Martin Luther King III Offers Letter of Support For New London Property Owners In Eminent Domain Fight

To: The Fort Trumbull Homeowners in New London, Connecticut
I would first like to say congratulations to the Fort Trumbull homeowners for persevering in your fight to hold on to your homes against eminent domain abuse. Your tenacity in this struggle is very impressive and a great example of ordinary Americans standing together against government and corporate abuse.

I would also like to wish you well in your case before the Connecticut Supreme Court on December 2, 2002. Eminent domain should only be used for true public projects, not to take from one private owner to give to another wealthier private owner. That is wrong and it should stop in Connecticut and throughout the country.

I am very pleased that the Institute for Justice in Washington, D.C. represents you. I had the great pleasure of collaborating with the Institute in a successful eminent domain struggle in Canton, Mississippi. They are first-rate constitutional lawyers and I can’t think of a better group to represent you in this case.

Finally, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was founded on the backs of many civil rights leaders whose unrelenting and dedicated efforts for underrepresented communities changed the course of history. By standing up for your rights against powerful institutions, you are carrying on in this noble tradition.

Sincerely,
Martin King III
SCLC National President and CEO