INNER-CITY NEWS

INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

Financial Justice a Key Focus at 2016 NAACP Convention CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY: Black History in Science: Remembering Dr. George Carruthers New Haven, Bridgeport

INNER-CITYNEWS Volume 29 . No. 2426 Volume 21 No. 2194

Malloy Malloy To To Dems: Dems:

“DMC” YNHH: We Could Be

Ignore Ignore“Tough “ToughOn OnCrime” Crime”

Vaccinating 8x As Many People

Color Struck?

Snow in July?

Murphy Pops Into Town To Push Covid Relief For Deborah Archer Becomes 1st Black FOLLOW Summer Youth Programs, Food Distribution Woman to Lead ACLU in 100 Years US ON 1

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

Cops Following Leads On Clemente Carjacking, Shooting Up Of Asst. Schools Superintendent’s Home

by THOMAS BREEN

New Haven I ndependent

Police are following leads in two of the violent episodes that have rattled the city over the past week — a school carjacking and the shooting up of a school official’s home.

City Police Chief Otoniel Reyes and Asst. Chiefs Renee Dominguez and Karl Jacobson offered updates on the shooting of Asst. Schools Superintendent Paul Whyte’s Osborn Avenue home in Beaver Hills Friday night and the armed carjacking of a school social worker in the Hill a day earlier, during and after a press conference held Monday morning on the front steps of 1 Union Ave..

The focus of the presser was a spate of violent crime that beset New Haven last weekend, including the shooting death on Lawrence Street Saturday night of 26-year-old Yale grad student Kevin Jiang.

Dominguez and Jacobson said that the armed car theft took place at around 7:45 a.m. Thursday outside of Roberto Clemente Leadership Academy on Columbus Avenue in the Hill.

A social worker who works for the New

Haven Public Schools (NHPS) system at Roberto Clemente had just arrived for work when a masked suspect with a weapon approached her and stole her car, Jacobson said.

“Patrol officers recovered the car that very same day,” he said. The car was found on George Street near Dwight Street.

“Right now there’s one suspect,” Jacobson added.

He said that the social worker — whose name the police have not released — believed the person who robbed her was “younger.”

“We know most of these kids work in tandem,” Jacobson said, and so there may have been more than one person ultimately involved in the incident.

He said that the social worker has not been able to identify the suspect “because of the mask situation,” he said. “We’re hoping there’s DNA in the car.”

“Significant Leads” In Shooting Of Asst.

Supt.‘s House Reyes also gave an update Monday morning about the the latest with the city police investigation into Friday night’s shooting of Whyte’s house in Beaver Hills.

Reyes said that city patrol officers responded to Osborn Avenue between Pelham Lane and Wellington Road at around 7:30 p.m. Friday after receiving a gunfire alert through the activation of ShotSpotter in the area.

“The ShotSpotter activation indicated multiple gunshots, as many as four,” Reyes said.

When officers arrived, he said, they found that Whyte’s home had been “struck several times by gunfire. There was exterior damage to the home. Fortunately, no one was hurt. However, the home was occupied at the time the gunfire hit the home.”

Whyte told the Independent on Sunday that he was at home at the time with his wife and mother-in-law. All three hit the floor when shots broke through the house’s window.

Reyes said police believe that the gunman was in a sports utility vehicle, “and that he or she fired the gunshots at the residence potentially from the vehicle.” The vehicle was last seen traveling on Osborn Avenue towards Goffe Street. Police are looking for the public’s help with any other identifying details about the vehicle or gunman.

THOMAS BREEN PHOTOChief Reyes (center) at Monday police presser.

“Detectives have collected evidence,” he said. “They have worked this case and are continuing to work this case to determine what exactly happened here. Whether or not his home was specifically targeted, or whether nor not his home was the victim

of a random act of violence: These are the questions that we at this time don’t know.”

He added that police have developed some “significant leads” on the case, but that they could not disclose any more at this time due to the ongoing investigation.

Comcast Boosts Speed On “Essentials” Internet

by EMILY HAYS

New Haven I ndependent

One of the key ways New Haven students are connecting to internet may soon get a little better: Comcast is increasing the speeds of its income-qualifying internet package, Internet Essentials. The $9.95/month cost will stay the same.

While the affordability of the package has been a lifeline for many families, some have found the quality to be a barrier in remote classes.

Edgewood student Natima Adote drops out of her remote classes regularly when her internet fails. She has internet access through Comcast’s Internet Essentials package but she often finds herself dis-

EMILY HAYS PHOTO Edgewood student Natima Adote (left) with her mother and sister: Often discon-

nected.

connected.

Comcast released a statement on Tuesday that the company is doubling downstream speeds from 25 megabits per second (Mbps) to 50 Mbps and increasing upstream speeds from 3 Mbps to 5 Mbps.

Downstream speeds help users download and view content from the internet, while upstream speeds help users upload content, as required in a video call.

The company describes the change as part of its decade-long commitment to equity. It also announced that it will increase its philanthropic efforts and will install more free WiFi zones at community centers to help students with remote learning.

Advocates of a switch from broadband

companies like Comcast to fiber companies point to the asymmetry of the upload and download speeds as outdated—fiber has symmetrical speeds. Other critics of companies like Comcast argue that they invest very little in their broadband infrastructure, making the internet low quality and causing stalling and buffering problems. These criticisms have surfaced as Comcast planned to increase fees in its higher cost plans.

New Haven Public Schools has been relying on sending out Kajeet WiFi hotspots and teaching families how to apply for the Internet Essential package to connect students without internet to remote school.

LaFountain underscored how Trump failed to talk about the contributions immigrants bring to communities. “He was never honest about the statistics, about how many people coming in aren’t criminals,” she said. (Studies, such as those conducted by Pew Research Center and the libertarian Cato Institute, indicate that the overall crime rates for first-generation immigrants, both undocumented and those in the country legally, are substantially lower than for native-born Americans.)

To counter rising racism, the two lawyers suggested increasing historical, legal and cultural education.

With greater familiarity, people gain more comfort and feel less fear, reducing the perception of immigrants as “others.”

In addressing the anger toward immigrants, Gomez pointed to other causes of economic frustrations.

“The culprit isn’t necessarily a newcomer, as much as it is a system that has been in place for a really long time that’s keeping people in the positions they are in,” she said.

In other actions, Biden ended what was widely called the “Muslim Ban.” This Trump executive

order had prevented people from mostly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. Biden also issued a memo to strengthen the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

The president increased the cap on refugees from 15,000 to 125,000 for the fiscal year 2021. He suspended construction of the US-Mexico border wall and placed a 100-day freeze on deportations. Biden also sent a comprehensive immigration bill, the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, to Congress. If passed into law, it could provide a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants.

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker’s “Welcoming City” executive order extended protections for undocumented immigrants in July 2020. Responding to the city’s commitment to diversity, WNHH Radio - 103. 5 FM conducted an in-depth interview with Gomez and LaFountain on the president’s immigration agenda. The discussion also covers DACA, more about the proposed citizenship bill and ways to counter anti-immigration sentiments.

No Turning Back After Immigration Executive Orders

by BETSY KIM

From day one as president, Joe Biden steered U.S. immigration policy away from the xenophobic and harsh direction charted by his predecessor, Donald Trump.

“A very important marker is just the shift in tone and rhetoric. We’re no longer talking about people as if they are animals or insects” said Valeria Gomez, the William R. Davis teaching fellow at the University of Connecticut’s Asylum and Human Rights Clinic.

“I think we can never go back to that.”

Gomez made the observation during an appearance on WNHH FM’s “Law, Life & Culture With Betsy Kim.” She discussed the president’s moves on immigration along with Meghann LaFountain, chair of the Connecticut Chapter of the American Lawyers Immigration Association (AILA). (Watch the episode above.)

The president signed three executive orders last week. The first creates a task force to reunite migrant families torn apart by the Trump “Zero Tolerance” policy. During 2017 and 2018, the U.S. government

separated approximately 5,500 children from their parents at the Mexican border. Now, the parents of more than 600 children cannot be located. Many parents were relocated in the U.S. while others were deported. Some possibly have gone into hiding, after being returned to the country they fled fearing for their lives. Meanwhile, immigration officials sent children to live with relatives, family friends, shelters and foster care across the country.

Meghann LaFountain added that some of the individuals may have had cell phones from other countries that don’t operate in the U.S. or may have had their property collected but not returned.

“Finding where the other person ended could be very, very challenging,” she said. “You don’t know where the person was sent. You have no way to contact them. I think that will be the biggest challenge of the administration’s task force.”

“I’m really hoping with every ounce of me that this is not an egg we can’t unscramble,” said Gomez.

Many of the children would have the right to seek asylum and safety in the U.S., she stated. If their parents were deported, sending the children to their

home countries would not be appropriate. Some parents waived their opportunity to seek asylum, hoping to have their children returned.

President Biden’s second executive order plans a review of the root causes of migration and the asylum process. The Department of Homeland Security will end or revise the Migration Protection Protocols (MPP), known as the “Remain in Mexico” program. This policy has forced roughly 60,000 asylum seekers to live in squalid and dangerous, makeshift camps in Mexican border towns, while they await U.S. immigration court hearings.

The third executive order calls for a comprehensive review of the Trump administration’s immigration policies and creates a task force to promote immigrant integration and inclusion.

LaFountain and Gomez noted, in the past Trump repeatedly stoked fear and resentment of immigrants.

Even in announcing his first presidential run on June 16, 2015, he described in racist terms, migrants coming from Mexico. “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people,” he infamously stated.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

Ribbon Cut On Reentry Center

by MAYA MCFADDEN

New Haven I ndependent

Operators of a newly opened Reentry Welcome Center in Wooster Square are calling on the community to join them in the quest to help formerly incarcerated New Haveners get back on their feet.

The one-stop-drop-off site will be a resource center to bring together human services professionals and ex-offenders immediately after their release.

City leaders and partners cut the ribbon for the official opening of the center on Thursday.

The Center will be housed out of the Project M.O.R.E space at 830 Grand Ave. Project M.O.R.E will oversee the operation in addition to continuing providing the services they have offered ex-offenders for 47 years.

Reentry Welcome Center Director Keisha Gatison (above) said services will include housing and employment help, food resources, treatment for substance use disorders, mental health and medical treatment, and job placement.

The center is looking for more organization partnerships, community volunteers, and employers to help.

Volunteers will be needed to offer educational services and trade skills to clients. “If the community’s talents are brought to help our clients we’ll be that much better,” Gatison said.

Project Fresh Start Director Carlos Sosa-Lombardo began developing the initiative in 2018 after visiting Hartford’s Reentry Welcome Center.

The center will be of service to residents post-incarceration and those previously involved in the justice system, including those on pre-trial release or on probation or parole.

About 900 people are released from incarceration annually into New Haven, Mayor Justin Elicker said at the Thursday celebration. “Over 10 years that’s almost 7 percent of our population that are returning citizens.”

On an appointment basis, peer mentors will welcome home the clients on the same day or soon after they are released.

Prior to release, the state Department of Corrections (DOC) will send the center an assessment of each individual’s service needs.

Part 2 of our 4-part series in celebration of Black History Month

The DOC is working on changing its drop-off policy to include the center’s location by the end of the month, said DOC District Administrator Eulalia Garcia.

Clients will be provided with a backpack with basic needs and a re-entry resource guide. The center will refer and assist with IDs, housing, SNAP (food stamps), transportation, transition clinics and pharmacy set-up.

The recidivism rate is high in New Haven, said Elicker.

“It’s in all of our interest to do this,” Elicker said. “It also reflects our values that we strive to underscore the importance of making sure that those individuals returning who in my view were never served right in the beginning.”

“We as a society bear the responsibility to make sure that when they return they can be successful,” he said.

Sosa-Lombardo received a planning grant from the Tow Foundation to host an eight-month pilot program for 47 recently released clients. The pilot proved that connecting people to services the day of their release can reduce recidivism, he said. Of the 47 participants, only one was re-arrested, and that person did not return to prison, said Sosa-Lombardo.

The center will remain available to those who don’t immediately opt to be dropped off at the center also.

“Do we want to be a community that’s focused on blame and scapegoating? Or do we want to be a compassionate community that understands, acknowledges and does not deny personal and collective history that may have led individuals to this point?” city Community Services Administrator Mehul Dalal said Thursday.

Wooster Square Alder Ellen Cupo welcomed the center to the neighborhood. Cupo supported SosaLombardo’s efforts since 2018. “This community is ready to be called on. Your success is our success,” Cupo said.

The center partnered with LAZ Parking to provide several hundred employment opportunities to its clients. The Fair Haven Community Health Center will provide Covid testing, addiction services, and other health services to clients.

IN CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH, BOSCOV’S HONORS

VISIONARIES IN HUMANITY

Dr. Patricia Bath

Rosa Parks

George Washington Carver

Booker T. Washington

Barack Obama Dr. Shirley Jackson

From the advances in education by Booker T. Washington, to the inventions of George Washington Carver, Dr. Patricia Bath and Dr. Shirley Jackson, to the pivotal role Rosa Parks played in the civil rights movement, to Barack Obama becoming our country’s first black president, Boscov’s celebrates courageous African American humanitarians everywhere for their accomplishments and all the contributions that they have made in education, science, technology and beyond.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

Fairer School Funding Sought

by EMILY HAYS

New Haven I ndependent

Should schools get more dollars based on how many English learners attend?

