The Gullah Geechee Community of Plantersville, South Carolina Fight To Keep Land
In a disturbing report, first published with the BBC, it appears that the Gullah Geechee community of Plantersville, South Carolina is fighting to keep their land, all due to fees for services they are not even using. Last week 20 homes were put up to be auctioned in a city bidding spree. Lillian Milton did not find out about here home until she had went down to the tax office to settle her tax bill. She was told her home had been sold because she never paid a $250 sewer bill – a sewer system that she was not using at this time.
According to reports written by Brian Wheeler, Milton stated,“They had sold everything, the property, the house and all and when I offered to pay them with a check, they told me I couldn’t. I had to get cash money – 880 some dollars that I had to pay them to get my place back.”Not long after this saga, Milton suffered a heart-attack, which she believes was brought on by the stress of the treat that she would lose her house and her property.
By the way, Milton’s home and property was valued at around $46,000, the real-estate developer who bought her property purchased it for $1,236! Luckily, if your home is sold at an auction, the owner has one year to pay the bill in order to prevent having the land taken.
Plantersville is prime real-estate. All who live here, like many of us are the direct descendants of slaves – and the community of Plantersville is all developed on heirs property. This Gullah Geechee land has been passed down for generations, and according to Rev. Ben Grate, more than a million Gullah Geechee descendant across america have a share of this land, and don’t even know.
“We are the only gullah-geechee land that is in tact. And owners of land, and tradition, and a way of life.” -Gullah Geechee resident of Plantersville, SC
Source: BBC
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