Free Republic

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...

The last two plaintiffs in the Fort Trumbull eminent domain case have reached a tentative agreement, it was announced this morning. Details of the tentative agreement between the city and Susette Kelo and Pasquale Cristofaro were not released. Scott Bullock of The Institute for Justice, which represents the plaintiffs, released this statement: “Due to the extraordinary efforts of the State of Connecticut, I am happy to report that a tentative agreement has been reached in principle on behalf of Susette Kelo and the Cristofaro family that takes into account the homeowners’ attachment to their homes in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood....

In its report, “Opening the Floodgates: Eminent Domain Abuse in the Post-Kelo World,” the Institute for Justice documents how the U.S. Supreme Court’s Kelo ruling opened the floodgates that had once partially restrained land-hungry developers and tax-hungry cities. In just one year since the ruling, local governments pressed forward with more than 117 projects involving the use of eminent domain for private development. Local governments threatened to use eminent domain against more than 5,429 homes, businesses, churches, and other properties if the owners did not agree to sell, and government also filed or authorized at least 354 condemnation actions. These...

Adopted by the Executive Committee on January 26, 2006 WHEREAS, eminent domain is a fundamental and necessary power of government, and WHEREAS, the purpose of eminent domain is to allow governments to undertake projects that benefit the whole community, while providing just compensation to property owners for the value of their property, and WHEREAS, throughout American history, federal, state and local governments; have used eminent domain to promote the Nation’s social and economic welfare with the construction of such essential projects as roads, bridges and schools, and WHEREAS, eminent domain is also critically important for municipalities to promote sensible land...

The showdown in New London, Conn., over the city's seizure of homes to make way for private development is entering its final and contentious chapter. Seven longtime residents of the city's Fort Trumbull neighborhood took their battle to save their homes all the way to the US Supreme Court. Now, nearly a year after the high court upheld the city's eminent domain power in a controversial 5-to-4 decision, two families are still fighting eviction. Efforts to negotiate a compromise appear to have ended. On Monday, the New London City Council voted 5 to 2 to authorize the city attorney to...

NEW LONDON, Conn. -- City officials voted to evict two homeowners at the center of an eminent domain battle who refuse to leave their riverfront homes, even after the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling that the city can seize the property for a private development project. The City Council voted 5-2 in favor of eviction Monday. An attorney for the residents said they are considering continuing to fight. "You are a disgrace to the city, the state and the nation," one of the residents, Michael Cristofaro, told council members who voted to evict. . . . the Supreme Court ruled...

May 31, 2006 Dear Mayor Sabilia: We will soon mark the one-year anniversary of the United States Supreme Court decision in Kelo vs. City of New London. As you well know, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the City of New London yet certain plaintiffs continue to occupy property owned by the City on the Fort Trumbull peninsula. During much of the past year, you, the state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) acting at my direction, and the state's mediator, Dr. Robert Albright, have attempted to seek a resolution between the City of New London and the...

The three leaders of North America agreed to advance the agenda of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) by focusing on five high priority initiatives: . . . Smart, Secure Borders. Leaders agreed to complete the following activities, to contribute to smart and secure borders, over the next twenty-four months: * Collaborate to establish risk-based screening standards for goods and people that rely on technology, information sharing and biometrics. * Develop and implement compatible electronic processes for supply chain security that use advanced electronic cargo information to analyze risk and ensure quick and efficient processing at the...

Capitol Press Conference Is Held as City Council's Deadline Nears Hartford — Plaintiffs in the Fort Trumbull eminent domain case and some two dozen supporters stood on the steps of the state Capitol Monday and asked the governor to support them in their battle with the city of New London. And they bashed state legislators for failing to take any significant action to address the issue of “eminent domain abuse,” the taking of private property for private development, in Connecticut. Gov. M. Jodi Rell responded by expressing her sympathy for the homeowners and ... bashing the General Assembly. “I regret...

PRESS CONFERENCE Eminent Domain State Capitol Building 210 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, Ct Monday, May 22, 11 AM EVENT: New London Residents Hold News Conference To Ask Governor Rell to Continue Efforts To Save Their Homes from Eminent Domain Abuse TIME/DATE: 11 a.m./Tuesday, May 22, 2006 PLACE: State Capitol Building (North Side) Hartford, Conn. PARTICIPANTS: Susette Kelo, Property Owner, New London, Conn. Scott Bullock, Senior Attorney, Institute for Justice Susan Kniep, President, Federation of Conn. Taxpayer Orgs, Inc. Michael Cristofaro, Property Owner, New London, Conn. CONTACT: John Kramer, Vice President for Communications Institute for Justice, (703) 682-9320 ext. 205 SUMMARY: Nearly...

