African American families are seeking the return of land or some form of reparations from both the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia for having seized their land decades ago.

A set of families have demanded the University of Georgia and Athens-Clarke County pay them $5 million in reparations for the land they were moved from in the 1960s.

Meanwhile, the Jones family has sought just compensation for their land that was sold to the Alabama college around the same time period after the government seized it through eminent domain.

The Times piece framed these legal claims as a "new front in reparations" and began its deep dive on subject by remarking on the growing trend of African Americans trying to get compensation for their land after it was allegedly taken from them by the government years ago.

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The report stated, "African American families across the country — particularly in the South — are pushing for the return of land they say was taken in government seizures, an emerging attempt to provide economic restoration for the long saga of Black land loss and deprived inheritances."

It noted, "Scholars say the use of eminent domain was often racially motivated and invoked disproportionately in minority and poor communities. One study showed that between 1949 and 1973, 2,532 eminent domain projects in 992 cities displaced one million people — two-thirds of them African American."

The Times stated that some African American families now "want the land or to be paid current market value," adding, "In some cases, families are asking for acknowledgment of the harm done as a way to return their history to public memory."

The legal claims to seized land have apparently grown in number in recent years, with the outlet noting that "a national organization dedicated to helping Black families recover lost land has received about 700 claims to properties since 2021."

It acknowledged however, that "Only a very few such cases have gotten traction; most are in the early stages and could take years to progress, if they do at all."

"But as talk of racial justice has taken a more concrete form in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, more families are seeking the return of what was once their land," the paper stated, subsequently mentioning the legal cases against the universities. 

The call for reparations has become more legitimized recently as progressive lawmakers in cities like San Francisco have put together task forces to address how much they believe the city owes its Black residents.

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The article first mentioned the Jones family claim against the University of Alabama and the local county. It said, "Mr. Jones said his research shows that the land was seized in 1962 from his parents by local government using eminent domain — authority that allows governments to seize properties in the interest of public use." 

The claim has caught the attention of the legal team representing the City of Huntsville, though according to the outlet, the city’s communications director declined to comment on the claim, saying, "Our legal team is aware, and it would be inappropriate for the City of Huntsville to publicly comment on the matter at this time."

The paper then detailed how multiple families were bought out of land in a neighborhood called Linnentown, near the University of Georgia in the 1960s. The school has since acknowledged these families were underpaid for the land.

"A University of Georgia analysis said homeowners received only 56 percent of the amount they would have received if their properties had valued similarly to those outside of Linnentown," the Times reported.

A 4th-generation descendant of the original Black landowners, Hattie Thomas Whitehead, has "formed a group to demand redress from the county and the university," the outlet stated, adding, "They asked for $5 million in reparations — split between Athens-Clarke County and the college — along with memorial markers and the renaming of a building on the campus."

Greg Trevor, a spokesman for the University of Georgia, claimed compensation would be decided by the Board of Regents of Georgia’s University System, though he told the Times that the school has "met with Linnentown descendants and had offered to include the story of Linnentown in an oral history project maintained by University of Georgia Libraries." 

Fox News Digital reached out to both universities Thursday for comment on the Times’ report and has yet to receive a response.

A woman whose leg was amputated in order to free her from the rubble of the partially collapsed building in Davenport, Iowa, filed a lawsuit with her wife Wednesday, accusing the city and the building’s owner for "willful and wanton disregard" for their safety.

Quanishia "Peach" Berry and her wife, Lexus, were home in their fourth-floor apartment May 28 when the west side of the building crumbled. Lexus Berry was able to evacuate, but it was hours before rescuers found Peach Berry trapped in the debris and determined they would need to amputate one of her legs to pull her free.

"My wife is a very strong person, and I am, too," Lexus Berry said at a news conference Wednesday. "All that we want is accountability to be able to have closure and to know why this happened, and to be able to move forward with our lives."

"We are survivors," she added.

The couple seeks unspecified damages to compensate for the medical bills, emotional distress and lost wages, according to the filing.

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The lawsuit is not the first, and likely not the last, to be filed in the days since the building’s May 28 demise, which left three people dead, many injured and dozens displaced.

City documents, released last week and cited in the lawsuits, suggest concerns were conveyed to the city and property owner Andrew Wold over the course of months.

Tenants also complained to the city in recent years about a host of problems they say were ignored by property managers, including no heat or hot water for weeks or even months at a time, as well as mold and water leakage from ceilings and toilets. While city officials tried to address some complaints and gave vacate orders to individual apartments, a broader evacuation was never ordered, records show.

"The owner of this building was aware, the city of Davenport was aware, the engineering companies and construction people were aware. This was a completely preventable tragedy," said attorney Andrew M. Stroth, who is representing Peach and Lexus Berry, in an interview with The Associated Press.

Efforts now have shifted to removing debris and dismantling the structure. Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday asked the White House for reimbursement for the response and assistance with the demolition of the remaining structure.

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The formal request for an emergency declaration comes more than a week after the partial collapse and two days after Reynolds was on the site of the building to tour the damage and receive a briefing from city officials. The governor issued an emergency proclamation on May 29 to deploy state resources to the response.

Reynolds’ letter to President Joe Biden asserts that the partial collapse "is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capability of the State and the affected local governments." The emergency response is estimated to be at least $5 million, according to the governor’s request.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

There will be no federal investigation of the collapse. The National Institute of Standards and Technology investigates some of them, but only when the findings could lead to recommendations that would reduce the risk of future disasters. The Davenport building is simply too old for an investigation to lead to things like building code updates, said Jennifer Huergo, a spokeswoman for the agency, in a written statement.

Huergo stressed that the agency was "disturbed" and following what is happening.

Davenport officials earlier said they were working to ensure that Wold would be billed for demolition costs. City spokeswoman Sarah Ott didn’t immediately respond to a message about those efforts in light of the request for federal funding for demolition and cleanup expenses.

Wold released a statement dated May 30 saying, "Our thoughts and prayers are with our tenants." He has made no statement since then, and efforts to reach him, his company and a man believed to be his attorney have been unsuccessful.