Residents sue Mississippi city for declaring their properties blighted in redevelopment plan
Associated Press— A Mississippi city failed to properly inform property owners in a majority-Black neighborhood that their homes could be targeted for eminent domain under a redevelopment plan, some residents argue in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Southern District of Mississippi, said the coastal city of Ocean Springs created an “urban renewal” proposal in an area that includes the properties of four residents and a local Baptist church. “Depriving people of their property rights without any process is a clear violation of the U.S. Constitution.” The lawsuit asks the court to declare state urban renewal codes that the city followed unconstitutional. In a statement Thursday, Ocean Springs Mayor Kenny Holloway said the city’s proposed plan follows Mississippi statute and that Mississippi Attorney General Fitch will address the claims that the statutes are unconstitutional.
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