Freeport moves to seize 3 properties (for $8 million private boat marina.)

[theearthisround]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3239024

FREEPORT - With Thursday's Supreme Court decision, Freeport officials instructed attorneys to begin preparing legal documents to seize three pieces of waterfront property along the Old Brazos River from two seafood companies for construction of an $8 million private boat marina.
map

The court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled that cities may bulldoze people's homes or businesses to make way for shopping malls or other private development. The decision gives local governments broad power to seize private property to generate tax revenue.

"This is the last little piece of the puzzle to put the project together," Freeport Mayor Jim Phillips said of the project designed to inject new life in the Brazoria County city's depressed downtown area.
-----
The tracts of land would be used for a planned 800- to 900-slip marina to be built by Freeport Marina, a group that that includes Dallas developer Hiram Walker Royall. He would buy the property from the city and receive a $6 million loan from the city to develop the project.

(more)
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3239024

[alarimer]

1. And so it begins...

We were just talking about this today; it won't be long before all the rich assholes take everything for themselves.

[slay]

2. Indeed

Welcome to BushCo's America - where the rich are free to do as they want while the rest of us wonder if our homes might be next. :scared:

[elemnopee]

38. The liberal justices wrote the opinion

All the conservative justices oppossed this ruiling, and the liberal ones supported it.

[Politicub]

40. GOP presidents have a poor track record in choosing justices

The majority of the judges for this judgement were appointed by Republicans. Sad really. They can't run the country right, so what makes you think they recongnize pillars of justice?

[elemnopee]

41. Scalia and Thomas opposed this

I don't usually, actually ever agree, with them

[Politicub]

43. So what?

I still don't agree with them. But the fact remains, the majority of the judges who voted with the majority were GOP appointess. You can't erase that fact, although you would love to I'm sure.

[elemnopee]

44. Liberals were on the wrong side of this issue

7 of 9 are Republican appointess,

7 of 9 are not conservative. Liberals on the Supreme Court were on the wrong side of this, you can't erase that fact although you would love to I'm sure.

[Politicub]

45. Your definition of liberal is different from mine

I consider the majority of the judges to be centrist to conservative, but your mileage may vary.

My point still stands -- Republicans suck at appointing judges. I think that is something that we can agree upon.

[bettyellen]

42. Dem appointed liberal judges are a minority on the court.....

[Rose Siding]

3. The owner has to circulate a petition

to try to hang on to his property.

He said there is a provision in state law that allows residents of a city to a circulate a petition to call a vote on whether the city can take property using eminent domain.

It's a 40 million dollar a year shrimp processing facility, but it doesn't say how many jobs will be lost.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. So, let me get this straight.

"He would buy the property from the city and receive a $6 million loan from the city to develop the project."

1. Homeowner evicted from own property with the illusion of a sale and not enough money in consideration of the transaction.

2. Homeowner's municipal taxes would pay to evict him/her.

3. City would sell the same property to a private business, again, for not enough money.

4. Private business can't or won't use its own money to develop the property, won't go to a commercial bank to get a loan or get a group of investors. So the City will loan the money to the business to develop the property.

5. If evicted homeowner stays in the same city at a different site, s/he gives the city his/her money via municipal tax dollars to loan to the developer to build on his/her old home.

6. Private business gets rich on ex-homeowner's property instead of the homeowner, who like the developer, didn't have the money to develop the property (if s/he were so inclined) but the City wouldn't help HER/HIM do the same project.

Uh huh, the tradition of land-grabbing in the 1860s western territories alive and well and ubiquitous.

[Theres-a]

5. Bastards.

:mad:

[mbperrin]

6. Aren't these fuckers breathtaking at the SPEED they operate?

My secret hope for this future development: on the day of completion, Hurricane Whatsit washes exactly this and no more out to the Gulf of Mexico never to be seen again, with no loss of life.

I know, it's evil to wish corporate scum and their political pimps harm.

But WHO CARES? I don't.

