Poll
Question:
But, who will play Jim?
Option 1: Gary Busey
votes: 4
Option 2: Duane Johnson
votes: 2
Option 3: Danny Devito
votes: 0
Option 4: Hulk Hogan
votes: 0
Option 5: The Hulk
votes: 0
Hi, Lauren here, new resident of the embattled Ft. Trumbull neighborhood of New London, Connecticut.
Status of utilities:
electricity On
gas On
water On
phone reported to be on, I'm not connected yet.
cable reported to be on, I'm not connected yet.
This week I've learned that many normally alarming things are not alarming here. Caravans of bulldozers and dump trucks rumbling down the street: normal, theres a construction yard on the west side of Smith St. Bullhorns barking scary commands throughout the neighborhood: normal, the nearby coast guard station tests their marine public address systems every morning. Constant alarm bell righing: normal, the train bridge rings when it is turning to let boats through. Bad smells: normal, the water treatment plant across the street does become sulfurous at times.
If the city tries to signal their destructive intentions with giant machines, loud speakers or tear gas, we are just going to yawn and think it's a normal day.
Quote from: KBCraig on February 21, 2006, 10:30 AM NHFT
In this article (http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0206/304429.html) about an interstate highway in Arkansas, I made the following comment:
People don't cheer so loudly for big highway projects when their homes get bulldozed to make room.
I liked into the 1-69 route and it does not seem to be needed. I think the government is just doing it for fun.
Got a better pic today:
[attachment deleted by admin]
NLDC: good at breaking eggs, bad at making omelettes.
Good to know we're "surviving economically." Try not to kill us.
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on February 24, 2006, 07:00 PM NHFT
The evil quasi-government agency, NLDC is having a party here in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood on Monday 27 Feb.
BRUUUUUUUH!!!!!!!!!
Sorry Liberty Zombie, no brains at that shindig.
By golly, look at the billboard that appeared in front of the demolishable building this morning:
[attachment deleted by admin]
;D 8)
I like it.
Santa Claus left it as a gift, eh? ;D
LOL!
In "The Day" tomorrow.
? Lauren Canario, of New London, wears a replica of Susette Kelo's house as she walks along East Street in New London Monday as construction workers begin dismantling part of a building in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood and prepare to convert it to office space. Kelo's home and other residential properties were not affected by Monday's work. They had lost an eminent domain fight in U.S. Supreme Court last year. Workers were tearing down a wing of the former Naval Undersea Warfare Center, marking the transfer of the property from the New London Development Corp. to the developer, Corcoran Jennison.
[attachment deleted by admin]
LMAO -- that's great, Lauren!
;D
:icon_salut:
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on February 28, 2006, 06:47 PM NHFT
In "The Day" tomorrow.
? Lauren Canario, of New London, wears a replica of Susette Kelo's house as she walks along East Street in New London Monday as construction workers begin dismantling part of a building in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood and prepare to convert it to office space.
Very cool Lauren ;D
Latest News:
Clock Ticking On Proposed Fort Trumbull Deal
City Council Sets May 31 Deadline To OK Proposal
By Katie Warchut
Click name for author info, most recent articles ...
Published on 3/7/2006 in Region ? Region News
New London ? The City Council set a May 31 deadline Monday night to work out a deal that would allow the remaining Fort Trumbull residents to remain in their homes on a single parcel of land.
Despite winning a victory in the U.S. Supreme Court that gave the city the right to evict the residents under eminent domain, the council, faced with tremendous political pressure, has agreed to work on a settlement.
The council in February approved pursuing the deal between the residents and the New London Development Corp., but Councilor Rob Pero said he wants to ensure that the process doesn't drag on for too long.
?Either you want the deal or you don't want the deal,? Pero said. ?If you don't, it's time to go. It's time to give them their walking papers.?
The homes in question are now scattered across an area that the Supreme Court ruled last June could be taken by the city for development of a hotel complex, a parking garage, condominiums and a Coast Guard museum, in Kelo v. New London.
Mayor Beth Sabilia has proposed creating a village-type arrangement for the houses on the Fort Trumbull peninsula. The city could retain ownership of the properties, though the plaintiffs would be allowed stay in their homes the rest of their lives. They would be responsible for some sort of payment to the city.
Pero said that people have been waiting long enough for something to happen.
?Everybody knows what they want,? he said. ?These discussions have gone on for years.?
It's been almost a year since the Supreme Court judgment, Sabilia said, and there's still work to be done in court, if the properties are to be taken. She said a number of issues surrounding the properties will be resolved soon, including a draft of a letter to the residents, who are now considered city tenants, on where to pay their rent.
?It's important that we be up front with people,? Sabilia said.
The city's law director, Thomas Londregan said he is meeting regularly with Scott Bullock, the attorney with the Institute for Justice who is representing five of the six plaintiffs. He hopes to send the council a letter this week outlining his discussions.
?I agree with that timeline, if not sooner,? he said.
Londregan said that by the deadline, he will report to the council on whether the discussions are productive.
Councilor Charles Frink was the lone dissenter, saying it was too soon to set a deadline.
?It's premature and arbitrary to set a date...in advance of having some important information,? he said.
k.warchut@theday.com
I'm thinking Memorial Day Weekend would be an excellent time for a party here in Ft. Trumbull.
There's plenty of open space for the kids and dogs, weather should be great and the view of the river is always scenic.
Here's some events that might be fun:
Community Gun Cleaning
Grocery Run - past police roadblocks
Ammo Donation from Friends and Supporters
Mock Amphibious Commando Raid and Counter Attack
Anything you'd like to see?
Sounds good.
Old fashioned barn raising on the vacant lot across from Lauren & Jim.
Hey Lauren could you write us up a short update of the Ft. Trumbull neighborhood for the Keene Free Press?
We are looking for a few letters to the editor on the subject of Eminent Domain and the Kelo decision by the Supreme Cloaked Ones. They can be short or long....whatever is on your mind. If you can get them to us in the next couple of days it can be included in our March 25th issue. :)
Just noticed this thread has over 10,000 views :o
It might be the busiest.
Just checked.. this thread is #2, behind your "Freedom to Travel" at almost 17,000 views!
Hi, Lauren here, resident of the embattled Ft. Trumbull neighborhood of New London, Connecticut. Day 217.
Status of utilities:
electricity On
gas On
water On
phone On
cable On
Latest proposal from the local third party with 2/7 of the seats on the city council:
One New London Proposes Fort Trumbull Resolution
March 20th, 2006
Over this past weekend One New London finalized a resolution for Fort Trumbull that One New London councilors Frink and Cornish will propose at the April 3rd city council meeting. It is: 1. Move the remaining houses not in parcel 4a to parcel 4a. 2. Return the titles to the property owners. 3. Property owners pay their back taxes from June 2005. 4. Property owners agree to no future lawsuits. If you support this proposal please contact your city councilors and tell them you believe this is a reasonable resolution you would like them to vote for on April 3rd. Read Councilor Cornish?s March 20th letter to the The Day editor on the column on the right.
Giving titles back! That's a giant step forward.
Let me predict the city council vote on this proposal: 2 for, 5 against.
Hi, Lauren here, resident of the embattled Ft. Trumbull neighborhood of New London, Connecticut. Day 231.
Status of utilities:
electricity On
gas On
water On
phone On
cable On
Latest vote this evening from the New London City Council in the matter of returning the titles to the Fort Trumbull property owners: 2 for, 5 against.
OK, the city government continues to oppress it's citizens, but I must say the citizens comments at the council meetings are getting much better. Must be all the practice.
For years every Thursday morning a prayer group assembles here to show support for the property owners.
I liked their gumption as they appeared every week even during bad weather, so I asked if they could use another person. They invited me in.
The participants include a former mayor, a current city councilman, local socialites, and advocates for reform.
Philosophically some are democrats, some green party and all theist...until now.
I'm not just an atheist, I'm an atheist giggles with glee when launch my favorite god paradox on a theist.
(Can god create a rock so big that even he can't lift it?)
When I got here I distrusted all democrats, and green party activists, and people who pray aloud in public.
But I joined in listen and learn from the people who have been fighting and arguing and writing letters to protect my neighbor's property.
I learned that they oppose eminent domain on emotional grounds: they don't like tossing innocent people out of their homes.
And traditional grounds: they want to preserve old buildings.
And anti-big-business grounds: they distrust Pfizer, 8th richest corporation in USA.
One problem: when it's my turn I can't find a graceful way to start the prayer without mentioning god, heavenly father, or something that sounds like a deity.
yea how do you "pray" without talking to "God". That is a tough one. That might be my new atheist paradox :)
Having been in many groups where out-loud praying happens...... I would say you could just tell them that you want to join them and listen to what they are saying, but don't want to pray when it gets to be "your" turn. :)
I think I have an answer .... or two....or more ..... none of which are good. :)
God could make a stone so big he could be crushed by it. (He lived on earth for a while and could be killed by stones, but chose not to once by disappearing and waiting to be killed another day.)
Could God create a being who could out debate him? I think I have met some who tried. :)
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on April 03, 2006, 10:54 PM NHFT
One problem: when it's my turn I can't find a graceful way to start the prayer without mentioning god, heavenly father, or something that sounds like a deity.
Most prayer is just begging.
Asking for this or that.
It's perfectly ok to praise God or whatever devine deity you want and thank the lucky needless bastard(s) for all that you have.
Nobody gets hurt and you don't have to beg.
If god helps those who help themselves then lead on. If you have to pray, pray
for god, not too him. The big guy is surrounded by evil 24/7 and can use all the help he can get.
God is like the the giant welfare director in the sky. ... Listening to people apply for an easy handout. In most cases he doesn't cut the check. Maybe it's due to the heavenly bureaucracy of the lazy angels that work in heaven's government. >:D
New London City Council members voting against giving titles back to owners:
Elizabeth Sabilia
Mayor
City Council
860-437-8013
Email: sabilia@sdeslegal.com
Jane L. Glover
Deputy Mayor
City Council
860-442-6296
Email: kente219@aol.com
Kevin J. Cavanagh
Councilor
City Council
860-437-1123
Email: kpcavanagh@msn.com
Margaret Mary Curtin
Councilor
City Council
860-443-0373
Email: pegcurtin@snet.net
Robert Pero
Councilor
City Council
860-447-2723
Email: pero6_98@yahoo.com
New London City Councilors voting for giving titles back to the owners:
William M. Cornish
Councilor
City Council
860-442-5172
Email: none
Charles W. Frink
Councilor
City Council
860-443-8703
Email: chure@usadatanet.net
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on April 03, 2006, 10:54 PM NHFT
One problem: when it's my turn I can't find a graceful way to start the prayer without mentioning god, heavenly father, or something that sounds like a deity.
From a theist, who learned libertarianism and property rights growing up in the balcony of a fundamentalist church. I would suggest that if you want to participate in a prayer without appealing to a being that does not make sense to you, simply express your hopes for these people, your community, and yourself by saying some thing like:
May the authorities see the mistakes of their ways. May these families be strengthened. May the rightful owners of this property be made whole. May all our neighbors respect the rights and dignity and choices of all of our other peaceable neighbors. Etc.This is a diety-neutral blessing. And saying 'Amen' just means: "I really mean what was just said, and I will not take it back." 'Amen' is not an invocation of God. Athiest and agnostics should use it in good conscience.
BTW. My answer to Russell's question: No, God cannot create a stone so big he cannot lift it, because this is an absurdity. Absurdities are not
things. And so to say that God can do anything does not say that God can also do non-things.
Interesting ..... btw you also answered a question I never asked. :)
Quote from: erich on April 13, 2006, 08:12 PM NHFT
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on April 03, 2006, 10:54 PM NHFT
One problem: when it's my turn I can't find a graceful way to start the prayer without mentioning god, heavenly father, or something that sounds like a deity.
BTW. My answer to Russell's question: No, God cannot create a stone so big he cannot lift it, because this is an absurdity. Absurdities are not things. And so to say that God can do anything does not say that God can also do non-things.
So Mr. eric if that is your real name, are you saying that God can't do non-things? >:D
Quote from: russellkanning on April 13, 2006, 08:30 PM NHFT
Interesting ..... btw you also answered a question I never asked. :)
Yeah, yeah. God can't make a God-crushing stone either -- on the same principle. IMHO. To say that God, or any other being, can do non-things is an abuse of language.
Anyway, I now see why Elizabeth was always such a stickler for crushing any talk about God or religion outside of designated religion forums. I really just wanted to help our heroine in New London.
Quote from: erich on April 13, 2006, 08:12 PM NHFT
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on April 03, 2006, 10:54 PM NHFT
One problem: when it's my turn I can't find a graceful way to start the prayer without mentioning god, heavenly father, or something that sounds like a deity.
May the authorities see the mistakes of their ways. May these families be strengthened. May the rightful owners of this property be made whole. May all our neighbors respect the rights and dignity and choices of all of our other peaceable neighbors. Etc.
Thanks erich! I used that wording last Thursday.
Hi, Lauren here, resident of the embattled Ft. Trumbull neighborhood of New London, Connecticut. Day 259.
Status of utilities:
electricity On
gas On
water On
phone On
cable On
Friday morning word got out that Governor Rell would be here in Ft Trumbull at noon. She was publicly signing an agreement with the Coast Guard to construct a museum here.
Dick the Carpenter, Foehammer the Warehouseman and I were able to protest the event. We had signs that said, "Give Back the Deeds", "Pfizer is a bad neighbor" "Not for sale" and such.
Co-Chairman of the Coalition to Save the Fort Trumbull Neighborhood, Neild Oldham, was attending the event wearing a "No eminent domain abuse" sticker on his chest. State police told him to leave. He said if they wanted him out they would have to carry him. The local police intervened and let Neild into the audience.
As the participants arrived the local police supervisor called each of us by name and asked if we were were going to be arrested today. I answered "well, maybe" so he assigned Officer Bill to shadow me. I shook his hand and Bill and I speculated about what would be in a Coast Guard Museum until the Governor spoke.
We were 30 steps away from the participants on a public walkway. We could plainly see the Governer's audience and Dick wanted to make note of the people he saw there. The police supervisor lent him a pen.
As the governor took her place at the signing photo opportunity the state police told the local police to get the protesters out of the background. We grumbled about being pushed from a public walkway but backed out of the picture.
It seemed the local police didn't like getting pushed around by the governor's body guards as much as we didn't like getting pushed off the sidewalk by them.
Heck, if I had been slower to move off the sidewalk maybe I would have caused the police to bark orders at me and disrupt the ceremony. Now I think of it.
:duh:
This is your correspondent Lauren Canario... reporting from the front lines. :)
Would they have arrested you if you hadn't moved?
Probably not. Wasn't at a bus stop
Oh yeah, terrorists are always hanging out at bus stops. I forgot.
Coast Guard Museum Coming To New London (http://www.wfsb.com/Global/story.asp?S=4834423&nav=1VGm)
A new attraction is coming to the state. Today the Governor and the Coast Guard signed agreements to build a U.S. Coast Guard Museum in New London. The $60-million museum will be built on a 3 acre site on the waterfront at Fort Trumbull.
Where to build the museum has been a seven year political struggle. But after much debate, the Coast Guard decided to build a state of the art facility at Fort Trumbull in New London. Governor Jodi Rell and Coast Guard officers made it official and inked the deal with Connecticut kicking in $15-million.
The project includes exhibition space and interactive displays, an amphitheatre for outdoor events, a waterfront walk and pier with a cafe and restaurant.
The designated developer for Fort Trumbull will build a 133 room hotel and conference facility next door to the museum on land that once belonged to the Naval Undersea Warfare Center.
The new development is expected to give the city the economic shot in the arm it?s been waiting for. Eyewitness News has been told a fundraising campaign will soon rev up to collect $30 million to support the design and construction of this new facility.
Museum plans may disrupt fishermen (http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=4768006)
(Groton-WTNH, Apr. 13, 2006 5:15 PM) _ The future of some fishermen could be in flux with a proposal to build a U.S. Coast Guard museum in New London. It could be disruptive to a some commercial fisherman in New London area.
by News Channel 8's Sara Welch
A museum would pose a problem because the fisherman would have to move.
A few dozen people make a living in the commercial fishing business off the Fort Trumbull Pier in New London. They would have to relocate if the Coast Guard decides to build a national Coast Guard museum in that area.
The big question is will the Coast Guard go through with plans for a museum.
The New London Development Corporation owns the pier and leases space to the fisherman.
Michael Joplin, president of the NLDC, says if a museum were to be built he would ensure fisherman facilities that exceed anything they have now.
This is all contingent on what the Coast Guard decides to do. Negotiations are still underway regarding the exact location of the museum. A decision is expected with the next three or four months.
Quote from: Pat McCotter on May 02, 2006, 10:21 AM NHFT
The designated developer for Fort Trumbull will build ...
What a creative way to not mention the NLDC.
Hi, Lauren here, resident of the embattled Ft. Trumbull neighborhood of New London, Connecticut. Day 266.
