Tyler Perry has vowed to help a 93-year-old 40-year-old grandmother who says developers are trying to force her out of the home that has been in her family since the Civil War.
Josephine Wright’s bungalow in Hilton Head, Carolina is in the middle of an area being developed by Bailey Point Investment.
They wanted to buy her land, but she refused: they have since sued her, claiming that parts of her property are on their land.
“I’ve been pretty much a fighter all my life,” she said. ‘It surprised me at first. But then I got angry.’
Perry, the billionaire movie producer and studio owner based in Atlanta, Georgia, saw the local news report about her case and has now said he wants to help.
Josephine Wright, 93, fights to save the home in Hilton Head, South Carolina (pictured), which has been in her family since the Civil War
Billionaire film producer Tyler Perry, seen in November, has vowed to help Josephine Wright
Perry wrote on Twitter: “I’ve been a fighter all my life,” said 93-year-old Josephine Wright. Then there are two of us.
‘Mrs. Wright, please tell me where to appear and what you need to fight.’
Film producer Will Packer commented, “I’ve got Mrs. Josephine’s back, too.” Count me in TP.’
Singer Fantasia agreed, adding, “I’ll be right beside you too, Tyler.”
said Wright WSAV that the property had been her family’s home for generations.
“This house means it’s a home, a place I want to be at this age,” she said.
It’s been in the family since just after the Civil War.
Her husband was a Gullah Geechee Islander, descendants of Africans enslaved on the rice, indigo, and Sea Island cotton plantations on the lower Atlantic coast along the Carolinas. Many came from rice-producing areas in West Africa.
His relatives were escaped slaves and were freed by Union soldiers.
Bailey Point has begun construction on a 147 unit site spread over 29 acres.
They wanted to buy her land: when she said no, she claimed that a campaign of intimidation had started. She said her tires were slashed, trash was thrown on her property and a snake was hanging from one of her windows.
Bailey Point says Wright is blocking their construction progress, and they sued her, accusing her of having her porch on their land.
The developers sued Wright, claiming that her front porch is on their land
Wright said she was harassed after she refused to sell her land
Wright has already paid to move a shed, which cost about $1,900, and got rid of a satellite dish.
Former state representative Bakari Sellers is now working with Wright’s legal team, asking people to call the developer and lawmakers to help Wright keep her property.
“We sent a letter two weeks ago asking the developer to communicate. Just ask the developer to talk to us. Speak to her. Just to have a common conversation about how to move forward,” Sellers said.
“I think more disrespectful than a no is a non-response.”
Wright has a lawyer and is fighting the lawsuit, but her family is asking for help paying the legal bills for that battle. a GoFundMe was created to help Josephine with her legal costs.
“We’re very big on generational wealth, or trying to build it,” Sellers explains.
“When you talk about poverty in our communities, it’s because we don’t have land, and when we do, people want to take it away.
“There are a lot of people to pick up on. bullying me.
“Don’t mind a 93-year-old woman who has done nothing wrong her whole life.”
Wright’s neighbors are now involved and are working to protect her and the land.
‘We have no right to change what has already been approved; that ship has sailed. We can’t change the zoning plan,” said Kelly LeBlanc, part of the newly formed Jonesville Preservation Society.
‘The municipality looks very closely at the permit granting process, at the approval phase. The city ensures that it is done according to the letter of the law.’
Kelly LeBlanc, part of the newly formed Jonesville Preservation Society (pictured), said they are working to fight back against the developers
Wright said she planned to fight to keep her home.
“I think they thought the bullying would make me so nervous I’d say take it. But they don’t know me. I’m here to fight for what I have,” she said.
“I don’t want to say anything that can be used against me, but I think they are unscrupulous and greedy and they want all the property they can get their hands on.”
Perry is known for his generosity, especially in the Atlanta area.
In February, he made a $2.75 million donation to help low-income seniors pay their property taxes through the nonprofit Invest Atlanta Partnership.
He had already donated $750,000 the first year to cover back taxes and any property tax increases, and has pledged $500,000 each year for the next four years to ensure residents stop paying in such taxes.
Perry hosts annual food giveaways in time for Thanksgiving and has helped countless organizations that have fallen victim to criminals.
His charitable endeavors also include building a home for a great-grandmother of seven who lost everything in a fire; surprise children with a trip to Disney World; and holding a camp quarantine at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta.