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INNER-CITY NEWS 2016 August 2016 THE INNER-CITY NEWS - JulyJuly 25,27, 2018 - - July 31, 02, 2018

Blumenthal Questions Kavanaugh’s on Executive Power Financial Justice a Key Focus at Views 2016 NAACP Convention New Haven, Bridgeport

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Volume 27 . No. 2289 Volume 21 No. 2194

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Nappier To Abstain On Toll Vote THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 25, 2018 - July 31, 2018

by Christine Stuart CT. News Junkie

HARTFORD, CT — State Treasurer Denise Nappier, who isn’t seeking re-election in November, said she would abstain Wednesday from approving a $10 million study of electronic highway tolls. State Comptroller Kevin Lembo and the two Republican lawmakers on the 10-member state Bond Commission have already said they would vote against Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposal to study electronic tolls. Nappier said her biggest concern about the proposal is its narrow focus. “The state ought to consider a more comprehensive menu of alternative financing sources, including public/private partnerships and other ways we can attract institutional investors, such as pension funds, both domestic and international,” Nappier said. “I also question the nature and tim-

ing of the toll study deliverables that would justify the State’s $10 million expenditure as reasonable.”

She said she would only support the proposal if it was broader. “Absent an expanded study scope, or knowledge of any previous more robust study and its finding that may have previously been shared with the Bond Commission, I am not prepared to vote in favor of this agenda item and, therefore, will abstain,” Nappier said. Regardless of Nappier’s position the item is still likely to pass with support from the other members of the state Bond Commission. Nappier was criticized earlier this week by the two Republican state treasurer candidates Thad Gray and Sen. Art Linares for not taking a public position on it. “This $10 million slap in the face to tax-

payers is the latest evidence we need to put a Republican in control of the money,” Linares said. Gray said Nappier needs to take a position on the proposal and hold the line on borrowing, in addition to protecting the public interests. Meanwhile, at least one candidate for governor has called for truck-only tolls. Earlier this week, Joe Sculley, executive director of the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut, responded to “erroneous reports” that truck drivers pay no additional money to use the roads. He said Connecticut collects about $26 to $30 million annually from truckers through diesel fuel use taxes for the fuel they use while traveling in Connecticut, regardless if they stop. They also pay out of state vehicle registration fees to the state based on the percentage of miles driven in the state.

CHRISTINE STUART/ CTNEWSJUNKIE FILE PHOTO

State Treasurer Denise Nappier

If Tolls Become Reality, The ACLU Wants Privacy going, where they are going, and who visits certain locations, raising serious First and Fourth Amendment concerns, according to McGuire. He said they would like the department to get rid of the information as soon as they send out the bill to drivers who don’t have an EZ pass. He said there’s no reason for the state to keep a license plate scan for more than 48 hours. “It’s a use tax, so there’s no reason to keep the scan data after billing the person,” McGuire said. McGuire said there’s a concern that if the information is stored then someone could reconstruct the movements of a driver over weeks, months, or years. He said it could open the door to retroactive government surveillance of “innocent people without warrant, without probable case, and without any form of judicial oversight.” Earlier this year, The Verge reported that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement had contracted with Vigilant Solutions to provide license plate reader information. It’s the same company the Connecticut

by Christine Stuart CT. News Junkie

HARTFORD, CT — The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut wants to make sure that data gathered by any future electronic tolling system on state highways isn’t sold or used by the government to track down undocumented immigrants. ACLU Executive Director David McGuire asked for a meeting with state Department of Transportation Commissioner James Redeker to talk about potential “serious privacy issues” that come along with electronic tolls. The meeting was granted and will occur next month. “Should an electronic tolling system be developed in our state, it will most likely use automatic license plate readers (ALPR’s), which are cameras that can scan and record thousands of license plates per minute. When an ALPR system captures an image of a license plate, it also tags each file with a time, date, and GPS location of the photograph,” McGuire wrote last week in a letter to Redeker. That means the government can track where someone has gone, how fast they are

