Ed Williams, too, grew up in the Railroad District in Ocean Springs and graduated from Elizabeth Keys High School when it was still segregated. He was born on Robinson Street in the 1940s and traveled the country with his wife of 59 years—his childhood sweetheart, who passed away nine months ago—while he was in the Army for 25 years, then returned to Ocean Springs and bought their home just a few streets away from where he grew up in 1976. Ed and his neighbors take care of one another, tending each other’s yards, taking trash cans out, and maintaining their safe, quiet street. Passersby admire Ed’s lovely home and well-kept yard; nobody thinks “slum.”
Ed, along with other home and business owners whose properties have been blighted, are teaming up with the Institute for Justice to launch a federal lawsuit.
Related Case
Eminent Domain | Private Property
Ocean Springs Blight
Ocean Springs, Mississippi declared properties in parts of the city blighted slums in a secretive process. Now, property owners are suing to protect their homes, businesses, and a church.