Doubly Dirty Deed

You shouldn’t kick a man when he’s down. Especially when it was wrong to knock him down at all.

But that’s what office-​holders who abuse the power of eminent domain often do. First they grab somebody’s property to give to some other private party. Then the victimized former owner can’t even get “just compensation.”

You’re not in the best bargaining position when your stuff is taken by force. To government officials “just compensation” too often means “whatever lowball figure we can get away with, given how we successfully stole this guy’s property to begin with.”

Bruce MacCloud is an eminent domain victim in Long Branch, New Jersey, who is fighting back. An appellate court recently ruled that he deserves $220,000 in compensation for the 2002 destruction of his 17-​room Victorian house, his home for 23 years. Destroyed to make way for a new oceanfront development.

In 2002 the city offered him $140,000. MacCloud wants $633,000. So he doesn’t think much of the court’s new modestly greater “offer” being made some five years later. He wants to know, “Where can I buy a home, anywhere, not just on the oceanfront, for $220,000 … ?

“I had a home that I owned. I had a roof to put over my kids’ heads, and it was taken from us.”

Bruce MacCloud vows to fight on. He’s representing himself, for now. That’s all he can afford. There aren’t exactly court-​appointed attorneys for cases like this.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.