[BohemianJordy]

7. I've been reading here a long time

and decided to start posting when I saw this. I live about five-ten minutes from Freeport and honestly I hadn't heard of this. I find it all very interesting.

Freeport is one depressed little town, and a marina isn't going to inject any life into it. It seems like it's an excuse to put more money into the "city beautification" project thats been going on for years now that paints a pretty face on Freeport but doesn't actually solve any of the city's problems.

The city has had a rampant and increasing crime problem, polluted beaches, and the chemical plants in the area (Dow Chemical and BASF) have given Brazoria county the highest rate of brain cancer in the country last I checked.

Anyway, there's too many problems in Freeport and this marina is going to do crap to give the area an economic benefit. This really makes me angry when the city government have been dodging the problems for years now, and expect this to make any sort of difference. They're already abusing power.

The politicians and elected officials here really piss me off. Thank the Gods I'm going to college...

[theearthisround]

9. Welcome! Interesting info, thanks for posting! n/t

[slay]

10. Welcome to DU BohemianJordy

:toast:

[jrthin]

12. Welcome. nt

[Igel]

16. Welcome to DU.

On the other hand, I could imagine a lot of the folks that head down 45 to Galveston Friday night or Saturday morning would just head down 288 (whatever's down there ... I've never even gone down 288 past the tollway).

BTW, which college?

[ovidsen]

20. Now I'm really confused.

So I must ask this rhetorical question:

Why would anyone want to berth a boat at a marina that's close to exciting attractions like polluted beaches and chemical plants??

By the way, welcome BJ, from one newby to another...

[yorkiemommie1]

21. welcome!

:hi:

[alarimer]

55. I know the city leaders here in Corpus

are salivating at the chance to take property downtown for development that for some reason the owners currently refuse to sell. Also I expect the land grab on Padre Island to begin soon to build more multimillion dollar homes for the rich parasites.

[lateo]

8. The "ownership society" is making a come back.

[NJCher]

11. wherever this happens

Citizens should organize and urge others to boycott whatever business that goes in. These businesses must be made to fail.


Cher

[AX10]

14. I agree 100%

We must make them fail!

[short bus president]

17. I promise I won't dock my yacht there...

:shrug:

[AngryAmish]

13. I warned you about this

We got stabbed in the back by our own on this one.

[jayfish]

22. I'm Confused.

I thought all but two justices on the court were appointed by Bush, Ford And Reagan and Nixon. Calling a Justice liberal doesn't make it so.

Jay

[Rainscents]

28. There's 7-Republicans Judges and 2-Democrats in Supreme Court.

So, as you can see, we're out numbered.

[NashVegas]

15. There's a MAJOR Sweetheart Deal Here

Some key info:

The tracts of land would be used for a planned 800- to 900-slip marina to be built by Freeport Marina, a group that that includes Dallas developer Hiram Walker Royall. He would buy the property from the city and receive a $6 million loan from the city to develop the project.

Freeport Marina would then invest $1 million in the project and contribute a 1,100-foot tract of land, valued at $750,000, to it before receiving the loan.

....

City officials, however, have said the marina will still allow Western Seafood and Trico Seafood, which did not return telephone calls or e-mail Thursday, to operate their facilities.

So. Basically, it's not that they want to bulldoze the facilities, it's that they want to own the land the facilities are on and currently own. The seafood companies which now own the land would become tenants. That is mui fucked up.

[shanti]

30. feudal overlords

isn't that the term? the ramifications of this are breathtaking.

[Reciprocity]

47. This reminds me of Blazing Saddles

When Hedley Lamarr, trying to find a legal way to steal land said ...

There might be legal precedent! Of course, Landsnatching . . . land, land, Land, see Snatch. Ah, Hailie vs. United Sates. Hailie: 7, United States: nothing. You see, it can be done!

[newblewtoo]

54. Kudos....Too true. NT

[XemaSab]

18. Oh the irony........

You got to PAY to dock in Freeport...

