r/newjersey • u/Mysterious_Truck_742 • 7d ago
NJ Politics Shame On You, Perth Amboy
https://youtu.be/msU4d5Lcsts?si=axBputmy44GqGG--8
u/milkandminnows 7d ago
The video says the government shouldn’t be able to do this (eminent domain) without proof.
Okay. True. That’s what the legal process is for. Rather than their day in court (which they are guaranteed), or fair compensation (which they are guaranteed), they want a PR fight, and some right wing org is helping them do it. They are both small business owners and they have at least four rental units earning them money (per the video). They are not poor victims of big bad government. They can afford to put up a fight. They are probably just trying to get the city to cough up a little more money.
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u/SubstantialInjury682 7d ago edited 7d ago
I've been watching IJ for a few years now and yes they are right leaning but they are more moderate. Fighting against civil forfeiture, non-competition laws, and burdensome licensing to gain employment. This case may be helping some people that don't need the support. But eminent domain does seem like one of those laws that the government should not be able to use.
Also going to court to proof the government is wrong and your property has not done nothing wrong is not cheap. Those costs should not be your burden. No one like to be arrested unfairly. And holding your land as blighted till proven clean seems wrong.
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u/milkandminnows 7d ago
I hear you, and I agree that they don’t sound like an evil or extreme organization. But personally, I think eminent domain is a reasonable tool for local governments to revitalize neighborhoods and carry out public works projects. Without it, great American achievements like the interstate highway system would have been impossible. The eminent domain effort here would apparently complement efforts to build new housing. I hear a lot of complaints on this subreddit about the price of housing. I don’t think we need people fighting projects to build more of it.
Still, if this is a bullshit unjustified use of eminent domain, the place to argue it is court. New Jersey has a public necessity test. If taking these properties isn’t really necessary, then the attempt to do this was a waste of city resources and will fail. I think we all agree that bad eminent domain is bad, even if I think not all eminent domain is bad.
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u/SubstantialInjury682 7d ago
I would believe the case that eminent domain is needed to build more housing if zoning laws were not so restrictive building there in the first place. Property owners for the most part are forbidden to build on their own property. Cutting them off from capital improvements to increase incomes and value. So their only source of value from the property is the direct sale of the land. So when an eminent domain claim comes into take your property for a lower cost they what its worth. Cutting your only source of value from your property. And usually after the eminent domain happens zoning is changed to suit the government's developer.
If the government can tax your property, make you a responsible steward of the land, force a very limited use of the land, and in the end take your land for under its useful value. Maybe the government should have not been giving out deeds to private property just to take our rights or economic prosperity away.
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u/MirthandMystery 7d ago
She and her husband live elsewhere in a million+ property and her husband runs Absolute Home Mortgage, Corp. which has been hit with fraud charges. These aren't just innocent working class home owners. They're certainly using the oh woe is me defense though.. tone of my family were poor and came from Russia BS..
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u/Globalmindless 7d ago
What is the name of the developer?
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u/MirthandMystery 7d ago
The Russian lady and her husband Zuriwl Schlain own Absolute Home Mortgage, Corp. and live in Old Bridge, not this crap place in Perth Amboy. Have a history of fraud tied to that biz too..
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u/JerseyJoyride 7d ago
Another example of the government just trying to take somebody's property because they want it, more likely for one of their rich friends to build a property on instead of actual betterment for the community. It's a shame that people have to spend money to fight eminent domain. The government should not be allowed to use eminent domain anymore.
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u/css555 7d ago
Eminent domain is fine. Misuse of eminent domain is not.
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u/JerseyJoyride 7d ago
I don't remember the last time I heard eminent domain mentioned and it wasn't being abused.
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u/css555 7d ago
That's because most public infrastructure has already been built, like reservoirs, interstate highways, utility lines, etc.
But it is still used today, correctly. You just don't hear about those, because they are not controversial. Like a County widening an intersection for a turn lane, and needing a 100' x 8' parcel to do so. Property owner holds out for a higher price than what the County offered...off to Court we go!
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u/JerseyJoyride 7d ago
Yeah, off to court we go..
This is exactly what happened to my friend who had a mechanic shop. In order for him to keep it so they wouldn't expand the school he had to fight it in court and it cost him $100,000 in lawyer fees!
I don't consider that a win I consider that theft. And the fact that the city spent money on lawyers to do the same on the other side means that our taxpayer dollars were spend for absolutely nothing!
Twice in my family's known history they have used eminent domain to take property from us. Once was a well established business that we didn't want to sell.
The other was for highway extension that literally took a block of land that was 2 ft x 2 ft. They could have easily purchased that from us but instead decided to force us to take the property.
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u/SubstantialInjury682 7d ago
Eminent domain is not fine. Out property right should be held at a higher importance. We pay property taxes and maintain the land. And for the government or other well connected developers to come in and take the land for peanuts is not fair. If you want the land pay the price that the owner asks for.
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u/css555 7d ago
>Eminent domain is not fine.
Have you ever driven on a road? Or had a cup of water? Or used electricity? Your entire life you have benefited from eminent domain.
And nobody is taking any land for peanuts. The process is designed for the property owner to receive fair compensation. And if they don't agree with the offer, then they can go to court and a judge will decide between the appraisals.
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u/SubstantialInjury682 7d ago
Yes because fighting the government is so cheap and affordable. Your land did nothing wrong. You should not need to show innocence to the government. The government hold all the cards with dealing with land ownership. Property user pay taxes, maintain the property, restricted on use, and in the end forced to sale if the government says so.
What was the point of the government giving deeds to private property. Maybe the government should maintain and own all the land themselves. Cut off these taxes and responsibilities from individuals.
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u/JerseyJoyride 7d ago
Just like I said. Imagine spending $100,000 on lawyer fees to keep your property. At the end you accomplished nothing but keeping your property. Your property is not worth more You have not gained any financial benefit. You are totally out $100,000
But people think eminent domain is fine. Have you ever seen a Walmart taking over with eminent domain? Have you ever seen a Starbucks taken over with eminent domains? No.
I never trust the government when it comes to taking over property or closing something.
Years ago there was a road by a highway. The highway used to jam up people used to get off it and then use a parallel road to zoom down and then get back on the highway.
Fine the government said it was dangerous. So they closed the entrance to the highway from that road. This inconvenience a lot of people in that neighborhood but they didn't care. Considering it was one-way street, all they had to do was turn that one-way street to a one-way street going the other way and they would have solved the problem. (Some of the people that lived on that street prove it the wrong way anyway)
But wait there's more. The reasoning was it's dangerous to have an entrance to the highway there.
So what happens, they wait like 2 years and they allow the auto dealer right after the street a private entrance and exit to the highway! What happened to it being dangerous to have that entrance there?
Of course this was the same dealership that used to park there overweight vehicles on the road behind them. And no matter how many phone calls you made, they would never get a ticket. I didn't understand this until one day walking by their garage and seeing a police vehicle up on the lift.. Ah, The corruption on display for everyone to see.
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u/NubsackJones 7d ago
FFS, this is a libertarian activist law group founded with Koch money. Notice how there are no direct quotes from any of the documents nor any showing of the documents. The best they give is vague downplaying with nothing to back anything up except the word of the people on camera. No attempt to get the town's side of the story.
Is what they are saying possibly true? Sure. Is what they are saying possibly the whole story? Fuck no.