June 23, 2008
Susan Kniep, President
The Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations, Inc. (FCTO)
Website: http://ctact.org/
email: fctopresident@aol.com
860-841-8032
A TIME FOR REFLECTION AND ACTION ON EMINENT
DOMAIN!
Susette Kelo invites you to join the Susette
Kelo Liberty Club
Read Susette Kelo’s Message
below….
June 23 marks the third anniversary of the Supreme Court
decision on Eminent Domain which allows developers to take our homes
if they can prove economic gain.
- Click the following from the
Institute of Justice to learn more ….
Please donate TODAY to help stop eminent domain abuse With your help,
we can and will stop this abuse. Click here to send a message to those in power
that eminent domain abuse must
be stopped. A small donation today, can make a big
difference in defending your home tomorrow.
Institute for Justice - http://www.ij.org
- Read Susette’s Kelo
message below.
- Review below the June 21, 2008 ribbon cutting ceremony of Susette Kelo’s little pink
house which she lost to Eminent Domain but which was salvaged by Avner Gregory of New London who said … This
was somebody's house and they were asked to leave. This is a house that
represents a home to the everyday people of America.
- The Castle Coalition
offers model state legislation for combating eminent domain abuses here.
- A report card on
state-level reform efforts is available here.
- Review below other eminent domain stories throughout the country.
- Read Two New Studies which Detail How
Cities Block Private Revitalization Efforts at the following website: http://www.ij.org/private_property/castle/6_23_08bpr.html
- Join with the Federation of Connecticut
Taxpayer Organizations and vote yes on Nov 4 on the question: SHALL THERE BE A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION TO AMEND OR REVISE THE
CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE?
If the question passes, FCTO and others will
work to give Connecticut
voters the right of Statewide Initiative and Referendum which will enable
concerned property owners in CT to work for reform of our Eminent
Domain Laws to protect our property rights.
****************
The following is SUSETTE KELO message:
My name is Susette Kelo. On Monday, June 23, 2008, I need your help in making
a little bit of history.
June 23 is the third anniversary of the infamous Kelo eminent domain case, the U.S. Supreme Court decision
that allowed perfectly well-maintained private homes like mine to be taken by
the government and handed over for someone else’s private use. Under that
ruling, any home could be taken and destroyed to make way for high-end condos.
Any small business could be bulldozed to make way for a big box store. And,
tragically, that is what is happening in too many parts of our country.
I’d like your help to put an end to that abuse of eminent
domain once and for all.
Please go to http://www.ij.org/private_property/connecticut/6_5_08pr.html today and pledge to give some small contribution
to the Institute for Justice (IJ) on June 23.
IJ helped defend my home and my neighbors’ homes when they
were threatened by eminent domain for private gain.
IJ continues to defend other homeowners and small property
owners in similar fights.
One hundred percent of the money raised on this site (www.ij.org/keloday) on that day will be used to fight eminent domain abuse–the
use of eminent domain for private development projects. We recognize that under
the Constitution eminent domain can be used for genuine “public use” projects,
such as for a courthouse or to build a highway, but when government power is
used to take land from one private property owner only to hand that land over
to another private person for their private profit, that is an abuse of
government’s power.
Our goal is to earn 10,000 donations for IJ on that one day,
Monday, June 23.
Leading up to the Kelo argument,
the Institute for Justice documented that 10,000 American property owners had
their property threatened or actually taken by eminent domain for private use
in just a 5-year period. That 10,000 figure inspired IJ and me to seek 10,000
donations from across the country to send a message to those in power that we
care about our homes and that the abuse of eminent domain must be stopped.
We are not seeking large contributions on this day: just
$25, $50 or $100. Even a $5 contribution will make a difference and add greatly
to the ambitious numbers we’re trying to achieve on that day.
And, if you feel strongly enough about this effort and would
be willing to forward this to friends who will join us in the fight to end
eminent domain abuse, that too would be greatly appreciated.