Based on low test scores? The number of chronically absent students?

The New Haven Board of Education raised these questions Monday night as part of its first full look at a proposed $198 million budget for the coming fiscal year.

Monday was the board’s first full meeting of a budget season that will end around May, when the board adopts a budget based on the amount of money the city’s Board of Alders decides to hand over.

Next year’s draft budget is $8.8 million, or 4.65 percent higher than what the Board of Alders gave the district for this year. Salary levels negotiated for teachers and administrators drive much of that higher budget.

That $198 million figure does not include $4.5 million in potential new spending items, including more staff to teach English learners and implement new state requirements for Black and Latinx studies.

It also does not include the subject of all the debate—a new attempt to send more resources to the students and schools that need them the most.

District Chief Financial Officer Phillip Penn proposed dividing up $250,000 among students with high percentages of multilingual learners (the district’s new term for English language learners, or ELLs) and another $100,000 among neighborhood schools that don’t get magnet grants or other dedicated streams of funding.

Board member Darnell Goldson said he wanted to hear more about how staff

THOMAS BREEN PRE-PANDEMIC Board member Larry Conaway: Focus on students not showing up.

decided on these metrics. He said the district has looked at more metrics in past attempts to budget more equitably.

In an interview afterwards, Goldson pointed out that Worthington Hooker School would qualify for more dollars based on these metrics. Just over 15 percent of Worthington Hooker School students were multilingual learners at the last count. A teacher had written to him that the East Rock-based school was doing fine with the resources it had.

“If we’re using ELLs, it’s not the best metric. It could be one of the ways, but it

is not the best or only way,” Goldson said.

“We know for a fact that a lot of students have barriers. Single-parent families have barriers. Foster children have barriers.”

Goldson would like to see assessments on which students are academically behind guide the extra resources.

English learners do lag behind other students in most indicators, according to the Connecticut State Department of Education profile on New Haven. Despite relatively low absenteeism rates, New Haven’s multilingual students struggle on standardized tests and graduate and go

to college at lower levels than most other student groups in the district—except for students with disabilities. Poverty does not seem to affect New Haven students’ success as much as language proficiency, based on scores and graduation rates from students on the free and reduced-price lunch program.

Board member Larry Conaway highlighted chronically absent students as a population in urgent need of more resources.

“There is a population that is wreaking havoc in the community, close to home on several occasions. Let’s make sure we don’t forget that there are some New Haven Public Schools students for whom an intervention or a relationship could save lives and turn kids around,” Conaway said. “There are students out there who are finding their own ways to keep themselves busy.”

Assistant Superintendent Keisha ReddHannans said this is one gap the second round of school-focused coronavirus relief might be able to address. The state is encouraging districts to use the federal dollars to address learning gaps and disengaged students.

“I do agree that there is a direct link with the crime we are experiencing,” ReddHannans said.

She is leading a 75-person task force, including parents and community members, on what to put that $37.7 million in relief towards. The district plans to put all ideas on their application to the state and will let the state approve or deny the ideas.

Vouchers for tutoring, extra-engaging summer schools, credit recovery programs and associate degree programs for high schoolers all came up as ideas for the $37.7 million at Monday’s meeting.

Porter Targets Hair Discrimination

by MADISON HAHAMY

Afros. Bantu knots. Braids. Cornrows.

Dreadlocks. Twists.

In seven states, the law bars employers from discriminating workers for wearing those hairstyles.

New Haven State Rep. Robyn Porter aims to make Connecticut the eighth, joining California, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Colorado, Washington, and Maryland.

Porter and Danbury State Sen. Julie Kushner have introduced a bill — called The CROWN Act: Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair — that would bar discrimination based on specifically those hairstyles in housing, schools, and employment and in credit transactions.

The bill was first introduced last session, and failed.

The second attempt to pass it began Tuesday, as Porter hosted a press conference about it, then championed it along with oth-

MARKESHIA RICKS PRE-PANDEMIC FILE PHOTOState Rep. Robyn Porter at the Capitol (pre-pandemic).

ers at a hearing of the legislature’s Labor and Public Employee Committee, which Porter co-chairs. Over 100 people signed up to testify at the hearing.

“Conformity is a means to survival” for many Black women in America, Porter said: Instead of being judged on the quality of

their work, they are judged on “how we wear our hair to work.”

She cited statistics from a Dove 2019 CROWN Research Study indicating that Black women are 50 percent more likely to report being sent home or know of someone who was sent home because of their hair, and 80 percent are more likely to change their hair from their natural state to meet workplace expectations.

“I have been one of those Black women,” Porter said.

Christina Jackson, a 13-year-old Youth Ambassador from the Hartford region YWCA, introduced herself as “a proud woman of color filled with Black girl magic.” She spoke of feeling pressured to change her hairstyle on her competitive gymnastics team.

Jackson used to wear her hair in box braids that were braided into two cornrows. Coaches told her that this hairstyle was “too floppy,” while not saying the same of her white

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peers, who had loose ponytails that constantly needed to be adjusted, Jackson said.

For meets, she straightened and “burned” her hair into buns, which both “ruined my hair and bruised my self-esteem.”

“I’m only 13, and I already know a small portion of what older Black women feel in their workplaces,” Jackson continued. She was met with silent applause and encouragement in the Zoom chat.

At the hearing, State Rep. Henry Arora warned of potential unintended consequences of the bill, including legal barriers for employers.

State Rep. Anne Hughes, co-chair of the Progressive Democratic Caucus, spoke in support of the bill, and criticized Arora.

“I apologize on behalf of this committee for you having to explain your humanity,” Hughes said to Porter.

If the bill passes the committee, it would advance to the full state House of Representatives for debate and a vote.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY: Black History in Science: Remembering Dr. George Carruthers

physics in 1961, Carruthers remained at the University of Illinois, where he earned a master’s in nuclear engineering in 1962.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

He built his first telescope at the age of 10, and by age 25, George Carruthers earned a Ph.D. in aeronautical and astronautical engineering.

Upon graduating from the University of Illinois, Dr. Carruthers started work at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.

His telescope and image converter identified molecular hydrogen in space, and his ultraviolet spectrograph was used by the Apollo 16 crew in their flight to the moon.

“In March 1610, Galileo Galilei reported the first use of a telescope to view mountains and maria on the moon,” Dr. Carruthers wrote in 1972. Many reported that his project collaborator, Thornton Page, a White man, acknowledged Carruthers’ brilliance and allowed him to lead on the project.

After all, just three years earlier, Dr. Carruthers was awarded a patent for his groundbreaking “Image Converter for Detecting Electromagnetic Radiation Especially in Short Wave Lengths.”

Following that, the scientist’s UV telescope and image converter provided the first proof of molecular hydrogen in interstellar space.

His invention was used on Apr. 21, 1972, during the first lunar walk of the Apollo 16 mission.

It marked the first-time scientists examined the Earth’s atmosphere for concen-

In 1964, he earned a Ph.D. in aeronautical and astronautical engineering.

trations of pollutants and see UV images of more than 550 stars, nebulae, and galaxies.

Dr. Carruthers earned NASA’s Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal for his work on the project.

“On Apr. 21, 1972, the Apollo 16 commander positioned a somewhat more complex optical instrument at the Earth from the moon and obtained several remarkable photographs showing atmospheric rather than surface features,” Dr. Carruthers wrote.

One of the first and few Black scientists of his time, Dr. Carruthers died on Dec.

26, 2020, in Washington. He was 81.

Born Oct. 1, 1939, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dr. Carruthers had three siblings. His father, George Sr., was a civil engineer with the U.S. Army Air Corps. and reportedly encouraged his son’s interest in science.

According to his biography, the elder Carruthers died when Dr. Carruthers was just 12. After his death, the family moved to Chicago, where Dr. Carruthers’ mother, Sophia, went to work for the U.S. Postal Service.

But Dr. Carruthers continued pursuing his interest in science.

“As one of only a handful of AfricanAmericans competing in Chicago’s high school science fairs, he won three awards, including first prize for a telescope that he designed and built,” his biographers wrote.

In 1957, Carruthers graduated from Chicago’s Englewood High School and entered the engineering program at the University of Illinois’ Champaign-Urbana campus.

While an undergraduate, Carruthers focused on aerospace engineering and astronomy.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in

In a 1992 interview with the American Institute of Physics, Dr. Carruthers was asked whether it takes anything different to get an African American student interested in science instead of a White child.

“One of the things that most people agree on is just giving them lectures is not really very effective. In other words, if you say that you are going to give a lecture on space science, that is too much like what they already get in school, so it is not going to make a lasting impression on them or necessarily attract them to the field,” Dr. Carruthers stated.

“So, what we have been trying to do is give them hands-on activities, use videos and demonstrations that get across information in a way that’s more like entertainment, because certainly students are interested in seeing science fiction movies on television, they like to see ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Battlestar Galactica.’ So, what we’re trying to do is cast real science in a way that’s as attractive to them as science fiction is.”

Dr. Carruthers receives the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from U.S. President Barack Obama on Feb. 1, 2013. / Department of the Navy’s Information Technology Magazine

It Starts With A Dream

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

Ice The Beef Rallies Against Opiod, Gun Deaths

Get Your Shot Reggy Eadie, M.D., President & CEO, Trinity Health Of New England

by COURTNEY LUCIANA Brian Cody was found dead in New Milford due to an opioid overdose in 2019 at the age of 20. His parents, Tony and Tracey Morrissey (pictured), founded BrianCodysLaw in his honor, and on Saturday united with New Haven Ice The Beef to rally against opioid addiction, gun violence, and domestic violence.

Thirty members of Ice The Beef’s Latino Caucus and Young Communist League (YCL), Greater New Haven Black Lives Matter, and other organizations joined the rally in Fair Haven on Blatchley Avenue.

The Morrisseys said that their insurance failed their family by denying Cody’s rehabilitation services around June2019. In August of that year, he was cut loose by the New Milford Police after a failed suicide screening. Five hours later, he was found dead in a trap house.

BrianCodysLaw, a non-profit grassroots organization, partnered with Ice The Beef in January to connect people who need access to recovery services and resources throughout the city and across the state.

“We want to make it clear that we take the lead on the responsibility for losing our son,” “Coach” Tony said. “As we unpack this, it’s important that everybody understands it’s not just the parents. The safety nets failed us. The insurance company failed us. It was a complete and total failure across all systems. We are all responsible.”

“And our son wanted the help,” Tracey added.

Ice The Beef President Chaz Carmon (far right in photo) called on the BidenHarris Administration to add opioid addiction, gun violence, and domestic violence to his agenda of executive actions.

He called on city leaders to take action as well.

“Our cities are mourning and suffering,” Carmon said. “Where is the gun violence reform bill? Why isn’t opioid addiction

and mental health services on the list?

Will you wait while people are dying in the streets everyday? Or maybe you’ll wait until there’s another school shooting. How are these things not in the order of change in these next four years? I’m standing here today to say you need to put them in the order. We got you elected so now I’m going to hold you accountable.”

New Haven had a spike in shootings in 2020. Carmon paid tribute to Tyrick Keyes, a former youth member of Ice The Beef, who became a victim of gun violence at the age of 14 in 2017.

“His birthday is coming up this month, and we’re remembering everyone who was a victim of gun violence this year,” Carmon said. “Shootings and overdoses haven’t calmed down this winter and it’s about to get warm out. These [points] need to be on the agenda.”

Ice The Beef Executive Secretary Marcey Jones (at far left in above photo), said one solution going forward is community outreach.

“Who here has not had a traumatic event in their life?” Jones, asked the crowd.

“No hands are raised. So now I’m asking each and everyone of you to be helpers of one another by speaking your trauma.

There’s somebody out here who has the same pain.”

Paul Pacheco, 21, an active member of BrianCodysLaw’s youth peer-to-peer committee (pictured on the left of Carmon) shared his story of overcoming addiction four years ago. He said that the organization’s efforts contributed to a reduction in the overdose death rate in New Milford by 20 percent in the past year.

“That’s from all of us working together.

All because the police, mayor, schools, and community leaders all came together to make a change,” Pacheco said. “It’s a team effort. We are here for you and we want to make the changes at a larger scale.”

BrianCodysLaw has several partner-

ships within the organization, including The Redemption Houses in New Haven, a rehabilitation advisory committee composed of clinical case managers and recovery coaches, and an outreach committee.

“We want to amplify our mission,” Tony said. “Anyone in New Haven can call on us or anyone in our group for help. These are all free services.”

Black Lives Matter New Haven cofounder Sun Queen shared the story of her brother Christopher Fain, who became a homicide victim in 2012 at 19 years old.

Fain was riding his bike throughout the streets of his neighborhood and was shot in the back. The shooter remains at large.

“My living brother was shot over seven times in 2019. Over seven surgeries to stay alive,” Queen said. “I say this to say that the violence that happens in our communities does not only affect the victim but the families, the communities, the city, and the state. We need more moments coming together with stronger voices and celebrating a collective change.”

Resident Dumont Gibbs, 44 (pictured below on the right) said that Ice The Beef inspired him to speak up on how the lack of resources impacted his life while growing up locally and to fight for change.

“I lost both of my parents as a teenager.

You want to put an end to domestic abuse?

