HomeUploadUpload DirectHotlinkRandomAbouttheme toggle
Expand

Philly Artist Fights City Hall Over Eminent Domain Abuse

Views:1007
@ReasonVids

Philadelphia's James Dupree is an accomplished artist whose work has appeared in museum all over the world, including his hometown's Philadelphia Museum of Art and African American Museum.

In 2005, Dupree bought a dilapidated warehouse in the City of Brotherly Love's Mantua neighborhood and worked to turn it into a studio that hosts his personal workshop, art classes, and even visitors through Airbnb.

That's all being threatened by the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority (PRA), a local government agency that is supposed to revitalize distressed neighborhoods.

PRA made plans with Aquinas Realty Partners to convert the block that Dupree's studio is on into a multi-use area with retail shops and a high-end grocery store. PRA designated the studio as blighted and moved to take it via eminent domain, the government's right to seize property for public use. It planned to give the property to the private developer Aquinas. Part of the eminent domain process is that dispossessed property owners must be offered fair and just compensation. PRA offered Dupree $640,000 for his property even though the estimated market value is $2.2 million.

Taking private property and then giving it to a developer constitutes abuse of eminent domain, says Institute for Justice senior attorney Scott Bullock. "A grocery store is like any other private business," he explains. "It is about as far away from a public use as one could imagine." Historically, eminent domain was used to build things such as roads, public schools, and hospitals. Increasingly, though, it's being used by governments to give favored developers sweetheart deals.

Bullock was the lead counsel in the 2005 Supreme Court case Kelo v. New London, which involved a municipal government in Connecticut seizing property and giving it to a private developer to build a hotel complex. The high court ruled that it was constitutional as long as the government said they were trying to increase tax revenues. The Kelo decision was highly controversial and led many states and municipalities to pass tighter restrictions on the use of eminent domain.

Ironically, the inefficiency of municipal bureaucracy may give Dupree his best chance of winning his case. When PRA classified Dupree's property as blighted, it ended up condemning only two of the three addresses his property sits on.

Dupree has begun an online petition and has taken PRA to court. A decision is expected later this year.

About 5 minutes.

Produced by Joshua Swain. Narrated by Nick Gillespie.

Scroll down for downloadable versions of this video and subscribe to Reason TV's YouTube channel to receive automatic updates when new material goes live.

