Eminent Decision for Brooklyn

The use of Eminent Domain for private profit is illegal. But the State of New York is trying to bend the rules to help a favored insider.

Former NYC official turned developer Bruce Ratner and his company Forest City Ratner (FCR), one of the largest publicly traded real estate firms in the U.S., are proposing constructing 16 skyscrapers and a $950 million sports arena in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn to be known as Atlantic Yards (AY). Besides relying heavily on taxpayer subsidies, the developer is requesting that the government take property for the project using it's power of Eminent Domain. The ESDC, also known by its original name, the UDC, is a governmental agency that has been sued by tenants and home and business owners in the proposed project area that has been under the threat of Eminent Domain for the past 6 years.

Ratner's cronies in the Empire State Development Corporation or ESDC are attempting to use outdated "slum clearance" regulations to claim 22 acres of valuable real estate for Atlantic Yards and evict people from their homes, claiming the neighborhood is "blighted." But according to NY State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, there is no blight. The 22 acres in contention are some of the most valuable property in the state.

A coalition of community groups with the support of many local elected officials has formed to advocate against this Eminent Domain abuse. Develop Dont Destroy Brooklyn (DDDB), is an umbrella organization that has led the community in legal opposition, defending the neighborhood from the proposed landgrab project for the past 6 years.

Freddy's Brooklyn Roundhouse traveled on the bus from Brooklyn to Albany with members of DDDB, including several of the plaintiffs, to the NY State Court of Appeals for the oral arguments in this landmark case.

DDDB and it's 4000 plus financial supporters have tried to address as many of the legal wrongs of the AY projects as they can afford. If you believe the government should not be able to take private property to benefit a former public official turned developer, and would like to help defend property rights from such abuse, please donate to the legal fight and learn more at dddb.net

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• eminent
• domain
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• dddb
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• bruce
• daniel
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• letitia
• tish
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• brinkerhoff
• legal
• lawsuit
• blight

[DancingSpiderman]

I smell a dirty RatFink...get out the rusty knife, time to bris his ballz

[mm1mm1]

Excellent!

[bklynfaith]

Great job! Power to the people! We have to stop the abuse NOW!