Supporting Philly Artist James Dupree against the eminent domain!
Jan 25, 2014
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the city government is carrying out a great injustice and infringement on the rights of Philadelphia native, artist, and business owner James Dupree. Mr. Dupree, a world renowned artist has seen his 8,600-square-foot property illegally seized under “eminent domain.” As an infringement of Mr. Dupree’s property rights, the Property Rights Alliance is standing up for Mr. Dupree alongside the ACLU Philadelphia chapter and numerous organizations, calling for the return of the deed to his property by the Philadelphia city government.
In December of 2013, the city of Philadelphia illegally seized Mr. Dupree’s property under eminent domain. Eminent domain is only legal when the land seized is for “public use” like schools and roads. However, the city has seized the deed to Mr. Dupree’s property for the development of a supermarket and parking garage by a private developer. What is even more appalling is that the city is offering less than one-third of the property’s value.
If the development of a supermarket and parking garage in the Mantua area of Philadelphia is of such a high priority for the city council, they could easily, and legally, sell the private developer any one of the 400 city owned vacant lots in its possession instead of violated Mr. Dupree’s property rights. It is cases such as Mr. Dupree’s where government abuses its power and fails to protect property rights that threaten the prosperity of businesses and ordinary citizens in the United States.
Please see the coalition letter supporting the artist Mr. James Dupree