"Nearly a week after bulldozers, police, and demolition crews moved in to destroy several luxury homes in the western Moscow neighborhood of Rechnik,"
"City officials defended the move, saying they were acting on a court ruling stating that the houses had been built illegally."
"Many Moscow residents accuse the city government, and its mayor, Yury Luzhkov, of staging regular "land grabs" in order to clear prime real estate of low-budget tenants in order to move ahead with lucrative development plans."
Okay, 1.) Luxury Homes 2.) Illegally Built 3.) clearing prime real estate of ?low budget tenants? How do Low Budget Tenants afford to build Illegal Luxury Homes. Is there any logic to this story, if so I can't see it, and as much as I detest what has been done with Eminent Domain in the US, this doesn't look analogous to me.
Perhaps the civil servants are acting against homes built without building permits, which would cause demolition both here in Canada and the United States, whether the structures were safe or not. Perhaps they were built on lands that didn't belong to the owners, I don't know. But trying to equate Illegal Luxury Homes with Low Budget Tenants is a leap that escapes my limited understanding.
And is Russia still Socialist? They've got an Oligarchy, they've got a representative Assembly, they've got a corrupt Civil Service and Powerful Organized Crime. None of those sound like earmarks of a Socialist government.
Rob
Heavy handed socialist government in Russia, tearing down homes, forcing people out of property their betters want in Rechnik. "Power to the people" as long as it's the favored and highly placed people. Eminent Domain of a socialist sort and what has unfortunately happened here lately which caused such an outcry. When they come for your homes is when you pick up the guns, manufacture the mortars, make the bombs, and fight, fight, fight! In this case they need to invade city hall, take it over, hold the Mayor hostage if necessary. Go tear his house down.
http://www.theotherrussia.org/2010/02/02/rechnik-residents-claim-genocide-following-12-deaths/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/20/AR2010022001234.html?hpid=topnews
http://www.rferl.org/content/With_Land_Grabs_On_Rise_Will_Russians_Find_New_Issue_To_Rally_Around/1940348.html
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/medvedev-intervenes-in-rechnik-dispute/399043.html
MOSCOW -- Nearly a week after bulldozers, police, and demolition crews moved in to destroy several luxury homes in the western Moscow neighborhood of Rechnik, they returned in force on January 26 to tear down two more.
City officials defended the move, saying they were acting on a court ruling stating that the houses had been built illegally. In all, 42 Rechnik buildings are slated for destruction -- including the house belonging to Aleksandr Navrodsky, who watched the early-morning demolition with despair.
"They're demolishing the house next to mine now,? Navrodsky said. ?Some decent police officers -- a few of them still serve in the police, fortunately -- told me my house is next."
Many Moscow residents accuse the city government, and its mayor, Yury Luzhkov, of staging regular "land grabs" in order to clear prime real estate of low-budget tenants in order to move ahead with lucrative development plans.
One such case made headlines earlier this month when the historic Muromtsev Dacha, at the center of a bitter property dispute, was nearly destroyed in a fire its residents believe was set deliberately to force them from the property.
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Sergei Udaltsov, told the approximately 200 people gathered that the consequences of the demolitions in Rechnik stretch far beyond the village itself. ?If they go to Rechnik today, then tomorrow they can go to any other Moscow neighborhood and evict us from our homes,? he said.
As of Tuesday, 22 Rechnik houses have been torn down, with at least another 15 slated for demolition.
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