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<p>This mobile home owned by Russell Spears was purchased for $200 in 1978. Spears, along with more than 30 other families, have been given eviction notices at Rita coal camp.</p>

This mobile home owned by Russell Spears was purchased for $200 in 1978. Spears, along with more than 30 other families, have been given eviction notices at Rita coal camp.

RITA — Another coal camp in Logan County is facing extinction and leaving more than 30 families without a home. Residents of Rita were given notice this week that their rental agreements would be terminated on October 1 and they were to make plans to remove themselves and their belongings from property.

In the lease termination notice sent to residents, DB Land LLC stated that they had decided to use the property for commercial development purposes.

Most of the residents were born and raised in the camp. Many of them are elderly or disabled and with low income.

“As long as the coal was going, we were okay,” said Rita resident Russell Spears. “Nobody ever did any maintenance or anything, but they made us sign a contract in order to stay in our houses that we would pay $200 a month and do all maintenance. We signed a paper that we were responsible if anybody got hurt or anything. They gave us an option to tear down the houses and put in a trailer with our own sewage and everything.”

Many residents did tear down the houses and set up mobile homes and even modular homes.

Spears said that rent was collected by a former owner’s son who reportedly had a drug addiction.

“He was giving out lifetime leases and telling some that they were buying their property and all they had was their rent receipt,” said Spears. “He really pulled that off. It went like for five years and we never heard from them. Then their coal ran out and it was sold to this bunch.”

Spears said the owner is DB Land LLC located in Dodge City, Kan.

“Well they found out that the coal wasn’t there and what was there was underground and it would cost them too much to mine,” said Spears. “That’s when they noticed this little piece of property. When they bought this land, they didn’t even know they owned this community. They thought they only bought the coal.”

Spears said the representative sent by DB Land LLC, Mike Cline, initially told residents that they would be able to purchase their lots.

“Well, the main man was supposed to come in and talk to us. He drives up in his Cadillac with his surveyor and they sit behind the church for a few minutes and then he left,” said Spears. “I got a hold of Mike Cline and he tells me that they have changed their mind and they are not going to sell to us and they are going to make us all leave.”

Spears said the land company has plans to put a motel and convenience store in the area, catering to the Hatfield-McCoy trail riders.

“They told me that if I wasn’t out of here in three months they would take equipment and move our stuff,” said Spears. “My trailer was purchased by the Red Cross for $200 for me when my house burnt in 1978. If I move it there won’t be anything left of it.”

Residents who were searching for property loans a week or so ago to purchase the land they were renting are now searching another property to rent.

“There’s no where to rent to put a trailer,” said Spears.

Spears said Cline told him that homes or trailers left on the property would be destroyed.

Comments

(11)

traceerin

September 02, 2012

Why can't this company try and set up at the Rita Mall? I think it would be better for them have more room and buildings and have a better chance with a business. then that would solve the problems with the people losing their homes.

DrPepperPHD

September 01, 2012

I wonder if the "DB" Land LLC stands for "Douche Bag"? I'm sure it is a reputable company that is known for its douche bags! Yeah...they really need one of those companies on the Hatfield McCoy Trail; never know when a douche is needed. Wonder what the owner's name is: stinky...lefty? Aw...probably not, but one can wonder!

whitneylamb25632

August 31, 2012

i have lived on rita camp for 16 years. born and raised. and people "from the outside looking in"shouldnt get their nose involved in something that does not concern them. people in rita camp have every right to stay in logan county. we were perfectly able to support ourselves until we are getting put out of our homes. and yes we bought our homes. OUR homes are sitting on their property. it is a place we call home. and soory if we aint born rich and our mommies and daddies gives us eveything. Unlike SOME people, we actually have to work for what little bit we own. also we wasnt asking the goverment to make us happy. we did a good job at making ourselves happy and for anyones information the 30 people who ar ebeing forced to move are not druggies or fat lazy welfare recipients. that statment was discrimitory and rude.and why do you hate the poor? people cant help they were born in a poor home or is now too old to go out and work. i hope you made yourself feel better putting down the less fortunate. since your not "involved" in this situation, please stay out of it.

meganll026

Pontiffoftruth does sound as if he/she has something to do with this situation. After all, he/she was ignorant enough to overlook the fact that the people mentioned in the article are elderly and disabled.

Also, I am not sure where pontiff came up with the argument concerning government assistance. Oh, because the red cross bought a home for a man whos home burned down? That is not "living off the government."

thepontiffoftruth

First, as much as you want "someone" to do "something" about this, DB Land LLC owns the property, regardless of any past history or any mistakes you made by "believing" anyone with mere words. You had no contract with anyone.