ANDREJ SAFARIC VIA SHUTTERSTOCK

Electronic toll gantry

Capitol Chiefs of Police Association contracted with to provide the region’s license plate reader database. McQuire said that could leave “immigrants in Connecticut vulnerable to surveillance and targeting by ICE.” “In an effort to prevent the state from violating the civil liberties of people traveling in Connecticut, the Department of Transportation must consider ways in which electronic tolling system data is collected, retained, and shared, including whether data can be sold to for-profit companies or whether cameras can be used for speed enforcement,” McQuire said. And he has every reason to be hopeful that’s what happens. He said since Connecticut doesn’t have a toll system there’s no reason it can’t create one that protects everyone’s privacy. He said police should have access to live toll data to help with Amber alerts, but the information should be deleted within 48 hours. The state Bond Commission is poised to approve a $10 million toll study on Wednesday.

Harp: Tennis Tourney Doesn’t Stiff City On Cop Protection

by STAFF Mayor Toni Harp sent in the following letter seeking to clarify the financial relationship between the city and the Connecticut Open Tennis after the publication of this article in the Independent about an alders hearing. I am writing to clarify an article that appeared in the New Haven Independent on Wednesday July 18 entitled “Tourney, Parades Stiff City on Over-

time” written by Markeshia Ricks following a presentation by Michael Carter and Maggie Targrove to Alders on the Public Safety Committee. For 21 years, the City’s support of the Connecticut Open has included full Police and Fire protection which is documented in an annual agreement between the City and the tournament. Thus, the tournament does not owe the city anything for overtime or oth-

erwise. As Host City – and as you know, New Haven benefits significantly from the annually Connection Open Tennis – the tournament generates over $10 million annually in economic impact to the New Haven region, markets the City of New Haven around the world, and conducts year-round community outreach programs including inner city tennis, education and mentoring

programs. Thank you for providing clarification that the City’s agreement with the Connecticut Open does include Police and Fire services as well as information about just how important this tournament is to the city and the region – so we can all celebrate this annual international sporting event that so generously gives back to its Host City and begins in just three weeks

time.

Best regards, Mayor Toni N. Harp

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 25, 2018 - July 31, 2018

DSS Reduces Average Wait To One And A Half Hours by Christine Stuart CT. News Junkie

HARTFORD, CT — The Department of Social Services average wait time for its call center improved slightly in June to 85 minutes, at the same time as the call abandonment rate increased from 57 to 58 percent. This past May it was 96 minutes and in March it was 107 minutes. Department of Social Services Commissioner Roderick Bremby told the Medical Assistance Program Oversight Council Friday that they are working diligently to reduce those wait times. “We are committed to resolving the Benefit Center wait times,” Bremby said. He said the wait times are not reflective of the department’s ability to process applications for Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, formerly known as food stamps. “We tried to do too much with this Benefits Center,” Bremby conceded. “We’re going to pull some functional-

ity out of that and we’re going to create capacity to get people into the system faster, but we also need to make sure we can process the work faster.” In July 2013, the department transitioned from the old eligibility management system to the ConnectCT system, which included an interactive phone system and a document scanning service. In August 2016 that system started to be replaced by ImpaCT, a new web based eligibility management system. ImpaCT replaced the outdated mainframe computer system that was written in Cobol, a code created in the 1960s. The department still maintains 12 regional offices and launched the call center, which acts like a 13th office. While it’s not an application line, the phone option is designed to offer eligibility-related services. People call to change their address, cancel benefits, or make sure their paperwork is being processed or has been received. There are currently 800,000 residents who receive Medicaid benefits and 400,000 with food stamps.

