They'll be appalled afresh if they watch Little Pink House, which opens this week in limited national release. Soon residents are being pressured to sell their houses and leave those who resist are threatened with eminent domain. Instead, it did the opposite, and Americans were appalled. The New London case offered a perfect opportunity to end that abuse by reaffirming that when the Constitution says "public use," it means public use. Though the language of the Fifth Amendment is clear-"nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation"-state and local governments for years had been getting away with using eminent domain to facilitate what amounted to private development. City of New London effectively turned an explicit constitutional right into a nullity. In one of the most infamous decisions in its history, the court ruled, 5-4, that property owners can be stripped of their land whenever the government decides that a wealthier owner would put it to more lucrative use. The tiny band of homeowners, represented by idealistic lawyers from the Institute for Justice, fought their eviction all the way to the Supreme Court-and lost. It recounts the true story of Susette Kelo (played by Keener) and her working-class neighbors in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood of New London, Conn., whose homes were seized by eminent domain to clear the way for an upscale private development at the behest of Pfizer, the Big Pharma colossus. Little Pink House isn't that kind of film. If Little Pink House, a new movie starring Catherine Keener and directed by Courtney Balaker, were the usual Hollywood tale of humble citizens abused by a mighty corporation and its political allies, you could expect it to find its way to a happy ending, with the little guys prevailing and their powerful antagonists getting their comeuppance.
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