A Conversation with Jerry Horton

Originally published on WestAndClear.com on August 17, 2008. For more about the filmmaker, James M. Johnston, please visit Beautiful Confusion Films.

A Conversation With Jerry Horton – West and Clear from James M. Johnston on Vimeo.

When you knock on Jerry Horton’s front door on Carter Avenue, you’ll notice that there’s a horseshoe above it. It’s obviously been there a long time — it’s painted the same color of white as her 100-year-old house. But any luck that horseshoe brought to the house or the rest of Carter Avenue appears to be running out — Ms. Horton has a court date scheduled for Thursday as Chesapeake Energy’s pipeline subsidiary, Texas Midstream, is moving ahead with its condemnation proceedings. On Monday evening, she and her neighbors will meet with Texas Midstream to try and reach a last-minute compromise. If that fails and Ms. Horton has to go to court, the odds aren’t in her favor. She can’t afford a lawyer and the laws of this state don’t offer much protection for property owners against entities like Texas Midstream that have eminent domain powers.

Above is a short film that West and Clear collaborated on with Fort Worth filmmaker James M. Johnston. Eminent domain abuse is an abstract problem, but Ms. Horton’s plight puts a very human face on this issue. James and I wanted Ms. Horton to be able to tell her story in her own words and show you what it is like to have a pipeline literally coming to your front porch.

It may be too late for Ms. Horton and her neighbors on Carter Avenue. But how many more Jerry Hortons and Carter Avenues will there be all across Fort Worth? Eminent domain laws in the State of Texas are broken and Texans must demand that the Legislature and Governor Perry fix them. But Fort Worth’s gas drilling ordinance is also broken. Mayor Moncrief is resisting a Master Plan that could fix the problem and prevent future Carter Avenues. But he won’t.

Fort Worth is a test case for the entire country. People in Arkansas, Louisiana, New York, Pennsylvania and other states will look to Fort Worth to see what we’ve done right and what we’ve done wrong. When people look behind the dollar signs, the slogans and the billboards, the results aren’t encouraging. The protections for citizens, neighborhoods and quality of life are non-existent.

Want to do something about eminent domain abuse? First, email your state legislators and Governor Perry and demand that they address the problem. Second, email Mayor Moncrief and city council representative and demand a Master Plan for gas drilling in Fort Worth. Third, email Julie Wilson at Chesapeake Energy and ask her to find way to transport gas that doesn’t involve taking people’s property and destroying Fort Worth homes.