Together, we can convince policymakers that eminent domain
abuse is un-American and must be stopped.
Thank you for your consideration, Susette Kelo
********************
The following highlights the June 21 ribbon
cutting ceremony of the little pink house which inspired a nation…..
Pictures of the June 21, 2008 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
http://picasaweb.google.com/thedougschwartz/KeloHouseRelocationParty?authkey=ncgt4TfiwIk
Pink House That Inspired a
Nation Reopened This Weekend
Meanwhile the New London,
Conn., Area That Was Subject of Landmark Eminent Domain Suit Remains Barren
Three Years After Court “Win” http://www.ij.org/private_property/connecticut/6_18_08pr.html
Arlington, Va—The little pink
house that launched a nationwide property rights movement is standing at a new
location in New London, Conn. On Saturday, June 21, at 1 p.m.,
the Institute for Justice (IJ) kicked a weekend celebration of property rights
by hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony and party to pay tribute to the fact that Susette Kelo’s historic house has
found a new home at 36 Franklin
Street in the heart of New London.
“Like the
home of Paul Revere in Boston, Susette Kelo’s little pink house can now take its place alongside
other historic American homes that have changed this nation for the better,”
said IJ Senior Attorney Scott Bullock, who argued the Kelo
case before the U.S. Supreme Court. “The house will stand as a monument
to the bravery of Susette Kelo
and her neighbors, and to the thousands of others who have battled and are
battling unlawful land grabs across the country.”
The Kelo case sparked a nationwide backlash against
eminent domain abuse. Since that ruling:
· 42 states have
passed either constitutional amendments or legislation that provide
greater protections for property owners facing eminent domain abuse.
· Two state supreme
courts have rejected the ruling while four others have said they are likely do
so in a future case.
· Property owners
and community activists have stopped 23 projects throughout the country that
abused eminent domain for private development.
The
dedication and reopening of the Kelo house will be
the first in a series of events leading up to the anniversary of the U.S.
Supreme Court’s infamous June 23, 2005, ruling in Kelo
v. City of New London, where Susette Kelo—in a special
online video statement—will ask
grassroots activists around the nation to commit to joining her fight to end
eminent domain abuse nationwide: www.ij.org/KeloDay.
Like so many
other projects that use eminent domain and rely on taxpayer subsidies, New London’s Fort
Trumbull project has been
a failure. After spending $78 million in taxpayer dollars, the city of New London and the
private developer have engaged in no new construction since the project was
approved in 2000. Indeed, since the property owners disputing the takings
owned less than two acres in a 90-acre project area, the city has always had a
vast majority of the land available for development. Yet, no new
development has occurred. The preferred developer for part of the site,
Corcoran Jennison, recently missed its latest
deadline for securing financing for building on the site and was terminated as
the “designated developer.”
“New London’s Fort Trumbull project has been an unmitigated
disaster,” said IJ Senior Attorney Dana Berliner, who litigated the Kelo case with Bullock. “Despite
the infusion of close to $80 million in taxpayer funds and three years elapsing
since the Kelo decision, there has been no new
construction in the area and nothing to show but brown, empty fields. The
developer was so desperate for funding that it applied to the federal Housing
and Urban Development agency to obtain taxpayer-subsidized loans to build
luxury apartments on the land where Susette’s neighborhood
once stood.”
On Monday,
June 23, the exact date of the three-year anniversary of the decision, Susette Kelo, in a special video
release, will ask people throughout the nation to join the Susette
Kelo Liberty
Club. Members are asked to make a special one-day small-dollar donation
to Susette’s legal team, the Institute for Justice,
which defended her and her neighbors in their fight, and which continues to
battle eminent domain abuse nationwide. Every dollar raised on www.ij.org/KeloDay will be used to fight eminent domain abuse.
