No Land Grab

Susette Kelo, 8 East St. Kelo, who was raised in New London before moving to Preston, relocated back to the city when she bought the East Street home in 1997. “I've always loved New London. I wanted to come back and live by the water. So, for me, it's not about the money. It's about a person being able to live where they want to live. It's about a person buying a home and being able to stay in it. And this is where I want to live.” July 2001

Pataya Construction/Richard Beyer, 41 and 49 Goshen St. Beyer, a Niantic resident, bought and renovated two residential properties on Goshen Street. “We had always had No. 49 occupied until the NLDC moved in and started threatening our tenants, telling them, ‘We're going to take the property,' scaring our tenants away. And what are they going to do? You kind of have to put yourself in their situation: ‘Am I going to have a place to live a month from now?' ” February 2003

James and Laura Guretsky, 19 Smith St. In the mid-1980s, the Guretskys bought 19, 21, and 23 Smith St., living in one of the homes and renting the other two. “We've been here for 15 years. It's our home, plus it's our income. We want to stay here.” Laura Guretsky, December 2000

Byron Athenian, 78 Smith St. He lives at 78 Smith St., and for two decades operated Byron's Auto Body in a shop next door. The residence is in the name of his mother, Thelma Brelesky. “It was a good neighborhood. It was the kind of neighborhood you never had to lock your doors at night when you're going out, you know? Now I don't lock it either. I got a pit bull, Charlie.” February 2003

Charles and Wilhelmina Dery, 87 Walbach St. Wilhelmina Dery was born inside 87 Walbach St. more than eight decades ago. The family first settled in Fort Trumbull during the early 1890s, emigrating from Italy. Five generations have lived on the peninsula. The Dery family also owns rental properties at 79 and 81-83 Walbach St. “If you guys want to play this, and you want to be the bullies, well then come down and do it in front of the whole country. Come down and drag my mother and my father ... drag us all out and kick us out in the street.” Matthew Dery, February 2003

Matthew and Suzanne Dery, 28 East St. “If we've gotta go, we have to go. We won't like it. It won't be pretty. They're gonna have to come and take me out. I don't mean to sound stubborn or anything, but that's exactly how I feel.” Matthew Dery, February 2003

“We're not going anywhere until we say so.” Sue Dery, December 2000

Pasquale and Margherita (deceased) Cristofaro, 53 Goshen St. The house has been owned by the family for nearly 30 years. “It was the American dream to buy and own property and be able to do what you want with it. For my father, the land was gold. He had his grapevines, his garden ...” Michael Cristofaro, February 2003.

Bill Von Winkle, 27, 31 and 33-35 Smith St. Von Winkle started buying and renovating Fort Trumbull properties in the mid-1980s on Smith and Howard streets. “I'm not going anywhere — not now or ever.” March 2002.

Scott Bullock, Institute for Justice attorney “What the NLDC is doing here is wrong. The NLDC got the land. The residents got the boot. And the citizens of Connecticut get the bill.” December 2001.