Bremby said in the next few weeks they will be able to show the council that “we can reduce the wait times and sustain the wait times.” He said he can’t say when wait times will be reduced, but he expects to have the information for the council by September. “We are firmly committed to resolving this part of our customer experience,” Bremby said. After the meeting Friday he said they got hit with an unprecedented amount of calls at the end of last year when the legislature cut and then restored the Medicare Savings Program. “We sent over one million notices between November, December and January,” Bremby said. “Which meant people started calling and when people call it means you don’t have the capacity in the center to respond to the calls and do the work. “ He said they are going to scale back the work the frontline eligibility workers are able to do and push some of that off on the processing centers so that the eligibility workers can process more calls.

CHRISTINE STUART / CTNEWSJUNKIE DSS

Commissioner Roderick Bremby

Sheldon Toubman, an attorney for New Haven Legal Assistance Association, said that’s an awful idea. “Commissioner Bremby has been saying for years that it’s a process issue,” Toubman said. But apparently none of the new processes to date have solved the problem. Toubman believes the answer to the

problem isn’t a new or better process. Toubman believes it’s staffing. Toubman said Bremby’s refusal to ask Gov. Dannel P. Malloy for more staff is “damaging.” Bremby maintained Friday that it’s a process issue and there’s no reason to ask for more staff. Last month, Toubman and 44 advoCon’t on page

Blumenthal Questions Kavanaugh’s Views on Executive Power by Peter Urban CT. News Junkie

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal on Monday said he is deeply concerned by some of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s past statements and writings about executive powers that suggest he favors an imperial presidency “essentially above the law with unbridled and unchecked powers.” Blumenthal, a member of the Judiciary Committee, pointed to Kavanaugh’s belief that the 1974 U.S. v. Nixon case that forced President Nixon to turn over the Watergate tapes may have been wrongly decided. The information was contained in a questionnaire Kavanaugh returned to the Judiciary Committee last week, which cited a 2009 statement Kavanaugh had made suggesting that the Supreme Court should not have taken up the case because it was essentially a dispute within the executive branch that fell outside judicial review. The 8-0 decision by the Court has been broadly cited for establishing that no one — including the president — is above the law. “Where that reasoning leads to is essentially a blank check for the President of the United States to control any special counsel,” Blumenthal said. “It

dooms enforcement and investigation of criminal laws against members of the executive branch no matter how high — including the President of the United States. And that is a very radical view of the Constitution as well as judicial procedure.” Blumenthal joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Norm Eisen, a former special counsel to President Obama, on a press call Monday to raise concerns about Kavanaugh’s views on executive power. Blumenthal also wants additional documents released from Kavanaugh’s time in the Bush administration. The nominee spent five years in former President George W. Bush’s White House before serving 12 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has suggested that he is not interested in such a “fishing expedition” but would instead seek relevant records from the White House in proportion to what had been requested of previous nominees. “Many Democrats announced their opposition to this nominee before the vetting process ever began,” Grassley said in a statement. “They’ve made

CHRISTINE STUART / CTNEWSJUNKIE

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal

clear that their plan will be to obstruct and delay at every corner, and reviewing Judge Kavanaugh’s record will be no different. Rest assured, this process will be fair and thorough. At the same time, I will not allow taxpayers to be on the hook for a government-funded fishing expedition.” Aside from routine biographical information, Kavanaugh’s questionnaire included more than 1,000 pages

of previously delivered speeches, published writings, interviews and other documents. The Associated Press first reported on a roundtable discussion that Kavanaugh participated in which was transcribed in a January-February 1999 issue of Washington Lawyer magazine on attorney-client privilege that suggested the Nixon case may have been wrongly decided. The Nixon case, he was quoted as saying, ” ... took away the power of the president to control information in the executive branch by holding that the courts had power and jurisdiction to order the president to disclose information in response to a subpoena sought by a subordinate executive branch official. That was a huge step with implications to this day that most people do not appreciate sufficiently … Maybe the tension of the time led to an erroneous decision.” Kavanaugh has offered differing views on executive power and other issues that Democrats say should be further explored before the Senate holds a confirmation vote. In a 1998 Wall Street Journal article, Kavanaugh called on Congress to “codify the current law of executive privilege,” including the Nixon decision. And in a 2016 law review article, he cited the Nixon case among