Status of utilities:
electricity On
gas On
water On
phone On
cable On
Today certified mail came to each of the Kelo 6 with the "final" monetary offers for their relocation.
Bill Von Winkle said his offer was actually lower than previous offers, reportedly 900K for his three buildings.
Rich Beyer's offer was reportedly 300K for his two properties.
Susette Kelo's pink house, 212K - minus several thousand for a mortgage the NLDC paid off.
These offers were formulated by the state of CT's high-profile big-time negotiator, Mr. Allbright.
Latest word from the state attorney is that the state will not interfere with the city of New London's decision.
This seems like the state of Connecticut washing it's hands of Kelo vs New London.
The city says, "Accept the offers by May 31 or else".
The I.J. lawyer for the Kelo 6, Scott Bullock, is not worried. He is aquainted the slow and indecisive actions of the city council.
Bill Von Winkle says it will be 18 months before they make a move.
I agree with them, but plan on remaining vigilant.
They need more protests on their doorstep :)
:smileinbox: :toothy9:
My apartment - all weekend
May 27 - 28 - 29
All NHfree posters invited.
See the Kelo house.
Help build the "emminent domain central" visitor center.
I'm making tamales!
You bring other food/beverages
33 Smith St.
Apt 4
New London, CT
Too far to drive in one day?
Call ahead for best cheapest accommodations - Futon and floor space available
702-858-8730
Damn I knew Larun was brave, but she is going to serve Tamales and have folks drinking Beer and is then offering floor space for them to stay, This women does not flinch from even a possable massive gas attack!!
;D This might make a good boot camp for activists:
- Experience a simulated late night tear gas attack
- Practice timed grocery runs to replenish residents
- Hone your police negotiation skills if the neighbors call the cops on us
- Reconnoiter the disputed terrain with the locals
That is very cool.
Lessee... 3,135.5 miles round trip (approximate)....
Please accept my regrets, Lauren. But please also accept my support! You're doing a great thing in New London, not to mention your activism in NH.
Can't wait to meet you and Jim.
Kevin
Mmm tamales :)
Would like to come down and help with the visitor center... should I bring any tools?
(Hope to be able to make it, have to see if my work schedule will allow.)
Quote from: Roger Grant on May 20, 2006, 06:08 AM NHFT
Would like to come down and help with the visitor center... should I bring any tools?
(Hope to be able to make it, have to see if my work schedule will allow.)
Thanks for offering, Roger!
If we get enough willing people we might need additional hammers, and screw guns for some neighborhood beautification.
:plotting:
I would be happy with just something to put up on the message board, like leftover NHfree.com or political posters.
Hope to see you here!
8)
I'll see what I have that might be appropriate signage. Givin' most away, but I have the files. :)
When I started thinking about the strength of you folks resolve, it made me think of Concrete. A Hollywood kind of commemorative plaque... or some such thing. Concrete is cheap and long lasting. :) Even hand and/or foot prints would be cool.
Tremendous Idea!
I'll ask the Kelo 6 if they'd like to be participate in such a project.
I'll buy the cement!
Sounds fun!
Come and find out.
I can't wait to taste them :)
I don't remember ever having Tomales before. The were excellent!
Yes they were, Thanks Larun. ;D
I can report that the ft. trumbull residents still have electricity and water. :)
Thanks to NHfree visitors we have the first section of the Kelo 6 monument complete.
Jim and Lauren brought out their hoppit bike.
Russell gave ideas for the future,
Kat picked a bouquet of flowers,
Lloyd was witty,
Roger did all the hard work.
and Pat K was the man of steel, enduring the whole hot day with only 2 beers.
Stupid Connecticut liquor laws. :(
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=4153a0bc-865a-4093-a02e-e0b65c7d78f6
Quote from: katdillon on May 29, 2006, 11:55 AM NHFT
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=4153a0bc-865a-4093-a02e-e0b65c7d78f6
There's a whole lot of straw on that camel's back.
My sympathies to the Von Winkle family.
Yep, Bill's voice is hoarse today. :'(
Should Fort Trumbull Plaintiffs Accept City's Offer?
Vote Here (http://www.theday.com/interactive/Polls.aspx?re=dc2678a3-f74b-4659-96c5-2625184dfb22)
I got up early this morning to erase some of those annoying fluorescent lines on the street out front, and there were three news vans doing their morning reports.
I didn't clean up the street, but I hope I encouraged the residents. Story here. (http://www.wfsb.com/Global/story.asp?S=4968408)
Did the city offer them a reasonable amount of money?
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on May 31, 2006, 01:02 PM NHFT
Should Fort Trumbull Plaintiffs Accept City's Offer?
Vote Here (http://www.theday.com/interactive/Polls.aspx?re=dc2678a3-f74b-4659-96c5-2625184dfb22)
They didn't have a choice for "only if they want to sell", so I voted no.
Quote from: katdillon on May 31, 2006, 01:15 PM NHFT
Did the city offer them a reasonable amount of money?
Maybe so.
Last week the governor told the negotiator to "redouble his efforts".
Just now Mr. Byron Athenian got dressed up and went to city hall to talk to the state negotiator.
"But since the City Council, which would need to approve any action, doesn't meet until Monday, an attorney for the homeowners says Wednesday's deadline isn't set in stone."
I know something that is set in stone. :)
From IJ:
Friends:
Today, May 31, is the deadline for Susette Kelo and her neighbors to accept the City of New London's offers for their homes. TheDay.com, the website of The Day, New London, Connecticut's local newspaper, is currently hosting a poll entitled, "Should Fort Trumbull Plaintiffs Accept City's Offer?" The text of the poll reads as follows:
The city of New London has made monetary settlement offers with the six parties whose Fort Trumbull properties were taken by eminent domain. Since the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the city in the eminent domain case, the former property owners have remained in possession of the properties while the city owns them. If those former property owners do not accept the settlement by today's deadline, the city will revoke its ?offer to forgive past-due real estate taxes, claims for use and occupancy and claims to collect rent from third parties.? Should Fort Trumbull Plaintiffs Accept City's Offer?
Let the City know that America's property owners won't stand for the unholy alliance between tax-hungry governments and land-hungry developers in New London or anywhere else! Go to http://www.theday.com/, and scroll a quarter of the way down; the poll is to the right from the center of the page. Stand up for Susette Kelo and VOTE NO!
Also, send an e-mail to Governor M. Jodi Rell urging her to intervene on behalf of Susette and her neighbors, as the Hartford-Courant editorial below calls for. She has the power to save the Fort Trumbull homes, and has said before that she is in favor of preserving the homes and letting the development go on around them. You can send an e-mail to the Governor through this link: https://action.popuvox.com/default.aspx?actionID=268.
Together, we can help keep Susette Kelo and her neighbors in their homes, where they belong!
Best,
Christina Walsh
Assistant Castle Coalition Coordinator
Institute for Justice
901 N. Glebe Road, Suite 900
Arlington, VA 22203
(703) 682-9320
www.ij.org
www.castlecoalition.org
P.S. Help the Castle Coalition grow! Forward this message to your friends. They can sign-up here: http://www.castlecoalition.org/join/index.html.
http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-evictionlooms.artmay30,0,2626575.story?coll=hc-headlines-editorials
The Hartford Courant
Stop Shameful Eviction Plan
May 30, 2006
Gov. M. Jodi Rell expressed the views of many disappointed property owners when she criticized the General Assembly for being "largely silent on the overall issue of eminent domain."
After much justifiable Sturm und Drang about Connecticut's law that allows private land to be seized for private use, the legislature did nothing to change it. The status quo pretty much gives municipalities carte blanche to take a person's property if they think someone else will pay more taxes on it.
A flurry of good ideas emerged during a special legislative session to fix the law. It was called after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld, in a 5-4 decision, the city of New London's right to condemn the homes of working families in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood. The homes were to be razed for a speculative private development project to complement Pfizer's global research and development presence and a state-subsidized remake of the waterfront.
Several displaced residents who brought the lawsuit have steadfastly refused to leave. They have garnered national bipartisan sympathy, including Gov. Rell's.
They should be permitted to stay. Some of the residents have lived in that neighborhood for a lifetime. The city's attempts to put a price on that history misses the point. They don't want money. They want their homes.
Despite Mrs. Rell's plea to preserve the homes and let the partially state-sponsored development go on around them, the residents face a May 31 eviction deadline.
The New London City Council has ignored reasonable compromise, including the residents' willingness to move their homes to a neighborhood site that wouldn't interfere with the city's plans.
If the holdouts do not agree to terms for vacating their properties by the deadline, they will face nearly $1 million in penalties and lose their homes to boot.
Mrs. Rell must step in and stop this from happening. She should use her power to insist that the development plan be revised to include the remaining homes. The state's heavy investment in Fort Trumbull, its museum and the river walk give her the clout to insist on changes in the plans forged during the Rowland administration.
She alone can prevent this mistake from compounding.
What an image for Connecticut - to be a national example of how not to treat homeowners.
Latest Rumour:
Doug the mailman says the Derys and Byron Athenian have sold. Kelo 7 6 5 4
He's usually an accurate source of information.
Took the poll... currently at 907 No, don't take the cities offer threat... to 266 Yes
Screening copy of the work in progress.
The New London Blues
Resisting Eminent Domain
http://www.politicalgraffiti.com/Resisting_Eminent_Domain-.mov
Yep, The Day confirms Doug's rumor.
And I was just watching Susette Kelo broadcasting from in front of her house that
"None of us are selling, our homes were taken by eminent domain"
Oh man, I think they all may have sold.... :'(
Well, if they did sell, I hope they bankrupt the state with the amount of money they get.
As for me, I'm a stayin'.
Quote from: Roger Grant on May 31, 2006, 09:07 PM NHFT
Screening copy of the work in progress.
The New London Blues
Resisting Eminent Domain
http://www.politicalgraffiti.com/Resisting_Eminent_Domain-.mov
:'(
It really ticks me off, as a long-time Mac lover, that I can't view this with the version of QuickTime that's available to me as a user of MacOS X 10.2.8, especially when I can have the latest version of QT on any old Win98 machine!
Any chance you can make a QT6 version?
Kevin
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on May 31, 2006, 09:21 PM NHFT
As for me, I'm a stayin'.
Good for you.
Please update us after you've talked with your neighbors, and with your landlord.
Kevin
Quote from: KBCraig on June 01, 2006, 02:12 AM NHFT
Quote from: Roger Grant on May 31, 2006, 09:07 PM NHFT
Screening copy of the work in progress.
The New London Blues
Resisting Eminent Domain
http://www.politicalgraffiti.com/Resisting_Eminent_Domain-.mov
:'(
It really ticks me off, as a long-time Mac lover, that I can't view this with the version of QuickTime that's available to me as a user of MacOS X 10.2.8, especially when I can have the latest version of QT on any old Win98 machine!
Any chance you can make a QT6 version?
Kevin
I'll try and get something up for you by tonight... preparing to go to Kat and Russell's trial right now.
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on May 31, 2006, 09:21 PM NHFT
Oh man, I think they all may have sold.... :'(
False alarm, The Kelo 4 are still holding out.
So did the two sellers get the money they wanted or something?
Latest News from Ft. Trumbull:
One more property owner has sold to the city, no word on who.
Governor Rell has recommended that the City give the titles back to the rightful owners.
Titles in which the City has the first right of refusal.
And if anyone on Goshen St. (Christofaro or Beyer) wants to stay, the City will move their house to the other block (Kelo and VonWinkle's block).
Mayor Sabilla says no one gets titles only life residency, and no investment properties are included in that offer.
Latest Rumors from Ft Trumbull:
All property owners will sell, except Susette Kelo, who will stay in her house.
More details soon.
Spunky lady. Will she need help from us?
I'm there if at all humanly possible.
You guys need to have videotape 'locked and loaded' as well as web camera ready just in case of sneak attack.
Hi, Lauren here, resident of the embattled Ft. Trumbull neighborhood of New London, Connecticut. Day 292.
Status of utilities:
electricity On
gas On
water On
phone On
cable On
Latest News: Rich Beyer sold his two properties to the city.
Officially down to the Kelo 3.
I'm still asking all of the original holdouts to make their mark in the concrete of our monument.
It will be an inspiration for those who hold out against tyranny.
Rich held out 2010 days. I've only been here 292.
Quote from: katdillon on June 02, 2006, 08:18 PM NHFT
Spunky lady. Will she need help from us?
If she accepts the "lifetime residency" deal from the city
and pays her rent
and back taxes
and property taxes,
and state taxes,
and the I.R.S.,
she will be left alone.
Well, she will not likely be pulled out of her house kicking and screaming anytime soon.
Possibly another volitile city council meeting
Monday June 5th 2006
New London, CT
7PM
The Governor asks the city council to give back the titles. The Mayor says titles shmitles.
I forsee another possible pitchfork showing.
I imagine there will be lots of media present also.
We'll have to see what we got going on on Monday :pitchfork: (New emoticon for Lauren!)
:pitchfork: 8)
Quote from: Roger Grant on May 31, 2006, 08:48 PM NHFT
Took the poll... currently at 907 No, don't take the cities offer threat... to 266 Yes
Final tally:
Deny the city's offer - 961
Accept the city's offer - 271
In our neck of the woods, we are in the fourth year of a fight in and out of numerous Superior Court cases with the most current on appeal to NH Supreme Court.
In our community the plan is was a complete Eminent Domain taking of beach properties. The orchestration was thwarted at every turn. Now the bastards continue to thumb their noses at voter mandates by not having public hearings on three occassions in the past year to push through zoning changes to make it impossible for current business property owners to do nothing outside their grandfathered uses.
There is a public hearing this week that is a must for us. I can see how the Kelo 6 has been drained emotionally and financially over the past 6 + years.
The Kelo New London ground has been so tainted over the Supreme Court battle that it might as well become a national property rights center where people come every year to campout and celebrate freedom from government oppression and intervention in property ownership. The people of New London need to file a reverse eminent domain countersuit to take back the land that was illegally misappropriated. There is no current plan for use of that property, my guess is that permits are expired. Someone needs to whack the stuffy suits at the Institute for Justice to check the status of current permiting by NLDC or their assigns. The IJ is sitting in their DC ivory towers collecting national and international contributions getting very little done.
Hannity interviewed Suzette Kelo a couple of days ago. She came across as very tired and disorientated. Not strong and decisive. Bullock was interviewed from IJ and helped level out the piece. Need better preparation for national coverage as the last interview was complete waste.
Michael Christafano will have as an epitath, three seperate Eminent Domain takings in his lifetime.... These people have been brutally disenfranchised of their properties by fascists. The legacy of this fight may be that not another public/private partnership involving Eminent Domain is launched without a fight upfront and national exposure until state laws prohibit such thievery and dabauchery everywhere.
Lauren has done a fantastic job between New London and the NH events she regularly participates in. This New London battle has been of epic proportion and will be celebrated as turning point back toward freedom and democracy. We may not just yet see its full scope and impact. Paradigm shift coming....
Trying to decide if making the effort to come down to tonight's meeting is worthwhile. (If so what's the location)
Doug's message leaves me a little confused. Is this likely to be an important point or just another baby step? Should we come down for this or wait till they try and kick you guys physically out?
My sympathies to all the suffering that has been endured down there.
Roger
Doug sounded to me like he didn't want us there.
Quote from: Roger Grant on June 05, 2006, 07:49 AM NHFT
Trying to decide if making the effort to come down to tonight's meeting is worthwhile. (If so what's the location)
New London City Hall
181 State St.
New London,CT 06320
There will be a lot of sound and fury this evening.
Scott Bullock, head IJ lawyer is asking people to attend.
Doug our postman-in-the-know is asking people to put pressure on the Gov, not the city.
But the Governor had her say, she said her advice is not binding on the city.
Doug's strategy seems flawed at the moment.
I'll be there, and would welcome anyone else who would like to add to the sound and fury.
But I'm holding my pleas for aid until eviction is immenent.
Hoping thing went ok at the meeting.
Hey does anyone know where to locate some of the pictures from the time of Lauren's arrest? I remember specifically the still frame from the TV video of her standing in the hall. I could use a few more images of her to finish the video... thanks.
The New London Blues
Resisting Eminent Domain
http://www.politicalgraffiti.com/Resisting_Eminent_Domain-.mov
It must be in a thread here somewhere .... and we had a wiki page with that info once.
http://underground.soulawakenings.com/tiki-index.php?page=Lauren+Canario+Arrest&highlight=lauren
Hi, Lauren here, resident of the embattled Ft. Trumbull neighborhood of New London, Connecticut. Day 294.
Status of utilities:
electricity On
gas On
water On
phone On
cable On
The city council voted 5 - 2 to start eviction procedings against Ft. Trumbull property owners.
The city council also said Bill Von Winkle has reportedly sold his three buildings.
Down to the Kelo 2 and the NLDC is my new landlord....... :-X
things should be heating up within 30-90 days.
