FEAR: YOU ARE NOT ALONE IF YOU FEAR YOU WILL BE FORECED OR PRESSURED TO SELL YOUR HOME

Plans, hopes, ideals and modes of operating this group

From Bob Corbett
July 15, 2005

Folks,

I am opening this new list to be the central gathering place for what I hope will be a neighborhood service. Dogtown is undergoing massive redevelopment and development like nothing this neighborhood has seen since right after WWII.

I am a PROPONENT of most of this development. What I’ve seen so far is primarily development which delights me, seems to improve the neighborhood and improves the housing stock of the area.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS LIST – A TOOL FOR WHAT IS BELOW

However, the concurrence of two things leads to one troublesome problem:

1. This development itself, and considerable profits for developers (mainly well earned), makes it quite attractive to, at times, go beyond the completely free and willing transfer of property, into the use of a huge variety of “pressure” tactics.
2. On top of that, the recent Supreme Court decision that eminent domain may be used in support of economic development emboldens such pressured property transfers.
3. Finally, the FREQUENT lack of knowledge on the part of homeowners makes them easy prey for developers and public servants who would wish to go beyond the COMPLETELY FREE WILLING transfer of property, and use of tactics from legal manipulation to much more subtle “pressures” that makes people sell their properties when they don’t want to at all.

At the outset I want to make crystal clear: For the purposes of THIS LIST, I have not one single quarrel with free and HONESTLY WILLING transfers of property. If a property owner chooses, without undo and subtle pressure, to sell their property, I support that 100%, and then the question of what the developers or purchasers do with that property is not something THIS LIST is concerned with.

Dogtown has many elderly and needy folks, and very many of us (I include myself) are not well versed in the laws or in the practices within the real estate development world. It is very easy for a property owner to feel he or she MUST sell or suffer some negative consequences.

It is this issue of FEAR in the face of NOT WANTING TO SELL property that this list addresses. That issue and the related legal issues and more subtle pressures that are the sole interest here.

I will start with the subjective reality of FEAR a person feels. We might hear this fear and think the person is misguided, there really is nothing to fear, things are on the up and up and so on, even that they SHOULDN’T feel this fear. But the FEAR is real to the person, and I sympathize with that fear and want there to be a place, some people, people feeling such fear, no matter the ground, to get some support and help.

I do NOT hold that every home in Dogtown is worth saving. There are unsightly homes in Dogtown and I would, personally, prefer to see them gone or at least significantly improved. But my WISH seems to me much less important than the HOME that someone has, has had, often for generations. I believe people have a right to their homes and that only the most pressing need of the community should force them out.

I think there are such reasons, but economic development is not one of those for me. The Supreme Court has made it clear that its decision is that such usage is not ILLEGAL or UNCONSTITUTIONAL. I accept that. But, nothing says it is NECESSARY either. A community may resist the use of such tactics and this list is here to help people who wish to resist tactics that will take their property or pressure them to sell, no matter what.

THE WAY I WILL RUN THE LIST

To join this mailing list send a note to:

At the outset I have to say there would be no possibility to follow on this project were it not for the committed help of Bill Miller. An absolutely CENTRAL need is for someone to be the primary pivotal person who will help keep an eye of what is happening, what is being offered at law or to the city legal system. Bill Miller has great talent in doing this, he has the patience and perseverance to do it and, so very important, he has VOLUNTEERED to do as much of that as he can.

Without that encouragement and commitment I wouldn’t even consider to be so bold as to start this process which may eat of a huge amount of my time and energy and probably even more of Bill’s.

But, Bill Miller can’t do it all. I am coming to you with this list to PLEAD for help of the watchful eye. We need to know who FEELS fear. Forget completely if this felt fear is just or not. Let’s deal with the subjective reality of it and try to help our neighbors face, evaluate and deal with their fears. FEAR is not way to live a life.

I will post relevant data on what is going on, what are developers DOING, and what pressures are residents FEELING to sell if they do not wish to.

I will post relevant data on what legal vehicles are and MEAN, things like blighting, eminent domain, or any other tools of law which arise.

I will post data on the more SUBTLE tools of pressure which we may think the developers or city officials are using on residents to make them sell and to feel this fear.

I will post information of ACTIONS we as citizen can take to inform, support and stand by those who are in FEAR, no matter the source of that fear.

I will NOT post items which attack any people – developers or public officials or others -- PERSONALLY for any actions, but if their PRACTICES in seeking to get people who do not want to sell are uncovered I will post any manner of information of such actions.

I am the moderator and will post ONLY what I deem relevant to these aims.

A brief word on my history with such a list. In 1994 I began a mailing list with 7 people as subscribers on the country of Haiti. Unlike this single issue list, that list deals with absolutely every aspect of Haitian life: history, current politics, the Voodoo religion, art, music, ecology, inquiry about persons, announcements of events and on and on and on.

Like here I am the moderator and control the list. There are several THOUSAND subscribers now, and large numbers of U.S. government officials and offices, most of the Haitian government, international journalists with interests in Haiti, nearly every major academic studying Haiti, and many Haitians in Haiti and Haitians abroad.

The Haiti list is not a list for the faint hearted. I often post 30-40 messages a day, 365 days a year. It is mainly political and life and death issues which are sent in and are OFTEN at issue. I’ve managed to run the list all these years without allowing personal attack on PERSONS while allowing any ARGUMENT to be challenged. I will do the same with this list.

It is one thing (legitimate) to say that Jones claims x, and x is wrong or misguided or unfactual (acceptable) and something totally different to say Jones is stupid, evil, crazy or such personal claims. I will NOT post items with personal attacks.

WHAT WILL WE DO ON THIS LIST?

I am hoping we can do AT LEAST the following:

1. Educate ourselves about such things as the local (Dogtown) rules and MEANINGS for such things as blighting, eminent domain, and other relevant details.
2. Educate ourselves on the more subtle tactics of getting people to sell against their will.
3. Early on: write a letter to have delivered to absolutely every home in Dogtown, telling people that this voluntary group of citizens are here to HEAR from them, ADVISE them as we can and STAND with them when necessary.
4. Carry on discussions of these general issues and attitudes toward voluntary and non-voluntary selling, especially the meanings, uses of and power of blighting and eminent domain.

That seems enough to get us going!!!! Lots of desires, dreams and hopes. Slowly, slowly let’s turn these into reality.

Bob Corbett