“On Kelo Day, we are also encouraging ordinary homeowners and
small business people across the country to speak out against eminent domain
abuse,” said Chip Mellor, president and general counsel of the Institute for
Justice. “By writing local papers, calling city council people and
representatives, and raising awareness in local communities, citizens will
continue to send a strong message to the powers-that-be that the public
continues to oppose eminent domain abuse, and will continue to fight until
eminent domain abuse has ended.”
“I was just
one of more than 10,000 eminent domain abuse victims in the United States
over a five-year period,” Susette said.
“Despite the odds stacked against me, the Institute for Justice stayed with me
all the way and continues to do so for small property owners from New York to California.
That is why I am asking everyone to come together on June 23 and support
IJ. I’m asking everyone to pledge their support to stop these abuses by
making a small donation to the Institute for Justice. Together, we will
send a powerful message to tax-hungry politicians and land-hungry
developers: It is time to stop these land grabs.”
Susette Kelo’s little pink
house was disassembled and moved piece-by-piece over the past year to its new
site approximately one mile away in downtown New London. It will serve
not only as a monument to those who battle eminent domain abuse but also as a
home for its new owner, local preservationist Avner
Gregory. Disgusted with the government of the city of New London, Susette
Kelo moved out of the city in 2006. Kelo now lives across the river from New London in Groton,
Conn.
***************
NEW LONDON DAY ARTICLE ON
JUNE 21 RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY ….
Cause Is Lost, But Symbol Lives
New London Day by Kira Goldenberg, June 22, 2008
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=efb4a1fe-8e9f-46cc-84cb-418f20f59f06
***************
NEWS
NATIONWIDE ON EMINENT DOMAIN- CLICK THE HEADINGS TO READ
Eminent
domain in the news
By J.D. Tuccille(J.D.
Tuccille)
The Institute for Justice's Castle Coalition calls SB 245 "a good eminent
domain reform bill" that "would prohibit cities from taking private
property for economic development." The bill now goes to the desk of Gov.
...
Disloyal
Opposition - http://www.tuccille.com/blog/
RI Finally Responds
to Kelo
By Matt Jerzyk
City of New London, 545 US 469 (2005), the Court, by a 5-4 margin, found that
New London’s economic development plan (to use the power of eminent domain to take 115 commercial
and residential lots) served a public purpose and this ...
Judging
Eminent Domain - New York Times
Dec 2, 2007 ... SUCCESS BEFORE A JURY Timothy S.
Hollister, left, and James W. Bergenn successfully
sued the Town of Branford for eminent-domain abuse. ...
Owners standing up for property rights in
eminent domain cases
Twin
County News - Floyd,VA,USA
WYTHEVILLE—Use of eminent domain
to seize privately owned land has the potential to affect thousands of
Virginians every day. "It affects three types of ...
Health
alliance taking over property as eminent
domain claims ...
Salisbury Post - Salisbury,NC,USA
The Cabarrus Health Alliance will
use its power of eminent domain
to condemn a building shared by Sherwin-Williams and the Rowan-Cabarrus Community
College
Victory for
some in fight vs. eminent domain
in AC
Press of Atlantic City - Atlantic City,NJ,USA
By MICHAEL CLARK Staff Writer, 609-272-7204 ATLANTIC CITY - Vincent Barth's
efforts to avoid his property being taken through eminent domain appeared to be ...
California Scheming What Every Californian Should Know
About Eminent Domain Abuse Click to read … http://castlecoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=570
Lodi
approves plan to redevelop East Side
Stockton Record - Stockton,CA,USA
The use of eminent domain in
redevelopment areas is also a fear of many people who live within the agency's
boundaries. "Last time Lodi
looked at ...
See all stories on this topic
City
looks at rezoning Broadway corner
Edmond Sun - OK,USA
EDMOND — What to do with a sequestered
piece of property due to eminent domain
was the focus Tuesday night of the Edmond
Planning Commission. ...
