Eminent Domain

by Monique French

Christopher Tyree / VCIJ at WHRO. Picture of demolition truck that hauled homes from Shoe Lane. Kept by James Johnson, one of the few Black residents left in Shoe Lane.

Roots of mine well not well but yield they do come from and are deeply rooted in the south and of Black/Brown ascendants from first nations and first people of all nations.  

For many years, Shoe Lane was a symbol of Black resilience in an era of segregation and racial discrimination. Residents had to navigate an environment where opportunities for advancement were limited due to systemic racism, but they created a strong, supportive community nonetheless. It was a place where Black families could live, work, and raise children.  For many years, Shoe Lane was a symbol of Black resilience in times of Jim Crow law racial tensions,  segregation and racial discrimination. Residents had to navigate an environment where opportunities for advancement were limited due to systemic racism, but they created a strong, supportive community nonetheless. It was a place where families could live, work, and raise children despite the challenges they faced.

As the city moved forward with its redevelopment plans, families in Shoe Lane were forced to relocate. Some residents were given financial compensation, but it was often inadequate to replace what they had lost—homes, businesses, and a deep sense of community. The process was traumatic, especially for those who had lived in the area for generations.

The loss of 110 acres of the Shoe Lane and Moore’s Lane represents a larger pattern of displacement experienced by Black communities in cities across the United States of America. Many urban renewal projects disproportionately affected black neighborhoods, often resulting in the erasure of long-standing communities in favor of new commercial or residential developments that benefited wealthier, typically white, populations.

For Newport News, the end of Shoe Lane was symbolic of the broader forces of gentrification and disinvestment that affected many Black neighborhoods then and even now.  Many folks would say that the city could have built or not taken eminent domain (the government’s right to forcibly purchase private property for public use) of their property but built on 59.9 acre lot which was owned by the city. The enclave of the Johnsons' vision, the Blacks in the community and at large was about to flourish and grow.  

Fuck this shit….Im dealing with the blight of the same times as the early 1900s.  I was just accused of allegedly fraud to the “Berkeley Housing Choice” preference.  It was the truth my…. My great grandfather owned the entire corner of Prince ST and California ST in Berkeley CA.  Wassnt as much as the Johnson’s land at Moore’s Lane and Shoe Lane  One of the points of Preference states Parent or grandparent lives or lived in a formerly redlined neighborhood in Berkeley.  Redlined neighborhoods in South Berkeley, West Berkeley, and elsewhere were designated as the riskiest places to issue loans by a federal government agency during the 1930-60s. Redlining devalued properties, in the process undermining housing stability and enabling ongoing displacement. It's as if the city knew I made number 84 on the list for the widely publicised property on Ashby and Martin Luther King Jr. Way.  I feel directly targeted.