[texanshatingbush]

19. Where are the Texas Democrats?

It's bad enough that Liberal Judges in the Supreme Court are supporting this. To add insult to injury it took a Repug to initiate action against this. The Dems really need to get their heads out of their collective asses and get on top of these opportunities.

Hours after the court's 5-4 ruling came down, Rep. Frank Corte Jr., R-San Antonio, said he would seek "to defend the rights of property owners in Texas" by proposing a state constitutional amendment limiting local powers of eminent domain, or condemnation

[mbperrin]

24. I agree. In 1964, there was not a single Republican officeholder in

Ector County. They didn't even have a caucus. Now they hold all county positions but one, and that was a 2 vote winner. What the hell happened? I swear the older group died, and the younger just never got underway, if that makes sense.

[elemnopee]

39. Civil Rights Bill

We kicked them out of our party with the passage of the civil rights bill.

[alarimer]

56. So what?

We don't need those people who are OPPOSED to civil rights. They were all asshole racists anyway.

[reprobate]

23. There is a way to stop this here and elsewhere, but it takes organizing.

People, both dems and repugs must organize to vote out of office any politition that gets behind this anywhere. It must be so powerfull a statement that any politician will fear for his office to vote for taking people's property.

And it will take both dems an repugs because this is a universal threat. It don't matter what your political persuasion is, you'll still lose your property to the rich bastards.

In fact, if the Democratic parrty were smart it would form a nationwide organization to fight this communistic shit. No, I know it's not communist, it's communism for the wealthy.

[jokerman93]

49. Yes this is a universal threat, however...

Yes, as it is, this is a universal threat, however...

As a gaping loophole in property rights law, it has great potential to be used as a political weapon, if needed.

Bad mojo.

[Sugarbleus]

25. Check out PBS/NOW for recent show on Eminent Domain..

http://www.pbs.org/now/

Check out the article on Eminent Domain...broadcast on Friday June 24, 2005.

Also check out Constance Rice on the issues of civil liberties: Gitmo, Iraq, and American Prison's similarities.

[Gman]

26. Brazoria County is in Tom Delay's district

And also Libertarian turned Republican because he couldn't get elected as a libertarian Ron Paul.

President/Vice-President			
	George W. Bush/ Dick Cheney	REP	63,662	68.27%
	John F. Kerry/ John Edwards	DEM	28,904	30.99%
----------------------------------------		
U. S. Representative District 14			
	Ron Paul	REP	44,431	100.00%
			-----------	
		Race Total	44,431	
----------------------------------------		
U. S. Representative District 22			
	Tom DeLay	REP	18,159	58.47%
	Richard R. Morrison	DEM	11,728	37.76%
	Tom Morrison	LIB	667	2.14%
	Michael Fjetland	IND	499	1.60%
			-----------	
		Race Total	31,053

Isn't that special!

http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe

[yowzayowzayowza]

35. fyi: Ron Paul's office

is in downtown Freeport, if ya can call it that.

[jokerman93]

50. Delay's District, huh?

Isn't he the pig who actually used/attempted to use the homeland security apparatus to track down the dissenting Dems last year when he was brute-forcing an unscheduled gerrymander in Texas.

Looks like this eminent domain thing has great potential to be abused, as I suspected. In fact, I was thinking of Delay when I read this initial post.

Coincidence? Am I psychic? No. Just thoroughly familiar with the current corrupt Republican M.O..

Probably involved in this as a test run of some kind...

[DBoon]

27. Socialism for the rich

capitalism for the poor

[shanti]

29. this is it...

the tie that binds the dems and repukes. i post on another board and this is the FIRST news that has united both. the pukes do not like this.

[Reciprocity]

31. This sux.

I know it’s not much of a protection ,but I’m glad I live out in the country and not in a city.

[Daphne08]

32. Well, that didn't take very damn long, did it?

Western Seafood earns $40 million annually.

Seems to me that would generate plenty of tax for the city of Freeport... NOT to mention the fact that the business has been located there for almost 60 years!

I wish them well.

[oscar111]

33. Move to a FARM. Less chance of this insanity

much less chance!