Mitchell family sues Greenport over land acquisition By Julie Lane How did Greenport Village acquire a parcel of land from a dead woman by eminent domain? That's what Kay Mitchell of Pepper Pike, Ohio, wants to know. Ms. Mitchell is the daughter of Evelyn Amer, the owner of record of a small Front Street property, according to documents obtained by The Suffolk Times yesterday from the Suffolk County Clerk's office. The 25-by-100-foot wedge of real estate, where the Sand Crab Restaurant once stood, is now home to the old schoolhouse and the blacksmith shop, placed on the site by the...

Oregon offers the nation a model for reform. On a list of states with the worst property-rights protections, Oregon has long held a top position. . . . Their victory came in a unanimous Oregon Supreme Court decision upholding a 2004 ballot measure designed to curb "regulatory takings." . . . the state's highest court surprised everyone by declaring that its only job was to examine whether the measure contravened the state constitution (it clearly did not), and that whether the measure is "wise or foolish, farsighted or blind, is beyond this court's purview.". . .

House goes overboard on eminent domain Senators offer a wiser, more prudent means for localities to condemn property for public use. Reactionaries in the Virginia House of Delegates did what they do best to a reasoned bill to protect property owners from an overbroad U.S. Supreme Court decision: They amended all the reasonableness right out of it. In its infamous Kelo v. New London decision, the U.S. Supreme Court broadened the already expansive definition of "public use" and allowed local governments to take private property solely to stimulate economic development and increase tax revenues -- with just compensation, of course....

A "compromise" with property owners in New London, Conn., adds insult to constitutional injury in a high-profile government land-grab that led to the Supreme Court's pernicious Kelo ruling last year. Under Mayor Beth Sabilia's plan, four aggrieved residents whose homes were seized would be allowed to stay -- provided they pay rent to the city, which would own their properties. Even at that, officials say the houses may have to be moved to make way for a larger road. The city's lawyer is reviewing the proposal. Thus far the holdouts have refused to accept the city's money that has been...

© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com Despite homeowners' vows on national television that they would fight to remain in their dwelling places, many residents of Riviera Beach, Fla., are finally giving in, not to eminent domain of the local government, but to eminent "doughmain" of wealthy developers. Huge sums of money are being offered to citizens in the coastal town in Palm Beach County, with a sky's-the-limit mentality changing the minds of many prepared to go the distance in their battle to stay put. Fox News recently broadcast an edition of "Hannity & Colmes" from Riviera Beach, with the theme "It Could Happen...

We must show that no one is above law; KEITH R. LACASSE, Weare - Letter I would like to respond to Jim Thompson ("Weare must not look to punish Souter,"Monitor, Jan. 11) and clarify a few things for Weare voters. It is not only my assumption that most people in Weare oppose the abuse of eminent domain for economic development but also a fact: UNH conducted a poll, and over 90 percent are against it. I don't think readers of this paper need a civics lesson on how a bill becomes law or on the role of the courts. The...

Unholy Land Grab; In the spirit of Kelo. By Heather Wilhelm For seven years, Reverend Roosevelt Gildon has preached the gospel at the Centennial Baptist Church in Sand Springs, Oklahoma. His congregation, around 50 strong, is like a small family. The elderly members, and those without cars, often walk to Sunday services. “Rosey,” as his friends call him, figured he’d go on preaching in the tidy steel structure for years to come. That was, until the government told him they were taking his church away. Since the Supreme Court's controversial Kelo decision last summer, eminent domain has entered a new...

Host: Logan Darrow Clements Location: Weare, Town Hall; 16 N. Stark Highway, Weare, NH 03281, View Map When: Saturday, January 21, 8:00am Help us gather as many signatures as possible for the petition that asks the Town of Weare to seize the land of Supreme Court Justice David Souter for the purpose of building an Inn. Let's apply the "Kelo vs. City of New London" decision to those who voted for it, starting with Souter. AIRPORTS: Manchester (MHT) or Boston (BOS) CAR: Rent a vehicle that can handle winter conditions LODGING: Ask for the "Freestar" rate of $70 a night...

One day at the age of 82, Irene Angell received an unexpected letter. The city of Des Plaines needed her home and planned to use eminent domain to force her to sell it. Angell lived in the home for more than 80 years. Before that, it was her father's home, and before that it was her grandfather's home. And now, it's a Walgreens. . . . In the case of Angell's home, the city filed the condemnation suit to build a municipal parking lot, though a Walgreens is now in its place. Eventually, she and the city worked out a...

NEW LONDON, Conn.--It's the week before Christmas, and as my train from Manhattan nears this old New England seaport, I can't help but hum a few bars of that seasonal favorite, "There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays." I'm here to meet with New London's most famous resident since Nathan Hale, the schoolteacher-spy who was hanged by the British in 1776. Susette Kelo's life isn't in jeopardy, but her home is--and her fight to keep it has taken her all the way to the Supreme Court, making her a national celebrity along the way and igniting a nationwide movement...