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Claire insisted that there were various alternatives and that no final decisions had been made.

Susette remained standing. “We’re not against all development,” Susette said. “But that doesn’t mean you can push us around. We have a right to stay here. These are our homes.”

Amy turned to Steve. “Wow,” she whispered in his ear, “she just went off.”

The audience didn’t appreciate Susette’s outburst. Most people wanted what Claire had promised.

The contrast struck Steve. Claire described teamwork, democracy in action, and everyone working together for a better city, but Susette’s actions displayed anger over powerlessness.

When the meeting broke up, the Hallquists heard a community opposition group was planning a meeting.

“We have to do this,” Amy said.

Steve didn’t have to be persuaded.

November 18, 1999

When Susette walked into the Landmarks building she hardly believed her eyes. In the center of a large room with a wood floor, some tables had been pushed together to form a makeshift conference table. Mayor Beachy and Kathleen Mitchell sat around it, along with Fred Paxton and his wife, Sylvia; John and Sarah Steffian; Steve and Amy Hallquist; and many others. Most of the attendees had never met Susette. But her plight had a lot to do with everyone’s presence. She quietly took a seat near the window, away from the table.

Mitchell hoped the meeting would be the beginning of a true neighborhood opposition group. Board members of the New London Historical Society and of the Landmarks group had shown up. A few people from Connecticut College were also on hand. The mayor looked ready to roll. This, Mitchell thought, is a group capable of having an impact.

After the mayor said a few words, Paxton made a presentation outlining the NLDC’s plans to wipe out the Fort Trumbull neighborhood.

John Steffian pounded his fist on the table. “This is not going to happen,” he thundered. He had looked at the NLDC’s designs for the Fort Trumbull area and concluded they had failed to take into account a variety of ways to preserve and incorporate the historic residential neighborhood into the new development.

Steffian pushed for a joint resolution by the historical society and Landmarks that would oppose the forceful eviction of residents from their homes in Fort Trumbull. Both boards had previously resisted taking that stance, but the opposition had largely been based on the sense that it was too late in the game to stop the NLDC. The people in the room felt otherwise. Both boards now voted in favor of the resolution.

Next the group voted to establish a nonprofit organization to lead the drive. They settled on the name: the Coalition to Save Fort Trumbull Neighborhood. Committees were established and filled. Assignments were made. And the group settled on meeting weekly.

The Hallquists agreed to do legal research on the NLDC’s actions. Paxton accepted responsibility for writing opinion pieces and letters to the editor. Another group of individuals agreed to pen letters to all elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels. Others agreed to mobilize more residents into action.

While protesting the NLDC’s plans to wipe out a neighborhood, the group also agreed they had to offer a counterplan. John Steffian accepted that assignment. He promised to produce an alternative design that would preserve the neighborhood while still accomplishing the NLDC’s goals.

Susette got emotional. This collection of talented, dedicated people overwhelmed her. Few of them knew Susette, yet they all were dedicated to helping her save her home. For the first time, she felt convinced the neighborhood could be saved.

The group asked Susette for a list of people who had moved out of the neighborhood under duress. They also asked her to write a letter to the editor of the newspaper voicing her anger with the NLDC’s actions.

Susette had never written an opinion letter. Mitchell offered to help her, and that night they got together and wrote:

While other associations are battling for speed bumps on their streets and better lighting, sidewalks