Hey, I'm from Las Vegas, I like the heat >:D
Who remains, Kelo and Christofaro?
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on June 05, 2006, 09:18 PM NHFT
The city council also said Bill Von Winkle has reportedly sold his three buildings.
What absolute bastards, scoundrels, snakes, sumbitches, to accept
any deal from a man who has endured so much, only to lose his son in the last few days.
>:(
Subhuman pieces of whale dung.
>:(
Hopefully alliances won't crumble in NH, and our people will have far more local support. :(
Kelo - Cristofaro
Still refusing to cooperate ;D
[attachment deleted by admin]
Man...all those other people held out for years. That counts for nothing?
Counts a whole lot with me. Every one of those people who held out for any lenth of time in the face of overwhelming force has shown valor. No one has a right to say anything about them.
Every time I see this thread now, my mind shows me a picture of those few houses left like small forts in the shadow of the giant pfizer plant, looming like the fucking death star in the distance.
Those people had to deal with this reality every day, they did not have the luxary of key board fantasy.
If you are not one of them, if your are not Larun or Jim who joined them shut up.
I sure haven't criticized those who sold, but I'm disappointed. It's been a long hard fight for all of them, and I salute them.
:icon_salut:
Maybe they got their asking prices. They could be completely victorious. :)
In defense of KBCraig ... I think his vitriole was directed towards the New London City Council, not those who decided to sell.
Caleb
WHO said any thing about ol KB, I was just agreeing with Kat.
Quote from: russellkanning on June 07, 2006, 12:36 PM NHFT
Maybe they got their asking prices. They could be completely victorious. :)
If you mean the property owners could be victorious - I don't agree because they didn't get the choice to sell to anyone other than the city. There could be others that would give a higher price. We'll never know.
If you mean the city, state and federal government could be victorious - I agree because their economic
dominion development plan is being carried out, their judicial
mistakes decisions are being followed, their civil
outrages laws obeyed.
They just got their hair mussed and the are ready to do it all again.
Well you are right because even if they got decent money ..... they still had not planned on selling. It just would be so much better than getting the shaft completely.
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on June 05, 2006, 09:18 PM NHFT
Hey, I'm from Las Vegas, I like the heat >:D
Then you will love NH ;)
My local newspaper weighed in today.
http://www.texarkanagazette.com/articles/2006/06/07/local_news/opinion/opinions01.txt
In Our View: Eminent Injustice
Wednesday, June 7, 2006 9:22 AM CDT
Connecticut city prepares to take property in case that reached Supreme Court
Monday night in New London, Conn., the City Council voted to evict the last two residents from their riverfront homes in an exercise in eminent domain.
This sort of thing happens all the time, in cities around the country. Eminent domain allows municipalities to obtain private land for public projects, such as roads.
What makes the New London case special, however, is that eminent domain is being used to take over private land for private economic development?a hotel, convention center and upscale condominiums.
This is the case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court, leading to a controversial 5-4 ruling that municipalities can take private property for private development in order to generate tax revenue.
And now it appears the case will come to a close.
The New London city attorney will now go to court to get an order of eviction and take the properties. The process could take up to three months.
Other property owners along the riverfront have settled with the city and moved on. But two holdouts carried on the fight.
Their attorneys say they are considering their next step.
The city of New London decide to push the limits of eminent domain?to see just what they could get away with.
The U.S. Supreme Court backed them up.
Now other cities are following suit, taking their citizens? private property to turn over to developers who will build projects that will return greater tax revenue.
Well, the court may say it?s legal, but it is not in any way just. Congress should stop wasting its time on symbolical debates about marriage and turn its attention to this very real menace to our rights as citizens and property owners.
We have a system of checks and balances just for that reason?to ensure there is an avenue to correct such egregious actions, even if made by the high court.
One should think long and hard before monkeying around with the Constitution. Very, very few issues warrant amending that document.
But the right to one?s own property is as fundamental a right in the country as any other. If it takes a constitutional amendment to protect property owners? rights against greedy governments and?on this issue at least?an overreaching court, then that?s what we need
here here
We got two more of the Kelo 7 to put hands to concrete here at Eminent Domain Central.
Bill Von Winkle and Byron Athenian
The block is shaping up to be 6' X 12' X 8". I'ts starting to look pretty massive.
Byron wrote NLDC SUCKS and Bill used more colorful language. >:D
[attachment deleted by admin]
Hi, Lauren here, resident of the embattled Ft. Trumbull neighborhood of New London, Connecticut. Day 299.
Status of utilities:
electricity On
gas On
water On
phone On
cable On
Latest News: I got my request to vacate my apt today. Deadline July 10.
and a relocation offer from the NLDC - bottom line, $4000. Those poor Connecticut taxpayers, I don't think I'll take their money.
Latest Rumors: The two remaining property owners Kelo and Cristofaro will settle soon, Cristofaro for money and Kelo for relocation of her pink house to elsewhere.
Any idea what they are settling for? I guess relocation isn't too bad for Kelo.
Quote from: russellkanning on June 10, 2006, 08:59 PM NHFT
Any idea what they are settling for? I guess relocation isn't too bad for Kelo.
I heard through a third party that Bill Von Winkle would have been happy to sell his 3 properties for 2M, and when I heard he sold I figured he got his price. He says he got "good money". But he didn't get 2M.
He sold because he's tired of trying to run a business while being harassed by every bureaucrat in the city: Fire marshalls, police officers, zoning clerks, give his every move extra scrutiny- NLDC employees call him at home and vowing to force him out of his home. When he sold they made him promise not to tell what the state paid for his buildings and he has to remove the tennants before he gets paid.
Would anyone like to temporarily move into my neighborhood and give these city workers a few difficulties in collecting their spoils?
Quote from: KBCraig on June 06, 2006, 02:41 AM NHFT
Subhuman pieces of whale dung.
>:(
Not Goat dung? Is whale dung worse then goat dung? What about Human dung?
Tracy
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on June 10, 2006, 10:07 PM NHFT
Quote from: russellkanning on June 10, 2006, 08:59 PM NHFT
Any idea what they are settling for? I guess relocation isn't too bad for Kelo.
I heard through a third party that Bill Von Winkle would have been happy to sell his 3 properties for 2M, and when I heard he sold I figured he got his price. He says he got "good money". But he didn't get 2M.
He sold because he's tired of trying to run a business while being harassed by every bureaucrat in the city: Fire marshalls, police officers, zoning clerks, give his every move extra scrutiny- NLDC employees call him at home and vowing to force him out of his home. When he sold they made him promise not to tell what the state paid for his buildings and he has to remove the tennants before he gets paid.
Would anyone like to temporarily move into my neighborhood and give these city workers a few difficulties in collecting their spoils?
Dude, that's a total extorsion racket! We're going to use the littany of regulations, etc. and enforce those laws mercilessly so you'll have no choice but to give in. How's that not a conflict of interest!
Nothing more the thugs.
Tracy
Quote from: tracysaboe on June 11, 2006, 03:36 AM NHFT
Quote from: KBCraig on June 06, 2006, 02:41 AM NHFT
Subhuman pieces of whale dung.
>:(
Not Goat dung? Is whale dung worse then goat dung? What about Human dung?
Tracy
Ocean-based animal dung is lower than any land-based animal dung.
Wow, they've been living with that harassment for years. :(
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on June 10, 2006, 10:07 PM NHFTWhen he sold they made him promise not to tell what the state paid for his buildings and he has to remove the tennants before he gets paid.
Boy how many times have we heard this sort of scenario? gag orders during/after trials, website takedowns like Larken Rose etc. .... it all seems to be about silencing the truth about the thugs.
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on June 10, 2006, 10:07 PM NHFT
Would anyone like to temporarily move into my neighborhood and give these city workers a few difficulties in collecting their spoils?
What are you planning?
Are you going so Von Winkle will get his money?
Quote from: russellkanning on June 11, 2006, 06:31 AM NHFT
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on June 10, 2006, 10:07 PM NHFT
Would anyone like to temporarily move into my neighborhood and give these city workers a few difficulties in collecting their spoils?
What are you planning?
Are you going so Von Winkle will get his money?
I wondered too. By staying you get in the way of Bill's ability to be done with it.
Right, Lloyd.
If Bill is ready to leave, I won't hamper him.
But it looks like he's not ready yet.
Look, that garage is full of machinery. It will take a while to clear that out. How about all those motorcycles and his hum vee? Where are those going to go?
;D
There is the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center (http://www.pequotmuseum.org/) and the Mohegan tribe (http://www.mohegan.nsn.us/).
Also, there are the Mashantucket Pequot (http://www.foxwoods.com/) and Mohegan (http://www.mohegansun.com/) casinos on the nearby reservations.
Do these count?
That sure has been a crazy place.
Are the vultures circling?
Quote from: freedominnh on June 12, 2006, 06:50 AM NHFT
The 1636 -38 King Phillips War was a bloody massacre which occurred throughout the seaboard area including New London. Those recognised native bands have the direct lineage and now the money to do what ever acquisition they please. Technically the municipality that stole the land should have offered it the native bands first. The native bands could step in and declare that the land should have been offered to them first. I think the fact that there is an effort to put a historical museum on the grounds is an admission of the historical significance of this desecreted if not hallowed native band land. This would be the TKO for NLDC and they richly deserve such a taking. The Kelo 6 could become honorary members of native band.
Note to the uninitiated: Do not smoke deer antler . Understand you will have one hell of an outer body experience.
The funny thing about this is for hundreds of years the claim was that
all of those indians were killed. Yet, today, their decendants run casinos.
Sounds like the fight is almost over, and the state has won. Their boot has effectively stomped out property rights in CT. The alliance has crumbled. When Bill says it's time, you should probably come home to NH, Lauren.
You've done an awesome job.
I hope that if this ever happens in NH, the property owners don't cut and run.
Quote from: FTL_Ian on June 14, 2006, 11:36 AM NHFT
Sounds like the fight is almost over, and the state has won. Their boot has effectively stomped out property rights in CT. The alliance has crumbled. When Bill says it's time, you should probably come home to NH, Lauren.
You've done an awesome job.
I hope that if this ever happens in NH, the property owners don't cut and run.
I'd like to think that these test cases are exactly where owners should not cut and run but rather stay until the end and, if necessary, go out in a blaze of glory.
Hey tough guy feel free to go to New London there are some empty properties still there. You can move in and go out in your own blaze of glory.
;D
Amen Brother Pat.
Quote from: Pat K on June 14, 2006, 03:39 PM NHFT
Hey tough guy feel free to go to New London there are some empty properties still there. You can move in and go out in your own blaze of glory.
I didn't mean it that way. All I'm saying is that, if the battles comes to ME (personally), hopefully I'll have the guts to fight back. I'm not saying that anyone else was a coward or anything like that.
Speaking of blazes of glory,
Guess who they put on the front page of The Day (http://www.theday.com/)?
Holy guacamole, don't they have any real news?
Quote?If I fight for property rights, that people should always be able to keep their house and only sell it when they want to, as long as I fight for that, the world is still that way,? she said. ?But if I just knuckle under and let people get thrown out, then the world's horrible.?
For now, she waits for the city to come knocking, for her chance to go to prison again, to stand up for the building, even if its owner has decided to move on.
And her plan after that?
?Come back and see if there's any more buildings left to stand in front of,? Canario said.
Wow! :D
Oh and I love this picture.
[attachment deleted by admin]
Sure seems like they will want to start shutting off power and such. Let the fireworks begin.
Or, as Sabilia put it Friday, ?There have always been people from throughout the country that profess to have New London's best interest at heart when they don't even understand a tenth of the story.?
They are taking peoples property by force, because they think they can put it to better use-end of Fucking story.
Lauren,
I'm concerned with this portion of the article:
Quote?I think things haven't changed, because even though they sold, they didn't sell willingly,? she said Thursday. ?There was a lot of intimidation and pressure and all kinds of bureaucratic loopholes that were applied to them that made them sell.?
But that's not what Von Winkle says.
On that same sunny Thursday, he was moving a military jeep with a camouflage paint job to a better spot in the backyard, and maintaining that he would not be pushed into anything.
?I'm different than everyone else,? Von Winkle said. ?I leave when I want to leave.?
It makes it seem as though you are staying against Mr. Von Winkle's wishes, though his quote does not actually address you.
They are calling you a "squatter" now. What are the penalties for that?
Also, when the deadline comes, you may want to have most of your valuables out of the apartment, or I bet it will be difficult at best to retrieve them once you get out of jail.
How Should City Proceed in Fort Trumbull?
- Total Votes 685
Continue to negotiate with Susette Kelo and Pasquale Cristofaro. 61
Allow Kelo and Cristofaro to relocate to parcel 4A and return their deeds. 451
Let Kelo and Cristofaro have lifetime occupancy on parcel 4A 59
Do whatever is necessary to take the properties. 114
Do you think that Von Winkle would be selling his place this month if the NLDC would have never been formed?
I think there is a reason he is selling .... and it is not completely of free will.
reading the Day article inspired me to make a couple more calls to NLDC Folks....
I hope you will do the same:
You can call anytime and leave voicemail.
NLDC
860 447 8011
Thank you Dave.
If you are feeling extra-ranty,
here's the number of the NLDC relocation consultant attorney, Phillip Michalowski:
1-800 248-6309
Oh wait, he's on vacation Jum 19-26.
I guess my fellow tenants will have to wait a week to get help. :nono:
Hi, Lauren here, resident of the embattled Ft. Trumbull neighborhood of New London, Connecticut. Day 318.
Status of utilities:
electricity On
gas On
water On
phone On
cable On
Tomorrow is the day the city says an agreement will be reached with all the property owners.
Kelo is said to have agreed to move her house, but she has not signed anything yet.
Cristofaro is still very angry, and wants to stay, and his family backs him up. But he is disheartened at being the only one left.
He tells me that he has demands, and will sell if they meet them. But he doubts the city can meet his demands.
I offered him all the help, and optimism, and moral certainty I could muster. We'll soon see.
:fingerscrossed:
What do you think of the following statement?
I'm still doing some fact-checking so don't spread it around just yet.
Residents of Fort Trumbull can no longer bear the abuse, insults and humiliation of living in New London
We thought the land we bought here was ours to sell at a time of our choosing, to whom we pleased.
The city has demanded we sell only to them, at the time they state, at a price of their choosing.
We thought the city held records of property deeds in security and preservation, settling boundary disputes with safe-guarded documents.
The city has stolen our deeds.
We thought our parents and elderly citizens were safe from cruel treatment at the hands of the city they loyally supported for so many decades.
City agents have threatened the elderly with long court battles if they did not sell their homes immediately.
We thought the city would help protect us from con-artists taking our homes and offering us no recompense.
The city warned homeowners that they may get evicted and no money at all if they delayed selling their homes.
We thought the judges of the city would uphold a property owner?s right to throw out unwelcome tenants.
The judges have protected non-paying tenants.
We thought the city police would help us defend our property from trespassers.
The police threatened to arrest us for being on our own property.
We thought the city council would admit all citizens to their meetings.
The city has put us in prison for attempting to attend their meeting.
We thought demolition in our city would be undertaken with care.
The city?s men caused houses to fall into public streets and inhabited buildings with no warning.
We thought the city was a wise and reasonable force to settle disagreements among its citizens.
We must reluctantly admit that the city itself has become thief, fraud, bully and kidnapper.
Our eyes, minds and consciences now compel us to withdraw our support from the criminal organization of New London, Connecticut.
We hereby expel the officials, bureaucrats and government of New London from our neighborhood. We recognize no validity in their deeds to our land. We will no longer pay them in any form of taxes, fees or penalties. We will no longer allow them to arrange our affairs with any utility, service or vendor. We will no longer concede to their demands or obey their officers.
In future transactions we expect only voluntary interactions, thereby resetting our neighborhood to a state of sovereignty, wherein all property is defended by individuals, and the only way to acquire it is by mutual agreement to mutual benefit.
Woohooo!
couldn't be better
Hereby is one word. And the last sentence has an if in it that doesn't sound like it belongs.
Great message!!
Cathleen
That's how you spell hereby.
Much better,
Thank you Cathleen.
Latest news from The Day:
Kelo's pink house to be relocated
Published on 6/30/2006 in
New London -- Susette Kelo?s little pink cottage, the home that was the subject of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case and a national symbol of the fight over eminent domain, will be spared from the wrecking ball. In a compromise between Kelo and New London, the home will be saved and moved to another location, perhaps close to where it originally stood over a century ago, near Pequot Avenue.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled a year ago in Kelo v. New London that the city has a right to take the Kelo property and other homes to encourage economic development. The ruling sparked a national debate over the use of eminent domain for private development.
?It is wonderful that Susette Kelo?s little pink house, which is a national symbol of the fight against eminent domain abuse, will remain standing,? said Scott Bullock, senior attorney for the Institute for Justice, which continues to represent the remaining two homeowners. ?The home will continue to serve as a tribute to her brave struggle and as a powerful symbol of the fight to stop land grabs by cities and their developer allies.?