Another
eminent domain bill appears in
Legislative Hall
The News Journal - Wilmington,DE,USA
By GINGER GIBSON and ADAM TAYLOR • The News Journal • June 18, 2008 DOVER —
While one eminent domain bill
sits on Gov. Ruth Ann Minner’s desk awaiting its ...
GFT Pipe Line
WJHG-TV - Panama City,FL,USA
Some Washington County residents are gearing up to fight eminent domain. "At 83 years old
and at this stage of my life, I didn't think I was going to be ...
See all
stories on this topic
On the Commons with Eminent
Domain
By
Shu Bartholomew
The Institute for Justice, the organization that defended Susette,
Mike and a whole host of other homeowners, says 10000 American property owners
were either threatened by, or actually lost their homes to eminent domain. ...
On The Commons - http://onthecommons.net
Eminent Domain Law May go to Ballot
A group trying to keep a South Dakota law on
land condemnation from going into effect has turned in petitions to put the
issue on the November ballot.
Petitions file to block
SD eminent domain law
Associated Press - June 17, 2008 10:15 AM ET
PIERRE, SD
(AP) - The signatures still need to be verified. But a group
trying to keep a South Dakota
law on land condemnation from going into...
MDHA
moves on Music Row holdout using eminent
domain rights
Bizjournals.com - Charlotte,NC,USA
The Metropolitan Development Housing Agency has filed papers to use eminent domain to acquire the last out
property stopping a proposed $100 million ...
Still
Opposing Plan to Develop Willets Point, One Business Decides ...
New York Times - United States
Signs decrying eminent domain,
the government’s power to seize private land for public use, line the fences
and windows near the 52000-square-foot lot, ...
House
advances constraints on eminent
domain
Worcester Telegram - Worcester,MA,USA
The court’s interpretation of eminent domain seemed to be jarringly at odds with a key constitutional
protection of private property rights. ...
Long
Beach plans to take lot by eminent
domain
Newsday - Long Island,NY,USA
But now the city wants it for parking in the bustling West End neighborhood and
is beginning the process of taking it from Miller by eminent
domain, ...
Railroad
eminent domain issue might
make November ballot
Sioux Falls Argus Leader - Sioux Falls,SD,USA
PIERRE - A group trying to kill a proposed law that speeds the hearing process
in railroad eminent domain
actions filed petitions Monday for a public vote. ...
Eminent Domain at Atlantic Yards
By PRP
This Thursday, June 12, the justices of the US Supreme Court will meet to
decide whether to hear arguments in an eminent
domain case reflecting every property owner’s worst nightmares. Five years
ago residents in the Prospect Heights ...
Del.
House approves bill limiting eminent domain
Examiner.com - USA
(Map, News) - The state House unanimously approved a bill Thursday that
prohibits governments from using eminent
domain for economic development. ...
Company Wants To Use Eminent Domain For Ohio Gas Pipeline
Kentucky
Post - Covington,KY,USA
The company that wants to build a natural gas pipeline in Ohio wants the court
to take properties by eminent domain.
Rockies Express Pipeline filed a ...
Cumberland
Co. to use eminent domain to
clear space for ...
Today's Sunbeam - NJ.com - Salem,NJ,USA
by South Jersey News Online Staff photo by Matt DunnSouth
Burlington Road house Cumberland County is expected to acquire through eminent domain to make way ...
Eminent domain bid seen as study slams Willets Pt.
New York Daily News - New York,NY,USA
The study of the gritty industrial zone - a draft copy of which was obtained by
the Daily News - signals the city is preparing to use eminent domain to ...
Pittsburg files eminent domain suit for waterfront
property
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
By Paul Burgarino PITTSBURG — A landowner is fighting
an eminent domain suit by Pittsburg's Redevelopment Agency aimed at acquiring nearly
three acres of ...
Kansas
Supreme Court to hear water rights case
Area farmers are challenging a new water district's use of eminent domain laws to pump
groundwater from the valley between Lawrence and Eudora. ...
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