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A Black farming couple in Georgia is fighting to claim land seized by the state government for a new rail line.
According to Rolling Out, Blaine and Diane Smith filed a petition against Sandersville Railroad Company after the Georgia Public Commission (PSC) approved the company's request to seize their land for a rail line project in Hancock County. The new project, known as Hanson Spur, aims to create an industrial rail line to transport construction materials and agricultural products.
Proponents of the project argue the rail line will reduce truck traffic on local roads and produce economic benefits for the county. The Smiths' land has been seized under eminent domain, a legal principle that allows government entities to take private property for public use. The farming couple is arguing that their land isn't being used for the public but rather for the benefit of private companies.
“They’re devaluing it; they’re defacing it; they’re creating hazards through it,” Blaine Smith said.
Blaine said his ancestors worked as enslaved individuals on the land, which his family has owned since the 1920s.
“My father farmed this land; my grandfather farmed it during most of his life. It’s still in the Smith family. Not one piece of it had gotten away.," he said.
While some property owners have reached agreements with the railroad company, the Smiths and two other families are being represented by the Institute for Justice as they fight against the seizure.
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