On June 22, Judge Lawrence Lawson of state Superior Court, Freehold, lawfully stripped our family and neighbors of the American Dream.

The opinion disseminated by Judge Lawson was abusive. James Aaron and Adam Schneider could not have written the response better themselves.

In reading the opinion one fact is still missing. What is the public use or public purpose? We keep skipping the core of this argument. What is the purpose? What is the reasoning behind taking our homes? Again what will the tax paying citizens of Long Branch get in return? Higher taxes (don't think they aren't coming soon), selected areas maintained, public housing with a "preferred" waiting list and restaurants and retail stores the average homeowner cannot afford to patronize. This seems more like a "cleansing".

Improving the quality of life for Long Branch citizens? How can making people homeless improve quality of life?

There is an old movie that played in the 1970s called "The Lottery." In the movie, every year there is a stoning of one person.

The situation in Long Branch and eminent domain abuse across the country needs to be humanized. We are human people who are being stoned. Think about being unwelcome in your community, outcast and berated; unfortunately this is our reality.

Depending on the outcome of an appeal to the appellate division we could be homeless soon.

If this day comes it will be extremely painful because the community and citizens of Long Branch permitted this to happen. We all participate in volunteer work throughout our community for food pantries, counseling, child abuse, domestic violence, fighting disease and working on the PTO or PTA. But Long Branch citizens find it acceptable to turn their heads on stripping people of their livelihoods while holding their breath with the hope that they will not be picked for "The Lottery" of demise. Only when it become tangible do people react.

Politicians depend on the lack of participation by their citizens and with the lack of voting in the city of Long Branch this is proven to be true.

People are under the misconception that this can't happen to them until their lottery number has been pulled. We are not casting stones, we are just merely opening the window to expose the reality of suffrage that the community of Long Branch is in denial of and has accepted as a common practice.

the Hoagland family

for the moment

Long Branch