In North Carolina, proposed law could help families protect land ownership
Melvin Davis said he never intended for him or his brother, LiCurtis Reels, to end up in jail over their family's land, but said it was something he knew he "had to do." In America, land is a valuable resource providing economic stability and growth for many people, and is often passed down from generation to generation. But for some low-income and minority Americans, property acreage passed on as a family heirloom can turn into a nightmare. Melvin Davis, 83, said he never intended for him or his brother, LiCurtis Reels, to end up in jail over their family's land, but told ABC News it was something he knew he "had to do." The brothers are third-generation descendants of Elijah Reels, their great-grandfather who bought nearly 65 acres of land on the coast of Beaufort, North Carolina, in Carteret County in 1911. The land was then passed on to Mitchell Reels, their grandfather, who died without a will, the land later becoming the heirs' property. "La...