Church does not add to tax base, getting eaten up by eminent domain

[The Straight Story]

Plans to condemn Southern Baptist church proceed after 6-0 vote for eminent domain
Mar 14, 2006
By Erin Roach
Baptist Press

LONG BEACH, Calif. (BP)--Another step was taken toward the destruction of the Filipino Baptist Fellowship building March 13 when the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency Board voted 6-0 to condemn the church in order to build condominiums, despite testimonies from community members regarding the public good that flows from the religious institution.

“I had no illusions that we were going to stop the vote, but what was most discouraging yesterday was the utter lack of any evidence on why this was necessary to cure some blighted areas blocks away,” John Eastman, director of The Claremont Institute’s Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence who is defending the church, told Baptist Press. “They didn’t bother to answer that. That was their legal obligation, and they went ahead and condemned a church anyway.”

During the hearing, the redevelopment agency voted to authorize the city attorney to begin condemnation proceedings, Eastman explained. The next step will be for the city attorney to file a complaint to condemn the property, which includes demonstrating that it meets the statutory requirements for condemnation.

Among the requirements is proof that the property seizure is necessary for public use -- based on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June 2005 regarding eminent domain -- and Eastman said that proof would be rather easy to show since a church is tax-exempt and a housing project would bring in more revenue for the city.

http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?ID=22837

[movonne]

1. Oh well !!!

[The Straight Story]

3. Personally, I think it stinks

I am no fan of SBC's but the whole idea behind this smacks me of being wrong.

[movonne]

7. I think it is wrong too. But what my answer was they don't pay

taxes, and in this corporate world that we live in that's not good. In other words just being sarcastic...

[The Straight Story]

8. That's cool

I know many don't like the SBC folks, but this to me is also giving huge ammo to really red cities to go after places of worship they don't like and target every group that does not buy into their take on things.

Not to mention other tax exempt organizations.

[MADem]

2. A bunch of unhappy Republicans at that house of worship, I would imagine

The independent minded, business savvy community is getting crapped on by the policies enacted during the reign of their other lord and savior....

Or who knows, maybe they will put their business skills to use and wrest a good deal out of the agency.

[Warpy]

4. This can be a good thing in some cities like Boston

where church property has eaten up so much of the city that the remaining commercial and residential properties must pay taxes that one former mayor has called confiscatory. If ever a city needed a bad USSC ruling over eminent domain for commercial use, it's Boston.

It just sucks in the rest of the country.

[Neil Lisst]

5. talk about forgetting the founding fathers!!

They must all be spinning. Cities condemning churches so they can have high density real estate built, by eminent domain!

Forget zoning! This is even better!!

[pitohui]

6. the founding fathers would be delighted

i don't fancy the likes of tom paine (!) and george washington having much patience with obstructionist southern baptists

they no doubt believed that all such foolish superstition would be a dead letter by this time of millennium