‘They Took My Dignity Away From Me’: Georgia Man Distraught After County Demolishes His Family’s Home Without Notice or Court Hearing 

Eric Arnold, a Black man who spent decades working as a renovator and carpenter, purchased a home in Georgia in February 2022 to renovate it in the hopes of eventually providing a home for his children and grandchildren who live in New Jersey. But Macon-Bibb County officials demolished the home without informing him or allowing him the opportunity to challenge the decision in court. Last week, Arnold filed a lawsuit against Macon-Bibb County, accusing the county of violating his constitutional rights by destroying his home without due process and for retaliating against him for trying to stop the demolition.& Eric Arnold bought a home in Georgia to restore for his family in order to create generational wealth but county officials demolished the home without due process, according to a lawsuit he just filed. The bottom left photo shows the house when he purchased it in February 2022. The bottom right photo shows the house a month later. (Photos from the Institute of Justice) He is at least the ninth homeowner to sue the county over having their homes demolished without due process under the “blight tax” ordinance passed in 2019 to raise money for the county by demolishing blighted homes,...