> Wojtek, originally I'm from Chicago, where the use of eminent domain
> for "slum clearance" was quite bad. There, "urban renewal" eventually
> became known as "negro removal." A demilitarized zone was carved
> around the University of Chicago, for example, destroying a
> down-at-the-heels neighborhood that had character despite being in bad
> shape. (It was one "home of the blues.") This lead to crowding in
> other Black neighborhoods, because public housing wasn't built fast
> enough. When it was built, it consisted of soul-less high-rise slums
> that are now being torn down because they were disastrous.
Eminent domain sucks and we see today how bad this practice can be when it is taken over by greedy private interests. Eminent domain is not an acceptable practice by the state and it is even more dangerous when the state uses it for private interests.
As Jim points out, eminent domain sucks even when it is used for the "public interest." If I remember correctly, the highway going south from downtown Chicago was designed in part to divide the political power of black neigborhoods.
Some friends of mine were recently screwed over by Kansas City when their living space and concert venue was taken over by eminent domain so the city could build a sport arena for teams that don't exist.
Chuck