Government
Carmel City government ran roughshod over the rights of local landowners to take the Monon property. They also petitioned the State of Indiana for 2 million dollars in reimbursement grants to fund the taking of private property. So residents took their plea for help and overwhelming evidence of foul play to the Governor of Indiana who ignored the violations of their rights.
An appeal to Governor Frank
O'Bannon
July 4, 1999
Unknown to local citizens, the Indiana Director for Economic Development (Thomas McKenna) was president of the Carmel Clay Park Board. After the taking of property was assured he withdrew from the board. Mr. McKenna works for the Governor of Indiana.
Clay Township government also participated in trailroading it
citizens.
Despite promising to withhold funds until Carmel completed its hostile taking,
they appropriated funds to purchase land for trail parking.
From
the minutes of the Clay Township Board meeting held on November 16, 1998
"The appropriation shall be contingent upon
final determination of ownership of the land proposed to be acquired, and none
of the appropriated funds or ANY OTHER FUNDS will be expended until ownership of
the land is finally determined and the land is acquired for the sole purpose of
the establishment of a linear park."
View 1.21MB Quicktime Movie of the Amendment to the appropriation.
View 1.10MB Quicktime Movie of Chris Braun's clarification
trailroad vt (1999) 1: to convert a railroad into alternative transportation 2 a: to push through tyrannically or without due compensation b: to confiscate property with undue haste and by means of false charges or insufficient evidence. c: to railroad, bully, constrain, intimidate, trample, tyrannize, bulldoze, or threaten to take property for a trail.