St. Louis Salvage Yard a Precious Gem

A salvage yard might not be the prettiest site in the world, but to Opal Henderson, it’s been her life for over 50 years. Sitting among rusting cars and old radiators, she sells sought after parts and other scrap materials on her property in St. Louis, Mo.

	“It’s not fair that they can just come in and take my property,”

But the salvage yard is just that—her private property. The principle is the same no matter what something looks like. Property should not be taken for someone else’s private gain.

Opal has owned the salvage yard since she was in her twenties, and it has now become an appreciating investment that she had always hoped would one day be an inheritance for her two boys.[1] Until, of course, the City of St. Louis decided it had a better use for the land. Armed with ritzy development plans, a major development company hopes to turn Opal’s property, not far from the St. Louis Arch and the new Rams Edward Jones Dome, into the “Ice House,” complete with a high-rise hotel and a hip and trendy entertainment spot.[2]

“They wanted to move me to a location a few miles down the road where there was nothing,” said Opal, now 77. “And my question to them was, ‘Why can’t they just build on that spot and just leave me be?’”[3]

When Opal told the developers that her property was not for sale, they were quick to run to the City Council to discuss the eminent domain options.[4] As it turns out, they were able to turn to a two-year-old “blight” designation—which provides the power of eminent domain—the Board of Aldermen had placed on Opal’s property without her knowledge.[5]

Opal admitted that her business, which had been her livelihood over most of her lifetime, might not have been the best sight for the eyes.[6] But she stood by her principle that it was her private property and she could do with it as she pleased.

“It’s not fair that they can just come in and take my property,” she said.[7]

The Salvage Yard is much more than a place for cars to live out their last days and customers to obtain scrap parts. Opal is known for donating areas of her lot to the local fire department to test extraction equipment, and she has even been known to spend a night or two on the lot, defending her own property from thieves.[8]

Perhaps Opal should have stayed there a few extra nights to defend her property from the latest round of thieves: the greedy City Council of St. Louis.

As is the case with many tax-hungry city councils, the City of St. Louis is not sympathetic to the fact that they are infringing on Opal’s private property rights—which are the foundation of all our rights.

“[The Salvage Yard] sends a negative message: that the City is subpar,” said Alderman Phyllis Young.[9]

Opal did not take to the threats lightly. She and her sister, Sue Haley, started making phone calls to their Congressmen and got a few local newspaper stories. Opal hired an attorney to see if there was anything she could do about fighting the efforts to kick her off her own property. .[10]

“But we found out that it was just too late,” Sue said, as she sadly told the story.

As Opal pressed on through 2006, she found that the City had simply moved too fast and too quietly for her to keep up with their plans for her own property. Despite having hired a lawyer and continuing the fight, she has found that unfortunately, the land-hungry developers and greedy city officials were just too over-powering.

“She’s just devastated,” said her sister, Sue Haley. “She really doesn’t want to move, especially at her age.[11]

“If we had just acted a little bit earlier, maybe we could have done something, but it’s just too late,” Sue continued.

Though a tragic ending for Opal and her precious salvage yard, this story is one that should inspire all those faced with threats: act quickly and take every threat seriously. When it comes to land-hungry developers and greedy politicians, it may seem like nothing can stop them. Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom, so it’s important to watch every move local officials make.