Please see Post 4 and if you have time, scroll up to Post 2.
Many of you arrived on the Boy Scout pinglist when the City of Philadelphia grabbed the beautiful Liberty Council Boy Scout building over the issue of gay rights. I am pinging you today to ask a favor of support for a Philadelphia artist who is a personal acquaintance whose art work I have admired since the early 70s.
Under the doctrine of Eminent Domain, the City is now trying to destroy a major portion of his life’s work: his studio that he developed over many years and from which he has fed the Philly arts community. It’s ironic, since he is a black man, and you may spy an Obama campaign sticker in the video of his studio. But he has not made his career on hand-outs and welfare, but on hard work, education, talent and drive. He has been married to the same woman from youth and they are the parents of three beautiful daughters.
Now that he is in his late 60s- early 70s with no pension and everything he has tied up in his studio, the City has seized his deed and wants to shut him down. They have offered him a horrible derelict building in a crap part of town for a SMALL percentage of what his present building — in walking distance of the Philadelphia Art Museum — is worth. This has caused him to have a stroke and to be emotionally devastated.
Can you imagine? A black man, under a black Mayor and the first black President, who has worked for almost 50 years to become a well-known artist, is being persecuted by the City’s Redevelopment Authority so they can build a grocery store.
As in the 2005 Supreme Court Kelo v. City of New London decision, where long-time homeowners were driven from their homes for a waterfront development that NEVER MATERIALIZED — the City has no grocery chain offer nor any contract on the table.
So I’m asking for your help with this issue of a worthy citizen losing his property rights, after living a life of struggle and hard work. Do you have a ping list on FR, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or email that you would be willing to use to help this issue go viral, whether or not you live in Philly, but just because, in your heart, you’re still a loyal Boy Scout?
I would be personally most grateful for any spreading of the word.
If I pinged you previously or you have already responded, please forgive me.
Unfortunately, ever since Hawaii Housing Authority v. Midkiff, the public use clause of the constitution has pretty much ceased to exist.
I would suggest a petition, with locals promising never to shop at the store if the land is stolen from this artist. To my mind, the most significant part of the Kelo decision aftermath was that they never built the shopping mall on the stolen land because it had become too controversial. If he can show the same antipathy, with a significant fraction of potential shoppers alienated, that may remove the market incentive for stealing his land in the first place. Granted, the consequence may come too late, but then at least there will be another example the next time that corrupt crony capitalists consider stealing private property for personal gain.
He is entitled to challenge the amount of just compensation before a jury. In California he can also seek loss of business “good will” (not the gaap definition but has defined by statute in the code of civil procedure).
He is also entitled to appeal the relocation assistance.
Don’t know about pa.
AW, I am confused here, since the piece is billed as “satire”. Am I missing something?
I will share this everyone I know.