Everything starts with family structure. I dealt with my pain in the wrong way,” Gibbs said. “I’ve been seeing these rallies my entire life, and the issues are getting worse. I’m tired of listening to things and nothing is getting done.”

Ice The Beef Vice-President Manuel Camacho (pictured on the left of Gibbs) agreed with Carmon that these issues affect all residents either directly or indirectly.

“It’s time we take the action to end this,” Camacho said. “And the time is now. And it starts with us.”

6

For almost a full year we have been living in a world defined by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here and around the world, COVID-19 has made millions sick, killed nearly 400,000 in the United States and 6,400 in Connecticut, and it has cost us jobs and livelihoods.

Here in Connecticut, we have done our part to limit close physical contact, wear masks appropriately and practice good hand hygiene as a way to keep the disease from spreading even more quickly, but the only sure way to beat this virus is through a vaccination program that reaches as many people as possible.

Thanks to advances in science, funding from governments around the world, and global collaboration among medical and public health experts, we were able to quickly develop vaccines for COVID-19. This was not the result of cutting corners.

The vaccines have been rigorously tested and proven safe and reliable, both in clinical trials involving tens of thousands of volunteers and now in the real world. The speed with which these vaccines have been developed is a testament to more than a decade of research and development of this vaccine technology for other diseases. By identifying a protein specific to COVID-19, researchers were able to tailor a vaccine to help us develop a robust immunity to COVID-19.

The first doses of COVID-19 vaccine arrived in the state at the end of last year, and we are receiving a fixed number of doses each week, and those shipments should grow in number as manufacturers are able to supply more vaccine. In Connecticut, we began our vaccination program by giving shots to nursing home residents and staff and frontline medical workers. The elderly are the most susceptible to the worst effects of COVID-19, and the workers who care for them and for us should be protected so they can continue to provide quality care and keep their own families safe from the disease.

With a steady, but limited stream of vaccines received each week, we are

expanding our vaccination program in a thoughtful, phased approach to cover more and more Connecticut residents. Starting with our most vulnerable populations and critical workforce and working toward our healthiest adult residents, our goal is to vaccinate everyone who wants a vaccine before the end of the year.

If everyone gets vaccinated, we all will have the opportunity to see our friends and family safely, limiting the suffering and deaths, and bolstering economic recovery.

A vaccination program with a high percentage of participation is the only way we can eliminate the threat of COVID-19 and get our lives back to normal. And that is what we all want.

We have all suffered through the last year as our world has been turned upside down by this virus. The vaccine is our best hope to return to the lifestyle we all prefer, build back our labor force and restore our economy.

Historically, Connecticut has had one of the highest vaccination rates in the country and it is my hope we will continue to live up to that standard with this vaccine. Over the last year, there has been confusion and unfortunately some misinformation about COVID-19, its seriousness and the threat it poses. However, data reflects the sad reality of debilitating illness, suffering, and loss of life in horrifically large numbers. The data on the vaccines are also real. They have been thoroughly tested. They are safe.

And now they have been given successfully to people around the world, including hundreds of thousands here in Connecticut. Since the beginning of the pandemic, this is what we have been waiting for; a safe vaccine that stops the virus in its tracks.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal government, and partners in the private sector to deliver this vaccine to as many people as possible, as soon as possible. Right now, we have limited supply of vaccine, and we are asking for patience as we vaccinate our highest risk populations first. Please stay up to date on our vaccination program by visiting the Connecticut COVID-19 vaccine website (ct.gov/covidvaccine) to find out when, where and how you can get vaccinated. We all need to do our part to protect ourselves, our families, our friends and our communities. Get your shot when you are eligible and let’s put COVID-19 behind us.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

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7

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

Murphy Pops Into Town To Push Covid Relief For Summer Youth Programs, Food Distribution

A Thirst for Celebration The month of February has long shined a light on Black history as we honor and celebrate the achievements and culture of African Americans. At the RWA, we advocate for dialogue and action that drive progress and remove racial, cultural, ethnic, social and gender barriers and bias. During Black History Month, let us all take time to look through the lens of history at the events and people, like Dr. King, that shaped who we are as a nation.

ya l e i n st i t u t e o f s a c r e d m u s i c joins the

i n n e r city news in celebrating the accomplishments of African Americans to the cultural and spiritual life of New Haven and the world.

e v e n t l i st i n g s at ism.yale.edu

Darryl Pervis and Thomea Oliver Pervis with State Rep. Pat Dillon, State Rep. Robyn Porter, and Alder Evette Hamilton.

by MAYA MCFADDEN U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy made two New Haven stops Monday to discuss his efforts to bring back federal funding for youth summer enrichment programs and the FEMA Empowering Essential Deliveries (FEED) Act. Murphy first stop was at the Boys and Girls Club New Haven (BGCNH) on Columbus Avenue; the second at soon-toopen new location of Dperv’s T.O.P. BBQ on Whalley Avenue.

Murphy is proposing that the $1.9 trillion Covid relief package currently before Congress include money for summer programming to address the learning gap caused by school-building closings during the Covid-19 pandemic. He is also proposing that the federal reimburse 100 percent of the cost to states and localities that have been partnering with restaurants and nonprofits to prepare nutritious meals for vulnerable populations during the pandemic.

At the Boys & Girls Club. Murphy joined U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro of New Haven and local leaders for a roundtable discussion about how the additional funds could be used for youth summer programs.

DeLauro reported that the average student will be at least seven months behind in academics due to remote learning during the pandemic. The learning gap is even larger for students of color, non-English learners, and students with disabilities.

DeLauro added.

“I think that there are some kids that just need something this summer that’s emotionally healthy that sort of resets their brain,” Murphy said.

Clifford Beers Clinic CEO Alice Forrester said this summer’s programs should focus largely on reengaging the students socially with activities like sports. “A lot of our kids are feeling the pain of disconnection,” she said.

Forrester said the funding should also incorporate a plan for students aged 16-24, who are struggling.

“They have been closed in. They need to get out,” said New Haven Youth Services Director Gwendolyn Williams.

Williams said the program should address

8

the increasing number of at-risk youth and their behaviors causing community violence. As a social worker, Williams said, she correlates the increase in violence with lack of resources, unprocessed traumatic grief and loss, and the lack of regular social actives.

State Rep. Toni Walker said the community is dealing not only with the Covid pandemic but with larger issues like racism and poverty in everyday struggles.

“Some of the kids have stolen cars because they have no place to live,” Walker said. “We can’t criminalize our kids.”

“2020 has given us a restart button,” said Walker.

Hill Alder Ron Hurt said he has seen firsthand the emotional and mental effects the pandemic has had on youth. “We need a lot of mental health to help our young people cope with this pandemic. And not only that but the vicissitudes of life,” he said. “Some of our young people do things that they don’t want to do but they have to do it because there’s a need in the home.”

Boys & Girls Club Executive Director Barbara Chesler said s BGCNH is planning an eight-week program this summer.

The program will require the center to set up tents for outdoor classrooms in order to reach more students.

The BGCNH opened its doors on Sept.

9 for a learning hub with a capacity of 50 students to offer a safe and structured learning environment for kids learning remotely.

The hub was quiet Monday, with snowy weather limiting attendance.

Murphy hopes for the package to fund summer camps for every kid in the state regardless of family income.

Murphy also paid a visit to DPerv’s Top Barbeque’s new location at 554 Whalley Ave. Murphy spoke with owners Darryl Pervis and Thomea Oliver Pervis about his proposed FEMA Empowering Essential Deliveries (FEED) Act. The bill would direct the federal government to pay 100 percent of the cost to small business partners and organizations that deliver meals to those in need during the pandemic.

Biden signed an executive order this

month increasing FEMA assistance from 75 percent to 100 percent of restaurants cost for feeding programs.

“Covid is a federal emergency. And so the federal government should be picking up 100 percent of the cost of making sure that the people are fed,” Murphy said.

During the pandemic the Pervises have fed 7,000 hungry Hamden firefighters, correctional officers, nursing homes, New Haven firefighters, homeless shelters, and neighborhoods hot meals.

Murphy is working with Republican U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina on the bill.

When the pandemic began. the Pervises applied for the Small Business Administration (SBA) Covid relief funding. They were turned down. The lack of financial assistance caused them to have to close the restaurant’s then-location in Hamden.

Now they’re preparing the Whaley location to reopen.

After closing the Pervises began putting their money instead into feeding the community comfort meals daily. They continue to do that.

New Haven State Rep. Robyn Porter joined the Pervises for their “Thankful Thursdays” events, in which they fed all three shifts of a nursing home staff each week.

“If you help him ,you’ll be helping so many people,” Porter told Murphy.

Darryl said he used to be homeless.

Growing up Thomea occasionally had to depend on only soup kitchen or food pantries for meals. Over the past 15 years the Pervises have been giving back to the community with haircuts on the Green for the homeless, food distribution, school mentoring, an annual community day, and an open mic night for youth in foster care.

“Street by street. Corner by corner. Person by person, I want to make a difference,” Darryl said.

“It’s a win win if you put federal dollars into feeding programs like this. You’re feeding the hungry, but you’re also helping keep small restaurants alive,” Murphy said.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

“I Got Down & Yelled For My Wife & Mother-In-Law To Get Down Too”

by THOMAS BREEN

New Haven Public Schools Asst. Superintendent Paul Whyte was in his living room Friday night when, “all of a sudden, we heard the pops.”

Whyte is the city’s instructional superintendent for high schools and alternate programs.

On Friday night, he, his wife and mother-in-law experienced firsthand the surge in violent crime that has beset this city over the past 12 months.

At around 7:30 p.m. that night, gunshots struck and entered his Osborne Avenue house while Whyte, his wife, and his mother-in-law were inside.

“I was in the living room, my wife was upstairs between the bedroom and bathroom, and my mother-in-law was about to go upstairs to her room” when the shooting started, he told the Independent Sunday morning.

“After hearing something come through and break the window, and then hearing the second pop, I got down and yelled for my wife and mother-in-law to get down too.”

Fortunately, he said, no one in his family was injured during the gunfire. But the violent barrage left his whole family rattled.

“We were shocked at what was happening,” he said. “I want a safe city for all of our kids, for families, for everyone.”

Whyte said that he has never experienced anything like this in his 12 years living in Beaver Hills.

Local pediatrician and Board of Education member Tamiko Jackson McArthur, who lives across the street from Whyte, told the Independent Saturday that she heard the gunshots at 7:28 p.m. Friday.

“It sounded so close,” she said. She added that she hears gunshots “all the time” in their Beaver Hills neighborhood. She didn’t find out until Saturday morning that Whyte’s house had been hit.

When asked how he felt in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, and how he feels a day and a half later, Whyte returned to “the shock of it all.”

“I’ve really been grateful for the support of the community around me,” he said.

“People reaching out,” checking in to see how he and his family are doing.

With the police still investigating the case, he said, “I’m just hopeful to find and understand” what happened Friday night, and why his house—and his family—were subjected to such violence.

New Haven Police Department spokesperson Capt. Anthony Duff confirmed by email Saturday that police are “investigating an incident of gunfire striking a house” on Osborn Avenue. He said he was not aware of any reported injuries, and did not have any more information to share at this time.

The New Haven Register first broke the news of the gunfire striking Whyte’s home on Saturday afternoon.

Later that evening, an as-yet-unidentified man was shot and killed in the East Rock neighborhood in the area of Lawrence

and Nash Streets.

His death marked the sixth homicide in the first five-plus weeks of the new year.

Just like cities across the country, New Haven has seen a dramatic increase in violent crime over the past year, particularly since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2020, New Haven saw 20 homicides and 121 victims of non-fatal shootings— some of the worst local street violence in nearly a decade. Neighbors across the city, including in Beaver Hills, have cried out to city leadership and to their neighbors to do something to address the spike in crime.

Mayor Justin Elicker sent out an email press release Saturday stating that he visited Whyte’s home Friday after learning of the shooting.

“I went to see Dr. Whyte and his family last night upon hearing about the shooting incident,” Elicker is quoted as saying in the release. “I was relieved in this moment, traumatic as it was, to hear that Dr. Whyte and his family were physically unharmed by the gunfire. This moment is also a reminder that, with crime on the rise nationally and in our City, bullets have no name. We are very lucky in this instance that no one was hurt.”

He encouraged anyone with information about the shooting to call the city police at (203) 946-6304.

“To those who continue to wreak havoc in our communities, divide us further with gun violence, and have no respect for the safety of our neighbors,” the mayor con-

THOMAS BREEN PHOTO Asst. Superintendent Whyte, at a September back-to-school presser.

tinued in his email press release, “we are putting you on notice. Your violent actions will have real consequences. The New Haven Police Department is working diligently to get to the bottom of this instance, as well as the many other violent acts that have continued to plague our

community.”

“I understand that many who are affiliated with group-involved violence and street groups often don’t know how to shake their allegiance to this group identity,” he concluded. “We are ready to support you if you want to leave that life behind.”

“And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us

BUT WHAT STANDS BEFORE US US” – Amanda Gorman

Throughout Black History Month and beyond, we celebrate Black Joy. Its beauty. Its brilliance. Its variety. Its tenacity. Its resilience.

Its ability to thrive despite everything.

The power of Black Joy truly knows no bounds... it’s a Joy Supreme.

