After years of fighting with the Regional Transportation District of Denver to prevent the loss of their home and business to eminent domain, Lakewood property owners Kim Snyder and Galen Foster have settled and plan to relocate. The couple recently sat down with Independence Institute President Jon Caldara to film a final video in the series: "The Human Cost of FasTracks."
FosterIndependence Institute
The first video featuring Snyder and Foster received nearly 12,000 views over a year ago, when the couple's future was uncertain. Since then, they have settled with RTD for $595,000 for their property plus an undisclosed sum for relocation away from the west corridor FasTracks line.
In the recent interview with Caldara, a teary-eyed Snyder explained RTD's "arrogance" in taking their property.
"They talk about making you whole, but you can't make people whole when you live in America and they are forcing you to do something that you don't want to do," said Snyder. "You don't make people whole and I really resent that term. It isn't possible. Two years of our life is gone trying to fight for something that has always been ours."
At the center of this controversy was whether RTD will eventually turn the couple's land over to a private developer.
"Time will tell what's really going to happen," said Foster. "Is it really RTD who's going to use it to develop, or will they hand it over to someone else to develop? Only time will tell."
FTS Flashback: Listen to our special radio report on the Pro-Tint settlement with RTD.
Property Rights
On June 18th, 2009 MikeB says:
We salute Galen Foster, Kim Snyder, the Independence Institute and all those who supported their property rights battle. Talk about a "transformative experience!"
Speaking as someone actually fighting eminent domain in federal court with Houston-based Spectra Energy, I can confirm that it amounts to legal plunder under the badge of government.
Ultimately, power corrupts; and the power of eminent domain in the hands of government — which is transferred to a business — creates a sense of entitlement; and it creates an atmosphere ripe for abuse.
Nowadays, eminent domain has less to do with projects for the “public good,” and everything to do with the financial good of publicly held companies.
Our group of property owners are happy to share what we've learned with folks fighting similar battles for property rights. Our website has begun to draw inquiries from Massachusetts to Oklahoma from folks facing similar challenges.
For info, our site includes a landowner video to put a face on the property rights movement and blog postings:
http://www.spectraenergywatch.com/blog/