Ravenwood - 07/29/05 07:00 AM
Debra Saunders reports on more fallout from the Kelo decision. The city of Oakland evicted business owners on July 1, and gave their land to private developers to build apartments.
A letter on the front of what used to be Revelli Tires in Oakland warns: "Eminent domain unfair. To learn all about the abuses of eminent domain, please go to www.castlecoaliton.org. Educate yourself. Pay attention. You could be next."John Revelli wrote the note after the city of Oakland evicted him on July 1 from his own property -- and a business run by his family since 1949 -- so that a private developer could build apartments on his land. It especially galls him, Revelli told me over the phone Tuesday, that while he has been forced away from his livelihood for weeks, Oakland hasn't done anything with his property. Go look at the building, he said, and the sign will still be there because the city hasn't touched anything. Sure enough, the sign was up on Tuesday night.
Oakland also evicted Tony Fung, Revelli's next-door neighbor and the owner-operator of Autohouse on 20th Street. "I am a first-generation immigrant," Fung told me. "This is my American dream."
To hell with Fung's dream -- the city of Oakland seized it, so that someone else can build on it. And without offering enough money for Fung to relocate his business, he says.
The city has legions of lawyers to press its case, while Fung says he has to scrape together pennies to hire an attorney.
Category: Fall of Western Civilization
Comments (2) top link me
Wow! This is so depressing. I hope freestar media succeeds in taking Souter's house!
Posted by: politicalpie at July 31, 2005 5:25 PMAnd it's still not Clair Wolfe time?
Nope.
We waited too long.
Posted by: Kevin Baker at August 1, 2005 12:09 AM(c) Ravenwood and Associates, 1990 - 2014