New Jersey: Forcing a Bar to Sell to a Catholic School

Cheng "Terry" Tan owns the Golden Cicada, a Chinese restaurant and bar in Jersey City which a Catholic school wants in order to expand an athletic field. For some reason, the local government appears willing to use the power of eminent domain to close a local business and turn it over to a local church on the theory that a Catholic school is a better "public use" of the property.

The Jersey Journal reports:

In Tan’s situation, [Robert Cotter, director of the city’s planning department] said he would argue that the need for St. Peter’s Preparatory School to complete its athletic field outweighs the current use of the building as a tavern.

“A lot of people who send their kids to school may not be able to stay in Jersey City if not for the school,” he said. “A school, whether public or private, is considered an inherently beneficial use.”

However, of the 934 students enrolled at St. Peter’s Prep, just 185 live in Jersey City, according to school officials.

Jersey City residents did make up more than half of the 217 boys enrolled in a six-week Higher Achievement Program that used the field over the summer, according to Jim Horan, Prep’s vice president of planning and external affairs.

Tan has placed a sign outside his home and business (he lives in the back the building) which reads: “Thou Shalt Not Steal.” That’s essentially what the Catholic school is trying to do, steal his home for their athletic field. They aren’t doing it directly, but using and benefiting the unjustly directed powers of the state doesn’t absolve them of complicity and responsibility in this matter. The arrogance of these people is mind-boggling, yet not surprising.

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