The city council approved the Clarksville Center Redevelopment and Urban Renewal Plan last night. Although the revised plan no longer allows for a blanket application of eminent domain the project area, the criteria for properties that can be acquired leaves much to be desired.
Although citizens attending the meeting were not allowed to speak, many voiced their opposition in silence has half of them walked out of the meeting.
One attendee told NewsChannel 5: “The citizens and the residents of Clarksville have not been heard…” “They’ve not been listened to and the people that we have elected to represent us did not represent us.”
Meanwhile, city officials may have another headache on their hands: The local head of the NAACP thinks the city’s policy is racist; he plans having the NAACP investigate. In addition, he’s asked the federal Department of Justice and the Nashville Housing and Urban Development office to look into the situation as well.