WWW.CORNELLSCOTT.ORG

Celebrate a Joy Supreme with us at aarp.org/blackcommunity

9

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

YNHH: We Could Be Vaccinating 8x As Many People

by LAURA GLESBY

Yale New Haven Health is disseminating between 4,000 and 6,000 coronavirus vaccines in Connecticut and Rhode Island every week. Officials believe the hospital system could distribute eight times that number, if only they had the supply.

This past week, Chief Clinical Officer Tom Balcezak observed, the hospital system rescheduled its Monday and Tuesday vaccine appointments to later in the week, due to the snowstorm. On Wednesday and Thursday, Yale New Haven Health was able to dole out twice the usual number of vaccines per day without any hiccups, Balcezak reported.

He spoke at a YNHH Covid-19 briefing held online Friday afternoon.

“It shows how we could easily double — if not more — the amount of vaccines we are distributing,” Balcezak said.

“We could be scaling to 40,000 doses per week.”

Thus far, the health system has vaccinated more than 40,000 people since Dec.15.

Most of those vaccinated individuals are healthcare workers or emergency responders, while 15,000 are people who qualified because they are over the age of 75.

Nearly 67 percent of the health system’s employees have received at least one dose of the vaccine. The hospital system does not currently plan to mandate the vaccine for its own employees.

Currently, Yale New Haven Health is

primarily distributing the Pfizer vaccine.

Hospital officials are anticipating a potential FDA approval of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine in the coming weeks, and will await federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance on distribution.

Recipients Disproportionately White More than three-quarters of the health system’s vaccines have gone to white individuals, estimated YNHH Chief Executive Officer Marna Borgstrom She and Balcezak said that around 10 percent of the vaccine recipients have been Black, 15 percent have been Hispanic or Latinx people, and under 10 percent have been Asian American.

“Even in New Haven, the majority of individuals are Caucasian,” Balcezak said.

“That’s deeply distressing to us.”

These numbers are based on self-reported information from most patients.

Balcezak surmised that the hospital system’s disproportionate inoculation of white people is likely due to both a lack of access to vaccination sites (or the technology required to sign up for a vaccine) and a mistrust of the vaccine that has risen particularly in Black and Latinx communities.

Balcezak said the hospital system is considering providing in-person registration assistance for the first dose of the vaccine; it already helps first-dose recipients sign up for their second doses. Yale New Haven Health has also collaborated with NAACP representatives and church leaders to host informational town halls with

YNHHYNHH healthcare providers get vaccinated as part of Phase 1A.

experts on the vaccine. YNHH docs have been making the rounds of New Haven’s Community Management Team meetings as well.

“We tried to put all of our sites in areas with bus lines, in minority communities,” Balcezak added.

Yale New Haven Health’s overwhelmingly-white pool of vaccine recipients mirrors a national trend, even as — in

10

New Haven and across the country — Black and Latinx people are far more likely to contract Covid-19.

Some counties and cities have proposed allocating more vaccines to people living in the ZIP codes most affected by Covid-19, which often include majorityBlack and Brown neighborhoods.

Borgstrom and Balcezak shared other updates on the hospital’s efforts to fight the

pandemic.

Currently, the health system is treating 317 Covid-19 inpatients across Connecticut and Rhode Island, a slight downturn from several weeks ago. Of those patients, 165 are in New Haven.

Balcezak said he expects the vaccine to contribute to a further decline in cases — particularly among the state’s elderly population — by March.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

Drones & AI Pose Police Policy Choices

HOWARD K. HILL F UNERAL

SERVICES

by PAUL BASS

Technology is changing policing in ways that can help save lives, but also raise concerns about protecting people’s rights.

So agreed two retired cops who continue to help steer the conversation about the future of their profession.

The two ex-cops — retired State Trooper James Scott and former Assistant New Haven Police Chief John Velleca — teach criminal justice at Albertus Magnus College. They tackled questions about the future of policing during a joint appearance on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven” program.

They agreed that technology is changing policing. Citizens spend more time behind computers than out on the street. Drug dealers now set up deals online. AI and other tech advances, from facial recognition to drones, enable officers to track more potential crimes from a distance.

“We have a unique opportunity to make some changes,” especially with calls to increase police accountability, Scott said.

“We’re at the brink of another era of policing,” agreed Velleca.

The two agreed with the creation of community crisis intervention teams to handle many nonviolent calls. They agreed about the need to hold cops more accountable for misconduct, to train officers to deescalate rather than escalate conflicts, to judge the success of policing based on interacting positively with the public rather than piling up quality-of-life arrests that mire people in debt and incarceration.

They disagreed about the use of drones, which police departments nationwide have embraced. A proposal to use drones to track dirt-bike riders in New Haven was shelved amid community opposition.

Scott advocated using drones as an alternative to high-speed chases.

“If you had a drone up in the air, it would be much easier to find a car you might be looking for,” rather than risking people’s lives with a pursuit, he argued.

Velleca argued that potential misuse and threats to privacy outweigh the benefits of easier arrests.

“I’m not a proponent of drones,” he said.

“They work all too well. The capabilities are so vast; I don’t know how you’ll be able to rein them in. I don’t believe they have a place in law enforcement. ... I don’t want to open the door.”

Similarly, while drones might catch drug dealers in the act on a street corner, it would be hard to enforce policies that limit what else cops could use that surveillance for, Velleca argued. “We have trouble enforcing” already existing policies restraining police overreach.

Scott agreed that limits need to be in place.

And street corners already often have plenty of surveillance coverage from existing video cameras, he said.

Both Scott and Velleca endorsed the use of drones by the fire department and other emergency rescue crews to, say, track chemical spills or locate and rescue someone who fell in the water.

They both embraced the use of facial rec-

ognition technology, within limits. Some departments have come under criticism for relying on that technology, in part because of Black and brown people in particular have been misidentified as perpetrators. Scott and Velleca said they could see facial recognition technology being used as part of an investigation, but not as principal evidence.

Other tech advances they envision: Allowing more non-sworn personnel to take routine complaints via Zoom. Monitoring the social media pages of 18-to-25-year-olds involved in crime, who often aren’t careful about what they post.

Scott argued that technological changes make it more important than ever to keep cops in schools. Because adults spend less time on the streets, they less often get to know their officers and build trusting relationships that help a community solve crimes. But kids still go to school, noted Scott, a former school resource officer (SRO) himself, at Eli Whitney Technical High School. He built long-lasting relationships in that role, he said. So do other SROs. Click on the video at the top of this story to watch the full discussion with James Scott and John Velleca on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven.”

ULA Protests Car Dealership Over Alleged Fleecing Of Immigrants

by COURTNEY LUCIANA

Fifty demonstrators organized by Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA) protested outside Unique Auto Sales at 392 East St. demanding repayment for a couple they claim were scammed out of $4,000 on a downpayment for a 2011 Dodge Ram. The protest took place Wednesday evening.

The protest involved a transaction with Fair Haveners Dunia Dominguez and Armando Trujillo.

The couple, who immigrated here from Honduras, said they coughed up the downpayment for the Dodge Ram last October with a promise that the dealer would repair damage then give them the vehicle. The couple waited on the vehicle for several weeks and never received it, not even the keys, they said. Meanwhile, they said, Amando lost a construction job that required him having wheels.

Subsequently the dealership said the vehicle was in the hands of a lender, who in turn said it was in the hands of the deal-

ership, according to ULA founder John Lugo (pictured with Dominguez on the far right), who has been advocating for the couple.

ULA responded by sending out a letter on Jan. 14 to Unique Auto Sales that requested a refund on the downpayment in addition to payments for registration, plates, taxes, and insurance which the couple had also made. The dealership not only ignored their complaints but stated that their lawyer would be calling, Lugo said.

“Since three weeks ago, the lawyer hasn’t been calling us. There’s no answer.

There’s nothing. Just silence,” Lugo said.

“At the same time, we’ve been receiving complaints from other people saying that they had the same issues with this company in the past.”

“The first time that we came to Unique Auto Sales, they told us that we shouldn’t be here. They threatened to call the police,” Dominguez said. “They said that they weren’t the owners of the car any-

more. We talked to people that we know who have experience selling cars and agreed the contract was taking advantage of us. I want my money back, and I want justice for my family.”

Unique Auto Sales closed the gates to the dealership during the protest and declined comment.

Owner Angela Garcia was reached by phone Thursday morning.

“We will be giving a statement because everything is false,” Garcia said. “We are just waiting on the attorney to give the okay before speaking on the matter.”

Before the protest, Lugo brought out boxes of donated produce that was distributed to people in need.

“We’re going to be coming back, and we’re not going to allow this,” Lugo said.

“In these days of crisis, we’re going to start using this place to also distribute food to our community.”

ULA members vowed to return to the dealership, and were gathering signatures on a petition.

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ya l e i n st i t u t e o f s a c r e d m u s i c joins the

i n n e r city news in celebrating the accomplishments of African Americans to the cultural and spiritual life of New Haven and the world.

e v e n t l i st i n g s at ism.yale.edu

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

AARP Connecticut Applauds Governor Lamont Decision to End Civil Immunity for Nursing Homes AARP Connecticut issued the following comment in response to the February 8, 2021 announcement by Governor Ned Lamont that he will end his Executive Order granting civil immunity to nursing homes on March 1, 2021:

After eight months of pressure from AARP Connecticut, the State Long Term Care Ombudsman, and other advocates, Governor Ned Lamont announced today that he is ending his Executive Order granting civil immunity to nursing homes. The order, which has been in place since April of 2020, granted nursing homes civil immunity for “acts or

omissions undertaken in good faith while providing health care services in support of the State’s COVID-19 response.” It is now set to expire on March 1, 2021.

“I am very pleased Governor Lamont has decided it is time to put nursing home residents and their families first,” said Nora Duncan, State Director of AARP Connecticut. “AARP Connecticut ap-

plauds the State’s successful efforts to prioritize nursing home residents in its vaccine rollout and thanks Governor Lamont for his decision to repeal civil immunity for nursing homes.”

After nearly a year of devastating loss, Governor Lamont’s announcement coincides with other hopeful news coming out of Connecticut’s nursing homes.

The State’s decision to prioritize nursing home residents in their vaccine efforts has resulted in nearly all residents receiving their vaccine and a 70% decrease of COVID-19 deaths in recent weeks.

AARP Connecticut appreciates the difficult work that nursing homes have had to undertake during this pandemic, and we believe that most facilities have

taken extraordinary measures to protect residents. There is still urgent work to be done to support nursing home residents and their loved ones, especially concerning visitation and social connection, but we celebrate the State’s successful efforts to vaccinate nursing home residents and thank Governor Lamont for his decision to end civil immunity.

In Westville, Sorors Celebrate Kamala's Historic Firsts

by Lucy Gelman, Editor, The Arts Paper www.newhavenarts.org

As Kamala Harris became the first Black, South Asian, and woman vice president Wednesday, Elicia Pegues Spearman held out a pink-and-green bottle of champagne. She laughed as the clean pop of the cork filled the air. Her mother Cheryl Pegues, who thought she would never live to see a Black woman take that office, held out her arm as rose-tinted bubbles filled the glass.

Spearman is a member and past president of the Theta Epsilon Omega chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, which has been active in New Haven since 1965. Wednesday, she gathered with her mother, daughter Kaila, and soror Dori Dumas to celebrate Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ inauguration as President and Vice President of the United States. For each woman present, the moment came with a mix of emotions, and a tidal wave of joy.

“We’re looking forward to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris educating our populace about the fact that we’re different colors, different genders, but we’re also more the same,” Spearman said on the lawn of Dumas’ home in Westville, as the three sorors took pictures outside. “We all want the same thing—for our families to thrive and survive. For us to be able to drive down the street and not get killed if we get stopped. We want some equity.”

In part, that pride comes from Harris’ place as not only the first Black and South Asian woman to hold the position, but also the first soror to hold it. Harris joined the founding chapter of the AKA Sorority at Howard University in 1986, 78 years after it was launched and three decades before she shattered a glass ceiling. Last Friday, she spoke at a virtual celebration for its 113th Founders Day. In a normal year, all three sorors said they would have headed to Washington to see history unfold in person. Their sisterhood is a balm in the midst of their professional and personal lives: Dumas is the first female president of The Greater New Haven NAACP, Spearman is the general counsel and chief human resources officer at Quinnipiac University, and Pegues championed education for decades as an administrator at Gateway Community College before she retired. All three have

served terms as president of the Theta Epsilon Omega chapter and all three are active in the sorority’s mentorship and educational programming.

And so on Wednesday, “we did not let it [the pandemic] dim our light,” Dumas said. Instead, they joined fellow AKA chapter members on Zoom for a Covid-safe watch party. The four, who are effectively in the same “pod,” then gathered afterwards on Dumas’ lawn for a short celebration. Spearman said she expected festivities to continue well into the night on Zoom, FaceTime, and her phone, where a group text with her AKA sorors has become a lifeline during Covid-19. Pegues joked that she had already recorded several news clips to replay that evening.

“We’re gonna go all night,” Dumas said.

“This is important for all Americans, I would hope, but it’s a special moment in history for members of Alpha Kappa Alpha.”

Dressed in matching pink and green sweaters, green knit pants, hot pink medical masks, pearl necklaces and at least one pair of pink converses, all three called the day historic. Dumas pointed to Biden’s inaugural address as a defining moment, in which she felt that something tangible

had shifted after four years of Donald Trump and the violence of January 6.

