Press Release: Black Farmer Seeks Return of Stolen Land

Contact:

Harry Young 10554 HWY 231 Utica, KY 42376

(270) 275-4590

Honorable Members of the Judiciary Committee:

I wish you greetings from Kentucky. I am a black farmer. My land was illegally taken from me by the USDA and the Farm Service Administration on the basis of a loan, which I never received. I am 80 years old and my farm has been in my family for more than 100 years until it was sold in an illegal auction, by the Farm Services Administration.

My situation is NOT unique. I write this letter on behalf of thousands of black, white, Hispanic, Native American, Asian and women farmers who are in a similar situation. Due to problems/corruption within the Farm Services Administration, including forgery of loan documents (this problem has been documented through testimony of the Secretary of Agriculture), my farm and the farms of many middle class farmers have been stolen and sold on the basis of non-existent debts. Many people who are unfamiliar with the situation, can not believe that this can happen in the United States of America. I am here as a living example that it does happen and has happened, not only to myself, but to thousands of other farmers across the nation.

My claim in the Pigford Black Farm Settlement was denied because of this non-existent debt. To date, I have not been able to get the FSA to prove, via documents in their possession, which were signed by me, that this debt ever existed.

FSA has basically told me to go fly a kite when I have asked for signed documentation of this alleged debt. They have never provided me an accurate accounting of the debt, payments or signed checks. They also ignored statements from their very own office, statements going back as far as 1986. They have illegally sold land that they had no legal lien on; they never proved there was a legal debt on, or lien against. In short, they have violated numerous laws, including the Fair Credit Act, as well as various sections of US Code.

We are in support of HR558 the African American Farmers Relief Act of 2007 and HR 899 Pigford Claim Remedy Act of 2007. In the course of testimony today, please consider my case, and the case of thousands of middle class farmers. Those of us who have been ground under by the mighty juggernaut of the Farm Service Administration want our day in open court, to prove our case, to prove that we are honest, hardworking American citizens, not the deadbeats that FSA wants to paint us as.

We humbly ask that you open an investigation into procedures, practices and policies of the Farm Services Administration. God is Forever Good.

Humbly Yours,