examples of the “greatest moments in American judicial history” when judges “stood up to the other branches, were not cowed, and enforced the law,” as reported by Vox News. Blumenthal said that every White House email – whether written, received or cc’d by Kavanaugh – should be available for review. “We need every document with his name at the very least and possibly others,” he said. Blumenthal made a similar appeal on Sunday during an appearance “So far, we have yet to see all the documents we need and Chairman Grassley has yet to provide, in my view, the kind of cooperation we need,” Blumenthal said. Senate Democrats, including Blumenthal, have thus far refused to meet with Kavanaugh. Blumenthal said that if he were to agree to a meeting, he would first need all the documents released. “For members of the opposing party to demand answers to questions and yet refuse to even meet with a qualified Supreme Court nominee is unprecedented. Senator Schumer should stop these political games and meet with Judge Kavanaugh,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said at Monday’s press briefing.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 25, 2018 - July 31, 2018

DNA-Testing Grant Approved, With Caveats by CHRISTOPHER PEAK NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

The school board will allow Yale University continue with a study on students struggling to read, but tighter rules will be in place for any future research. That’s just one of the conditions that the Board of Education attached to the agreement with university researchers before voting to accept a $607,000 grant from the university at Monday night’s board meeting. The grant money funds salaries for six teachers and materials for two reading intervention programs. Their vote will allow the New Haven Lexinome Project to continue studying the genetics of dyslexia in pursuit of a reliable test that can identify the reading disability earlier, when targeted interventions are far more likely to be effective. With their parents’s explicit consent, roughly 450 children in the bottom quintile at four New Haven elementary schools already gave Yale’s team a saliva sample for their DNA to be mapped. But when school board members learned about that genetic component two weeks ago, they unanimously voted to table the agreement, amid concerns they’d be enacting yet another extortion of racial minorities that’s recurred throughout America’s medical history. On Monday, the study’s principal investigator showed up at Celentano School to answer board members’ questions. Jeffrey Gruen, a professor at Yale School of Medicine, tried to clear up any doubts about his motives and show the boost in reading scores already, halfway through the fiveyear intervention. Gruen said that nearly 60 students at risk of dyslexia had such low test scores that they were a whole standard deviation below what’s expected of first-graders. But a year later, after receiving the Empower module, a reading intervention developed at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, test scores shot up, surpassing those at other schools who didn’t receive the intervention by 32 percent, he said. Later on, Gruen will compare those outcomes with genetics to see if a simple swab of the mouth can help assign future interventions. That’s important, he said, because there’s so many ways dyslexia manifests itself, from trouble sounding out letters to comprehending definitions, that at-risk students need a tailored intervention. Board member Ed Joyner questioned why DNA testing was necessary to get to that point. Why couldn’t Gruen use the existing research, compiled over the past half-century, to figure out what children responded to? Does a DNA test pose a danger of becoming a “self-fulfilling prophecy” that dooms some children to being seen as “genetically limited”? A DNA test, Gruen responded, is necessary for the one-quarter of students below fourth-grade who still don’t seem to improve even with today’s most effective interventions, plus the three-quarters of students diagnosed with dyslexia past middle school who are too late to be helped. In a written report, Gruen also noted that

CHRISTOPHER PEAK PHOTO

Board of Ed members, still skeptical of DNA testing on kids.

not just by an outside [institutional review board] but by a New Haven school committee,” she went on. “I am going to vote for this protocol. But it’s not because I’m 100 percent backing how it was put forth. It’s because I know that there are minority children definitively benefiting from this and I know the struggles of a dyslexic. But there are things we need to do.” After that, Darnell Goldson proposed four amendments to the contract. 1 An independent committee will brief all public school parents before they sign their children up for any studies. 2 Language on student data privacy from a state law passed in 2016 will be added to the memorandum of understanding with Yale. 3 Gruen to go back to his institutional review board to see if he can pay families more than $10 per reading assessment, without violating federal rules that prohibit paying so much money that research subjects feel coerced. 4 Superintendent Carol Birks will develop a plan to sustain any effective reading interventions after Yale’s money runs out in 2020. With those conditions attached, the contracts passed decisively. Only Joyner voted in opposition. Con’t from page 3