Beyond a return to civility, she said she is excited for the administration’s legislative priorities, including job creation and a renewed commitment to healthcare for all Americans. She also praised Dr. Jill Biden, who has said she will continue to teach during her time as First Lady.

“We have hope again,” she said. “I love that our President Joe Biden—oh, that feels so good to say—along with our soror, Madam Vice President Kamala Harris, will be taking us to the next level. Will be repairing a lot of what has happened.

We know there’s a lot of work ahead.

We’re up for the challenge.”

Pegues said she has been especially buoyed by the diversity of Biden’s cabinet. As a little girl growing up in West Virginia, she said she couldn’t fathom a Biden-Harris victory: her town still enforced Jim Crow-era, segregationist policies. She was overjoyed 12 years ago when Barack Obama took the oath of office. Wednesday, she took it all in as Harris took the oath of office from Justice Sonia Sotomayor, on a bible that once belonged to the late Justice Thurgood Marshall.

Pegues added that she was also moved

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by a commitment to faith throughout the inauguration ceremony. When AKAs gathered outdoors to celebrate Harris’ victory last November, she led the group in prayer before a ritual stroll through the parking lot of Wexler Grant School.

Wednesday, both she and her daughter said they believe many will be praying for the safety of the president and vice president during this transition period and for the next four years.

“Our motto is ‘Service To All Mankind.’

And I see that Joe Biden is trying to make this Democracy a true Democracy,” she said. “And that our creed, that all men are created equal, he’s working toward that.

It’s gonna take a while, but our young people are there. And they’re ready. And I don’t think from this juncture they’re going to step back.”

Spearman said that while she plans to celebrate well into the night with her sorors over Zoom, text, and phone calls, she also has her eyes fixed on the future of legislation in Washington and Connecticut alike. Both she and Dumas said that they plan to hold legislators accountable on all levels of government, from healthcare and education to employment and food security. Wednesday, meanwhile, was reserved for hard-fought joy.

“This did not happen overnight, but it was worth the fight,” Dumas said. “And we have to be in the fight. We have to keep pushing and demanding for what we know is the right thing. And I think we will see some change.”

Outside, it had started snowing, a few big flakes falling around a bottle of champagne with the Biden-Harris logo in AKA colors. Inside the house, Hopkins School senior Kaila Cheryl Spearman—so named in honor of the family matriarch—looked up from an online political history class as her grandmother opened the door and shook off the cold.

Her class, dedicated to 21st century political history, had been going over the inauguration in real time. Pegues said that she learns new information every day from listening to her granddaughter talk about the injustices in the world.

“I know it’s more surreal for my grandmother, my mom, and my godmother, because growing up, they didn’t see a lot of representation in government,” Kaila Spearman said. “Knowing that I’m just appreciative for it. It shows you that what you can do now, people thought wasn’t attainable not that long ago.”

To find out more about the Theta Epsilon Omega Chapter, visit www.akanewhaven.org/chapter.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY: The St. Augustine Four is a Vital Part of Black History

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

St. Augustine, Florida, the country’s oldest city, has always been a contradiction.

Today, the city along the northeast coast of Florida is recognized for its breathtaking Spanish colonial architecture and the tranquil beaches that sit off the Atlantic Ocean.

A Spanish settler founded it, and many believe it was home to the first Black Americans in the late 1500s.

Some of the oldest written records list the first birth of a Black child in St. Augustine in 1606.

Two hundred-plus years later, in 1812, a Black militia rescued the city from foreign invasion.

Despite the rich African American history, St. Augustine remained one of the hottest beds of white supremacy and white privilege.

It was while in St. Augustine that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., urged President Lyndon B. Johnson to send federal troops to protect peaceful protestors, and to restore order.

The Ku Klux Klan had staged violent nighttime rides, including severely burning Robert Hayling, a Black dentist, and civil rights leader, during one of their infamous rallies.

The homes of Black families were torched, their cars firebombed by white supremacists. Police used dogs, hot sticks, and Billy clubs to attack peaceful Black protestors.

“All semblance of law and order has broken down in St. Augustine,” Dr. King declared in January 1964.

The declaration came shortly after the St. Augustine Four’s release from prison.

In July 1963, JoeAnn Anderson Ulmer, Samuel White, Audrey Nell Edwards, and Willie Carl Singleton started a sit-in protest at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in St. Augustine.

The group, along with several other teenagers, were arrested and taken to jail.

Prosecutors offered each plea deals in which they would only be released if they agreed to not participate in any more demonstrations.

They were also pressured to say that movement organizer, Dr. Hayling, was guilty of contributing to minors’ delinquency.

The St. Augustine Four were the only individuals to reject the plea deal. The four were sent to reform school and remained incarcerated until they were ordered released about six months later by Gov. Cecil Farris Bryant.

Edwards Hamilton got the attention of Dr. King and baseball superstar Jackie Robinson.

They flew Hamilton and Anderson to Connecticut to honor them for their heroic stand for freedom, justice, and equality.

Robinson and his wife, Rachel, took the two young ladies on a tour of New York’s Empire State Building and the World’s Fair in Queens.

In a 2011 interview with the Southern Oral History Program under contract to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History & Culture and the Library of Congress, Hamilton and Anderson recalled their part in the civil rights struggle.

They also recalled the day Deputy Everett Haney arrested them.

“You know what? If we kill these two n—–s and say they tried to escape … nothing would be said,” Anderson recalled the deputy saying.

Later, at reform school, Anderson noted

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the anguish they experienced. “We saw our mothers’ pain when they came up to that school [for a weekend visit] and seen our bloody knees. We had to scrub floors on our knees. We had to wax floors on our knees … until you see your face in them,” Anderson recalled.

In the 2011 interview, Anderson again set the record straight about Dr. Hayling, who later died in 2015 at 86.

“He was our advisor, youth advisor, and he just motivated us to want to go and make a difference in St. Augustine,” Anderson stated.

She also reminisced about her motivation to fight for civil rights.

“I didn’t too much care about my mom

having to come and buy my school supplies at Woolworth’s because at that time, there was no Wal- Marts and it was just a downtown area with Woolworth’s and McCrory’s [dime store],” Anderson uttered in the 2011 interview.

“And they would buy our school supplies there, and there was a lunch counter over there and, uh, she would go in, come out, from walking through the park. Had to pass the fountain in the park because, it, uh, had ‘white only’ on it and, uh, she would go over there and buy my sup, school supplies, and she would also buy, you know, the accessories that you needed,

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

Black Family Murdered. 45 Years Later, The Case Remains Open

By BlackNews.com

A film about their story called ‘American Wisper’ is now streaming on major platforms like Tubi TV, Amazon Prime, and Vimeo.

Nationwide — On a cold December afternoon in 1975, a mother, two daughters, and a son were found shot to death in their large, suburban home in Teaneck, New Jersey. They were discovered by father and husband Wesley Diggs, an entrepreneur who owned bars and restaurants in Harlem, NY. He immediately became a suspect in the case, yet was cleared only a few weeks after the tragedy occurred. The police had ruled out robbery as a motive and said there were no signs of forced entry into the home.

A lengthy probe by The Amsterdam News revealed that a local police chief and county prosecutor had treated the case as if they were dealing with a pickpocket. After many years, detectives were still unable to secure even one arrest. A source close to the investigation also told the newspaper that the Bergen County, N.J. Prosecutor’s Office had mounted a search for an informer, who had promised to furnish them with clues to the killers, but disappeared soon after being paid a large sum for his “cooperation”. With revenge remaining as the only possible motive (including the possibility of reprisals from impatient loan sharks), detectives and began “stepping up” their

inquiries with friends, extended family, and business associates of Wesley Diggs – yet when Diggs suddenly died on a public street from a heart attack in 1987, police were no closer to solving what had been a disturbing, and very senseless crime.

Fast-forward to 2021. Today, there are more than a dozen “new” technologies that were only a dream in 1975 but are now commonly used by police departments all over the world. Whether it’s DNA sequencing, 3D scanners, microscopy, ballistics photography, or chemical analysis – any one, or combination of these technologies are now in use and can be accessed in the investigation of any unsolved crime- including ones that are over 40 years old.

Yet, even with these modern-day, crimefighting tools at our disposal- dozens of unsolved N.J. homicides not only remain unsolved but also untouched – including the appalling murders of one African American family.

According to Richard Pompelio, Executive Director of the NJ Crime Victims Law Center, “The inability of law enforcement to close homicide investigations has had a devastating effect on not only survivors but also the communities where the homicides occurred. As law enforcement must focus its time on current homicide cases, others are forced to receive less priority. Ultimately, they become cold cases and die a slow death. The end result is a failure of justice

for the victim-survivors and members of the community, who continue to bear the emotional wounds of an unsolved crime.”

Pompelio pointed out that “advances in forensic technology over recent years have greatly benefitted law enforcement in solving crimes.” He expressed the hope that cases like the Diggs murders would be given a fresh look by the authorities.

The horrendous nature of the crime not only attracted a plethora of news articles, future podcasts, and TV news segments – but also the attention of film and television producer Howard Nash, who co-wrote and produced a film about the case that was

released last year, and who reached out to Pompelio shortly after the film was completed. According to Nash, “It wasn’t only the crime story that needed to be told, but the fact that, 40 plus years later, we have the tools but not the will to find out who committed the actual crime. Nevertheless, after more than a dozen calls from my team, the ‘Cold Case’ office in the Bergen County Prosecutor still refuses to comment on whether the case will ever be revisited.”

The film, aptly titled American Wisper, is now streaming on major platforms and has won more than 25 festival awards since its release last March. It also passed the “one

million viewer” mark in July, a rare feat for a self-distributed, 90-minute film.

Nash and Pompelio continue to work together, to bring the “Diggs” case to light, and to impress upon prosecutors the importance of reopening a once-famous case.

Watch the film American Wisper today on: Tubi TV – https://tubitv.com/ movies/520032/american_wisper Amazon Prime – https://bit.ly/americanwisper Vimeo – https://vimeo.com/ ondemand/,americanwisperfilm Also, follow the brand on Facebook at Facebook.com/AmericanWisper/

Thank you.

In celebration of Black History Month, we salute everyday heroes across the state. The essential work you do makes a difference in the lives of all Connecticut residents. Your selfless courage, care, and compassion inspire us in our mission to increase the number of insured residents, improve health quality, lower costs, and reduce health disparities. Find out more at AccessHealthCT.com.

Connecting you to quality health insurance plans.

Access Health CT is the state’s official health insurance marketplace, where you can enroll in quality healthcare plans; and the only place where you can qualify for financial help, or be eligible for free or low-cost coverage through HUSKY Health.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

CELBRATING BLACK HISTORY: The Wilmington Ten, Fifty Years Later

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Wilmington, North Carolina, is known today for its vibrant riverfront with three colorful island beaches and southern hospitality, major contributors to the port city’s bustling tourism.

However, Wilmington’s past paints a picture of a much different city.

While things may be different in today’s Wilmington. It was not that long ago that Wilmington, like too many other southern cities, still condoned the region’s ugly racist culture and practices.

More than a century after America’s Civil War had ended, on Feb. 1, 1971, a young minister named Benjamin Franklin Chavis, Jr., arrived in the city.

Chavis was sent to Wilmington by the United Church of Christ from their Commission on Racial Justice. A local pastor of a Black Church, Rev. Eugene Templeton, requested help from the United Church of Christ.

Chavis, a disciple of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., helped students organize a more effective boycott, targeted against White high school administrators who were resisting the desegregation of their schools and classrooms and who also refused demands to honor Dr. King, who was assassinated just three years earlier.

One year after King’s murder, the city had just three high schools. Two of them, New Hanover and Hoggard were all-White, and the third, Williston Industrial High School, was reserved for the city’s Black high schoolers. Williston was a source of community pride and was ranked among the best high schools in North Carolina — Black or White.

Following federally mandated school desegregation in 1969, local administrators changed the status of Williston Industrial High School from a high school to a junior high school. Williston’s Black students and teachers would be reassigned to New Hanover and Hoggard.

However, when they arrived at their new schools, African Americans endured name-calling, racially motivated physical attacks and other threats. Incidents of rioting and arson, in protest of the decision to integrate, occurred almost daily.

In response to tensions, members of a Ku Klux Klan chapter and other white supremacist groups began patrolling the streets. They hung an effigy of the White superintendent of the schools and cut his phone lines. Street violence broke out between them and Black men who were Viet Nam veterans. Students attempted to boycott the high schools in January of 1971.

Chavis and a group that became known as the Wilmington Ten, argued for Black history courses, respect for King and all Black people and equality.

Tensions continued to mount, with the Ku Klux Klan and other White supremacists firebombing buildings and shooting at Black students.

One incident in particular would become

With sentences that ranged from 15 years to 34 years, Chavis, Patrick, and the eight others of the Wilmington Ten were ordered to serve a combined 282 years in prison. (PICTURED L to R: Top Row – Wayne Moore, age 19, 29 years; Ann Sheppard age 28, 15 years; James “Bun” McKoy, age 19, 29 years; Willie Earl Vareen, age 18, 29 years; Marvin “Chilly” Patrick, age 19, 29 years; Reginald Espps, age 18, 28 years; Benjamin Chavis Jr., age 24, 34 years; William “Joe” Wright, age 19; 29 years; Connie Tindal, age 21, 31 years; Jerry Jacobs, age 19, 29 years.)

