All your house . . . are belong to us!
The Kansas Law Student weighs in with a great essay regarding eminent domain and its legal impact.
This issue is important for residents of KC because of the redevelopment boom going on all over the downtown area. I’m not a lawyer (Thank God. I guess I still have a reasonable chance of not going straight to Hell) so I wouldn’t think to debate the legal ramification of the Supreme Court ruling. However, for the people of KC, I think this decision really just means more of the same.
Longtime Downtown merchants have already been chased off by Country Club Kay and her lust after vanity projects and high end retailers. Condo and loft development on the Westside will most likely have longtime residents fleeing the higher property taxes that come along with higher property values. And the empty downtown district seems to be undergoing a renaissance brought about by art loving hipsters at the Crossroads.
But if you’ve read this blog for any amount of time you know that I’ve never thought that the world is all sunshine and lollypops. Growing up in KC I’ve watched white people scurry from neighborhoods, shopping malls and schools because minorities threatened to approach. There is no such thing as integration; there are only neighborhoods, school districts and places in transition. Put simply, until the fact that white people don’t like living, eating or breathing around black people is acknowledged and addressed than all future KC real estate developments will be conducted in the shadow of the unspoken racism that has darkened this town for ages.
In terms of eminent domain, the African-American community has vacated downtown and much of the Northeast area. Similarly (no offense), the low income transient population has been pushed out as well. And the Mexicans . . . ah, those likeable bastards fit into the scenery just as easily as the pavement and they pretty much keep to themselves when they aren’t dealing drugs or promoting illegal immigration. (Which could potentially be a boon to rich downtown newbies as well, who doesn’t need cheap labor and drugs from time to time?)
Developers and condo dwellers have set upon downtown in a real estate speculation craze that rivals the gold rush. Through eminent domain, distressed property buyouts and selective code enforcement developers and the city officials that hanker after them don’t ask about their plans, they only dictate their terms. Because, in the end, everybody wants a great view of the stadium, even if it ends up looking like a defective tampon. Everybody wants a view of the skyline, even if they have to build on top of fixed income old ladies in order to get a better look.
And maybe condo and loft dwellers might someday look out and see a city transformed into a brilliant luxury shopping mall with posh eateries and hip hangouts OR Maybe all these KC downtown newbies will see the low income and minority communities they’ve displaced or built on top of, maybe they’ll notice a police force that uses excessive (and often lethal) force as their first option and maybe, just maybe they’ll see that the value of a community is defined by more than just a luxury living space with a high price tag . . .
Either that or maybe sooner or later the city’s high murder rate will claim the life of a middle class white person and people will actually comprehend the carnage on KC streets, take their valuables to the furthest hinterland suburban hideaway and deal with the commute like they’ve been doing since segregation ended. Nobody knows what the future holds for KC.
This issue is important for residents of KC because of the redevelopment boom going on all over the downtown area. I’m not a lawyer (Thank God. I guess I still have a reasonable chance of not going straight to Hell) so I wouldn’t think to debate the legal ramification of the Supreme Court ruling. However, for the people of KC, I think this decision really just means more of the same.
Longtime Downtown merchants have already been chased off by Country Club Kay and her lust after vanity projects and high end retailers. Condo and loft development on the Westside will most likely have longtime residents fleeing the higher property taxes that come along with higher property values. And the empty downtown district seems to be undergoing a renaissance brought about by art loving hipsters at the Crossroads.
But if you’ve read this blog for any amount of time you know that I’ve never thought that the world is all sunshine and lollypops. Growing up in KC I’ve watched white people scurry from neighborhoods, shopping malls and schools because minorities threatened to approach. There is no such thing as integration; there are only neighborhoods, school districts and places in transition. Put simply, until the fact that white people don’t like living, eating or breathing around black people is acknowledged and addressed than all future KC real estate developments will be conducted in the shadow of the unspoken racism that has darkened this town for ages.
In terms of eminent domain, the African-American community has vacated downtown and much of the Northeast area. Similarly (no offense), the low income transient population has been pushed out as well. And the Mexicans . . . ah, those likeable bastards fit into the scenery just as easily as the pavement and they pretty much keep to themselves when they aren’t dealing drugs or promoting illegal immigration. (Which could potentially be a boon to rich downtown newbies as well, who doesn’t need cheap labor and drugs from time to time?)
Developers and condo dwellers have set upon downtown in a real estate speculation craze that rivals the gold rush. Through eminent domain, distressed property buyouts and selective code enforcement developers and the city officials that hanker after them don’t ask about their plans, they only dictate their terms. Because, in the end, everybody wants a great view of the stadium, even if it ends up looking like a defective tampon. Everybody wants a view of the skyline, even if they have to build on top of fixed income old ladies in order to get a better look.
And maybe condo and loft dwellers might someday look out and see a city transformed into a brilliant luxury shopping mall with posh eateries and hip hangouts OR Maybe all these KC downtown newbies will see the low income and minority communities they’ve displaced or built on top of, maybe they’ll notice a police force that uses excessive (and often lethal) force as their first option and maybe, just maybe they’ll see that the value of a community is defined by more than just a luxury living space with a high price tag . . .
Either that or maybe sooner or later the city’s high murder rate will claim the life of a middle class white person and people will actually comprehend the carnage on KC streets, take their valuables to the furthest hinterland suburban hideaway and deal with the commute like they’ve been doing since segregation ended. Nobody knows what the future holds for KC.
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