Tag: eminent domain

Texas Outlet Fabricates Story Of Libertarian Inciting Violence Over Eminent Domain

As RedState aptly noted in a Thursday piece, many seem to believe that local media outlets are significantly more true to the facts than those who cover news nationally. 

Unfortunately, it turns out that smaller news outlets also fall short of the truth.

The Current, which is the self-described “premiere multimedia source of alternative news, events and culture” for San Antonio, Texas, since 1986, recently put out a report disingenuously suggesting that Bexar County Libertarian Party head JR Haseloff attempted to incite violence over the city’s plan to use eminent domain to seize control of a man’s bar for city renovations. 

This was referring to an address Haseloff delivered to the city council arguing in favor of allowing Vince Catu, the bar’s owner, to maintain control of his property. According to their reporting, Haseloff “suggested that some property-rights advocates may resort to violence if San Antonio uses eminent domain to take over downtown bar Moses Rose’s Hideout.”

“While out of an abundance of caution, we marked this as a peaceful protest, I am here to testify to you that there are men, women, organizations and individuals across the state of Texas that are very much prepared to sacrifice much more to prevent your theft of this man’s property,” Haseloff said in his remarks to the city council. “I can only pray that you and politicians across Texas are receiving this message.”

He added, “Let me be clear, we will not stand idly by and watch you steal property from one of our fellow Texans. We will fight, and we will win.”

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Homeowners find out their town has promised their houses to big corporation

Eminent domain is the legal concept that government can take people’s private property – with just compensation – when it is needed for a public benefit like a road or a bridge.

But in recent years governments repeatedly have used the scheme to take private property – and then have turned it over to another private owner, and such disputes have come up repeatedly in court.

There’s another fight erupting now.

This time it’s the Institute for Justice that is fighting on behalf of homeowners who live along Burnet Road in Onandaga County, New York.

That’s because county officials – and Micron Technology – have announced plans for the company to build a microchip facility in the White Pine Commerce Park in Clay.

The proposed construction site includes not only parts of the commerce park, which largely has been vacant since the 1990s, but the private properties of multiple homeowners.

“My father built this home, and my family has lived here for decades. I’m not going to sit back and let the county take my family’s home and hand it over to a private corporation,” explained one homeowner, Paul Richer, in a statement released by the IJ.

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