As expected, the City Council of New London Connecticut voted 5-2 to begin eviction proceedings against the remaining riverfront homeowners in the landmark Kelo vs New London dispute. The families from the Fort Trumbull area are still considering further legal action against the city.
Options remaining for the homeowners include appeals to state government to rescind the funding for the planned development, or civil disobedience. They have retained legal representation through the Institute for Justice, a Virginia based group which advocates ending eminent domain abuse. Their lawyer, Scott Bullock says “This is a civil rights struggle to save poor and working class people from eminent domain abuse”.
Photos by Isaac Reese, 2004 © Institute for Justice
New London has been trying for 10 years to develop the riverfront area with upscale condos, a hotel, and a convention center. The Fort Trumbull area once was a vibrant working class community until homeowners were pressured into selling their homes and leaving. Now only a few holdouts remain. Among them is Susette Kelo, the 49 year old nurse who started the legal action that went all the way to the Supreme Court.
In a 5-4 decision, the United States Supreme Court upheld New London’s right to seize the land for development, but affirmed that states have the right to enact laws that restrict eminent domain seizure. While many states have enacted such laws in the wake of the decision, Connecticut’s laws have remained the same. A proposal to change the law died in this year’s legislative session.