Posted on 12/20/2013 12:17:05 PM PST by Responsibility2nd
KENNER, La. —A Louisiana homeowner watched in horror as city workers in Kenner, La. tore down the house she was rebuilding since Hurricane Katrina.
“I'm going to wind up in the loony bin. I've tried for seven years to get back home. This is my home. This is my corner. I own this piece of property, and Kenner does this to me,” said home owner Reba Tullier.
But the city of Kenner said it has a zero-tolerance policy on blighted homes.
Tullier said she had finally lined up help to fix her house, but it was too late.
“It's not fair, it's insane,” said Tullier.
Tullier and her family went from tears to screams and back again as they watched a bulldozer plow through their property Wednesday.
“I was on my way in today to do an $800 injunction -- had no clue this was happening today,” said Tullier. “I do not get a letter. I do not get a date when this is going to happen. I've called every single day to try to talk with somebody who could tell me when this was going to happen. Nobody could tell me anything because conveniently there's no one in the office.”
Tullier's house at 2001 Kentucky Ave. was damaged in Hurricane Katrina. She had to bulldoze it then.
She was rebuilding her family home while she lives in Mississippi.
The city of Kenner sent her a letter in April, saying her work permit had expired due to six months of inactivity on the property.
“All we were trying to do was come back home and they didn't want to give us time, the city just wanted this house down,” said Brittany Tullier, Reba’s daughter.
The city council voted on Oct. 17 to demolish the property after complaints from neighbors about safety and lack of activity. The city attorney said Reba Tullier did not appeal that decision but was told to get an attorney.
She said no attorney would take her case, she couldn't get a loan and a contractor ran off with her money.
But she now has a group of volunteers ready to help.
“You don't know what we've been doing. You don't know what we've been trying to do,” said Reba Tullier.
She said the house would have been done in about three months with all of the volunteer help she had lined up. Now she said she'll probably have to sell the property.
The city attorney said Kenner will put a lien on Tullier's tax bill to pay for the demolition.
“They're going to pay for this to be rebuilt. This is wrong. There is no court order filed in the system,” said Reba Tullier.
City Attorney Keith Conley told WDSU there is no court order required. A house can be demolished by council action, he said.
Conley said Tullier's house is one of 13 homes demolished in the last couple of months as part of a zero tolerance for blight policy.
I take no joy in this, either. But I sympathize with the neighbors. If you zoom in it looks boarded up and abandoned. Isn’t eight years long enough to rebuild?
If it was their beloved home then why weren’t they living in it — flaws and all???
Why were they living instead in Mississippi???
That is how my city works. The city triedto condemn my property to place a road through my house. After years of fighting they were forced to move the road to the original plan off my property. When contruction started they sent demolition crew “accidentally” to start ckearing my lot. They had two excavators and a D8 bulldozer. Their hope wasto level the lot while I was at work. Little did they know I was at home and watched the city supervisor case out the house making sure I wasnt here. I caught those rat bastards but not before they already tore down my fence.
If you like your property rights you can keep your property right. Period.
I might be wrong here but don't you mean "aimin' to get ready ...".
Must we live in each of the properties that we own?
Good grief. What part of due process does this Nifong not understand?
When you refer to it as your “home” and say things like “I’ve tried for seven years to get back home. This is my home. This is my corner”, then you better be living in it or trying harder to get back into it.
Wasn’t Hurricane Katrina like 8 years ago???
You sound like you’ve read the 5th Amendment, and actually took it seriously.
I am amazed at the responses of so many who take exception to what the city did.
First of all, they are letting this soapy-dopey article influence their emotions. I’m betting the truth of the matter is that all legal requirements were met, yet the homeowner ignored and disregarded attempts to save her home.
Second. I’m betting manny FReepers would be singing a different tune if THEY lived next door to a dangerous eye-sore.
Notice the article doesn’t say how many years the property has been blighted. It was a eyesore
Didn’t see what the original house looked like before demolition. How bad was it? I did that Google maps thing and from the image it didn’t look that bad. But then again, how long ago was Katrina? Was she sent papers or something to inform her they would demolish it? Do people from the council drive around neighborhoods looking for derelict home to smash?
Abandoned property for EIGHT YEARS is a public health issue. Period. It was a eyesore and needed to go.
I think you’re missing the point. If there was a legitimate reason to tear the house down, due process would not have prevented it. Is due process really too much to ask for?
It’s much better looking than the ugly parking lot across the street.
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