In January 2007, property owners in Bohemian Hills (southwest corner of Lafayette and Tucker) received letters from the St. Louis Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority requesting to purchase their properties. Property owners and MEDAC, concerned that their property rights may be abused, placed a mural on the side of one of the buildings in Bohemian Hills. It is circular and contains the words "End Eminent Domain Abuse" with a diagonal red line drawn through it and can be seen from Interstates 44 and 55, Gravois Avenue, Russell Boulevard and 12th Street.
Actions by the St. Louis Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority highlight the shortcomings of Missouri House Bill #1944 which is supposed to have ended eminent domain abuse in Missouri. Although the bill does protect farmland, it fails to protect property owners in urban settings. The Bohemian Hills neighborhood is an example that eminent domain abuse still exists.
Although the City of St. Louis would like the mural to come down its visibility is attracting a lot of interest and traffic.
The April 17, 2007 issue of the Southside City Journal ran an article on the sign.
From the time that I saw the report about this sign recently on the evening news I was wondering about it. With the red circle and line, it means Stop the End of Eminent Domain Abuse. This seems to be the opposite of what your organization is about.
Posted by: Thomas Zenthoefer | July 01, 2007 at 11:49 PM