This Land Is My Land, This Land's Not Your Land

It would seem to be common sense that if you own land and someone used that land without paying rent, you would have the right to evict that person with no questions asked. While you and I may think so, Hollywood has-beens like Danny Glover and Darryl Hannah disagree. According to this story in CNN, Los Angeles property owner Ralph Horowitz is not acting morally in asserting his property rights.

Horowitz has allowed some people to grow a garden on fourteen acres of his land in Los Angeles for the past ten years or so. He has not charged any rent. He has instead been covering all the mortgage costs and taxes. Now Horowitz wants to make economic use of his property and build a warehouse. That, of course, requires removing the gardens. Horowitz went through the proper channels and obtained a court order of eviction, which is where Hannah and her crew enter the picture.

Hannah and others climbed into a tree on the property while others chained themselves to concrete filled barrels to protest Horowitz's evil. Hannah said that her stand was "principled" and "morally right." I don't know where Hannah learned her principles and morals, but they sure don't square with those of this country. In the United States of America, subject to certain rules, land owners have the right to decide who can use their property.

If Hannah and the rest of her celebrity do-gooders had so much compassion for the displaced gardeners, they would have anted up the money to buy Horowitz's property for the market rate or some other land for the new gardens. Even better, I'm sure that Hannah has some space on her front lawn that people can use.