Tearing Down Homes and Organizations

Eviction. It's a notice no tenant wants to receive. Imagine, however, that you aren't given a notice. Imagine, instead, you went on vacation and came home to discover your home had been demolished. Or perhaps even your place of employment. You showed up at work to discover your office had been destroyed. What action would you take? What choice would you have?

That's what's happening in Baku, Azerbaijan. The New York Times has been covering the stories of various people in the capital city who have been losing their homes to demolition. They've also been covering the story of families who have been kicked out of their homes. Although officials are being quoted as saying they are trying to rid Baku of "dilapidated" buildings, the truth of the matter is they are leaving families homeless to make way for buildings which will provide greater revenue. As Baku increases in size (largely due to the success of oil generation), they're kicking out the middle class.

The stories of these families remind me a great deal of the families fighting for their homes in America while disputing with government officials over eminent domain laws. Although this law was created with the intention of allowing governments to provide reasonable access to things like roads or water, the law has been manipulated by businesses who are seeking to gain access to land with high market value. There are instances throughout the U.S. where this is being demonstrated. The difference, however, is the recourse available for families who choose to fight these developers in court.

When people in Azerbaijan try to plead their case in court to save their homes, they're met with resistance and, thus far, none have been able to keep their home.

The video in the Times article left me flabbergasted. Watching families witness the demolition of their homes while crying and helpless to stop it, it's plain awful.

The demolitions have not gone unnoticed. The EU has made a public statement asking Baku to "reconsider their demolition practices." Human Rights Watch has been critical of these actions as well, but my question remains, what are you going to do to stop this Baku?