eminent domain (tag)
,
philadelphia city hall (building)
,
philadelphia (city/town/village)
,
reason tv
,
reason (periodical)
,
nick gillespie (author)
,
james dupree
,
institute for justice
,
corruption
,
kelo v. city of new london (event)
,
airbnb (website)
,
mantua (city/town/village)
,
philadelphia redevelopment authority
,
pra
,
aquinas
,
scott bullock
,
kelo
,
eminent domain
,
eminent domain abuse
,
private property
,
public good
    Thumbnail for You Won't Believe This Border Patrol Checkpoint Refusal Video1:36
    You Won't Believe This Border Patrol Checkpoint Refusal Video
    ReasonVids
    907 views
    Thumbnail for “Buh- but- you can’t just turn a sphere inside out!” | SpicyPotato0:09
    “Buh- but- you can’t just turn a sphere inside out!” | SpicyPotato
    invidious
    301 views
    Thumbnail for Boston's Mayor Instantly Regrets Asking For Feedback On Her Live Video, Panic Sets In1:23
    Boston's Mayor Instantly Regrets Asking For Feedback On Her Live Video, Panic Sets In
    AOU
    1540 views
    Thumbnail for OnePlus cloned the iPad... - OnePlus Pad | ShortCircuit18:24
    OnePlus cloned the iPad... - OnePlus Pad | ShortCircuit
    invidious
    395 views
    Thumbnail for 🔴BGMI with Sharkshe | Sharkshe S1:57:43
    🔴BGMI with Sharkshe | Sharkshe S
    invidious
    158 views
    Thumbnail for Eunuch Corner Club: What Have I Learned (blackpilled)25:11
    Eunuch Corner Club: What Have I Learned (blackpilled)
    AOUisgay
    535 views
    Thumbnail for New Orleans Judge's Orders Benefited a Private Company1:12
    New Orleans Judge's Orders Benefited a Private Company
    IJvids
    1036 views
    Thumbnail for "Red Army" Film Explores Sports as Propaganda3:49
    "Red Army" Film Explores Sports as Propaganda
    ReasonVids
    945 views
    Thumbnail for We Read Hillary's Book So You Don't Have To4:38
    We Read Hillary's Book So You Don't Have To
    ReasonVids
    926 views
    Thumbnail for Uber and the Great Taxicab Collapse7:44
    Uber and the Great Taxicab Collapse
    ReasonVids
    975 views
    Thumbnail for Flexible Pickup / Collectible System in Unity With Events | BMo12:12
    Flexible Pickup / Collectible System in Unity With Events | BMo
    tech.topic
    585 views
    Thumbnail for 2ª EDIÇÃO - 02/05/2025 DEUS ME DIBRE  -  AO VIVO TODOS OS DIAS ÀS 17H! | BORA PRA RESENHA TV1:59:15
    2ª EDIÇÃO - 02/05/2025 DEUS ME DIBRE - AO VIVO TODOS OS DIAS ÀS 17H! | BORA PRA RESENHA TV
    invidious
    54 views
    Thumbnail for f5ve - Sugar Free Venom feat. Kesha (Official MV) | f5ve2:51
    f5ve - Sugar Free Venom feat. Kesha (Official MV) | f5ve
    invidious
    120 views
    Thumbnail for Microsoft Announces World's First Topological Quantum Chip - Majorana 1 Explained1:00
    Microsoft Announces World's First Topological Quantum Chip - Majorana 1 Explained
    invidious
    123 views
    Thumbnail for Don't validate the lies2:20
    Don't validate the lies
    bestofvoatxyz
    758 views
    Thumbnail for Sixteen Candles (Teaser) - This Aged Great! | This Aged Great!2:09
    Sixteen Candles (Teaser) - This Aged Great! | This Aged Great!
    invidious
    153 views
    Thumbnail for The War on Sex Trafficking is the New War on Drugs1:05
    The War on Sex Trafficking is the New War on Drugs
    ReasonVids
    922 views
    Thumbnail for Universidad Francisco Marroquin (aka University of Free Marketeers)9:37
    Universidad Francisco Marroquin (aka University of Free Marketeers)
    ReasonVids
    885 views
    Thumbnail for Local Restaurant Gets Robot0:06
    Local Restaurant Gets Robot
    bestofsaidit
    713 views
    Thumbnail for 城寨 Stand Up II : 「C C字幕版」15/12/2024: 中共莫財一帶一路爛尾 多個基建項目中標之後冇錢施工 土耳其左右逢源乘勢而上 烏干達至肯亞鐵路由土耳其中標日本歐洲融資 | 城寨 Singjai41:29
    城寨 Stand Up II : 「C C字幕版」15/12/2024: 中共莫財一帶一路爛尾 多個基建項目中標之後冇錢施工 土耳其左右逢源乘勢而上 烏干達至肯亞鐵路由土耳其中標日本歐洲融資 | 城寨 Singjai
    invidious
    77 views
    Thumbnail for Is Minecraft 1.19 A Disappointment? What Went Wrong With The Wild Update?8:41
    Is Minecraft 1.19 A Disappointment? What Went Wrong With The Wild Update?
    ReasonVids
    961 views
    Thumbnail for Activist Jose Vega Shames Editors of the NY Times, WaPo, LA Times, and Reuters into Silence – For Being Nothing More than Government Shills and Hacks.3:31
    Activist Jose Vega Shames Editors of the NY Times, WaPo, LA Times, and Reuters into Silence – For Being Nothing More than Government Shills and Hacks.
    AOUisgay
    422 views
    Thumbnail for I charge $100/sandwich🥪indian aloo grilled cheese 🤸🏻#indianfood #indianstreetfood #uyiamma | Jully Patel0:52
    I charge $100/sandwich🥪indian aloo grilled cheese 🤸🏻#indianfood #indianstreetfood #uyiamma | Jully Patel
    invidious
    112 views
    Thumbnail for Bonded Horses Get Rescued Together From A Kill Pen | The Dodo1:00
    Bonded Horses Get Rescued Together From A Kill Pen | The Dodo
    invidious
    62 views
    Thumbnail for Feds vs. Raisins: Small Farmers Stand Up to the USDA7:12
    Feds vs. Raisins: Small Farmers Stand Up to the USDA
    ReasonVids
    962 views

points

Permalink
Reply
eminent domain (tag)
,
philadelphia city hall (building)
,
philadelphia (city/town/village)
,
reason tv
,
reason (periodical)
,
nick gillespie (author)
,
james dupree
,
institute for justice
,
corruption
,
kelo v. city of new london (event)
,
airbnb (website)
,
mantua (city/town/village)
,
philadelphia redevelopment authority
,
pra
,
aquinas
,
scott bullock
,
kelo
,
eminent domain
,
eminent domain abuse
,
private property
,
public good
TOS  •  Add Keywords  •  Donate  •   Analytics  •   DMCA  •   Puzzle