Eminent Domain, the pernicious bane of Black land owners, left its mark on Gotham city. The legal doctrine of “Eminent Domain” is derived from the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution: “nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” That doctrine destroyed an entire Manhattan hamlet that was once owned by Blacks. In 1856, New York used its power of eminent domain to condemn the properties within the boundaries of the proposed Central park to evict the predominantly Black residents of Seneca Village.