Little Pink House Page #4

[MUSIC PLAYS]

[SUSETTE]

Uh, hello.

I'm here to see

Charlotte Wells.

[RECEPTIONIST]

And your name?

Susette Kelo.

[RECEPTIONIST]

There's a Susette Kelo here

to see you.

Well, I did hear, or read,

that Pfizer was...

wants to build in Fort Trumbull.

Is that true?

Oh, yes.

Yes. Once we take care

of the blight in the area,

we can finally

make this city hip.

It's very...

it's very exciting.

Is that...

this is my house.

[LAUGHS]

- Where?

- [SUSETTE] It's right there.

It's right in the blight.

Well, you have an exquisite view

of the river.

Yeah.

I don't really care

how exciting all of this is.

I just...

nobody can force me

out of my own home.

Oh, no... oh.

No one is forcing you, Susette.

We wanna buy your home.

I don't wanna sell it.

I don't wanna sell it.

Right, but your house

is in a parcel

that has been designated

for the redevelopment plan.

The city will help

relocate you.

I mean, this is a collaboration

between us and the residents.

Well, how are we...

collaborating?

Well, we'll work together

and come to a mutual agreement.

Oh, I'll never agree.

There's no other house

with this "exquisite view"

of the water

that I could afford.

Susette.

Have you ever worked

with the poor?

Those people standing around

outside of those

vacant storefronts,

in your neighborhood.

I talk to them.

You should see

their faces light up

when they hear about

all of this.

What about eminent domain?

It's an option.

But only as a last resort

if people refuse to sell.

If you even try to take

my property away from me,

the whole world

is gonna hear about it.

I want to set up a meeting

with the Fort Trumbull residents

and nip this in the bud

before it spreads.

[SUSETTE]

Hi. My name is Susette Kelo.

I live in Fort Trumbull

and I need to talk

to the Mayor please,

- right away.

- [WOMAN] Okay.

And can I tell him

what this is regarding?

It's regarding the people

who are trying

to steal my house.

[WOMAN]

Okay. Please hold.

[LLOYD] Well, I'll tell you,

I can see why they want

this place.

[TIM]

Come on, Beachy.

Is this real?

It might be.

Is there anything

you can do to help us?

[LLOYD]

Well, Susette,

the way city government works,

in particular New London,

my options

are a little bit limited.

But if you get out there,

start knocking on doors,

get people engaged,

gather up some letters

from everybody,

I can take those letters

down to City Council.

Because then I'll have

your support.

And that gives me

a little bit more power.

But you have to hit

the ground running.

You understand?

Rally the troops.

We have troops?

My name's Susette Kelo.

I live in the pink house.

We're having Saturday cleanup,

so please come if you're free.

And bring people.

Please. Yeah.

Yeah. Invite friends.

Thank you.

Stop trying

to give them both.

We don't have to give

each person in a couple one.

It's just a waste.

So I'm having this gathering

on Saturday.

Invited most of the people

in the neighborhood.

My house is that pink one.

[MUSIC PLAYS]

- [TIM] Hey.

- [SUSETTE] Hi.

You brought your own rake.

How great.

If you don't mind signing in,

and your address,

even though I know

where you are.

- Thank you.

- Hey, Dobbs.

Thanks for coming in.

I've been living here

for 40 years.

To be a bus driver,

and have a view

like this, huh?

[SUSETTE]

It's incredible.

And that's why

we have to fight.

I don't think this is gonna make

any difference.

Look, I know these people.

I don't want to join a group

of whiners.

Well, will you at least

write a letter?

This is all gonna blow over.

Please?

Oh, what the hell?

Okay.

I thought I was the bad one,

but really,

your daughter was the bad one.

- No, she instigated everything.

- No, I didn't.

- Oh, stop.

- No, I didn't.

My husband gave up the ghost

in this house.

It's where he wanted to be.

And it's where I want to be too

when my time comes.

My wife and I grew up

in this neighborhood.

[SUSETTE]

Oh.

This is the only house

we've ever lived in.

We raised our children here.

This is my home.

We want...

to stay...

here.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

Good evening.

[MAN]

Charlotte!

Good evening.

[LAUGHTER]

[FAKE LAUGH]

Well, I love a man

who yells my name.

[LAUGHTER]

[WOMAN]

Woo!

Folks...

I know there's been

a lot of speculation

about what's going on

in the neighborhood,

and I thought it would be good

to get together tonight

and talk about it.

Now first...

let me tell you

about a new vision

for New London.

And I am here tonight

to invite each

and every one of you

to be a part of our team

to create this vision.

A New London

that is vital and hip.

[APPLAUSE]

Hip? You mean...

"High Income People" hip?

[LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE]

All right. All right, please.

Please everyone,

let's keep this civil.

- [MAN] What?

- [SUSETTE] Oh, okay.

While we're keeping it civil

you'll be stealing our homes.

Is that right?

[CHARLOTTE]

No, no, no.

That is not true.

Everyone, no final decisions

have been made.

We are still looking

into every alternative.

[LLOYD]

Well, then why did you fire

the engineering firm

that suggested

these homes might be spared?

Well...

Well, actually,

they weren't fired.

Their work was done and...

we both moved on.

[PAULETTE]

Oh, oh, excuse me.

You moved on because Pfizer

told you to move on.

You're all a bunch

of kiss-asses!

Let me be clear,

because I know that there are

some of you who view

this redevelopment

as a bad thing.

[SUSETTE]

I'm sorry, but do you see

kicking us out of our homes

as a bad thing?

- [MAN] You don't think it's bad.

- [WOMAN] Exactly!

I assure you

no one wants to kick you

out of your homes.

[CROWD GROANS]

[BILLY] You sure got a

funny way of showing it.

[WOMAN]

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[APPLAUSE]

Please understand

our perspective here.

The most important thing

to us, to me,

and I'm sure you'll all agree,

is to help those in need.

[APPLAUSE]

Yes.

The jobless, the homeless,

the people on the fringes

of society,

they will benefit the most

from this plan.

[LLOYD]

How?

[CHARLOTTE]

Pfizer's expansion to New London

will increase

this city's tax revenue

by $12 million a year.

[APPLAUSE]

[CHARLOTTE] We are only

here to make this city

that you live

in a better place.

Who decides

what a better place is?

You?

Oh, no. No, no.

Not me.

Your community wants this.

- [CROWD] No.

- Oh, yes.

And your city needs this.

[BILLY]

Charlotte. Charlotte.

What are you gonna do

so that these people

can keep their homes?

[MAN]

Yeah, that's right. Yeah.

The best course for us

to improve our city

would be to acquire

all the homes.

[PAULETTE]

What? This is bullshit!

[CROWD CLAMORING]

This is bullshit!

It's bullshit.

[BILLY]

It's absolute bullshit.

You're gonna help the homeless

by kicking people

out of their homes?

Where do you people get off?

- This is unbelievable.

- [SUSETTE] No. I think I get it.

I...

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