Posted on 01/22/2016 12:44:18 PM PST by Republican Wildcat
Please click the link for the video of this report from the Institute for Justice who represented Vera Coking against Donald Trump and won in court. Here is a transcript of the same:
In the video: Dana Berliner of the Institute for Justice (appears to be a property rights advocacy group), Donald Trump, John Stossel, Vera Coking
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Clip of ABC News report playing interviewing Trump.
TRUMP: In life you have a thing called condemnation and cities have the right to condemn for the good of the city - whether it's New York, whether it's Los Angeles, whether it's any other place. Atlantic City is one of those cities and it's got the right to condemn.
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BERLINER: In the 1990s, Donald Trump was behind an outrageous case of eminent domain abuse. Vera Coking was an elderly widow who lived for decades in her home beside Atlantic City's boardwalk. She loved that home, and Donald Trump wanted Vera's home so he could put in limousine parking for his casino across the street.
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TRUMP: Everybody coming into Atlantic City sees that property and it's not fair to Atlantic City and the people. They're staring at this terrible house instead of staring at beautiful fountains and beautiful other things that would be good.
STOSSEL: You're bullying these people out because they're -
TRUMP: Excuse me - that's wrong. For you to use the word 'bully', John, is very unfair. This is a government case - this is not Donald Trump.
STOSSEL: Yes it's Donald Trump - it's you and your cronies in government working together.
TRUMP: For you to call these people cronies is very unfair - to call good public servants cronies.
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BERLINER: An unaccountable state agency tried to condemn Vera Coking's property and transfer it to Donald Trump. He convinced the government officials to use their eminent domain power to take Vera's home. This was public power - but used for private gain.
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TRUMP: We have been so nice to this woman. I offered her a lot of money - out of this (pointing to chest) - a little thing called 'heart'
COKING: Heart??? He doesn't have no heart, that man. The only thing he has - is what he's - worry about himself.
STOSSEL: Basic to freedom is that you if you own something - it's yours - the government just doesn't come and take it away from you!
TRUMP: Do you want to live in a city where you can't build schools? Do you want to live in a city where you can't build roads or highways or have access to hospitals? Condemnation is a necessary evil.
STOSSEL: But you're not talking about a hospital! You're talking about a building a rich guy finds ugly.
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BERLINER: Across the country, land hungry developers have teamed up with tax hungry politicians to bulldoze people's homes and businesses on the mere possibility that the new, wealthier businesses will generate more jobs or more taxes. It is time to end this kind of abuse. Represented by the Institute for Justice, Vera Coking beat Donald Trump and saved her home.
Yes, a home in downtown Atlantic City, right next to where they were developing casinos during the boom period was worth a lot more than $251,000.
Well how much more than $251,000? What was her house worth at the time? I have not seen any stats on it.
You’re not alone but the poll indicates almost a 50-50 split with Trump taking the edge by a few votes.
It is not at all similar to what we see here from posters.
I guess Trump supporters are passionately in love with The Don and willing to go on every thread to support him.
The Cruz supporters support and like Ted Cruz and agree with his positions but we’re not in love with him. Not sure people should fall in love with a candidate but ...
In the real estate business we refer to Vera’s actions as “overplaying her hand”. This was a boarding house, not the family farm, let’s be clear about that. Here is an excellent article which tells the end story about Vera.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/22/nyregion/a-homeowner-who-refused-to-cash-out-in-a-gambling-town-may-have-missed-her-chance.html
She was offered a fair price...she declined...her family is now left to settle for whatever they get in a real estate auction.
“But those offers, along with threats of eminent domain that turned her briefly into a national hero, were never enough to force Vera Coking out of the summertime retreat she and her husband, Raymond, bought for $20,000 in 1961.
Now, as Atlantic City teeters under the weight of all of its opulence, Ms. Coking and her family may have lost their shot at a big payout.
After decades of happily running her boarding home, Ms. Coking was eventually relegated to the ground floor before her family moved her out. Now 91, she lives at a retirement home in the San Francisco Bay Area near her grandson, Ed Casey. He has been trying to sell the property since she moved out in 2010, initially putting it on the market for $5 million....Mr. Casey said the most he remembered Mr. Trump offering was $1.9 million...now the property will go up for auction. The reserve price, or the lowest the seller will accept, is $199,000.”
The land was assessed in 1996 for $251,000 and Trump offered $1.900,000. That is definitely not Trump “stealing the property.”
Here is an even better article about the eminent domain closer in time without the taint of an election. The funniest thing about the story is that the lawyer who defended this for the property owner was in it for his ego. In the end, he made a name for himself and unwittingly his client lost quite a bit of money.
“CRDA said Coking’s place was worth only $251,000. Coking wanted $1.5 million. So the CRDA sued Coking and the two other owners to condemn their parcels, and turn the land over to Trump.
“CRDA figured the parking use would constitute the grounds to condemn land in the gateway corridor of proposed new development between Trump Plaza on the ocean and the new convention center on the west side of town.”
“Then I did something that had never been done before in condemnation work,” Zeitz said. “I filed an answer to that complaint, and then filed a third-party complaint against Trump and against the CRDA, alleging that they were conspiring to violate her civil rights, by taking her property without due process.
“I sued them, and brought Trump into the case,” Zeitz said. “It was, ‘The Widow vs. The Tycoon.’ You want to know what this really was? It was two people with gigantic egos, namely me and Trump, and then a person with real major principles, which was her. That’s what fueled the fire. That’s what kept the battle going.”
I do not understand why you call it “abuse”. When this situation took place #1 Trump was not the only one vying for her property, but the other guy only offered her $1M for a $250,000 property, while Trump offered her $2-$4M plus a room, for life in any one of his buildings, her choice. You can hardly call that abuse or theft. This woman wanted $5M plain and simple, which is exactly why ED is necessary. Were it not for ED you would have few Wal-Marts, Amazons, Costco’s or Home Depots. If there is ANY business coming into a city and in most cases a DYING city, they have to have a place to put it.
The outcome of this situation, in 2014 the house was sold for $530k.
Actually, Trump had nothing to do with that; years after she rejected a large offer and wound up with a worthless piece of property, he made his own offer for the parcel, and she rejected it. And for the libeling broken record astroturf ******-******s:
There is also the time where Trump in his limousine had a flat tire. A couple stopped to help. He asked the husband for their address so that he might send his wife flowers to thank them for their help. The man gave it. 3 days later they received the flowers, with a note attached, informing them that Trump had also paid off their mortgage.
I hate the Kelo ruling.
Glad that Trump compensated her well.
And now Trump is ‘bearding us’ about turning a ‘little establishment’.
A side of me is relieved. Trump feels strong. He feels ready to tackle all comers. No need for me to defend him. He should be able to defend himself.
So I’ll just sit this one out and agree with Cruz.
I hate Kelo.
WOW, how can Trump dispute this?
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