And before you go off on me, I am not an agent of any party involved, merely someone on the outside looking in. Regardless of whether you like "outsiders" or not, my words are true, hate them or not.

While I feel sorry for your situation, there's nothing that can be done about it other than you picking up your boot strings and taking care of business for yourselves.

If there's "no place to rent", then leave Logan County and go somewhere more hospitable.

I get tired of hearing the same old crap over and over about how "We grew up here! This is our home!"... No, it's not your home, it's a place to hang your hat that cost you $200.00 a month. You don't buy a home for $200 a month.

If you can't afford better, take a look at your lives and ask yourselves: Why?

You know the answer. Deep down inside, there's a reason for your situation. Deal with that first, overcome it or let it go. It's all a situation that you have to take control of. It's not the government's responsibility to make you happy in life. You have the right to pursue happiness, not the right for someone else to give it to you.

For some of you, you need to get off your fat lazy welfare recipient a**es and do something for yourselves. Darwinism states "survival of the fittest", in some of your cases, dying off is natural selection working as predicted.

Pontiff of Truth

cheerup

Have not seen a comment here in a while makes me wonder if the pontiff of truth truly is an individual not involved. You had me in aggreement until you showed your true colors in the last paragraph.

The more you spoke the angrier you got, why do you hate poor people? Nobody is asking the government or anybody for anything so obviously you are a twitless faux news believer.

Fact is these people have very little option in what to do. According to your theory of "social Darwinism" people with little options need to die off so people like you can get more of the pie.

Makes sense! Hope you enjoy living a life with that much anger and resentment of people who have nothing.

WV304

I don't know who you are to judge or say anything to the people of Rita god is thy judge not you you have no heart at all your day will come to when you judge judgement will pass up on you to live isn't easy sometimes but its sicking how someone of your stature could judge another one when a agreement was made it was suppose to be a life time leases promised to the community i don't know how you get welfare or government assistance out of some one paying rent for $200.00 a month they just don't hand out 200.00 a month to people people actually work there asses off for what they get in this world honey let me tell you so keep your tongue in your mouth and your lips closed you keep your judgement to your self you inconsiderate irrogant dog you.

myluckyfortune

To: Pontiff. Why are you so filled with hate? You must be a very miserable person and I feel sorry for you. Small mining communities everywhere face the threat that someday they will have to move. It is a tough situation. These communities are mostly filled with decent, hardworking people that gave their lives for the coal mines. And, you sir, should have respect for that. Shame on you.

familymemberoffamilies

You like to run your mouth when you probably don't know half the people living there and their situation and truthfully you probably had everything given to you in life, I know everyone that lives in that camp and alot are on fixed incomes and can't just pick up and move ANYWHERE much less move out of Logan Co. My grandmother has lived there for over 40 some years and is 95 and is not in the condition to just pick up and move and no she is not on welfare people always want to put it like everyone is on welfare, yes a few may be but alot that live there are not but are on a fixed income and they pay their rent so what is it to you to judge them, no $200 is not gonna by a house or land but to me it's to much to pay to sit a trailer and the houses are not in good enough shape to pay that, the people that owned them should have kept them up then maybe 200 would be alright but they didn't and people on fixed incomes can only do so much you really need to be hit with a bit of a reality check have everything wiped out from under you and have nothing or have anywhere to go, people like you make me sick can sit back and talk about people that have less than you...I pray that one day you get some the this happen to you,go ahead and Judge cause one day you will be judged also, you have no idea about what goes on with these people and how they stuggle...

Erica86

90% of what you said is right on. It is a very dificult situation to be placed in when an outside organization purchases your rental property and decides to use it for commercial use. A 30 day notice is quite short when looking for a new place to live in logan county. There are places to relocate a trailer home, but yourself, along with every other American, doesn't wish to live just anywhere that is available to plant their feet. While the Rita Community may not be the wealthiest or most prosperous community in Logan County, it is still where some people call home. When you have lived in one place for nearly 50 years there becomes a sense of security when it is the only thing that you have ever known. This is almost the same as a prison inmate becoming institutionalized over a period of time. It is a little easier for young adults to dig up their roots and relocate, but alot of the population are disabled and coming older in age. The government is not responsible for creating equality for everybody, but there should be a statute of limitation governing the amount of time given to evicted residents that are honoring the commitments of their contracts.