SEATED (L to R) – Margaret Jacobs, mother of deceased Wilmington Ten member Jerry Jacobs; Marvin Patrick of the Wilmington Ten; Mary Alice Jervay, NNPA Board member and publisher of The Wilmington Journal; Fran Farrar, publisher of the County4You News; James McKoy, Wilmington Ten member; Willie Earl Vereen, Wilmington Ten member; Connie Tindall, Wilmington Ten member.

STANDING (L to R) – Pastor John Thatch and his daughter Shawn Thatch from the Wilmington Journal; Dorothy Leavell, NNPA Board member and publisher of the Chicago Crusader; Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., Wilmington Ten member; unknown female; Rev. Kojo Nantambu, president of the Charlotte NAACP; Cloves Campbell, Jr., chairman of the NNPA, and publisher of the Arizona Informant; John B. Smith, NNPA member and publisher of Atlanta Inquirer; Jan Perry and Judy Mack, daughters of deceased Wilmington Ten member Anne Shepard; LAST ROW STANDING (L to R) – Unknown male; attorneys Irving Joyner and James Ferguson; Peter Grear, publisher of Greater Diversity News; and Willie Moore, brother of Wilmington Ten member Wayne Moore, who could not attend. (Photo by: John Davis/Wilmington Journal)

a defining event in this period of Wilmington’s history: The firebombing of Mike’s Grocery Store, a White-owned business in the heart of Wilmington’s Black community.

On Feb. 6, during an uncharacteristically frigid night for a southern city like Wilmington, the popular neighborhood grocery was firebombed. As police and firefighters arrived on the scene, gun fire could be heard above the siren squeals and activity.

Firefighters responding to the fire, alleged that they were shot at from the roof of the nearby Gregory Congregational Church. Chavis and several students had been meeting at the church. Sniper fire, which was intended for the Wilmington Ten’s members, struck a police officer.

As the gun fire continued, one of the Wilmington Ten, Marvin “Chilly” Patrick, was shot as he placed himself between the source of the sniper’s fire and Chavis, successfully preventing Chavis from being shot.

According to the February 1971 edition of “This Month in North Carolina History — The Wiliminton Ten,” the North Carolina governor called up the North Carolina National Guard, whose forces entered the church on February 8 and found it empty.

The violence resulted in two deaths, six injuries, and more than $500,000 (equivalent to $3.2 million in 2019) in property damage.

Chavis and nine others, eight young

Black males, who were high school students, and white female anti-poverty worker, were arrested on charges of arson related to the grocery fire. Based on testimony of three young Black men (who later recanted their testimony), they were tried and convicted in state court of arson and conspiracy in connection with the firebombing of Mike’s Grocery.

At trial, all ten defendants were provided defense counsel by the United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice.

However, it was later established that the prosecutors conspired against the defendants by paying witnesses to falsely identify Chavis and the other Wilmington Ten members — who were the actual targets of the White supremacists’ sniper’s fire — as arsonists, and for the subsequent assault on law enforcement officers.

Additionally, chief prosecutor Jay Stroud feigned sickness following jury selection when it became apparent that ten African Americans would be seated on the jury, leading to a mistrial. A second trial, whose jury included only two African Americans, resulted in a guilty verdict for all ten defendants.

With sentences that ranged from 15 years to 34 years, Chavis, Patrick, and the eight others were ordered to serve a combined 282 years in prison.

In 1977, Amnesty International cited the Wilmington Ten case as the first official case of political prisoners in the

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United States. Within a year, the Londonbased human-rights group declared that the Wilmington Ten were “prisoners of conscience who were not arrested for the crimes for which they were charged, but because of their political work.”

The New York Times published an article noting that Amnesty International’s declaration about the Wilmington Ten outraged some and embarrassed others – especially after Amnesty International was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977.

“Soon the charge was repeated and amplified by the American Ambassador to the United Nations, Andrew Young, who contended in an interview with a French newspaper that the United States harbored ‘hundreds, perhaps thousands’ of political prisoners,” The Times reported. Young added, “The Wilmington Ten, for example, are innocent.”

“Mr. Young later apologized for the remark about hundreds or thousands of political prisoners, but he still says, privately, that the charges against the Ten were ‘trumped up,’’’ noted the Times.

The Wilmington Ten spent nearly a decade in prison before federal appellate courts overturned their convictions in December 1980, citing prosecutorial misconduct.

Timothy Tyson, a North Carolina historian and visiting professor at Duke University, told CNN he was given the Wilmington Ten prosecutor’s handwritten notes

before 2012 when the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), United Church of Christ and NAACP called again for pardons of innocence for the Wilmington Ten. Prior to this, the publisher of the Wilmington Journal, Mary Alice Thatch, had petitioned the NNPA to launch a national campaign for a pardon of innocence for the Wilmington Ten. “It was pretty shocking stuff,” Tyson remarked.

He said the names of at least six potential jurors had “KKK Good!!” written next to them. Next to a woman’s name, it said, “NO, she associates with Negroes.”

On the back of the legal pad, the chief prosecutor, Jay Stroud, had written the advantages and disadvantages of a mistrial, Tyson said. One of the advantages was a fresh start with a new jury.

In 2012, 40 years after they were unjustly convicted, North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue officially pardoned the Wilmington 10.

“These convictions were tainted by naked racism and represent an ugly stain on North Carolina’s criminal justice system that cannot be allowed to stand any longer,” Gov. Perdue said at the time.

“Justice demands that this stain finally be removed.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021 Con’t from page 14

St. Augustine

you know, for school.

“But she couldn’t go over and get a drink of water. I had a problem with that, and I said to myself, ‘You know, there’s something wrong with this picture.’“ The St. Augustine Four joined a group of teens who gathered at St. Paul’s church near Hamilton’s home.

“I said, ‘I’m going to go down there and see what they’re doing.’ But all they were doing was gathering. Then Mr. Clyde Jenkins, Dr. Hayling, Ms. Lucille Plummer, and Ms. Fannie Wood started bringing us supplies to make picket signs.

“So, we made our little picket signs, and we would go downtown every day [until we were arrested at the Woolworth counter].”

A recent report noted how unkind the years had been to the four civil rights heroes. Willie Carl Singleton, who died at 41, and Samuel White, who died at 58, never spoke about their experiences.

JoeAnn Anderson Ulmer occasionally participated in remembrances of the movement with Audrey Nell Edwards Hamilton, but she moved out of St. Augustine to raise her family in Jacksonville, where she thought the racism would be less severe.

She died in June at 73.

Edwards Hamilton still resides in Florida. She’s 73.

In a First, President Joe Biden Talks Racial Equity and Challenging White Supremacy

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor

In less than two weeks in The White House, President Joe Biden has prioritized racial equity.

As he was sworn in as President, facing historic challenges made worse by an incompetent predecessor, Joseph Biden said he would challenge “white supremacy” during his presidency. Despite America’s 400-year history of institutional state mandated racism, President Biden is the first President in history to say the words “white supremacy” in an inaugural address.

In his inaugural speech, President Biden said the country must defeat “a rise of political extremism, white supremacy and domestic terrorism.”

One of Biden’s first acts in office was to sign executive orders on racial equality.

On January 26, the President signed four executive actions directing his administration to implement laws against housing discrimination and a second to counter xenophobia against Asian Americans.

Biden also signed a memorandum directing the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), soon to be led by Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, to begin the process of ending systemic racism in housing. That effort would likely

include uncovering the efforts the Trump Administration put in place to circumvent fair housing laws.

Trump’s father, Fred Trump, was investigated and sued by the federal government in the 1970s for housing discrimination against African Americans.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson

called the Biden executive orders, “a great initial start, the fact he’s embedding this inside of Domestic Policy Council shows the urgency and the gravity of what’s taking place but in addition to that, racial equity is system-wide.”

“The President signs a series of executive orders that will put racial equity at

the forefront of our government, I am reminded of this quote by Nelson Mandela — It always seems impossible until it is done,” wrote Congresswoman Terri Sewell on January 26.

“The President of the United States just used the words “white supremacy” in an inaugural address — and vowed to defeat it. Strains of Ulysses S. Grant right here,” wrote Professor Jelani Cobb on Jan. 20.

“President Biden said white supremacy must be defeated during his inaugural speech. No president has said this before.

The Movement for Black Lives made that happen. The organizing and protests over the past 9 years made that moment happen,” wrote civil rights attorney Judith Browne Dianis regarding Biden’s inaugural speech.

Much of the focus on Biden’s equality effort has pointed out the need to comprehensively include equality language in all White House policy. Biden’s cabinet and administration are working to be the most diverse in history.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist for NNPA and the host of the podcast BURKEFILE. She is also a political strategist as Principal of Win Digital Media LLC. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke

GET THE

FACTS ON THE

VAX

Information is the best protection against COVID-19. ct.gov/covidvaccine

The vaccine is here.

Get the facts.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

COMMENTARY:

Did Publix Make Dispensing the Covid-19 Vaccine Political? as was Monroe County to the immediate south of Miami-Dade.

Curiosity killed the cat, and this revelation was killing me, so I decided to do a little research.

According to Florida’s COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard, on January 23, 2021, the number of resident COVID-19 cases in the state is 1,619,288 and 25,293 deaths. Miami-Dade County has 354,477 cases and 4,730 deaths; Broward has 164,081 cases and 2,034 deaths; Palm Beach has 100,676 cases and 2,098 deaths; Monroe County has 4,894 cases and 39 deaths.

Miami-Dade and Broward Counties have the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Florida, and Miami-Dade has more deaths followed by Palm Beach and Broward.

Why did Publix neglect the counties with the most COVID-19 cases and deaths in the entire state? What executive made the decision on which stores would

By Earnestine Thomas, The Westside Gazette

At least once per week I shop at a Publix grocery store in my community. So, when I read online that they would be dispensing the COVID-19 vaccine to residents 65 and older, as announced by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, I got excited and shared the information. This is good news since everyone is looking forward to the time when we can feel more comfortable getting together with our family and friends again.

Listed on the Publix.com website is 18 of Florida’s 67 counties where appointments for the vaccine could be made. At the time of this writing all appointments are fully booked. Much to my disappointment Broward, the county where I live, did not make the list. Miami-Dade County to the immediate south was not listed either. However, Palm Beach, the county to the immediate north was listed

dispense the vaccine? What data did they use? Who thinks it is logical to omit sending vaccines to a county with more than 350,000 cases and 4,000 deaths for one with less than 5,000 cases and 40 deaths?

The Florida Division of Elections website revealed even more disappointing information. Of the 18 counties where Publix is dispensing the COVID-19 vaccine, only one, Palm Beach (where Mar-a-Lago is located), has a majority of Democratic registered voters. Yes! Seventeen of the 18 counties have a majority of Republican registered voters. Pause for a moment and let that sink in.

We have all probably lost someone to COVID-19 or know someone who has.

And sadly, because of this virus, we could not be with and comfort our loved ones as they made their transition.

COVID-19 does not discriminate. It does not care if you are a Democrat, a Republican, or an Independent. Perhaps it is time for Publix to do the same!

Disenfranchised and Marginalized Communities See Hope with Biden, Harris

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Before he won the 2020 election, President Joe Biden campaigned on a promise to reverse many of the previous administration’s assaults on the nation’s racial progress.

The president ran on the premise of “reclaiming the soul of America” and ensuring that African Americans (“They’ve always had my back,” he declared) and other minorities would finally experience a level playing field.

On his first day, just hours after taking the oath of office, President Biden signed a host of executive orders – one of them aimed at ensuring racial equity.

“It is, therefore, the policy of my administration that the federal government should pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality” President Biden proclaimed.

He continued: “Affirmatively advancing equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity is the responsibility of the whole of our government. Because advancing equity requires a systematic approach to embedding fairness in decision-making processes, executive departments and agencies must recognize and work to redress inequities in their policies and programs that serve as barriers to equal opportunity.”

By advancing equity across the federal government, the president offered that

ate systemic barriers to opportunities and benefits for people of color and other underserved groups.”

The president’s words and early actions have offered a glimpse into what communities of color can expect over much of the next four years – at least that is the hope.

“As a black man living in America, the inauguration brings a sense of hope that has not been felt since January 2009,” uttered Christian Bradford, a Northern California educator.

“Just look at the parallels, the country was experiencing the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, and we were about to experience a person in a position of leadership that we had never

agencies could create opportunities to improve historically underserved communities, which he said benefits everyone.

“For example, an analysis shows that closing racial gaps in wages, housing credit, lending opportunities, and access to higher education would amount to an additional $5 trillion in gross domestic product in the American economy over the next five years,” Biden spelled out.

“The federal government’s goal in advancing equity is to provide everyone with the opportunity to reach their full potential,” he remarked.

“Consistent with these aims, each agency must assess whether, and to what extent, its programs and policies perpetu-

seen,” Bradford related.

“Seeing a Black woman, who’s an HBCU graduate, member of a Divine nine sorority, and who has steadily ascended the political ladder is inspiring in so many ways,” he continued.

“The emotions are similar to when Barack Obama was elected. Generations of children had never experienced a president that looked like them.

“Conversely, many children who did not look like President Obama had never seen a Black man in a position of authority, and now the most powerful leader in the world was a Black man.