?I am not happy about giving up my property, but I am very glad that my home, which means so much to me, will not be demolished and I will remain living in it,? said Kelo, the lead plaintiff in Kelo v. New London. ?I proposed this as a compromise years ago and was turned down flat.?
The city and the remaining homeowners had been at an impasse. The city gave them a May 31 deadline for accepting a settlement or face eviction. Two of the homeowners, Susette Kelo and the Cristofaro family, refused. Gov. M. Jodi Rell proposed moving the homes and giving real titles back to the homeowners in Fort Trumbull, but the city rejected the suggestion.
Faced with eviction and the destruction of her beloved home, Kelo put forward an idea that she had originally proposed when first threatened with eminent domain abuse: preserving the home and moving it.
Fewer details were avaiable concerning the Cristofaro settlement. The Cristofaros will lose their current home, but under the agreement, the city has agreed to support an application for more housing in Fort Trumbull, and the Cristofaro family has an exclusive right to purchase one of the homes at a fixed price.
Details of the settlement were provided by the Institute for Justice this afternoon.
Move the pink house to New Hampshire!
Quote from: Jon Maltz on June 30, 2006, 03:08 PM NHFT
Move the pink house to New Hampshire!
Perhaps to 34 Cilley Hill Rd., Weare?
;D
"Oh but aint that america for you and me
Aint that america were someting to see baby
Aint that america, home of the free
Little pink houses for you and me"
-John Cougar Mellencamp
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/john+mellencamp/pink+houses_20074447.html (http://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/john+mellencamp/pink+houses_20074447.html)
"Paint it pink!" protests? Paint pink everything that has been stolen by NLDC, or everything that is built on land they stole?
Hmmm....
Quote from: KBCraig on June 30, 2006, 09:07 PM NHFT
"Paint it pink!" protests? Paint pink everything that has been stolen by NLDC, or everything that is built on land they stole?
Hmmm....
;D
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on June 30, 2006, 09:16 PM NHFT
Quote from: KBCraig on June 30, 2006, 09:07 PM NHFT
"Paint it pink!" protests? Paint pink everything that has been stolen by NLDC, or everything that is built on land they stole?
Hmmm....
;D
Rut-roh!
;D
Why is the news reporting that Christofaro and Kelo have both entered agreements? Are they ignoring the Christofaro demands?
No, they met the Cristofaro demands.
Here's the story:
[italics mine]
Final two holdouts in eminent domain case reach agreement
By SUSAN HAIGH
Associated Press Writer
June 30, 2006, 4:46 PM EDT
HARTFORD, Conn. -- The last two holdouts in New London's Fort Trumbull neighborhood agreed Friday to give up their land to make way for private development, ending an eight-year battle that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Susette Kelo, the lead plaintiff in the case, agreed to have her pink cottage moved elsewhere in New London.
"Even though she lost her land, the little pink home that launched a national revolution is safe, and it's going to stand as a testament to her heroic struggle and the struggle against eminent domain abuse throughout the country," said Scott Bullock, a spokesman for the Institute for Justice, which represented the homeowners.
Pasquale Cristofaro, the other holdout, has agreed to give up his home but is entitled to purchase a new one in the neighborhood at a fixed price if new homes are built. He also has the option to build on the Fort Trumbull peninsula, as long as whatever he builds complies with a plan of development.
"I'm relieved, but it's a sad day because the city doesn't want us there," said Michael Cristofaro, Pasquale's son. "I'm going to have to see that house be torn down and you can bet I'll be there when they tear that house down. I'm not going to let them get away with thinking that day is just going to come and go."
The amount of money involved in the settlements was not released.
Cristofaro said his family won some concessions in the final negotiations that mean a lot to them personally. The city must erect a plaque on the planned Fort Trumbull riverwalk honoring Cristofaro's mother, Margherita, who died in 2003. The city and its development arm must also transplant rhododendron bushes and arborvitae from Cristofaro's property. He does not expect the house to be torn down until after October, when the plants can be moved safely.
Cristofaro credited Gov. M. Jodi Rell and a representative from the state Department of Economic and Community Development with getting involved in the final negotiations, treating the homeowners with compassion and understanding that small concessions were important.
"That's what the city didn't understand," he said. "People have personal attachments to their property and money is not always what people want. These were concessions that the city didn't even bother to try to make. They just wanted you out."
The Cristofaros and Kelo had faced the possibility of forced eviction from their homes to make way for a riverfront project slated to include condominiums, a hotel and office space.
But last week, Rell announced a tentative agreement between the city's development arm, the New London Development Corp., and the homeowners.
Rell, in a written statement, said Friday that she was pleased the final agreements have been signed. She thanked Kelo and the Cristofaro for their willingness to "negotiate and responsibly settle this very difficult and painful issue."
"Now these families can have some closure and the Fort Trumbull economic development project will go forward without delay, infusing new jobs and vitality into the region," she said.
The five other property owners in the case had already settled with the city and handed over their properties. The New London Development Corp. first condemned the properties in 2000, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on June 23, 2005, that New London had the right to them.
The court also said states were free to change their eminent domain laws. Legislatures in 20 states have since passed some form of legislation limiting eminent domain. The Democrat-controlled Connecticut General Assembly was not one of them, despite pleas from Republicans to prevent eminent domain seizures for projects such as shopping malls or condominiums that benefit private developers.
Rell said Friday that Connecticut should work to limit eminent domain when the next legislative session opens in January.
Cristofaro said he is not giving up on the issue.
"It's a happy and sad day. I'm now able to get my life back, but the thing is, I will never stop fighting for people's property rights across this nation," he said. "There's a lot of good things coming out because of our fight here in New London. People are uprising across the nation."
Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.
I half-way expect to see the NLDC board of directors to walk down main street with their pants around their ankles, as I thought that would be one of the demands.
Good for the holdouts... 8)
Thanks for being our eyes (and heart) in Fort Trumbull. :icon_pirat:
"Now these families can have some closure and the Fort Trumbull economic development project will go forward without delay, infusing new jobs and vitality into the region," she said.
Government planning over the free market ...... and plain old normal people ..... making the decisions.
With the way New London is doing things .... they are doomed to fail.
True. They will eventually spend beyond the taxes this project will bring them.
Quote from: freedominnh on July 03, 2006, 05:51 AM NHFT
Only in as state with tax revenue coming in from the highest grossing casinos in the Northern hemosphere, could they still be looking for additional revenue. Gambling sin taxes and cumpulsive tax and spend governments--- the ultimate co-dependency. Only CT could go from in the hole---from red to black to red deficit spending again in less than 20 years. There must be some more public/private wretched eminent domain schemes brewing now that they have had such a success relocating private property owners from such blighted neighborhoods.
Note: Las Vegas continues to outstrip its infrastructure. They can not keep up with new schools, water or sewer projects. Unbridled growth for the sake of growth alone is no solution anywhere for ever increasing property taxes. Ony in Las Vegas could a municipality decide that old casinos/hotels could be taken by eminent domain to make way for higher grossing state of the art "house always wins" facilities.
Being on sovereign indian land the casinos cannot be taxed in CT. An agreement was made between the state and the tribes that gives the state 25% of the video slot machine revenues in the casinos. In 2005 this was $421 million. The proposed 2005-2006 budget in CT was $14.1 billion.
The red to black transition in CT you are referring to was probably due to the imposition of the income tax in 1991. Then the budget doubled in the span of eight years and the state was again in the red.
Quote from: KBCraig on June 30, 2006, 09:07 PM NHFT
"Paint it pink!" protests? Paint pink everything that has been stolen by NLDC, or everything that is built on land they stole?
wow that is a great idea!
Quote from: KBCraig on June 30, 2006, 09:07 PM NHFT
"Paint it pink!" protests? Paint pink everything that has been stolen by NLDC, or everything that is built on land they stole?
In a remarkable case of convergent thinking,
Bill Von Winkle suggested the same thing.
:icon_pirat:
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Susette Kelo: Kelo on Kelo: I'll keep my illusions
01:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, June 27, 2006
NEW LONDON
A YEAR AGO last Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that my home can be taken by the government and handed over to another private party for its private use. The only requirements are that the city must have some plan in place that says another owner can create more jobs and pay more taxes than I do.
There went my property rights -- and yours, too.
Hardly a day goes by as I work in my garden or have a cup of coffee in my kitchen, both of which overlook the Thames River and Long Island Sound, that I don't ask myself, "If I had to do it all over again, would I?" Even on my worst days, and there are many, my answer is the same: "Absolutely yes."
It was in February 1998 that I first heard that Pfizer Inc. was coming to New London. I remember thinking that this was going to be trouble for us in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood, right next door to where the company was coming. Little did I know just how prophetic that thought was.
I immediately phoned Lloyd Beachy, the mayor then, who said he shared my concern and would take the side of the homeowners. He suggested that I call a local activist to see what I could do to defend my home.
Since that day, Lloyd and thousands of other people have become my sounding boards, my comrades in arms, and my best friends. Over 500 came to New London from as far away as Kentucky and Texas for a rally last July 5 to protest the notorious Supreme Court decision that carries my name. Without their support and that of the Institute for Justice, my fight would have been over years ago.
Where do I stand at this point? I think what I have thought from the very beginning: This is my home, and no one has the right to take it from me, especially for the vague concept of "economic development." I tell you honestly, and from my heart, that nothing will cause me to change my goals or my values.
Mark Twain wrote, "Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone, you may still exist, but you have ceased to live." My illusion has been, and will continue to be, that my home is mine.
Had the City of New London needed our homes for a school or a fire station, we would have understood that it was truly a "public use" and we would have complied. But there is no public use here. Building a hotel or upscale condominiums so someone else can live here is not a public use or even a public purpose. And in fact there are no specific plans for the land where our homes stand.
What do I think should happen now? What I thought should happen eight years ago: I and the Cristofaro family, who are also holdouts, should be allowed to keep our homes and live in peace. We should be able to pass these homes on to our children and grandchildren. This is America, isn't it?
[Editor's note: On June 5, the New London City Council voted 5 to 2 to authorize the city attorney to obtain a court order to seize and demolish the homes of Susette Kelo and Michael Cristofaro.]
Doesn't that simple desire define the safety and security of the American Dream? That is the dream that U.S. Justices Kennedy and Stevens and Souter and Ginsberg and Breyer gave away.
Last September, when we again received eviction notices, our governor, Jodi Rell, intervened on our behalf, asking the New London Development Corporation to rescind those notices and declare a moratorium on eminent domain until the legislature had had time to consider a bill to protect Connecticut property owners. An informal moratorium is in place to protect those whose homes were condemned after mine, but it is not retroactive.
But in any case, the legislature failed to act, so all Connecticut property owners are now in the same boat as I.
This has been a stressful eight years. More often than not, I wake up exhausted and wonder if it is all worth it. But though I've lost my rights and my property, I cannot quit.
The threat of eminent domain continues even though Governor Rell asked that our homes be incorporated in the redevelopment project; the City Council rejected that request, choosing instead to evict us. We now face the prospect that when the wrecking crew is trundling down the road, the city councilors -- my own city officials, who are supposed to protect my rights -- will have us dragged from our homes.
Nevertheless, I and the others who remain, who are outraged at this gross violation of our basic civil rights, still plan to keep our homes. That's how much they mean to us. We plan to keep fighting.
At some point, a day of reckoning will come for all. We will all have to answer for things we've done or failed to do. On that day, I would much rather be me than be the people trying to take my home.
Susette Kelo was the lead plaintiff in Kelo v. City of New London, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that private property could be taken for private economic development.
Again I find myself humbled by the courage and wisdom of the women...
Eminent Domain Chronology
Published on 7/1/2006 in Region ? Region News
? Dec. 11, 1997: The state indicates, in a letter to Pfizer Inc., that it would improve and develop neighboring property if Pfizer would build its research facility on vacant city land bordering the Thames River. A ?Pfizer concept plan? shows Fort Trumbull, a blue-collar neighborhood, with new housing units, a hotel and a marina.
? Dec. 15, 1997: Planning firm retained by New London Development Corp. recommends redevelopment of Fort Trumbull peninsula to include a hotel and conference center, marina, marine-related activities and substantial residential condominium and townhouse development.
? Jan. 21, 1998: Pfizer announces its board of directors had approved construction of a global development facility in New London.
? Jan. 22, 1998: New England Real Estate Group begins obtaining options on Fort Trumbull properties.
? Jan. 30, 1998: The state approves $5.35 million requested by the NLDC to plan for a $185 million waterfront redevelopment that includes the vacant Naval Undersea Warfare Center office complex, the Fort Trumbull area and the former New London Mills site, where Pfizer would locate.
? Feb. 3, 1998: Pfizer, the NLDC and Gov. John G. Rowland announce Pfizer will build a $150 million office complex in New London.
? Jan. 18, 2000: The NLDC approves Municipal Development Plan, under development since 1998. The City Council approves the plan and gives NLDC eminent domain powers.
? May 8, 2000: The NLDC votes to begin taking 11 properties, including Hughie's Restaurant.
? Sept. 5, 2000: The City Council rescinds an earlier decision that prevented NLDC from razing buildings on Parcel 4A, where a Coast Guard museum will be built.
? Sept. 20, 2000: Coalition to Save Fort Trumbull submits a 400-signature petition for a referendum to save Fort Trumbull homes; it would be rejected by the city's law director, Thomas Londregan.
? October 2000: The NLDC votes to use eminent domain to acquire the last 22 properties.
? November 2000: The NLDC offers 11 property owners, including Susette Kelo and the Dery family, a total of more than $2.7 million. The offers are rejected.
? Dec. 19, 2000: The Institute for Justice, a Washington-based Libertarian firm, agrees to represent seven Fort Trumbull plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the city and the NLDC.
? Jan. 3, 2001: The NLDC and Corcoran Jennison sign a development agreement for a $115 million hotel and conference center in Fort Trumbull.
? Feb. 21, 2001: The city, NLDC and property owners reach an agreement allowing Fort Trumbull residents to stay in their homes while the eminent domain case is heard.
? June 8, 2001: Pfizer opens a new $294 million Global Research and Development Headquarters along Pequot Avenue, within sight of Fort Trumbull.
? July 23, 2001: The eminent domain case begins in New London Superior Court.
? March 10, 2002: Corcoran Jennison announces lawsuits are preventing it from getting financing.
? March 13, 2002: Connecticut Superior Court Judge Thomas J. Corradino rules on the eminent domain lawsuit, saying four plaintiffs had the right to stay on their property but that the city could take four properties for a waterfront redevelopment area.
? March 18, 2002: Fort Trumbull property owners announce an appeal to the state Supreme Court.
? August 2002: The city and NLDC file briefs asking the state Supreme Court to overturn the lower court ruling that allowed some property owners to keep their land.
? April 2003: The Institute for Justice releases a report that compares eminent domain to ?corporate welfare.?
? March 3, 2004: The state Supreme Court affirms NLDC's right to take property at Fort Trumbull by eminent domain.
? July 23, 2004: Institute for Justice petitions U.S. Supreme Court to allow seven plaintiffs to keep their Fort Trumbull properties.
? Sept. 28, 2004: U.S. Supreme Court agrees to review use of eminent domain at Fort Trumbull.
? Feb. 22, 2005: Oral arguments made at U.S. Supreme Court in Kelo v. City of New London.
? June 23, 2005: U.S. Supreme Court rules the city's use of eminent domain at Fort Trumbull is constitutional in a controversial 5-4 decision.
? July 2005: Corcoran Jennison reveals initial design for a $20 million hotel and conference center at Fort Trumbull.
? October 2005: Plaintiffs James and Laura Guretsky settle with the city for 19-23 Smith St., within the boundaries of the development plan but never taken by eminent domain.
? January 2006: Mayor Beth Sabilia proposes locating properties of remaining plaintiffs onto Parcel 4A and allowing them to remain there as lifetime tenants, an option that would be rejected by plaintiffs because it did not include returning property titles.
? Feb. 16, 2006: City Law Director Londregan asks the office of Gov. M. Jodi Rell whether the city can tap unused state funds for Fort Trumbull settlements.
? March 8, 2006: State Attorney General rules that $1.4 million in remaining state money originally set aside for improvements at Fort Trumbull can be used to settle with plaintiffs.
? April 3, 2006: The City Council rejects a proposal by the One New London party to return deeds to six plaintiffs whose property was taken by eminent domain.
? April 28, 2006: Gov. Rell announces a commitment by the U.S. Coast Guard to build the $58 million National Coast Guard Museum on waterfront Parcel 1A at Fort Trumbull. State, City, NLDC, Coast Guard and Corcoran Jennison sign memorandum of agreement. State commits $15 million toward museum, which is to open in 2010.
? May 26, 2006: Corcoran Jennison unveils $13 million plan for 66 luxury apartments, 14 townhouses and 24 extended-stay hotel suites.
