The state says the former Durham home of civil rights photographer Alex Rivera is historic and should be preserved. Not so, says NC Central University, which owns the property and wants to knock it down to make way for more campus space.

So who will decide whether the home is historic, or just an old house that’s in the way of progress? Looks like it will be the Durham Historic Preservation Commission.

Moral of the story: these seemingly benign commissions have incredible power over property owned by other people.

The commission meets tomorrow.