The Fort Trumbull area could have been a mix of old and new - the fort as a park, a neighborhood of homes that had weathered everything from neglect and the nearby sewage treatment plant to redevelopment efforts. Small stores and a walkable area to enjoy water breezes and saying hello to people on their porches, just think about it.
But today, like Constitution Plaza in Hartford, a real neighborhood area was wiped clean (except for the Fort Trumbull, now a state park) in anticipation for building corporate headquarters, high-end housing, hotel and marina, none of which has been built, or even started. Like a habitat being clear cut, the thought was to erase what was there (some of which, such as the sprawling junkyard, brownfields, old Navy housing etc. was not the most desirable) and instead, create a new environment.
Eminent domain is a powerful force in Connecticut.
"My neighborhood was not blighted. None of us asked for any of this. We were simply living our lives, working, taking care of our families, paying our taxes . . . This battle against eminent domain abuse may have started as a way for me to save my little pink cottage, but it has rightfully grown into something much larger - the fight to restore the American Dream and the sacredness and security of each one of our homes." - Susette Kelo in Little Pink House, published by Grand Central Publishing, written by Jeff Benedict.
Susette Kelo once lived in a pink cottage of a home that overlooked the waters of the Thames River in New London, side by side with homes that had been in the same families for decades.
Today Kelo's name is now synonymous with eminent domain at its worst application.
The physical house that stood alone still exists, but was moved piece by piece after the legal settlement. The land where homes stood is now an empty lot amid acres of emptiness.
The story about why this land grab happened (corporate short-term housing, Pfizer campus, and high-end apartments with a marina were viewed as the better use of private land for the public's good, in this case, the potential of more taxes) is told in Little Pink House: A True Story of Defiance and Courage.
The author builds the facts in the tale of Kelo and her neighorhood. How was it possible that everyday people and their modest homes became embroiled in a court case that led to the Supreme Court in a fight that lasted more than 9 years? Benedict skillfully tells the story by letting the people speak and bring details into the light
The Supreme Court ruling became one of the most unpopular rulings of all time in this case. Since then some states are considering amendments to the eminent domain law which prohibit the state turning over land seized under the guise of public use over to private corporations. Connecticut is not one of those states.