? May 31, 2006: Plaintiff Charles Dery, who formerly owned 79, 81-83 and 87 Walbach St., settles with the city. Plaintiff Thelma Brelesky, whose son, Byron Athenian, lives at her former property at 78 Smith St., settles with the city. Gov. Rell sends letter to city setting June 15 deadline after which state money available to plaintiffs for settlements will be taken off the table.
? June 2, 2006: Plaintiff Richard Beyer, manager of Pataya Construction Limited Partnership, settles with the city for his former investment properties at 41 and 49 Goshen St.
? June 5, 2006: Plaintiff William Von Winkle settles with the city for his former properties at 27, 31 and 33-35 Smith St. The city agrees to buy a fourth property at 216 Howard St. never taken by eminent domain. City Council votes to authorize Londregan to proceed in obtaining possession of remaining properties and in collecting use and occupancy fees from remaining plaintiffs.
? June 15, 2006: Negotiations with Susette Kelo and the family of Pasquale Cristofaro continue, and the state extends its settlement deadline.
? June 23, 2006: On one-year anniversary of Supreme Court decision in Kelo v. City of New London, plaintiffs Susette Kelo and Pasquale Cristofaro reach an agreement in principle with the city, and the state allows settlement negotiations to continue for one more week.
? June 30, 2006: Susette Kelo and Pasquale Cristofaro sign settlement agreements.
? July 10, 2006: The City Council will vote on whether to ratify the settlement agreements, which requires the support of at least four councilors.
Off topic, but nice job on your avatar :)
Thanks for pointing out that southpark studio playground (http://www.sp-studio.de/)
[attachment deleted by admin]
;D ;D ;D
You made my day. A good belly laugh, thanks.
freedominnh wrote:
< < Kelo War Crimes Trial might generate some more negative Pfizer press. >>
Freedom, you know I appreciate your presence on this forum and the things you do in Hampton, but it always seems like you and others have these really grand ideas that would take months and dozens of people to accomplish, and thus remain merely ideas. What have you, what have each of us *done* about this problem with the limited individual powers we do have? Russell and Kat and Lloyd all went to the rallies and demos down there (maybe you did too, I don't know). Lauren went to jail. I made about 20 calls to perpetrators and showed up at souter's house.
With every issue, each of us needs to ask ourselves: "What can I do as an individual right now?" Then just go do it! That's better than asking "what can I do if 20 other people and four different complex prerequisites fall into place?" Ninety nine times out of a hundred that question is followed by zero action.
Here again is a simple action item you can do right now even if you only have 5 minutes and 50 cents to invest in solving this problem:
Call these perps:
Mayor, city manager 860 447 5201
NLDC offices 860 447 8011
and tell them whatever you want to tell them.
Even this, the most effective libertarian organization in the world, has a deficit of action and a surplus of talk.
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on July 07, 2006, 09:25 AM NHFT
Thanks for pointing out that southpark studio playground (http://www.sp-studio.de/)
<Ian jumps on the avatar bandwagon>
In a blue collar neighborhood, a good pair of bib overalls fits right in.
Since we're talking avatars... cast your vote:
http://forum.soulawakenings.com/index.php?topic=4343.0
Hey! National coverage! New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/07/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/09ctdomain.html?_r=1&oref=slogin)
July 7, 2006
EMINENT DOMAIN
Homeowners Settle, but Their Fighting Spirit Lives On
By AVI SALZMAN
NEW LONDON, Conn.
OVER the last few years, as its residents fought a battle against the city to keep their homes, the Fort Trumbull neighborhood of New London looked more and more like a war-torn village, with acres of vacant lots interrupted intermittently by debris and a few scattered houses.
Fort Trumbull was at the center of a national debate over eminent domain last year after the United States Supreme Court ruled that the city could take residents' homes and transfer them to a private developer to put up new housing, offices and a hotel. Of the seven property owners who sued the city, the final two agreed on June 30 to settle, ending the battle.
If Fort Trumbull were a war-torn village, what propped it up was the guerilla activism and gallows humor of its resistance movement. During the conflict, messengers on bicycles handed out stickers deriding the city, and homeowners painted huge billboards on the sides of homes with slogans like "Say No to Eminent Domain Assault."
Bill Von Winkle, who lived in one of the 12 apartments he owned in the neighborhood, said he settled, on June 5, because he was offered more money. He wouldn't say how much, but to illustrate his point, he put on a pair of sunglasses with holographic dollar signs and said, "They finally saw it my way."
Two of his five remaining tenants, some of whom moved in even though they knew eviction was looming, were getting ready to leave. They were due out Sunday, Mr. Von Winkle said.
Efrain Caraballo, who works at the Mohegan Sun casino and moved to his one-bedroom apartment at 33 Smith Street in 2004 shortly after graduating from high school, said he would miss the neighborhood.
"It's kind of sad to leave here," he said. "This is the first apartment I ever had."
Lauren Canario, who also lived at 33 Smith Street, said she had moved to Fort Trumbull from Las Vegas after hearing about the Supreme Court ruling. Ms. Canario, an electronics technician, said she wanted to move to New London to support the property owners financially ? by paying rent ? and by fighting on their behalf. Last year, she was arrested for creating a public disturbance at a City Council meeting.
In a grassy area near Mr. Von Winkle's house, Ms. Canario set up a series of cement blocks with the property owners' handprints pressed into them.
Susette Kelo, the lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court case, kept her house cozy throughout the ordeal, placing metal rocking chairs on the porch and storing moccasins in a basket at the foot of the stairs. Ms. Kelo, a nurse, was one of the last holdouts and negotiated a settlement in which the state will pay to move her house. She can keep living on her property for about another year.
Pasquale Cristofaro, who owned a house at 53 Goshen Street, also agreed to settle with the city on June 30 and will get a chance to buy property in the new development. His son, Michael, said the national movement to restrict eminent domain showed that the property owners had prevailed. Legislatures throughout the country have voted to limit condemnation.
"We lost the battle," he said, "but we're winning the war."
Cool.
Woman Allowed To Stay In Fort Trumbull Unit Little Longer (http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=66609c13-03ae-4809-a883-46d23573b122)
Published on 7/10/2006 in The Day
New London ? For 11 Fort Trumbull residents living in a brick apartment building at the corner of Smith and Walbach streets, Sunday was eviction day. The building's owner, Bill Von Winkle, who has settled his eminent domain fight with the city, had given his tenants a July 9 deadline to clean out their things and leave. By Sunday afternoon, the building was almost empty.
Lauren Canario was still there, perched in her third-floor apartment scanning the empty remains of the neighborhood.
?Abandoned houses (are) like fallen soldiers on the battlefield,? said the slightly built Canario, seated, hands in her lap, at her kitchen table.
She asked for an extension to July 15, she said, and Von Winkle granted it. He gave her the New London Development Corporation's paperwork to fill out so that she could be reimbursed for moving expenses. She threw it out, she said.
A self-proclaimed property-rights activist, the Las Vegas transplant and her husband moved to the apartment a year ago to join the fight against eminent domain. The location was perfect as the balcony outside her kitchen overlooked the area dubbed ?eminent domain central,? where a message board announced upcoming events in the neighborhood's eight-year fight to save their neighborhood. From there, she could act as self-appointed press agent to the reporters and photographers who frequented the neighborhood. She was jailed for 15 days for refusing to leave a City Council meeting.
Now, even with most of her neighbors out or on their way out and nobody left to join the fight, Canario is pledging to stay in Fort Trumbull ? even if it means sleeping in a tent. She isn't going to chain to her to her apartment, she said, because Von Winkle is her friend and would have to wait for her to leave before he could receive his settlement.
?There'll be plenty of time for chaining and stuff after all those guys get their money,? she said.
She is hoping the Dery or Cristofaro families will offer her a place to stay, she said, and after the last of the Fort Trumbull neighborhood leaves in October, she said, she'll get out the camping gear.
?I guess you can't expect people to hold out forever,? she said. ?If I were them, I'd be as far away from New London and Connecticut as possible.?
Reached by phone Sunday, Matthew Dery said his family has not invited Canario to stay with them.
Canario's husband, Jim Johnson, is staying with her ? even if, she said, he thinks she is a little crazy. The couple said they have been slowly moving their things to a barn in New Hampshire that they someday plan to turn into a house, after they are finished with their Fort Trumbull battle.
If there was any steam left in the neighborhood's fight against eminent domain, it was visible only in the ?Not for Sale? signs still in the windows Sunday of the now abandoned buildings and in a cardboard replica of Susette Kelo's home, still visible from Canario's balcony.
?It's really lonely,? Canario said. ?It's desolation.?
A few people drove by and yelled, ?Eminent domain sucks,? Canario said, as she sat on her porch to watch the fireworks sparkle over the Thames River this weekend. The neighborhood is scattered, she said.
Everyone else in the building has moved out, according to Von Winkle.
?Lauren's not done with Fort Trumbull yet,? Von Winkle said.
New London
Lauren you Rock!
People come digg it!
http://digg.com/politics/Fighting_the_Kelo_case
8)
Maybe we should have a Shorty Dawkins fireside reunion at Lauren's campsite after she gets settled in.
Shorty Lives.
Hi, Lauren here, resident of the embattled Ft. Trumbull neighborhood of New London, Connecticut. Day 334.
Status of utilities:
electricity On
gas Off
water On
phone Off
cable Off
Going underground today.
My web servers going offline, so no more Ft. Trumbull webcams for a while.
Working on getting back online soon.
Can be reached at 702-858-8730.
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on July 15, 2006, 11:51 AM NHFT
Hi, Lauren here, resident of the embattled Ft. Trumbull neighborhood of New London, Connecticut. Day 334.
Status of utilities:
electricity On
gas Off
water On
phone Off
cable Off
Going underground today.
My web servers going offline, so no more Ft. Trumbull webcams for a while.
Working on getting back online soon.
Wow ..... well it was probably going to happen sometime.
Keep in touch with us somehow.
Lucky cell phones still work.
Our first Undergrounder who's gone underground! Go Lauren!
They have been secretly tunneling for the last 6 months. The subterranean fortress is now complete... shhh, don't tell anyone.
Someone should write a song about tunnelling porcupines.
Quote from: katdillon on July 16, 2006, 04:06 PM NHFT
Someone should write a song about tunnelling porcupines.
Tunnelling along with Tunnelling Porcupines, could be the title.
You can see for yourself
New London Web Cam (http://www.commandrix.com:8080)
The properties of Rich Beyer and the Cristofaros on Goshen Street have been cleared of occupants and utilities are being cut off.
There are still people living on Smith and East streets, not much happening there.
The web cams watch Smith St.
After hearing the latest about Lauren's Gitmo-like treatment at York Detention Institution, being held under 24 hour bright lights in shackles in the psych ward, without a lawyer, with the state not appointing a lawyer, all on charges of 'trespassing' on property she had a valid lease to be on, I've made some calls to the prison and to Governor Lynch's office to see what the PTB have to say in response. I've also written an article at IntLib that we should get digged.
http://digg.com/politics/Eminent_Domain_Protester_Canario_Held_In_Gitmo_Style
Lets get the word out that a peaceful woman is being treated like a terrorist prisoner.
My next package to Lauren will be addressed to Guantanamo Bay, Connecticut. That's horrible.
Quote from: mlorrey on October 04, 2006, 09:55 PM NHFT
all on charges of 'trespassing' on property she had a valid lease to be on
huh?
she wasn't arrested for being on the property she had previously leased...
Frank's correct, for once.
Quote from: Kat Kanning on October 05, 2006, 02:54 AM NHFT
Frank's correct, for once.
I was also right about Tolstoy was a Georgist too...
Ft. Trumbull:
Electricity - On in a few houses
Water - Available in a few houses
Phone - don't know
Mail - no
York Prison:
Lights - probably 24/7
Water - Yes
Shackles - yes
phone - no
mail - yes
Quote from: Russell Kanning on October 05, 2006, 09:14 AM NHFT
mail - yes
Is it confirmed that she got the mail?
Has she sent any out?
They said today that they're giving her incoming mail, and that she could send it out. As far as we know, she hasn't sent any out.
We don't really know what is happening in there.
Quote from: freedominnh on October 05, 2006, 05:55 PM NHFT
Kelo Silence: Not for long and that is priceless.
Need to get the International Red Cross or American Red Cross involved. There must be a human rights watch group not connected to the UN. Greenpeace any ideas?
http://www.ij.org/
I was informed curtly that "the IJ does not get involved in criminal cases" when I just asked them to make calls to the police/city officials after she was arrested.
Quote from: Kat Kanning on October 05, 2006, 09:26 PM NHFT
I was informed curtly that "the IJ does not get involved in criminal cases" when I just asked them to make calls to the police/city officials after she was arrested.
Criminal? Hmmm, since one of their issues is ED, you'd think they'd want to help out.
So I guess when we were fined for signs claiming they were illegal, they would not have helped us even though it was really a suppression of freedom of speech issue? Geesh.
Quote from: Kat Kanning on October 05, 2006, 06:03 PM NHFT
They said today that they're giving her incoming mail, and that she could send it out. As far as we know, she hasn't sent any out.
They're feeding her I hope and allowing her to bathe and stuff.
Why the lights? Do they think she has some information they want to force out of her? Why are they trying to keep her awake? You can still sleep with the lights on! (I know I can)
It seemed like last time, they were either not letting her bathe, or not often.
Quote from: Russell Kanning on October 05, 2006, 09:13 PM NHFT
We don't really know what is happening in there.
When Lauren gets out, I hope she and I can talk privately. I want to find out the full details. If she's being kept in restraints at all times, or otherwise outside the ACA (http://www.aca.org/) guidelines, I will do what I can to hammer them.
Kevin
Quote from: freedominnh on October 05, 2006, 05:55 PM NHFT
Need to get the International Red Cross or American Red Cross involved. There must be a human rights watch group not connected to the UN. Greenpeace any ideas?
Let us know what they have to say when you call them.
I don't think Jim spends alot of time calling politicians.
Kelo has put a curse on her enemies.
http://www.theday.com/
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=3d8b1d56-6d39-49c7-ab5d-a1110427c531
"I curse you all!"
Quote from: Facilitator on December 20, 2006, 08:38 AM NHFT
Kelo has put a curse on her enemies.
http://www.theday.com/
Quote from: Ms Kelo's Christmas Card
Here is my house that you did take
From me to you, this spell I make
Your houses, your homes
Your family, your friends
May they live in misery
That never ends.
I curse you all
May you rot in hell
To each of you
I send this spell
For the rest of your lives
I wish you ill
I send this now
By the power of will
Awesome!!!
Quote from: News ReportKelo, among six Fort Trumbull property owners who contested the city's and agency's right to seize their homes and businesses, was the lead plaintiff in the case. She ultimately accepted a settlement offer from the city totaling $442,155 for her house at 8 East St., more than $319,000 above the appraised value in 2000.
?It's amazing anyone could be so vindictive when they've made so much money,? said Schwenker-Mayer on Tuesday, after receiving her card.
Schwenker-Mayer, you just don't get it. It's not about money, it's about liberty.
Pfizer Guy:
Quote?It's sort of sad she elected to do this,? said Milne. ?We were trying to do things for the city. It was nothing personal.?
Not personal? These people are sick.
.... and the government tries to tell you they went willingly. Some people also try to justify it that way also.
Well said Braddog.
To Glover, a former mayor, the card's rendering of the Kelo house was cute. But the curse didn't cut it. ?Being a Christian, I don't believe in curses,? she said.
But she believes in theft? Hmm, must be some newfangled christian sect.
Quote from: News ReportKelo, among six Fort Trumbull property owners who contested the city's and agency's right to seize their homes and businesses, was the lead plaintiff in the case. She ultimately accepted a settlement offer from the city totaling $442,155 for her house at 8 East St., more than $319,000 above the appraised value in 2000.
?It's amazing anyone could be so vindictive when they've made so much money,? said Schwenker-Mayer on Tuesday, after receiving her card.
Yeah, it would be like if we voted to rape this woman and afterwards gave her a thousand dollars...
?It's amazing anyone could be so vindictive when they've made so much money,?
I just dropped a copy of the The Day article, an extra copy of the picture of the card, and my own article (http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/12/21/kelo-may-you-all-rot-in-hell/), in the mail to Lauren.
USA Today ran a page 3 story on Kelo's holiday card.
Not one entry in thier letters mentions Lauren.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/12/not_a_merry_chr.html
I made absolutely sure to mention Lauren!
But at least people nationwide are still paying attention to the eminent domain issue and are still pissed off about it.
That, at least, is a bright spot on this dark holiday.
2000 values ... I wonder if New London bases their property taxes on 2000 home values.
Quote from: error on December 20, 2006, 08:50 AM NHFT
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=3d8b1d56-6d39-49c7-ab5d-a1110427c531
The gall of these people calling Susette "childish" for being bitter over her house being confiscated. Did they have a meeting and decide beforehand what they were all going to say? It reminds me of the time all the news-pukes kept parroting the word "gravitas."
