doing that to the poor for years

And to those on the thread that say it was only for freeway ramps, that is incorrect. Cities have ALWAYS been able to declare an area as "blight", condemn it then slate it for redevelopment.

[MetaTrope]

13. It's how things have worked in Chicago for years

With the advent of "Tax Increment Financing" districts, whereby the city clears the way for businesses and condo firms to force cheap purchase of private residential properties whether the homeowners want it or not. My apartment building is in a new one...I expect I'll be forced to move within the next year or two.