Eminent Domain Has Broken City Hearts: The (New London CT) Day, 3/3/05

Letter to the Editor

By Rose Cerreto, New London
When I read the letter titled “Eminent domain can revive New London,” published Feb. 27, I had to smile. The writer has been here for only one year. What would she know about New London and eminent domain reviving it?

I've lived here all my life. I am 86 years old, but I remember when I was 41 years old. The great eminent domain kicked us all out of our homes in east New London. Yes, that's what I said, kicked us out of our homes.

When my brother, Tom, who has since passed away, went to see C. Francis Driscoll, the head of redevelopment in New London at the time. Mr. Driscoll told my brother that we had to get out. If we didn't, they would put the money — $8,000 — in the bank and every month that we stayed in our homes they would take the money out of the bank and in the end there would be no money and no home. His words were that we were stopping progress.

Please, go there and see what progress we were stopping. As far as I know, there is nothing there after about 40 years.

I heard a well-known bus company wanted to build a bus station there, but New London said no. Just think how that would have revived New London and the taxes the bus company would have paid.

I praise Fort Trumbull residents for what they are doing, but I hate to say this — they are not going to win.

We all lost our homes and there were a lot of broken hearts.

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