At least one of those scumbags used the card as an opportunity to profess her Christianity.. hello.. 10 commandments? I guess thou can steal (the difference between the final and free-market compensation) if thou has a meeting and gets others to agree, and turns the proceeds over to thy friends who in turn pay thou for stealing on their behalf.
No, what's "childish" is running to mommy government to try and force someone to turn over something you and your friends
covet. So that's two commandments broken. I'm not Christian or anything, just thought I'd point out the hipocrisy.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maid servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.
Quote from: Roger Grant on December 21, 2006, 06:45 AM NHFT
Quote from: News ReportKelo, among six Fort Trumbull property owners who contested the city's and agency's right to seize their homes and businesses, was the lead plaintiff in the case. She ultimately accepted a settlement offer from the city totaling $442,155 for her house at 8 East St., more than $319,000 above the appraised value in 2000.
?It's amazing anyone could be so vindictive when they've made so much money,? said Schwenker-Mayer on Tuesday, after receiving her card.
Yeah, it would be like if we voted to rape this woman and afterwards gave her a thousand dollars...
?It's amazing anyone could be so vindictive when they've made so much money,?
Or worse after the rape and paying her calling her a prostitute.
Now that she has settled Susette should consider cutting her ties with the city of New London and getting a real job.
Quote from: freedominnh on December 21, 2006, 07:37 PM NHFT
NH voters decided not to allow another New London travesty to happen again within its boundaries with the Constitutional ammendment just passed.
That will not and has not stopped the government from doing bad things.
"This is Challenger the bald eagle, reminding you that Only You Can Prevent Government."
Quote from: Russell Kanning on December 22, 2006, 07:26 AM NHFT
Quote from: freedominnh on December 21, 2006, 07:37 PM NHFT
NH voters decided not to allow another New London travesty to happen again within its boundaries with the Constitutional ammendment just passed.
That will not and has not stopped the government from doing bad things.
The constitution sure hasn't stopped much of anything else.
Quote from: error on December 22, 2006, 07:57 AM NHFT
"This is Challenger the bald eagle, reminding you that Only You Can Prevent Government."
Me likey it.
I like the fact that the article includes a clear list of perpetrators , all mentioned in one place.
There are two others I'd like to add to the list, since they currently work for NLDC:
Gregg Coonan
Synelvia Penn
I am probably misspelling both names. I have called them each about 10 times.
Here's the article which includes the remaining names...I hope some of you will contact some of them (as I hope to) or give us their contact info:
----
Kelo's Holiday Greeting To Foes: 'I Curse You All'
Fort Trumbull eminent domain plaintiff hopes recipients of cards will 'rot in hell'
By Steven Slosberg
Click name for author info, most recent articles ...
Published on 12/20/2006 in Main Photo ? Main Photo
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The front cover of the Kelo holiday greeting card.
'It's amazing anyone could be so vindictive when they've made so much money.'
Gail Schwenker-Mayer
'These people can think what they want of me. I will never, ever forget what they did.'
Susette Kelo
New London ? Fort Trumbull diehard Susette Kelo has sent out a heartfelt holiday greeting card to some 30 or so current and former members of the City Council and New London Development Corp., among others, wishing them, in essence, hell on Earth for the rest of their lives.
The text, accompanying a sparkling, snowy image of Kelo's iconic pink house in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood, reads, in its entirety:
Here is my house that you did take
From me to you, this spell I make
Your houses, your homes
Your family, your friends
May they live in misery
That never ends.
I curse you all
May you rot in hell
To each of you
I send this spell
For the rest of your lives
I wish you ill
I send this now
By the power of will
The cards ? conceived and produced by Kathleen Mitchell, a friend of Kelo and city gadfly, and bearing Kelo's name ? were received Tuesday by NLDC members David Goebel (the agency's former executive director), George Milne and Reid Burdick, and by Alan Mayer and his wife, Gail Schwenker-Mayer, supporters of the Fort Trumbull development project and one-time assistants to Claire Gaudiani, former president of both the NLDC and Connecticut College. State Sen. Andrea Stillman, D-Waterford, also got one.
Kelo said this week that she mailed two cards to Gaudiani.
Kelo confirmed others on her list for the Christmas curse, including Mayor Peg Curtin and Beth Sabilia, Ernie Hewitt, Ron Nossek, Jane Glover, Kevin Cavanaugh, Rob Pero, Tim West, all current or former city councilors involved with Fort Trumbull. NLDC President Michael Joplin and members John Johnson, Carl Stoner, Steve Percy, Karl Sternlof, John Brooks and Pam Akins also are to receive the cards.
Kelo said she was considering sending the cards to the five U.S. Supreme Court justices who, in 2005, sided, as a majority, with the city and NLDC against the Fort Trumbull homeowners who fought the city's right to take the properties by eminent domain.
Kelo, among six Fort Trumbull property owners who contested the city's and agency's right to seize their homes and businesses, was the lead plaintiff in the case. She ultimately accepted a settlement offer from the city totaling $442,155 for her house at 8 East St., more than $319,000 above the appraised value in 2000.
?It's amazing anyone could be so vindictive when they've made so much money,? said Schwenker-Mayer on Tuesday, after receiving her card.
Milne, a former top executive at Pfizer Inc. here, called the card ?immensely childish.?
?It's sort of sad she elected to do this,? said Milne. ?We were trying to do things for the city. It was nothing personal.?
Burdick said he put the card on his mantel with all his other Christmas greetings. ?I think the poor woman has gone around the bend,? he said. ?I haven't gotten any mail from her in years. I still feel bad for Susette. The sorry part of this is that the things she's angry about were not done to be mean-spirited toward her personally.?
To Glover, a former mayor, the card's rendering of the Kelo house was cute. But the curse didn't cut it. ?Being a Christian, I don't believe in curses,? she said. ?It was really childish. I didn't think Susette Kelo believed in curses and black magic. If she did, she would have tried it on the Supreme Court.?
Goebel, the former NLDC executive director, said, ?Children will be children.? But Goebel was the only recipient, thus far, to suggest that the card might not be from Kelo.
?You shouldn't take the signature at the bottom as that of the one who sent it,? Goebel said. ?It's not something Susette would have done, in my view. It's unfortunate children have to do this.?
He did not speculate on who else might have been behind the mailing.
Kelo said the card was her idea. ?I'm very upset with what these people did to me,? said Kelo, who works for the City of New London as a nurse dealing with lead paint and lead poisoning cases.
?This all could have been solved and ended many years ago,? she said. ?They didn't have to do what they did to us, and I will never forget. These people can think what they want of me. I will never, ever forget what they did.?
Wow, this thread (http://forum.soulawakenings.com/index.php?topic=6694.msg115951#msg115951) talks about more abuses on the people of Connecticut.
Why do people still live there?
Three of the Kelo 7 still live in New London, they must think a lying/kidnapping/stealing government is not so bad afterall.
Guess how many letters I received in prison from people in CT? None.
I now offically agree with Ian - Connecticut is a lost cause.
<whew!>
I was dreading going back to that hellhole. Glad to know I won't have to!
Yesterday they demolished some of Mr. Beyer's property.
The Cristofaro home is going today.
No protestation planned.
:'(
Bummer...
I had just been wondering what was going on with them. Thanks, Lauren.
Quote from: FTL_Ian on January 06, 2007, 10:37 AM NHFT
<whew!>
I was dreading going back to that hellhole.
You can just stay in the hellhole of Keene ;)
Quote from: money dollars on March 01, 2007, 08:57 AM NHFT
Quote from: FTL_Ian on January 06, 2007, 10:37 AM NHFT
<whew!>
I was dreading going back to that hellhole.
You can just stay in the hellhole of Keene ;)
Keene isn't a hellhole.
'This Is Totally Wrong'
Tears Shed As Razing Continues In Fort Trumbull (http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=fe652387-842e-4ce4-b933-973ecf277256)
New London ? Michael Cristofaro stood in the rain for several hours Friday as a backhoe tore into his father's former house at Fort Trumbull.In an e-mail I received regarding video footage for a documentary...
He gives thanks for everyone's help.
Quote
...Thanks for all of the help and support that all of you had done. There will never be enough words of gratitude.
Take Care
Michael Cristofaro
Yesterday they demolished the Cristofaro home in Ft. Trumbull. Here is an email from him. :'(
Just thought I will send this out. NLDC will never learn that lying will get you nowhere. They demolished my dad's property Friday. They picked a day which they knew few people would make it out and made sure that no one knew about the demolishing. The state and NLDC have not kept their word on the stipulation of moving the plants or installing the plaque honoring my mom. It was so heart breaking to see the demolishing crew just grabbed the plants and threw them out of their way with no concern that it took years of care to get them that way. Joplin's quote "the state arborist visited Fort Trumbull months ago and found that the shrubs are ?post-mature? and cannot successfully be moved. In lieu of moving the plants, an agreement had been reached to provide the Cristofaro family with a $10,000 credit toward new shrubs" The state arborist did show and stated that they all can be moved and we have not agreed on $10,000. I will be demanding a retraction and an apology next week. This is far from being over.
I also wanted to share this bit of info that happen on Friday while they were tearing the house down. John Brooks(NLDC) who is in charge of Fort Trumbull development was standing across the street from the house. A big rat ran across the street and ran over his feet and then ran back into the rumble. I yelled over said, "Rats find other rats". I pray that each and everyone of this individuals will get what they deserve one day. I will continue to fight this abuse until all property owners are safe in their homes again.
Take care
Michael Cristofaro
? Former Fort Trumbull neighborhood resident and Kelo v. City of New London plaintiff Michael Cristofaro confronts New London building department official James Salmon, left, as demolition of Cristofaro's former property on Goshen Street progresses Friday. Cristofaro wanted the demolition of his father's house delayed until some shrubs around the structure could be relocated. NLDC President Michael Joplin said the state arborist visited the property months ago and determined the plants could not be moved successfully and a $10,000 credit for Cristofaro to get new shrubs has been agreed upon.
[attachment deleted by admin]
?Former Fort Trumbull resident Michael Cristofaro talks to city building department officials, employees of Barberi Bros. Demolition and New London police as his former property on Goshen Street is demolished.
[attachment deleted by admin]
Story in the Day
'This Is Totally Wrong'
By Elaine Stoll , Day Staff Writer
Published on 3/3/2007 in Home ?Region ?Region Main Photo
New London ? Michael Cristofaro stood in the rain for several hours Friday as a backhoe tore into his father's former house at Fort Trumbull.
?If my dad knew this, it would kill him today,? he said, watching the demolition of 53 Goshen St. with occasional tears and a few angry words.
?This is totally wrong.?
The city seized Pasquale Cristofaro's Goshen Street property in 2000 when it exercised eminent domain as part of a municipal development plan that called for economic development including a hotel, office space and rental housing. He joined six other plaintiffs in suing the city in the case Kelo v. City of New London, decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in favor of the city in 2005.
The Cristofaro family reached a settlement over possession of the property on June 30, 2006, but that hasn't ended Michael Cristofaro's resolve to fight eminent domain. ?Until the last breath leaves me, I will fight eminent domain use forever,? he said.
Cristofaro was joined by Kathleen Mitchell and by Susette Kelo, lead plaintiff in the eminent domain lawsuit whose controversial court ruling reverberated around the country. To date, 34 states have passed legislation or approved constitutional amendments to restrict the use of eminent domain for economic development.
?It's too bad the city never figured out this was wrong. The whole country figured it out,? Kelo said.
Several police officers stretched yellow tape in front of the house to protect onlookers from demolition debris, they said, and they remained on scene through the demolition.
Michael Cristofaro alleged that police had earlier threatened to put him in handcuffs. ?They said, 'You don't want a picture of you being arrested.' I said, 'Do you think being arrested is the worst thing that's going to happen today?' ?
None of the three protesters was arrested.
Barberi Brothers Demolition of Waterford demolished the former Cristofaro property Friday as well as a rental house next door at 49 Goshen St., formerly owned by Richard Beyer's company, Pataya Construction. A day earlier, Salecon LLC of Salem felled 41 Goshen St., also formerly owned by Pataya Construction.
The New London Development Corp. has a $63,510 contract with Barberi Brothers Demolition for asbestos abatement and demolition of 49 and 53 Goshen St. and 44 and 46 Smith St., said NLDC Fort Trumbull Project Manager John Brooks. A $12,494 contract with Salecon covered the demolition of 41 Goshen St.
Following the demolitions, the NLDC will be able to complete Chelsea and Walbach streets and grade a soil stockpile onto the parcel, he said.
Michael Cristofaro alleged Friday that the NLDC has not met its obligation, outlined in the settlement agreement, to transplant shrubs at 53 Goshen St. to another location and said the demolition equipment had damaged some of the plants. His brother is awaiting a response to complaints made to the governor's office, he said.
NLDC President Michael Joplin said the state arborist visited Fort Trumbull months ago and found that the shrubs are ?post-mature? and cannot successfully be moved. In lieu of moving the plants, an agreement had been reached to provide the Cristofaro family with a $10,000 credit toward new shrubs, Joplin said.
e.stoll@theday.com
ugliness
Can you imagine trying to "reach an agreement" with the nldc? Why on earth would they hold up their end of the bargin?
Hee Hee, :evil6:
NLDC business as usual, under construction (http://nldc.org)with nothing to show for it.
;D
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on April 16, 2007, 07:20 AM NHFT
Hee Hee, :evil6:
NLDC business as usual, under construction (http://nldc.org)with nothing to show for it.
Wow! Irony just pours out of that! Thanks, Lauren!
The Wayback Machine shows the last update on Apr 2, 2006 (http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.nldc.org)
Well at least he moved out of New London
QuoteTheDay.Com
Putting It All Behind Him (http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=883a4b8c-1eb1-4648-9931-9fc4d442c672)
By David Collins
Published on 4/25/2007
New London ? Life in an eminent-domain war has never been easy.
Byron Athenian, who fought long enough to watch all his neighbors disappear and most of their houses come down around him, knows that as well as anyone. Even Smith Street itself is gone in front of Athenian's home, which used to be number 78, replaced by a concrete berm and what may be the city's biggest empty lot, a big wide expanse of dirt and gravel.
On windy days during the demolitions and road-building, Athenian couldn't go outdoors because of all the dirt and dust in the air. On rainy days, the basement fills with water because the level of the land around him has changed so much.
People come and dump trash, old sofas and televisions in the cleared space next to his house, where for almost 25 years he leased a building for his auto body shop before it was torn down, too, five years ago. His decrepit little gray house, which he stopped repairing when the troubles began eight years ago, is the last thing standing in Fort Trumbull's Parcel 3c, surrounded by a few trees and an overgrown privet hedge.
Today, though, Athenian may be leaving it all behind. He's buying a double-wide trailer house on Old Colchester Road in Montville, and if the very last stretch of negotiations with the New London Development Corp. goes well, he will move out, the last of the residents/litigants in the landmark Kelo v. New London case, he said, to leave the neighborhood they all affectionately called ?The Fort.?
But even so close to the end, things haven't been easy for Athenian.
View a Fort Trumbull slideshow
Tuesday, he was still trying to work out a timetable with the NLDC for a settlement meeting in which he would receive his final payment and use that money to close on the new house in Montville. The closing was scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday, and Athenian was asking to remain in the house until 4 p.m. today, so he would have time to move out.
He didn't want to move twice and said he turned down an NLDC offer to put his things in storage and pay for a hotel because he didn't know what to do with his 7-year-old, one-eyed pit bull, Charlie.
?What's a day or two after eight and a half years?? he asked.
But the NLDC said no, Athenian said in frustration Tuesday afternoon. That led to the U-Haul incident.
One of Athenian's lawyers told him he'd have to get a moving truck, load his things into it Tuesday night and this morning, then leave it parked next to the house while he goes to the closing, collects his check and buys the new house.
The only truck he could find was an enormous one, in Groton, so big he had trouble handling it going over the Gold Star Memorial Bridge. Then on the way into Fort Trumbull, going under the Walbach Street Amtrak overpass, he heard a scrape. When he got home and opened up the truck, he discovered he'd ripped off the aluminum roof.
?I just hope it doesn't rain,? he said, adding that he did, at least, buy the insurance for the rental. ?Every hour today is an adventure.?
Athenian's house is in his mother's name, although he is the only one who has lived there in the 12 years they have owned it. They became the last to come to a resolution with the NLDC because, Athenian said, the NLDC unfairly settled for much higher amounts with other neighborhood residents last summer, after Athenian and his mother complied with what they say they were told was a final deadline to accept an offer.
They later filed a complaint with the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, claiming Athenian's mother, Thelma Brelesky, who is elderly, was discriminated against because of the wide discrepancies in settlements.
Athenian said Tuesday he was reluctant to disclose the final amount he expected from the NLDC today to complete the purchase of the $167,000 property in Montville. But he said it is small. He said another $174,652 in settlement and escrow for his house, after paying lawyers and a $22,000 mortgage, came to about $140,000.
?New London seized my house and all I got was this lousy sticker,? read big stickers pasted across the front and back doors of Athenian's house.