“So, I think it’s equally important for Con’t on page 20

Deborah Archer Becomes 1st Black Woman to Lead ACLU in 100 Years

By BlackNews.com

New York, NY — Deborah Archer, a civil rights attorney and professor at New York University School of Law, has made history as the first-ever Black person to be elected as President of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) since the organization was established in 1920.

Archer has been elected in a virtual meeting of the organization’s 69-member board of directors. She will then serve as chair of its board of directors, overseeing organizational matters and coordinating policies aimed at racial equality and civil rights.

After graduating from Yale Law School, Archer joined the ACLU as the Marvin M. Karpatkin Legal Fellow before becoming a member of the board in 2009.

Archer is replacing Susan Herman who

had served as president for the past 12 years. Herman led the organization’s board through Trump’s 4 years in the office, in which the ACLU filed a whopping 413 lawsuits and other legal actions against.

“There is no one better equipped, who best personifies or is more capable to helm the future battles for civil rights, civil liberties, and systemic equality than Deborah Archer,” ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero told AP News.

Moreover, Archer is expected to continue ACLU’s lifelong fight against injustices related to immigrant rights, LGBT rights, racial rights, and other issues. Her appointment is also one of the proofs that Black people, especially Black women can undoubtedly break barriers across organizations.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

Stacey Abrams, Black Lives Matter are Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor Both Stacey Abrams and the Black Lives Matter movement have been nominated to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

The nominations represent an opportunity for either Abrams or Black Lives matter to win over even more support around the globe should they win. The Nobel Prizes have been given out since 1901 and were started by Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. Prizes are given out for distinguished work in Chemistry, Physics, Physiology or Medicine, and Literature.

There have been many controversies around the Peace Prize and a win by Abrams or the Black Lives Matter would likely extend the line of controversies.

Past winners have included Martin Luther King, Jr. (1964), Nelson Mandela (1993), President Barack Obama (2009), Kofi Annan (2001) and Jimmy Carter (2002).

“Stacey Abrams political activist, voter registration & voting rights advocate has set a national standard for democracy. Her political activism has resulted in a nomination for a Nobel Prize. She deserves it & would become an even bigger voting rights, VR & democracy champion,”

wrote the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. on twitter.

The news of the Abrams nomination arrived on the same day that Georgia Republicans launched a “Stop Stacey” group. The group was created to support current Georgia Governor Brian Kemp in his expected re-match against Democrat Stacey Abrams. The race will be in 2022.

The defeat of former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler to Rev. Raphael Warnock demonstrated the strength of the Black vote in Georgia. even before Abrams announced whether she’ll run again, a sign of deep concern among Republicans about the threat she poses next year to the first-term governor.

Abrams’ efforts were so noticeable and the turnaround from red to blue in Georgia so pronounced that Donald Trump brought her up during his effort to flip the election results in 2020 his favor in Georgia.

The recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced in October.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist for NNPA and the host of the podcast BURKEFILE. She is also a political strategist as Principal of Win Digi-

(Photo: “We are thrilled to have Stacey Abrams deliver the Democratic Response to the State of the Union. Her electrifying message reinvigorated our nation & continues to inspire millions in every part of the country.” — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, January 2019 / Office of the House Speaker / Wikimedia Commons) tal Media LLC. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke

19

The news of the Abrams nomination arrived on the same day that Georgia

Republicans launched a “Stop Stacey” group.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

Black Investors Take Note: Reddit Rebellion Rescues GameStop Stock

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

The story of 10-year-old Jaydyn Carr and his mother, Nina Carr, is just one example of the impact of Wall Street’s ongoing GameStop rally.

Their financial windfall came about as a result of a trading frenzy that was never witnessed before– and one that found even some of the most astute stock market experts struggling to explain.

A band of amateur day traders that interacts with one another on the Reddit page WallStreetBets, encouraged whoever was listening to buy shares of the flailing GameStop, AMC, Macy’s and Koss stocks. The goal: counter the influence of the big investors, often hedge funds, who bet against struggling public companies using a process referred to as “shorting.” Shorting a stock allows investors to bet on the degree of misfortune a stock may experience and earn billions of dollars in profits as a result.

In just one day, WallStreetBets’ actions (also known as the Reddit mob or the Reddit Army) resulted in hedge fund losses of over $14 billion. And, despite recent declines, GameStop shares continue to show gains of more than 1,584 percent. The stock now trades at about $150. A year ago, it was just $4.

AMC’s stock is up 200 percent and Koss is up by more than 400 percent.

WallStreetBets actions have also incited jumps in BlackBerry, Macy’s and other stocks that were heavily shorted.

As a community, African Americans and other minorities have generally shown little interest in stock trading beyond mutual funds and 401Ks established by employers, but the exposure of how Wall Street works has intrigued many.

Jaydyn had been a GameStop customer when, in 2019, his mother decided to purchase ten shares of the company’s stock for a little over $6.

Nina Carr told the New York Times that her phone blew up during the recent trading frenzy, and she noticed the stock soaring to an eye-popping $351 per share. She consulted Jaydyn on what he wanted to do since she had purchased the stock for him.

“I was trying to explain to him that this was unusual,” the Times reported her saying. “I asked him, ‘Do you want to stay or sell?’”

Jaydyn decided to sell his shares, earning $3,200 — a return of more than 5,000 percent on an investment of about $60.

The development left the most sea-

Con’t from page 18

See Hope

people of all races in this country to see that leaders come from all races, ethnic groups, familial backgrounds, and so many other unique positionalities.”

Tanya St. Julien, the Chief of Staff at Leadership for Educational Equity and a member of her Community Education Council in Brooklyn, New York, said the new administration brings hope for all Americans who believe in the promise of true democracy – one in which all people can live up to their full potential.

“For people of color, this administration brings representation,” St. Julien offered.

“With great pride, people of color across the country are looking at folks who share their racial and cultural identity assuming political leadership and influencing policy at the highest level.”

According to St. Julien, the new administration also brings opportunity.

soned puzzled. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen admitted that she needed to understand what occurred.

As WallStreetBets group of investors purchased stock, hedge fund short sellers, who were already committed to the loans they secured to obtain their shares, had to buy additional shares to cover their now losing bids, which only caused the stock prices to rise further. The trading term to explain what happened is called a short squeeze.

But before the squeeze by the amateur traders, hedge fund giants routinely executed short sales.

A short sale is when someone borrows a share of a stock at a certain.

The borrower has a limited number of days to either pay for the stock or return the shares to the lender. But they have already received an amount equal to the lender’s sell price from whoever purchased the stock from them. Now, if the stock’s price falls (which is what the borrower is counting on), the borrower can then buy the stock at the lower price and keep the difference.

In other words, as explained by CNBC, if you short a $7 stock and it slides in price, and you buy it at $2, your profit is $5.

“However, if the price goes up, at some point, you still will need to finish the transaction – that is, you’d have to buy that stock to repay the brokerage.

So, if that $7 stock rises, and you have to buy it at $10 to cover your short position, you’ve lost $3.”

The GameStop situation has opened eyes – including those of many Black investors.

“What this means for the African American investor is that it shows the power of unity and a united front,” Christon’ The Truth’ Jones, the 14-year-old African American wunderkind investor from Baltimore.

“Showing that it is possible to take back the power from the institutional investors, like the big banks and hedge funds. Because for years, the Wall Street investors have bet against the struggling GameStop, which has been a failing business ever since gamers began buying directly from the consoles,” Christon added.

“With the big Institutional investors on Wall Street betting against GameStop they were sure the game retailer would fail, and they would receive big payouts from betting against the retailer. All in all, it represents our ability to come together as a people and use our numbers, resources, and intellect to our advantage to break down the systems that have been put in place to oppress us.”

Film producer Jimmy PhilémondMontout of PHILEMOND LTD said

20

the Reddit investors democratized Wall Street and Hedge Funds’ opaque world.

“What it means is that more African American investors will appear, thanks to the slew of information that is readily available online, not just the run-of-the-mill, textbook information but the gritty and dirty,” PhilémondMontout offered.

“We see this in many different avenues, and to me, that is the beauty of online message boards and the internet in general. Thorvald McGregor or Lawrence Lewis are credited with being the first registered African American securities salesmen in 1949.

“Harvey Thomas, Forrest Tomlinson, and George King were the first three African-American brokers to be hired

by Merrill Lynch in 1965. Travers Bell and Willie Daniels established Daniels & Bell, Inc. in 1971, making it the first African American firm on the New York Stock Exchange.

“Now, thanks to Robinhood, Etoro, and TD, among others, everyone can be an investor. We have to read and learn to understand how it works fully, the good and the bad stuff, but we have access to the market. I think wild times are ahead in general, and that the Afrodescendant community has to take part in this.”

“Biden named and thanked Black women in his acceptance speech, and that, along with the diversity of his administration, makes us hopeful that he will support and promote the policy priorities of the people who have been hardest hit by systemic inequity,” she said.

St. Julien added that she is hopeful for economic restoration and commensurate investments in supporting Black businesses, creating jobs for people of color, and investing in our communities’ economic development.

She noted that Vice President Kamala Harris offers a chance to address and uproot the legacy of white supremacy in America, so people of color could live up to their potential instead of facing systemic challenges like educational inequity, murder at the hands of police, substandard healthcare, and food insecurity.

St. Julien stated that emotions might be different for the Biden-Harris administration than when Obama first won election in 2008.

“Obama’s election was all about hope, and it was an overwhelming victory.

This election is different,” St. Julien observed.

“Decided by a handful of states and undermined by the sitting president, we are experiencing the meeting of two Americas. We are cautiously optimistic and remain ready to fight against systemic inequity so that America can finally start to fulfill its promise of equality and justice for all.”

Tanya St. Julien, the Chief of Staff at Leadership for Educational Equity and a member of her Community Education Council in Brooklyn, New York/Photo Provided by Leadership Educational Equity

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February , 2021 - February 16, 2021 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27,10 2016 - August 02, 2016

The Hamden Public School System is committed to increasing the racial, cultural

and linguistic diversity of our teaching faculty. To that end, we are seeking candidates for a teacher fellowship

NOTICE

program that will be taking place in our district. So, if you meet the following criteria:

• Hold a Bachelor's degree • Demonstrate a commitment to diversity in the field of education VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE • Have experience working with marginalized populations You are likely to be an outstanding candidate for the CREC Teacher Residency ProHOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, gram!!

is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this devel-

The CREC Teacher Residency Program with the RESC ALLIANCE is an alternate route to elementary certificalocated at teachers 108 Frank Street, New Haven.

Maximum income limitations aptionopment focused on increasing of color across the state of Connecticut. Resident candidates will be enrolled in rigorous coursework for 18 months serve in a paid position mentor teacher’s classroom ply. Pre-applications will beandavailable fromresidency 9AM TO 5PMin abeginning Monday Ju;yfor the school year. Residents will work in a partnering district and attend classes virtually and on-site in one of our 25,locations 2016 and ending(CREC), when Hamden sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) cohort in the Hartford (ACES), Old Lyme (LEARN) or Trumbull (CES) areas. have Check us out at ct-trp.org! been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon re-

minimizes barriers to tradi· Resident prioritizes potential with diverse students quest selection by calling HOME INC toatwork 203-562-4663 duringand those hours. Completed pre-

tional certification program admission applications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third · Residents participate in courses Floor, New Haven, CT 06510. for 18 months at little to no cost · Coursework is designed by practicing educators and prioritizes skills necessary to be successful in a diverse classroom · Residents work for one year in a partner district under a mentor teacher while receiving pay and benefits · Residents are guaranteed a full-time teaching position in the partner district upon VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES completion of the certification requirements · Residents areeneligible CT certification fourteen 90 days HOME INC, nombretodeearn la Columbus House y deafter la New Havenmonths Housingand Authority, estáof successful teaching in their own classroom aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo Join us at one of our virtual information sessions! ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos Reserve a spot today by clicking here: Information Session Registration Form máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 • Tuesday, February 9, 2021, 4:30 – 5:00 pm julio, 2016 hasta cuando17, se han recibido • Wednesday, February 2021, 5:00 –suficientes 5:30 pm pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición • Ready to Apply*? Click HERE! a HOME INCcontact: al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse Forllamando more information, a lasHighsmith oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510 .

Gary Director of Human Resources Hamden Public Schools ghighsmith@hamden.org or 203.407.2059.

NOTICIA

TOWN OF EAST HAVEN

NEW HAVEN

PLANNING AND ZONING ADMINISTRATOR AND 242-258 Fairmont Ave ENFORCEMENT OFFICER Townhouse, BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA The Town2BR of East Haven seeks 1.5 a qualified candidate to serve in the posiAll new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to & I-95 This tion of Planning and Zoning Administrator and EnforcementI-91 Officer. highways, near bus stop & shopping center is very responsible, professional, administrative, and field work position involving regulatory planning and the enforcement of @ state and local zonPet under 40lb allowed.

Interested parties contact Maria 860-985-8258 ing laws, Town Ordinances, and land use regulations. Qualified candidates should possess a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or univerCT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s sity in Planning, Administration, or formation a closely related Certificate Program. ThisPublic is a 10 month program designed toEngineering, assist in the intellectual of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:30field, with aChairman, minimum four (4)M.S., years' 3:30 Contact: Deaconof Joe J. Davis, B.S. experience in the land use field re(203) 996-4517 Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. preferred.

Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster quired.

