I’m excited to send you one more victory email to close out 2020. The residents of Pleasant Ridge in Charlestown, Indiana, can enjoy this holiday season knowing their homes are safe from destruction.

Nearly four years ago, IJ partnered with Pleasant Ridge residents to sue the city of Charlestown when former mayor Bob Hall and a team of pro-redevelopment council members started targeting homeowners and landlords by issuing fines for minor code violations. Their goal was to build up the financial burden of the fines so much that the residents and landlords were forced into selling their homes to a developer at a discounted rate so the neighborhood could be demolished and rebuilt as an upscale planned community.

Just this week, with the backing of a new mayor, IJ secured a final victory against the city that gives this neighborhood back its right to exist and restores residents’ right to own property.

More information about this case is in IJ’s press release and case video. Some cases are resolved in weeks or even days, and some—like this one—take years. But that makes the victory all the more sweet and shows how essential your support could be in vindicating constitutional rights for the long term. Please consider joining IJ today by giving online at ij.org/give-now.

Thanks for your consideration and happy holidays,
Scott

Scott G. Bullock
President and General Counsel
Institute for Justice

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