?If I were rich I would have told them to keep it all a long time ago,? he said.
NLDC officials did not return phone messages Tuesday inquiring about Athenian and his planned move today.
Athenian allowed himself a little nostalgia about The Fort Tuesday, remembering the summer barbecues neighbors used to share after fishing trips. Many people lived there their whole lives. The elderly man Athenian bought 78 Smith St. from had lived there for 60 years and raised a family in it.
?He would hate to see this,? Athenian said, predicting the plywood would go on the windows today, as soon as the closing is over.
One other deadline looms for the final abandonment of the neighborhood. Susette Kelo has a June 15 deadline to move or lose her pink house, and a relative or friend is still staying in it now, Athenian said.
?This was a good neighborhood,? he said. ?I don't know what they meant when they said it wasn't a good neighborhood. There were good people here. But as they say, all things must pass.?
Athenian is also looking forward to his new home, which is on one acre, with plenty of room for Charlie to roam.
And life there, he said, might be easier.
New London
Byron Athenian with his dog, Charlie, on the porch of his home at 78 Smith St. in New London on Tuesday. Athenian is scheduled to move out of the house in the former Fort Trumbull neighborhood today.
[attachment deleted by admin]
I curse you all to hell.
Eminent Domain Symbol Spared (http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=ea83a9d3-83b5-44fd-9333-7d1be646b816)
Eminent Domain Symbol Spared
Former Kelo House In Fort Trumbull Will Be Saved And Relocated
By Elaine Stoll
Published on 6/15/2007
New London — On the eve of today's deadline for Susette Kelo to vacate the Fort Trumbull cottage whose seizure by eminent domain she unsuccessfully fought all the way to the Supreme Court, the Institute for Justice announced that the house would be spared demolition.
The house will be preserved in its entirety and relocated to 36 Franklin St., Institute Senior Attorney Scott Bullock said Thursday. There, he said, it will stand testament to the struggle of Kelo and the neighbors who joined her in a lawsuit — Kelo v. City of New London — that sought to save their homes and prevent future seizures of private property for economic development.
Though the high court's June 23, 2005, decision upheld as a public purpose the distressed city's use of eminent domain to bolster its tax base by remaking the Fort Trumbull peninsula under a municipal development plan, 42 states have since enacted restrictions on the use of eminent domain powers for economic development purposes.
The Kelo house has become an important symbol in that battle for the property rights of homeowners and small-business owners, Bullock said.
"It really is a historic house," he said. "It's a house that has changed America so much for the better. It's a house that sparked a grass-roots rebellion against eminent domain for private economic development."
The house is too large to be moved intact to Franklin Street, about a mile away, and could not fit under the railroad trestles that separate the Fort Trumbull peninsula from the rest of the city, Bullock said. So in the next few months it will be disassembled "piece by piece," down to single studs and floor joists, trucked away, and stored in pieces. It will be reassembled on the new site, said Victor Wyatt, general manager of New London-based General Home Improvements.
That site is a vacant, landscaped lot owned by Avner Gregory of New London, who offered it for the Kelo house, Bullock said. The lot contains an existing foundation that will be modified to fit the cottage. It will be the house's third location — the building was moved from its original Pequot Avenue location to its Fort Trumbull address, 8 East St., in the 1890s.
The Kelo house will fit in with the other Franklin Street homes, and its new location is not far from the courthouse where the eminent domain lawsuit was fought locally, Bullock said.
Details such as who will hold title to the house and what purpose it will be used for upon reconstruction have yet to be decided, Bullock said.
"Our focus right now is on getting the house out of Fort Trumbull and getting it there (Franklin Street) as quickly as possible."
Kelo, who decorated the house Thursday in red, white and blue ribbon even as workers prepared the building for disassembly, said she was glad it will be saved.
"I'm really very happy about it, and I'm excited," she said. "The city won't be able to forget what they did. I hope they never do it again."
The fact that the house can be saved is one good development in what has otherwise been a difficult nine years, Kelo said.
Standing outside her house Thursday, which also happened to be her birthday, Kelo recalled buying the house in 1997. The woman who previously owned it had painted it beige inside and out and asked Kelo what color she intended to use.
The pink color Kelo chose — Odessa Rose by Benjamin Moore — would "liven up the neighborhood," the woman told Kelo. "I said, 'Yeah, and so will I,' " Kelo said. "Little did I know."
A settlement signed with the city and the New London Development Corp. last June gave Kelo until today to remain at the house, though she did not wait until the deadline to move to Waterford. The NLDC has agreed to give the Institute for Justice more time to move the house, though the extension will not be an indefinite one, NLDC President Michael Joplin said Thursday.
"We're going to expect a commitment on their part to move it by a certain date, and if we can be of help, we'll be of help," Joplin said.
NLDC Chief Operating Officer Gregory Coenen said he is pleased the Institute for Justice will be able to move the house.
"When the settlement agreement was formulated, we acknowledged the opportunity to relocate the house," he said. "At his point, I'm certainly pleased to see that provision coming to fruition. It has always been our expectation, and I think theirs, that the house would be moved."
City and state officials also welcomed Thursday's announcement.
"I'm pleased that Susette will be able to carry through with her plans to move the house," City Law Director Thomas J. Londregan said.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell, whose office was involved in negotiating settlements a year ago that compensated Kelo and the other plaintiffs for giving up possession of their former properties, "has consistently fought for the accommodation of the Fort Trumbull residents," Rell spokesman Adam Liegeot said. "Today's announcement is further proof that working together and negotiating in good faith can benefit everyone involved — the City of New London, the state of Connecticut and the residents of the Fort Trumbull peninsula."
The relocation of the house, funded with money raised by the Institute for Justice for that purpose, will not cost the state or NLDC, nor will it delay progress on the Fort Trumbull project.
Quote from: error on June 15, 2007, 07:36 AM NHFT
Eminent Domain Symbol Spared (http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=ea83a9d3-83b5-44fd-9333-7d1be646b816)
Eminent Domain Symbol Spared
Former Kelo House In Fort Trumbull Will Be Saved And Relocated
That site is a vacant, landscaped lot owned by Avner Gregory of New London, who offered it for the Kelo house, ...
That's Avner
Gandhi Gregory, a very saintly guy.
Oops! Newspaper regrets advocating eminent domain
Fort Trumbull Growth Stalled By Hard Times (http://www.theday.com/re_print.aspx?re=6032022e-5c2c-40a7-8f97-af459c2377e8)
By Morgan McGinley
Published on 6/15/2008 in Home »Editorial »Editorial Columns
Eight years have passed since the New London Development Corp. reorganized and in short order produced Pfizer's Global Research and Development offices. The city anticipated a vibrant research and office park in Fort Trumbull with a high-quality hotel.
Pfizer's development has given a much-needed shot in the arm to the local economy. But a time-consuming lawsuit over eminent domain blocked the NLDC's other goals and now the Fort Trumbull project is mired in the national recession.
With Lehman Bros. the latest big-name banking house to face a loss of billions of dollars, the evidence suggests that the worst is not over. The banking crisis has damaged development projects and crippled the housing industry, with no relief in sight.
As a result, the city is unlikely to get much new tax revenue anytime soon in Fort Trumbull and a hotel is at least five years away, if at all.
The national Coast Guard Museum plans there are progressing, but Pfizer, once interested in a fine hotel to house its visiting scientists, has to concentrate on its own difficult, internal problems. Pfizer stock has tumbled to about one-third its former value and is hovering at about $18 a share.Changed position
Initially, I supported the ideas the NLDC was projecting, for without a dynamic leveraging of New London's assets, the city was destined to face an ever-more-demanding struggle to pay its bills with a paltry tax base. But in retrospect, I believe the Rowland administration's and the NLDC's take-no-prisoners approach in Fort Trumbull prevented a workable compromise. Such a proposal could have produced the Pfizer project and generated new tax revenues, while leaving most people in their homes.
John A. Steffian, former dean of the architecture department at Rhode Island School of Design, offered such a reasonable compromise. He even drew a model of his idea, but the Rowland administration and the NLDC weren't interested. As a result, Steffian and his wife Sarah E. Steffian, became prime movers in resisting the forced eminent-domain takings. They supported the Institute for Justice's lawsuit for homeowner Susette Kelo that went to the U.S. Supreme Court.
By clinging to such an intractable stance, the city and NLDC missed the opportunity to take advantage of a red hot housing market and abundant credit.
Instead the project is floundering, stalled by the collapse of the real estate market and the resulting tightening of credit.
The NLDC has dismissed Corcoran Jennison, a Boston firm, as prime developer. But the company, after paying just $1 for the building, still is able to develop a modern office structure formerly occupied by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. Among the prospective tenants is the Coast Guard Research and Development Center. And, though no longer prime developer, Corcoran Jennison could compete for housing contracts or build an extended-stay residence inn at the Fort, catering largely to Pfizer employees assigned to the area for an extended period.
One has to wonder, though, who will develop housing there in this climate? President Michael Joplin says financing may be obtainable if a developer gets tax credits for providing work-force housing for about 10 percent to 20 percent of some 66 apartments. Those would be occupied by people whose income was 80 percent, or less, of the median income in the region.
In essence the plan would bring back to Fort Trumbull the type of folks ousted by eminent domain - working people.
"This is a slap in the face to the people who lived there. You're going back to what it was," noted one veteran real estate agent.
New London residents have been hit by the loss of many dozens of homes in the eminent-domain takings at Fort Trumbull and the state pier. Hard as it is to swallow, taxpayers are going to have to wait for this bad economic time to pass. That is the reality.
Morgan McGinley is a former editorial page editor for The Day, now retired.
Thank God there is such a law as cause and effect. >:D >:D
The green shirted police officer near the end of Lauren's porch arrest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaITPIRHJ3c) video has been accused of horrible horrible things
http://archive.theday.com/re.aspx?re=00fb36df-f4b5-44ce-8b96-e73b2bd27b7a
New London police officer charged with sexual assault (http://archive.theday.com/re.aspx?re=00fb36df-f4b5-44ce-8b96-e73b2bd27b7a)
By Karen Florin
Published on 1/23/2009 in Home
William R. Edwards Sr., a well-known New London police officer, has been charged with sexually assaulting a young child and suspended from the force.
State police charged Edwards, 45, with third-degree sexual assault for allegedly compelling another person to submit to sexual contact by use of force. He also was charged with second-degree unlawful restraint, tampering with a witness and two counts of risk of injury to a minor.
Edwards was booked at the state police Troop E barracks in Montville early Thursday and appeared in Norwich Superior Court at about noon. He is free on $100,000 bond and is forbidden from having contact with the alleged victim, a 12-year-old boy. The Day does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault.
Judge Barbara Bailey Jongbloed also ordered Edwards to cooperate with The Family Institute, a Hartford psychiatric institution.
According to the arrest warrant, Edwards did not deny the sexual assault allegation and admitted that he engaged in "inappropriate behavior" with the victim about four or five years ago during a "dark period" in his life.
Edwards, the warrant stated, became increasingly despondent during an interview with police Dec. 3 at Troop E. Detectives determined he was a threat to himself and took him to The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich to be evaluated. Edwards admitted to the detectives that he had been depressed for years and had a substance-abuse problem.
His estranged wife, who was interviewed during the investigation, told police her husband had been using cocaine and that he threatened to shoot himself in the head if he was arrested and the charges appeared in the news media.
New London Police Chief Bruce Rinehart suspended Edwards without pay Thursday following his arrest.
The suspension was effective immediately, Rinehart said, and will remain in effect until the resolution of the court case. Because Edwards was hospitalized, Rinehart was unable to suspend Edwards until he was arrested.
The chief and New London police Capt. Margaret Ackley met Edwards at Troop E to formally suspend him.
"It's an unfortunate thing,'' Rinehart said. "Law enforcement is one big family, and when these things happen to our brothers and sisters, these things affect us all.''
He said the department is also conducting an internal investigation.
Edwards, wearing a blue button-down shirt and tan slacks, appeared in court with his brother, former city police Capt. Kenneth W. Edwards, and defense attorney Paul Guernsey. He seemed calm as he stood before the judge. His case will be heard in Windham County, since he and his family are so well known in New London County. His next court date is Feb. 11 in Danielson Superior Court.
The arrest warrant detailing the charges portrays a different Edwards than the 20-year police veteran who tirelessly worked with community groups, including children, business owners, the elderly and neighborhood alliances.
Edwards, a lifelong city resident, told state police he has been depressed "since 1967" (when he was 4 years old), and his wife told investigators he had sought inpatient treatment for a cocaine addiction. Edwards has been married since 1987 and has two children. Court records indicate that Deutsche Bank foreclosed on the family home at 68 Cedar Grove Ave. in July and that the bank repossessed the house.
The state police began investigating Edwards in November after receiving a report from the Department of Children and Families. A child who knows the alleged victim had disclosed the allegations to a counselor. The child said the alleged victim had told her about the allegations. The alleged victim was then interviewed by a DCF investigator and state police.
The victim said when he was between 5 and 7 years old, he had four or five encounters of a sexual nature with Edwards. The victim said he was afraid to tell anyone because he was frightened of Edwards.
DAY STAFF WRITER KATHLEEN EDGECOMB CONTRIBUTED TO THIS STORY.
Roughing up tiny harmless women, and raping young boys.
I bet he feels like a real man. >:(
punks, all of them. God help me if I had my way. hehe
depressed since age 4 .... makes a good cop thug
Quote from: KBCraig on January 25, 2009, 02:09 AM NHFT
Roughing up tiny harmless women, and raping young boys.
I bet he feels like a real man. >:(
I would love to know how many people he has arrested for cocaine possession. Just another dirty cop. I am curious why the 'good' cops didn't bust this 'bad apple'.
Thin Blue morality............... concern for the public................ Line!
"It's an unfortunate thing,'' Rinehart said. "Law enforcement is one big family, and when these things happen to our brothers and sisters, these things affect us all.''
Pick that one apart.
Obviously criminals wearing badges aren't responsible for their actions; they're afflicted with something. Something happened to them. That's why other police have to protect them. It's not their fault man! Society made them do it!
Reminds me of lyrics from a West Side Story song, Only this time Officer Krupke has a 'social disease'.
"
Officer Krupke
We're down on our knees
RIFF
'Cause no one wants a fella
With a social disease
JETS
Dear Officer Krupke
What are we to do?
Gee, Officer Krupke
Krup you"
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=4d5acfca-6818-4a72-b987-7314f7ef3a28 (http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=4d5acfca-6818-4a72-b987-7314f7ef3a28)
Little Pink House' stays grounded in New London
Published on 1/30/2009
The U.S. Supreme Court stoked a populist uproar when it ruled in 2005 that New London could bulldoze the working class Fort Trumbull neighborhood and replace it with a commercial district that would bring jobs, tax revenue and a newly gentrified gleam to the struggling city. Eminent domain suddenly took its place among abortion and affirmative action as the legal issue that roused people's deepest convictions about right and wrong.
With the furor over Kelo v. New London long since faded from editorial pages and talk radio, Jeff Benedict gives us an even-handed account of the politics and personal rivalries that produced the most talked-about case of 2005. His much-awaited "Little Pink House" is in bookstores.
LITTLE PINK HOUSE
Jeff Benedict
Grand Central Publishing
416 pages
$26.99
The book opens with a hearing about eminent domain on Capitol Hill, but its focus is relentlessly local. This turns out to be its great strength and its great weakness. Benedict does a wonderfully vivid job sketching the personalities that contribute to New London's rowdy civic life, and readers who follow local politics will delight in seeing these familiar figures writ large on the printed page.
Benedict dramatizes the story as a conflict between two women who are alike only in their bullheadedness. The first of his leading ladies is Claire Gaudiani, the flamboyant president of Connecticut College who persuades Pfizer to build its new research headquarters in New London and then concocts a plan to remake nearby Fort Trumbull to better comport with its corporate neighbor. Her main obstacle is Susette Kelo, the nurse who refuses to give up her pink cottage, the symbol of her hard-fought independence from a loveless marriage, to Gaudiani's grand designs.
Kelo comes off as a sympathetic everywoman who wages a noble battle against City Hall, but she is less interesting as a character study than the operatic Gaudiani. I could never decide whether Gaudiani was motivated by ambition or some misbegotten sense of altruism when she tried to knock down Fort Trumbull, a project she claimed would bring social justice to New London in the forms of jobs, tax revenue and economic momentum. Her arrogance was such that she did not grasp the irony that her experiment in social uplift would displace the sort of working class people she was ostensibly trying to help.
In one telling incident, shortly before she is run out of Connecticut College by a faculty revolt, Gaudiani opens the Hartford Courant magazine to find an unflattering profile of herself by a reporter whom she had trusted. Rather than use the occasion for self-reflection, Gaudiani assumes the writer undercut her because she was jealous of her good looks and professional stature. Was this self-defense? Utter delusion? Whatever the case, her brash, polyhedric personality gives the book its narrative drive.
