NewsChannel 5.com - Nashville, Tennessee - NAACP Wants Clarksville Redevelopment Plan Investigated

NAACP Wants Clarksville Redevelopment Plan Investigated

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Controversy surrounding blighted homes in Clarksville and a plan to clean them up is making its way to Washington.

The Clarksville branch of the NAACP is asking the Department of Justice to investigate the city's redevelopment plan.

The ordinance contains the words blight and eminent domain.

Families in four neighborhoods believe the city designated their property blighted so they could take it over and then sell it to developers.

"I understand this that some of these old raggedy houses need to be torn down," said 74-year-old Angeleane Parchman. "Now, my house isn't raggedy."

She lives in Clarkville's Red River community. It is one of four neighborhoods now considered blighted areas.

Although she gets a glimpse of the problem every day, she doesn't believe the city should clean it up by taking people's homes.

"No, I don't think. I think they should have some kind of plan for those people because some are probably drawing Social Security and that's all they get," she said. "And when they pay their light bill, their water bill or whatever, they don't have anything."

A redevelopment plan that contains the words blight and eminent domain continues to stir up controversy.

Councilman Marc Harris has fought it from the start.

"My biggest question has always been why are we including the residential properties and especially for private development because that's what who this is based upon," he said. "It's just not redevelopment. It's redevelopment for private developers."

It's a problem that's caught the eye of the local branch of the NAACP. The organization is now turning to Washington for help.

"I think the Justice Department needs to step in," said Clarksville NAACP President Jimmie Garland. "I think HUD needs to come up and take a look at what are they doing with the funds that they are sending up to maintain properties for these low-income, elderly."

"It's too much for the single and older people that don't have no help," Parchman said.

The ordinance does not only affect African-American families.

If it passes, it will affect countless home and businesses owners in Clarksville.

Different organizations have come together to fight the ordinance.

Clarksville City Council will meet Thursday for a second and final vote.