The flower shop I inherited from my father is slated for condemnation and demolition under the Plan C proposal for the revitalization of the Fifth and Forbes corridor. I am fighting to save it not because I oppose progress, but because I feel an obligation to preserve the 101-year-old legacy my father left to my care.
| |  |
| | | George Harris is the owner of Harris Bros. Florists. This was prepared with the help of the Institute for Justice. | |
| | |
In the late 19th century, my father and his two brothers, all teen-agers who spoke only Greek, boarded a ship in Greece bound for the United States. Within a few years, John, Peter and Nicholas founded Harris Bros. Florists at the corner of Market Street and Liberty Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh. I don't know if their choice of location was intentionally symbolic. I do know that their passionate appreciation for the freedom of opportunity and enterprise available in their adopted country created in them a sense of responsibility to provide customers the best service possible.
The stark contrast between the ideals my father and uncles held so dear -- individual liberty, private property, free enterprise and personal responsibility -- and the ordeal I am now facing is unmistakable.
Nearly two years ago, Mayor Tom Murphy pledged to take the "tool" of eminent domain off the table in his Downtown revitalization plan. Now, after the supposed "compromise" and negotiations of the Plan C task force, the mayor has backed away from that promise. Not only has he broken his oath, but he has -- in the characteristic fashion of a politician -- done so without saying so.
Mayor Murphy repeated the hollow platitude that eminent domain would only be used as a "last resort" and expressed the hope that negotiations would be amiable. Eminent domain would only be used to stop owners from "jacking up the price."
Of course eminent domain is a last resort. In all threats of force, the actual use of it is the last resort. "Do as I say . . . or else," is the criminal's creed.
As for amiable negotiations, there is simply no room for negotiating when it comes to one's life and livelihood. I watched my father serve Pittsburgh patrons until he retired at age 94, and I have given 50 years of my own life to the flower shop. It is more than just a business, more than just an income -- it is the very lifeblood that runs through my veins.
I am not interested in holding out for a better price, for there is no price. I just don't want to sell. I want to keep my family business.
I keep asking myself -- am I really standing in the way of a better Pittsburgh?
The Constitution says the only allowable justification for taking my property through eminent domain is for a "public use." But under the plan, my property won't be taken for a road or a public building or something owned by and accessible to the public, but for a private corporation that will build new stores in its place. If this qualifies as a public use, then my shop ably meets this definition as hundreds are serviced daily.
If instead the "public use" is higher tax revenue generated by a deep-pocketed corporation, then what is to stop the city from taking anyone's home or small business and handing it over to the highest bidder? The Founding Fathers never anticipated that local governments would use the awesome power of eminent domain to abrogate their duty to preserve personal liberty. The government should not act as a real-estate speculator.
The vibrant, productive businesses in the Fifth and Forbes area do not want to stop progress. We embraced the prospect of a plan that would bring development and prosperity to our neighborhood, which is why we consented to sit down at the table as part of the task force. We simply asked to be part of the plan. That's why we feel so cheated, and why the two property owners on the task force -- along with a community activist -- issued a dissenting opinion against the use of eminent domain.
There is still time for Mayor Murphy to keep his vow to allow my business to stay. In the meantime, I will continue to exert every ounce of strength God gives me to preserve my father's legacy. I sometimes imagine hearing him ask, "What have you done with what I gave you?" Every time I answer that I am doing my best.
E-mail this story 
