THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 11, 1996 TAG: 9609110456
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TERRI WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: 87 lines
Circuit Court Judge Rodham T. Delk set a trial date Tuesday for a downtown businessman fighting to save his shop from demolition to make way for the $14 million Mills E. Godwin Courts Complex.
William E. Beamon Jr. will have his day in court Jan. 21 to determine whether the city of Suffolk can condemn his Hot Spot Records and Tapes in the 100 block of East Washington St.
Suffolk officials say the complex will unite all court services under one roof and also spur downtown commerce.
The court date is another step in Beamon's long stand against the city.
Last month, the state Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal by the city that would have permitted Suffolk to quickly condemn and tear down the shop that stands in the path for courthouse parking.
By not hearing the city's appeal, the Supreme Court affirmed a Suffolk Circuit Court order that city officials could not ``quick take'' Beamon's property. The ``quick take'' process would have allowed the city to take immediate possession without going through with the full condemnation process.
Beamon is also battling in federal arenas.
In March, the shop owner filed a $3.1 million federal suit alleging racial discrimination by the city. However, the case will not be heard until the condemnation matter has been resolved.
Both Beamon and his lawyer Joseph T. Waldo refused to comment.
Beamon isn't the lone holdout in his property rights battle.
Court records show that the city of Suffolk, in March, filed a lis pendens - the first step toward acquiring an interest in a property. The action was directed at a property owned by Louis Lafayette Brown in the 100 block of East Washington St.
``We are still in active negotiations,'' said City Attorney C. Edward Roettger. ``We filed a condemnation but it has not gone to trial.''
Brown, who operates a barbershop in the 500 block of East Washington St., refused to comment. His property in the 100 block of East Washington is now boarded up, along with a nearby string of African-American businesses.
In his court case, Beamon and his lawyer have alleged that Suffolk targeted mostly African-American businesses as a form of urban renewal.
SUFFOLK - Circuit Court Judge Rodham T. Delk set a trial date Tuesday for a downtown businessman fighting to save his shop from demolition to make way for the $14 million Mills E. Godwin Courts Complex.
William E. Beamon Jr. will have his day in court Jan. 21 to determine whether the city of Suffolk can condemn his Hot Spot Records and Tapes in the 100 block of East Washington St.
Suffolk officials say the complex will unite all court services under one roof and also spur downtown commerce.
The court date is another step in Beamon's long stand against the city.
Last month, the state Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal by the city that would have permitted Suffolk to quickly condemn and tear down the shop that stands in the path for courthouse parking.
By not hearing the city's appeal, the Supreme Court affirmed a Suffolk Circuit Court order that city officials could not ``quick take'' Beamon's property. The ``quick take'' process would have allowed the city to take immediate possession without going through with the full condemnation process.
Beamon is also battling in federal arenas.
In March, the shop owner filed a $3.1 million federal suit alleging racial discrimination by the city. However, the case will not be heard until the condemnation matter has been resolved.
Both Beamon and his lawyer Joseph T. Waldo refused to comment.
Beamon isn't the lone holdout in his property rights battle.
Court records show that the city of Suffolk, in March, filed a lis pendens - the first step toward acquiring an interest in a property. The action was directed at a property owned by Louis Lafayette Brown in the 100 block of East Washington St.
``We are still in active negotiations,'' said City Attorney C. Edward Roettger. ``We filed a condemnation but it has not gone to trial.''
Brown, who operates a barbershop in the 500 block of East Washington St., refused to comment. His property in the 100 block of East Washington is now boarded up, along with a nearby string of African-American businesses.
In his court case, Beamon and his lawyer have alleged that Suffolk targeted mostly African-American businesses as a form of urban renewal.
City officials have contended that taking over these properties is a public necessity for the city. ILLUSTRATION: THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT FILE
William E. Beamon Jr. has been protesting the city of Suffolk's
efforts to condemn his store in favor of parking for a new
courthouse. Tuesday, a circuit court set a Jan. 21 trial for Beamon,
the owner of Hot Spot Records and Tapes.
KEYWORDS: CONDEMNATION PROPERTY SUFFOLK by CNB