[youspeakmylanguage]

46. Exactly. Everyone but the rich could be evicted from urban areas...

...since lower- to middle-income urban homeowners live in neighborhoods that could be made into strip malls or condos, earning the city much more tax revenue per acre.

Our cities may become industrial centers and playgrounds for the rich while the working class is pushed farther and farther away from the urban cores onto cheaper land, forcing more people to commute longer distances, thereby increasing air pollution and stress.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

48. I hope farms are safe.

My husband and I own almost a thousand acres of farmland. Some of it borders the city limits of a small town. Right across the street from our property is the city well, gas, and sewer. I can't tell you how many people have wanted to buy some of the land. Some want to build a house and have acreage too, some want to develop it. One guy wanted to buy some acres to wash out his cattle hauling trucks, while another wanted us to DONATE 200 acres to HIM for the good of the community! The town has less than 1000 people, we're in the middle of nowhere, The nearest big town (16,000) is 50 miles away.

Here an acre of dryland pasture sells for anywhere from $100 to $800, irrigated land is about $1200 to $2000 an acre. We have the land that borders the town under circle irrigation from our 125 HP pump/well. A house lot sells for $15,000 in town. Now I have a fear that we'll be given $1200 or less an acre and be booted off the place by someone who thinks they can make a fortune. Trouble is the town is a shrinking farming town. My husbands grandfather homesteaded here about 120 years ago. People have wanted our property for so long that this decision just might be perfect for them. We're just trouble making Liberals to them anyway. This might cause trouble all over the country not matter if you live in the city or in the country.

[Walt Starr]

34. There are no longer any property rights in this country

We all just lease our property from the government, and when a higher bidder comes along we get evicted.

The entire basis of this nation has been overturned.

We are officially a corporatist state where corporations collude with the government to subjugate us like serfs.

[catzies]

53. Walt, your comment is SUPERB. Shout it from the treetops!

There are no longer any property rights in this country.

We all just lease our property from the government, and when a higher bidder comes along we get evicted.

The entire basis of this nation has been overturned.

[natrat]

36. this country is now officialy screwed

[Reciprocity]

37. I wonder if the citizens should start a boycott petition.

[Cato1]

51. Has....

...Mr. Royall, how approriate a name, ever worked for a single day of his life? I remember hearing about this Freeport case earlier where it was said that he's a trust fund baby.

[Cato1]

52. Hiram Walker Royall is a big-time Bush supporter

ROYALL, HIRAM W MR DALLAS,TX 75219 BRIARWOOD CAPITAL/INVESTMENTS ADVIS 8/27/2003 $2,000 Bush, George W

ROYALL, HIRAM W MR DALLAS,TX 75219 BRIARWOOD CAPITAL 2/25/2004 $500 Bush, George W

ROYALL, HIRAM W MR DALLAS,TX 75219 BRIARWOOD CAPITAL/INVESTMENTS ADVIS 2/5/2004 $500 Bush, George W

http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?txtName=Royall&NumOfThou=0&txt2004=Y&submit=Go%21

Also, remember that Pfizer (the company in New London, CT) gives 70%+ of political contributions to the Republicans.

Bush has been "suprisingly" quiet about this issue even though he railed for weeks about the Schiavo decision. I wonder why?

[guitar man]

57. Lightning speed

I knew it wouldn't take long for the dozers to fire up and ready themselves to knock down anything that stands in the way of the "ownership" klass. I'm sitting in the path of industrial development with a paid-off house and property and only a mere annexation away from losing it all, hanging by a thread. I'm sure many others around the country are too.

The worst problem I see right now is instead of banding together to fight this thing, everywhere I see this issue being discussed it's always the same. "The judges were liberals...no they weren't...yes they were...blah, blah,blah...."

I think it would be best to save that argument for another day. Only fools fight in a burning house. Any and all of us who are working class property owners are threatened by this ugly ruling. I hope people will band together to fight this thing from a common interest standpoint. If we don't, we're done.