[Wallace T.]

I am a strong supporter of local government as opposed to dicates from the state capital or Washington. However, local governments can be, in their own small way, as abusive as their bigger brothers. We had an incident of a similar nature a few years ago in Hurst, Texas (suburb of Fort Worth), where eminent domain was used to seize homes in order to facilitate the expansion of Northeast Mall. If the power of eminent domain is to be used, it must be restricted to its original common law intent: public necessity or the common good. Society cannot function without roads, railways, utility lines, etc. It can function without one more "big box" store or larger mall.

[JavaTheHutt]

I remember the battle over Northeast Mall. When some of the homeowners refused to sell, the city stepped in, disconnected all utilities and then condemned the properties. There was even one instance where city employees smashed down the front door of a home to get inside, only to find that the owners were still living there. While the homeowners lawsuit was being battled in the courts, the city came in and bulldozed the 'condemned' homes.

I never did hear if there was a final decision made in the lawsuit. I'd appreciate hearing about the final outcome, if you know.