By building his book around the bitter divisions Gaudiani incited, Benedict gives us a key insight into what went wrong with the Fort Trumbull project. The standoff between Gaudiani, Kelo and their respective supporters devolved into an intractable war of personality that all but foreclosed the possibility of compromise, even when reasonable solutions were on the table. At some point, what was good for New London was subordinated to the personal rivalries between its citizens.
The turning point in the saga comes when New London's pragmatic mayor, Lloyd Beachy, gathers together the feuding parties and nearly engineers an amicable settlement. A pair of activists, John and Sarah Steffian, have become so disillusioned by Gaudiani and her enterprise that they thwart a compromise by refusing to drop a series of obstructionist lawsuits. Acrimony prevails, and the Fort Trumbull project is consigned to a long slog of litigation and hard feelings that one resident compares to a seven-year prostate exam.
Benedict narrates this byzantine tale with short chapters and brisk dialogue that make for an engaging read. I finished "Little Pink House" in a matter of days, unable to put it down once I became engrossed in scenes that seemed new and fresh even though I had witnessed them as a reporter. But while the book succeeds as a page-turner, it falls shorts in its analysis of the Supreme Court decision and its implications beyond New London.
Benedict tarries for only a few brief sentences on the content of the majority opinion. This strikes me as a crucial oversight because much of the press - goaded by the libertarian law firm that represented Kelo and her neighborhoods - portrayed it as an assault on the American birthright of ownership. Many lawyers, and certainly the five justices that made up the majority, did not see it that way.
A few months before the court released the Kelo decision, the journalist and law professor Jeffrey Rosen wrote a cover story in the New York Times magazine about an effort by libertarian interest groups to roll back a host of government regulations. The Institute for Justice, the firm that represented Kelo and her neighbors, figured prominently in the article, but Benedict gives his readers barely a whiff of the group's political agenda. The Kelo case might have started as a tiff redolent with local politics, but it became a pawn in a high-stakes war of ideas.
The Institute for Justice lost the case before the Supreme Court, but it ultimately won the war with a shrewd press campaign that helped push eminent domain, an esoteric topic of concern to bureaucrats and academics, into the forefront of public consciousness. Dozens of state legislatures restricted eminent domain takings in the wake of the Kelo decision, and I would have liked Benedict to explore the implications of these furious changes in the law. The uproar over property rights has had a dramatic and sometimes deleterious effect on the way hurricane recovery has taken shape in New Orleans, where I have lived since 2005.
The Fort Trumbull imbroglio ceased to be a purely local story the moment the Supreme Court accepted the case for review. "Little Pink House" is a great achievement as a piece of local reporting, but Benedict would have produced a truly important book if he had widened his viewfinder and showed how the case has redounded beyond New London.
KATE MORAN IS AN EDITOR AND REPORTER FOR THE TIMES-PICAYUNE IN NEW ORLEANS. HER COVERAGE OF EMINENT DOMAIN FOR THE DAY WON NUMEROUS JOURNALISM AWARDS.
Quote from: TackleTheWorld on January 24, 2009, 11:20 PM NHFT
The green shirted police officer near the end of Lauren's porch arrest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaITPIRHJ3c) video has been accused of horrible horrible things
Well, let's get together and pick out a card we can all sign and send to him . . .
QuoteBut a time-consuming lawsuit over eminent domain blocked the NLDC's other goals and now the Fort Trumbull project is mired in the national recession.
how dare those people not lay out the welcome mat as some douches come to take their homes, just to give them to some major drug company that couldn't afford to put a hotel there anyways. Disgusting.
Susett gave a presentation on her story, her current resolve to fight this, and her book:
Cato podcast January 27, 2009: "A Story of Eminent Domain Abuse" featuring Susette Kelo
http://www.cato.org/dailypodcast/susettekelo_astoryofeminentdomainabuse_20090127.mp3
Or see the whole thing here (http://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=5381).
Everybody loses, I guess.
INSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE
HOME PAGE: WWW.IJ.ORG
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 9, 2009
The End of an Eminent Domain Error:
Pfizer R&D Headquarters Closes in New London, Conn.
Land Taken in Infamous Kelo Supreme Court Case Remains Empty More Than Four Years After Ruling
Arlington, Va.—Pfizer, Inc., announced today that the company will be closing its former research and development headquarters in New London, Conn. This was a project that involved massive corporate welfare and led to the abuse of eminent domain that ultimately bulldozed the home of Susette Kelo and her neighbors in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Kelo v. City of New London.
This was the same bogus development plan that five justices of the U.S. Supreme Court refused to question when the property owners of New London pleaded to have their homes spared from the wrecking ball. Justices mentioned that there was a plan in place, and that so long as lawmakers who are looking to use eminent domain for someone's private gain had a plan, the courts would wash their hands. Now, more than four years after the redevelopment scheme passed constitutional muster—allowing government to take land from one private owner only to hand that land over to another private party who happens to have more political influence—the plant that had been the magnet for the development is closing its doors and the very land where Susette Kelo's home once stood remains barren to all but feral cats, seagulls and weeds.
Scott Bullock, who argued the Kelo case for the Institute for Justice on behalf of the New London homeowners, said, "Today's announcement that Pfizer is closing its research facility in New London demonstrates the folly of government plans that involve massive corporate welfare and that abuse eminent domain for private development. The majority opinion in Kelo v. New London described the Fort Trumbull project as a 'carefully considered' plan, but it has been an unmitigated disaster from start—and now—to finish."
Bullock continued, "Project supporters blame the economic downturn for this turn of events. That is all the more reason why taxpayer dollars should not be put at risk in speculative and risky development schemes."
Despite the Court's Kelo ruling, much change for the good has occurred.
Dana Berliner, a senior attorney with the Institute for Justice and co-counsel in the Kelo case, said, "In the face of the U.S. Supreme Court's Kelo ruling, 43 states have now reformed their laws to better protect property owners. What's more, seven state high courts have stepped in post-Kelo to protect the rights of homeowners against eminent domain abuse. The high courts of Hawaii, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Missouri, New Jersey and Rhode Island have all ruled in favor of property owners and against eminent domain for private gain. None has made Kelo the rule under their own state constitutions."
The tragic saga of the Kelo case is detailed in Jeff Benedict's book Little Pink House: A True Story of Defiance and Courage (Grand Central Publishing; 2009). In it, Benedict shares with readers how Kelo took on the City of New London, a cast of politically powerful villains and, ultimately, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a case that sparked a revolutionary change nationwide in eminent domain laws—except in Connecticut.
Who always wins in the end? Lawyer/politicians, scum of the earth profiteers on peoples misery. :angry4:
Quote from: Jim Johnson on November 10, 2009, 09:12 AM NHFT
Who always wins in the end? Lawyer/politicians, scum of the earth profiteers on peoples misery. :angry4:
Not true. Thanks to Kelo, 46 states passed laws to curb and/or prevent eminent domain abuses.
Quote from: jzacker on November 10, 2009, 01:05 PM NHFT
Quote from: Jim Johnson on November 10, 2009, 09:12 AM NHFT
Who always wins in the end? Lawyer/politicians, scum of the earth profiteers on peoples misery. :angry4:
Not true. Thanks to Kelo, 46 states passed laws to curb and/or prevent eminent domain abuses.
Ostensibly, anyway. When you look at the details, not all those bills do what was claimed. I know the Texas bill didn't.
They were interviewing some New London business advocate whose name I didn't get about the job loses. He may have been part of NLDC but, there was no references to it.
The interviewer asked him if any businesses were looking at Ft Trumbull. All he would say was businesses were showing an interest in New London.
(http://www.newlondonfirefightersunion.org/PFIZER.JPG)
CT= Porc Manor anyone? ;D
The Lauren Canario hostel?
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-famous-kelo-house-property-is-now-a-vacant-lot-2009-11 (http://www.businessinsider.com/the-famous-kelo-house-property-is-now-a-vacant-lot-2009-11)
Pfizer pulling out and reaction:
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/a-turning-point-for-eminent-domain/ (http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/a-turning-point-for-eminent-domain/)
I'm a first year law student. We discussed Kelo today in Property class. Fun!
Quote from: jzacker on November 19, 2009, 09:35 AM NHFT
I'm a first year law student. We discussed Kelo today in Property class. Fun!
What did they say?
Quote from: Jim Johnson on November 19, 2009, 09:57 AM NHFT
Quote from: jzacker on November 19, 2009, 09:35 AM NHFT
I'm a first year law student. We discussed Kelo today in Property class. Fun!
What did they say?
Well we talked a lot about the history of Eminent Domain and what the Constitution says. Most of the class was troubled by the case because it appeared to relax the standards so much. One of the students, who is from Bosnia, said his home was taken by Communists and he thought this was a lot like that.
Usually we do 2-3 cases per class, but today we spent the entire time on Kelo. So as cases go, its an important one. When discussing cases, we rarely come to a conclusion as to whether decisions are right or wrong. We tend to focus on the logic and reasoning of the court as well as the plaintiff(s) and defendant(s). But in Kelo, many people thought the decision was wrong. Or at least, the government had not made a showing that their actions were necessary. There were other options available to revitalize the local economy. I spoke up and said that they gov't should have left the 'holdouts' alone and built around them. Eminent Domain should be a 'last resort'.
Quote from: jzacker on November 19, 2009, 01:24 PM NHFT
One of the students, who is from Bosnia, said his home was taken by Communists and he thought this was a lot like that.
Wow, this is an old topic and I thought political stuff was banned, but I'll have to chime in and say I think you are right, although technically I would call it the merging of corporations and government, to the betterment of the corporation. Isn't that fascism?
BTW, our friend Souter has moved to a nice shiny new place in Hopkinton. Perhaps he will sell that eyesore of his in Weare... He is reportedly now crafting civics curricula for students -- OY! Not someone I would want teaching MY kids.
;-)
PS - Just wait until 'cap and trade' passes and you become an 'unlawful occupant' in your own home... oohwee!
Hopkinton would be a much better place for the Lost Liberty Hotel, don't you think?
Quote from: CNHT on November 19, 2009, 01:31 PM NHFT
Quote from: jzacker on November 19, 2009, 01:24 PM NHFT
One of the students, who is from Bosnia, said his home was taken by Communists and he thought this was a lot like that.
Wow, this is an old topic and I thought political stuff was banned
We're not talking politics, we're talking law. Or at least, law school. ::)
QuoteI would call it the merging of corporations and government, to the betterment of the corporation. Isn't that fascism?
yea you're right. But the guy making the comment used the word 'communism'. Maybe it was a language barrier. any way you slice it, it is crappy.
Quote from: error on November 19, 2009, 01:36 PM NHFT
Hopkinton would be a much better place for the Lost Liberty Hotel, don't you think?
LOL Hey there... sure but harder to take over a brand new palace that probably cost him $500K or up.
Quote from: jzacker on November 19, 2009, 01:57 PM NHFT
yea you're right. But the guy making the comment used the word 'communism'. Maybe it was a language barrier. any way you slice it, it is crappy.
I have coined a new word "communo-fascism"
As in 'forcing us to collectively underwrite GM.."
http://www.fedsocblog.com/blog/brooke_shields_to_star_in_movie_based_on_the_kelo_eminent_domain_case/ (http://www.fedsocblog.com/blog/brooke_shields_to_star_in_movie_based_on_the_kelo_eminent_domain_case/)
Brooke Shields is playing Susan Kelo in a TV movie.
Quote from: Jim Johnson on September 14, 2011, 02:27 PM NHFT
http://www.fedsocblog.com/blog/brooke_shields_to_star_in_movie_based_on_the_kelo_eminent_domain_case/ (http://www.fedsocblog.com/blog/brooke_shields_to_star_in_movie_based_on_the_kelo_eminent_domain_case/)
Brooke Shields is playing Susan Kelo in a TV movie.
Who is playing Lauren?
Scarlett Johansson?
she should have black hair ... so how about Jolie
She's Lauren's choice.
For the realistic appearance, you get Russell Kanning to play Jim.
;D
Quote from: Kat Kanning on September 15, 2011, 05:26 AM NHFT
For the realistic appearance, you get Russell Kanning to play Jim.
I thought Jim played Russell.
Jim is the original. I just do an impersonation of him.
Kelo revisited: Fort Trumbull still sitting empty, undeveloped.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/kelo-revisited_776021.html?page=1
Nothing grows there because it is a real life actual pirates lair.
Quote from: KBCraig on February 04, 2014, 09:29 AM NHFT
Kelo revisited: Fort Trumbull still sitting empty, undeveloped.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/kelo-revisited_776021.html?page=1
The government midas touch...
The article says that the Italian Descendents Club is highly politically connected... it's not something the mafia wants, it's a necessary evil.
Genius pure genius
There used to be houses!
"How people respond to criticism can reveal a lot about their character. Some might try to debate or reason with those they disagree with. Others prefer to ignore critics. City officials in Honolulu take a different approach: They use a bulldozer."
http://www.forbes.com/sites/instituteforjustice/2014/02/11/woman-criticizes-honolulus-government-has-her-protest-signs-bulldozed/
...and once again.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/03/20/seized-property-sits-vacant-nine-years-after-landmark-eminent-domain-case/
Published March 20, 2014
FoxNews.com
The controversial Supreme Court ruling that expanded eminent domain to give government the right to take private property to allow economic development may have been all for nothing, according to a report.
Nine years after the high court sided with a Connecticut municipality in Kelo v. City of New London, a ruling Associate Justice Antonin Scalia has likened to the court's disastrous Dred Scott decision, the 90-acre plot once earmarked for office buildings, luxury apartments and a new marina, remains vacant.
Seven residents who fought all the way to the Supreme Court to keep their working-class homes in the city's Fort Trumbull section have only their memories and whatever remains of the money they were forced to accept.
"See that pole with the transformer hanging from it?" Michael Cristofaro, a 52-year-old computer network engineer, told The Weekly Standard, which recently visited the town. "That was where my family's home was."
In the landmark 5-4 ruling, named for the lead plaintiff, a nurse named Susette Kelo, the Supreme Court upheld a state Supreme Court ruling that the city of 27,000 and a nonprofit entity called the New London Development Corp. were entitled to seize those properties in the name of economic development. Previously, eminent domain had been seen as limited to cases involving projects deemed as benefiting the public, but not a private economic interest.
"The nationwide outrage that followed in the wake of the Kelo decision spanned from left to right and back again on the political spectrum," The Weekly Standard noted. "It didn't help that one of the chief beneficiaries of the NLDC's economic development plan would have been the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, Inc., which New London had lured into the city via an 80-percent, 10-year property-tax abatement for a $300 million research facility -- an expansion of the company's research operations in Groton, Conn., across the Thames."
More than 40 state legislatures would later pass laws banning or restricting the use of eminent domain for economic rejuvenation, particularly if homeowners would be displaced. And at least seven states amended their constitutions to ban the use of eminent domain for economic development, with some state courts explicitly rejecting the Kelo ruling as precedent, The Weekly Standard reports.
So how does New London, specifically Fort Trumbull, look now?
"The homeowners were dispossessed for nothing," wrote The Boston Globe's Jeff Jacoby. "Fort Trumbull was never redeveloped. Pfizer itself bailed out of New London in 2009. The Kelo decision was a disaster, as even the city's present political leaders acknowledge."
Associate Justices John Paul Stevens, Stephen Breyer, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Anthony Kennedy formed the narrow majority in the landmark Supreme Court decision, with its conservative bloc dissenting.
"Today, the Court abandons [the Fifth Amendment's] long-held, basic limitation on government power," now-retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote in her dissenting opinion. "Under the banner of economic development, all private property is now vulnerable to being taken and transferred to another private owner, so long as it might be upgraded, i.e. given to an owner who will use it in a way that the legislature deems more beneficial to the public — in the process."
The story of New London is akin to a Greek tragedy, according to The Weekly Standard, or perhaps "Eminent disaster," as the Globe's opinion headline reads.
"The founders put the takings clause in the Bill of Rights for a reason," Jacoby wrote. "The desolation that is Fort Trumbull is a grim reminder that where property rights aren't secure, neither is freedom — and without freedom, there is nothing the government can't destroy."
Well some good came of it. This cool couple that fought the good fight there came to NH. ;)
Quote from: Free libertarian on March 20, 2014, 03:18 PM NHFT
Well some good came of it. This cool couple that fought the good fight there came to NH. ;)
;D 8)
If they would have won .... then they also would have joined us :)
remember one of the reasons the city wanted to take the land? ... for higher tax revenue in the future. So how is that working out for them?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yRHmAfiMSs
they made a movie
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3863632/?ref_=nv_sr_1
This was a rare issue on which Rush Limbaugh, Ralph Nader, libertarians, and the NAACP were all on the same side. One of the very few defenders of the ruling was a certain Donald Trump, who said "I happen to agree with it 100%."
https://reason.com/2020/06/23/the-15th-anniversary-of-kelo-v-city-of-new-london/
crony capitalism must be his game