AICPHost, andGeneral CZEO certifications Possession of valid ConSt. New Haven, CT necticut driver's license required. Must be available to attend meetings after business hours on a regular basis. The salary for this position is $84,815 per year, 35 hours per week and the Town offers an excellent benefit package. Please send resume with references to: Michelle Benivegna, Assistant Director of Administration & Management, 250 Main Street, East Haven, Sealed bids Deadline are invited by the Housing of of theEast Town of Seymour CT 06512.

February 17, 2021.Authority The Town Haven is comuntil 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, mitted to building a work force of diverse individuals. Minorities, females, handicapped veterans are encouraged to Repairs apply. The of East Haven Seymour, CTand 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk andTown Replacement at the isSmithfield an equal opportunity employer.

Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

APJF pre-bid conference will beis held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith Construction Corp seeking to fill following positions.

StreetLaborer Seymour,Heavy CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20,experience.

2016. and Highway Construction Equipment Operator Heavy and Highway Construction experience.

Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority OfCDL Driver fice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour,Corporation CT 06483is(203) 888-4579.

Prevailing Rate. PJF Construction an equal opportunity employer M/F Please forward inquiries and/or resumes to attielordan@gmail.com The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any

DELIVERY PERSON

NEEDED

Part Time Delivery Needed One/Two Day a Week,

Must Have your Own Vehicle If Interested call

(203) 387-0354

POLICE OFFICER City of Bristol

$67,170 - $81,648

Required testing, registration info & apply at www.bristolct.gov DEADLINE: 12-13-20 EOE

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

APPLY NOW!

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay.

SECRETARY

Senior Clerk: Performs a wide variety of responsible clerical duties in a municipal government office. The position requires 4 years of office work experience of a responsible nature and a H.S. diploma. $22.41 to $26.72 hourly (Contract Currently Under Negotiations) plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Apply: Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Applications may be obtained at the office of the Department of Human Resources or may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page. The closing date will be that date the 40th application form/resume is received, or February 16, 2021, whichever occurs first. EOE.

Waste Treatment

Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator (Attendant II): Operates and maintains equipment and processes in a municipal sewage treatment plant. Requires a H.S. diploma or GED. A State of Connecticut DEEP Class II Operator or higher certification; or a Class II Operator-in-Training or higher certification. Wages: $25.63 to $30.54 or $22.82 $25.63 hourly (based on certifications & experience) plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Apply: Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Applications may be obtained at the Department of Human Resources or may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page. The closing date will be that date the 50th application form/resume is received, or February 23, 2021, whichever occurs first. EOE

Waste Treatment

Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator (Attendant II): Operates and maintains equipment and processes in a municipal sewage treatment plant. Requires a H.S. diploma or GED. A State of Connecticut DEEP Class II Operator or higher certification; or a Class II Operator-in-Training or higher certification. Wages: $25.63 to $30.54 or $22.82 $25.63 hourly (based on certifications & experience) plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Apply: Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Applications may be obtained at the Department of Human Resources or may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page. The closing date will be that date the 50th application form/resume is received, or February 23, 2021, whichever occurs first. EOE

Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Invitation to Bid: 2nd Notice

KMK Insulation Inc. SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP Invitation for Bid

1907 Hartford Turnpike Elevator Services North Haven, CT 06473 Old Saybrook, CT Mechanical Insulator position.

(4 Buildings, 17 360Units) Management Group is currently seeking Bids for Elevator Services. A complete Insulation company offering good pay Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project may be obtained from 360 Management’s Vendor Collaboracopy of the requirement and benefits. Please mail resume to tion Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on above address. MAIL ONLY are an AA/EO Employer NewWe Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Cast-

Monday, February 8, 2021 at 3:00PM. in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, LEGAL NOTICE of10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Flooring, Painting, Division Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.

360 MANAGEMENT GROUP TOWN OFMechanical, PORTLAND, CT Town of Portland has amended its Citizen ParticiThis contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements. pation Plan for the purpose of informing the public about its intent to apply for CDBG, Covid-19 fundRequest for Proposals ing. For a copy of the amended Plan go to www.

Legal Services for Nuisance and Lease Violation Cases Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 portlandct.org.

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 360 Management Group is currently seeking Proposals for Legal Services for Project documents availableNuisance via ftp link below: and Lease Violation Cases. A complete copy of the requirement may be http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage obtained from 360 Management’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhous-

DELIVERY PERSON

NEEDED

ing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com Wednesday, HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses February 17, 2021 at 3:00PM. Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 Are you a cigarette smoker, not looking to quit?

AA/EEO EMPLOYER Have you used an e-cigarette or vape?

Part Time Delivery Needed One/Two Day a Week,

Must Have your Own Vehicle If Interested call

(203) 387-0354 21

Are you at least 21 years old?

Earn up to $320 by participating in a Yale research study!

Call or Text 203-605-5803 or visit YaleVapeStudy.com HIC# 2000025687

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016

Construction

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

Seeking to employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreman, operator and teamster Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in trades for a heavy outside work statewide. Reliable personal transportation and a valid Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory drivers license required. To apply please call (860) 621-1720 or send resume to: Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410. training on equipment we operate. Location: Bloomfield CT Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits Drug Free Workforce VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE Contact: Tom Dunay

NOTICE

Phone: 243-2300 HOME INC, on behalf of860Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this develEmail: tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com opment& located at 108 Frank Street, Haven. Maximum Women Minority Applicants are New encouraged to apply income limitations apply.Affi Pre-applications willEqual be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y rmative Action/ Opportunity Employer 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have The Town of East Haven seeks a qualified candidate to serve been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon rein the position of Purchasing Agent. This is a highly responquest by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed presibleStreet, administrative position involving performing and diGarrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Incoffices seeks: applications must be returned to HOME INC’s at 171 Orange Third Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators with current licensing recting the purchasing functions of the municipality. The Floor, New Haven, CT 06510. and clean driving record, be willing to travel throughout the North- Purchasing Agent is responsible for developing and admineast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits istering the Town's purchasing programs in accordance with

TOWN OF EAST HAVEN PURCHASING AGENT

THE GLENDOWER GROUP Invitation for Bids

Charles T. McQueeney Commercial Elevator Modernization The Glendower Group is currently seeking Bids for Charles T. McQueeney Commercial Elevator Modernization. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Glendower’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Monday, February 1, 2021 at 3:00PM.

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES Request for Proposals Physical Needs Assessment

NOTICIA

the Town Charter and Ordinances. The Purchasing Agent Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300 works under the direction of the Finance Director. QualiVALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES Email: rick.toufiDISPONIBLES ed candidates should possess a Bachelor's Degree in Busisignant@garrityasphalt.com ness Administration or a related field from an accredited HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply college or university and five (5) years of progressively aceptando pre-solicitudes estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorioresponsible en este desarrollo Affirmative Action/ para Equal Opportunity Employer purchasing work, or an equivalent combination ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos of training and qualifying experience substituting on a yearmáximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 for-year basis. The salary for this position is $51,776/year, julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) 30 hours per week and the Town offers an excellent benefit en lasTrailer oficinasDriver de HOME INC. & Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas Tractor for Heavy Highway Construction Equip- por correo a petición package.

Please send resume with references to: Michelle llamando HOME INCLicense, al 203-562-4663 duranterecord, esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse ment.

Must ahave a CDL clean driving capable of Benivegna, Assistant Director of Administration & Managea las oficinas de equipment; HOME INCbe enwilling 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, operating heavy to travel throughout theNew Haven , CT 06510 .

Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits ment, 250 Main Street, East Haven, CT 06512. Deadline February 17, 2021. The Town of East Haven is committed Contact Dana at 860-243-2300 to building a work force of diverse individuals. Minorities, Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com females, handicapped and veterans are encouraged to apply.

Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply The Town of East Haven is an equal opportunity employer.

Union Company seeks:

NEW HAVEN

Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: DeaconLAROSABG.COM/JOBS Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. Please visitChairman, our website for job descriptions, required (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster

qualifications and to apply for a specific job.

St. New Haven, Salary will beCTcommensurate with experience and best fit for the positions. Health plan; 401K; company-paid holidays in addition to paid time off.

EOE/AA Women & Minorities are encouraged to apply.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority Request for Proposal (RFP) of the Town of Seymour Real Estate until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, Counsel 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Solicitation Number: 161-EO-21-S

Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the

TheSmithfield Housing Authority of the City of Living Bridgeport (HACB)26 d/b/a Park Street City Communities Gardens Assisted Facility, Smith Seymour.(PCC) seeks proposals from attorneys/law firms to serve as Real Estate Counsel for the Housing Authority in all aspects of acquisition, development, financing and operation of multifamily A pre-bid conference will be at thehousing.

Housing Authoritymust Office Smith housing, including senior housing and held affordable Respondent(s) have28 graduated from an accredited law CT school and be aam, member of the Connecticut Bar. A complete set of RFP Street Seymour, at 10:00 on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. documents will be available on February 8, 2021. To obtain a copy of the solicitation you must send your request to bids@parkcitycommunities.org, please reference solicitation number and title on Bidding the subjectdocuments line. A Pre-Proposal Conference callthe willSeymour be conducted on February 23, 2021 at are available from Housing Authority Of10 a.m. Although not mandatory, all applicants are encouraged to call in to better understand the fice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

PCC’s requirements under this RFP. Additional questions should be emailed only to bids@parkcitycommunities.org no later than March 3, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. Answers to all the questions will be posted on PCC’s Website: www.parkcitycommunities.org. Proposals shall be eThe mailed, Housing reserves the 10, right to at accept or reject anyCaroline or all bids, to mailed, or Authority hand delivered

by March 2021 3:00 p.m., to Ms. Sanchez, Director Procurement, 150 to Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT to waive 06604, any or reduce of the scope of the project reflect available funding, and bids@parkcitycommunities.org. Late proposals will not be accepted.

informalities in the bidding, if such actions are in the best interest of the Housing Authority.

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES Invitation for Bids Meraki Equipment – Infrastructure and Wi-Fi Elm City Communities is currently seeking Bids for Meraki Equipment – Infrastruc-

FIREFIGHTER City of Bristol SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

242-258 Fairmont Ave

Superintendent CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’sClerk Receptionist/AP

Monday, February 8, 2021 at 3:00PM.

Invitation toture Bid:and Wi-Fi. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesys2nd Notice

LaRosa Building Group LLC, a General Contractor is currently 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA,full-time 3BR, 1 positions: level , 1BA looking to add the following

All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 Project Manager highways, near bus stop & shopping center Project Manager/Project PetAssistant under 40lb allowed.

Interested parties contact MariaEngineer @ 860-985-8258

Elm City Communities is currently seeking Proposals for Physical Needs Assessment.

A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on

Old Saybrook, CT

$53,964/yr. (4 Buildings, 17 Units)

tems.com/gateway beginning on

Monday, February 8, 2021 at 3:00PM.

TaxCPAT ExemptCert & Not PrevailingHealthy Wage RateOlder Project Volunteers Needed For a Blood Specimen Requires valid issued on or after June 1, 2020, Collection Clinical Research Trial.

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castwritten & oral tests.

Registration ONE Visit And Receive a Gift Card Up to $75 Upon Completion. in-place information & applyConcrete, online: Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, CallResidential Chase Medical Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Casework, Research in Hamden, CT www.bristolct.gov at 203-419-4404 For More Information.

Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.

ThisDEADLINE: contract is subject state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

May 1,to2021 Bid Extended, Due Date: August 2016a cigarette smoker, not looking to quit?

Are5,you Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 Have you used an e-cigarette or vape?

Seeking qualified condidates Project to fill numerous vacanciesavailable via ftp link below: documents to include, Benefits & Pension Coordinator and more. For Are you at least 21 years old? http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage information and detailed application instructions, visit www.ci.milford.ct.us Earn up to $320 by participating in a Yale research study!

CITY OF MILFORD

Call or Text 203-605-5803 or visit YaleVapeStudy.com

Click on Email SERVICES, JOBS&and Fax or Questions BidsJOB to: TITLE. Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com

QSR

HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses HIC# 2000025687 Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 STEELHaynes CORPORATION AA/EEO EMPLOYER

APPLY NOW!

PJF Construction Corp is seeking to fill following positions.

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay.

Laborer Heavy and Highway Construction experience.

Equipment Operator Heavy and Highway Construction experience.

CDL Driver

Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Please forward inquiries and/or resumes to attielordan@gmail.com

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Prevailing Rate. PJF Construction Corporation is an equal opportunity employer M/F

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - February 10, 2021 - February 16, 2021

EVERY S TO RY TOLD Lakeview Terrace

Jumping the Broom

Death at a Funeral

Introducing a new, first-of-its-kind channel endorsed by the African American Film Critics Association, where you choose what’s on. Just say, “Black Experience,” into your Xfinity Voice Remote to instantly enjoy the best in Black storytelling, only on Xfinity.

Visit xfinity.com/blackexperience to learn more.

Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Requires Xfinity Internet and/or Xfinity TV with X1. Access for Xfinity Internet customers via the Xfinity Stream app. Lakeview Terrace © 2008 Screen Gems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Death at a Funeral © 2010 Screen Gems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Jumping the Broom © 2011 Stage 6 Films, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Watch these titles and more on Xfinity On Demand. Celebrity endorsement not implied.

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139551_NPA234631-0004 Every Story ad 9.25x10.5 BENOV10.indd 1

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