DSS Reduces

Jeffrey Gruen and Lynn Brantley. the study’s sample size is too small to draw any specific conclusions about racial subgroups from the study. That still didn’t sit right with Tamiko Jackson-McArthur, an African-American pediatrician whose child is dyslexic. Even though she found the experiment problematic, Jackson-McArthur said she’d vote to continue the grant, as long as future research was vetted more thoroughly. “If this study was brought to me four years ago for a child that I knew had dyslexia, I would have refused a protocol that required me to give her cells,” she said. “I

don’t have the comfort in the research history, on the backs of black and brown people, to rely on it. We know that the history of research in our community has been void of communication, void of humanity: doing experiments on black women because we don’t have ‘pain receptors’…, knowingly giving diseases to black and brown people then sending them out to continue to be sick…, radiation research…. “What they’re doing for the children doesn’t bother me. What bothers me is that we got to this point. I’m hopingwhether I’m sitting at this table or not is vetted,

cates sent Bremby a letter asking the department to get the wait times down to 10 minutes without reducing any functionality. In a July 12 response letter to the advocates who complained about the long wait times, Bremby said none of the Medicaid recipients who submitted their paperwork by the date required were “wrongfully terminated.” Toubman disagreed. He said advocates included stories in the letter pointing to specific individuals who saw their benefits end despite doing all the department asked. The department, which is under a court order to complete the Medicaid applications in a timely manner, says that’s “simply not our experience.”

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 25, 2018 - July 31, 2018

Grandparents Day Bash Debuts

Another event organizer, Kurtis Kearney, pitching ECPC’s New Year’s Day polar plunge event.

by ALLAN APPEL NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

They might not haven been cavorting in their bathing suits in the splash pad or yelling to go higher on the playground swings. Yet the older folks, about 40 strong, were definitely the center of attention and having a fine time of it Friday at Dover Beach Park by the Quinnipiac River in Fair Haven. The older folks were being feted at an event organized for Grandparents Day. The event, featuring hot dogs, burgers, donuts, rock painting, and quiet talk under the shading trees, was organized by Bella Vista Alder Renee Haywood along with Fair Haven Alder Kenneth Reveiz. They vanned over several dozen seniors from the Bella Vista senior complex across the river and from River Run senior housing development on Grand Avenue near Front Street. Haywood said that what motivated her was the large number of grandparents at Bella Vista, many of whom spend hours caring for their grandkids. “It’d be a great release for them,” she said as she started the fire and then be-

gan to grill the dogs and burgers. As she looked out at the river, and people lined up for the lunch, she expressed what she hoped the elders would get out of the day: “You’d be suprised at how much beauty is nearby. I want them to have just an easybreezy day.” To a person, about a half dozen people interviewed said that while they love being grandparents, many people don’t sufficiently appreciate the hours they put in taking care of grandkids. Julia Kelly was having Marge Ottenbreit, the director of the Elm City Parks Conservatory (ECPC) and one of the event’s sponsors, paint a rock for the littlest of her three great-grandkids. “We don’t get the attention we deserve,” she said. Kelly, who has eight grandchildren and three great-grands, the latter ages 5, 6, and 1, spends four hours every other day of the week taking care of the great-grands in order to give her daughter, who has a stressful job, a break. Kelly said there’s a big plus side to add to the calculus of the occasional complaints: “I love it. it keeps me

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healthy. I have a lot of health issues but I don’t think about them when I’m with the kids. They make you alive.” Likewise, when he and his son and grandson went to a recent Boston Red Sox-Toronto Blue Jays baseball game, State Senate President and local resident Marty Looney said he didn’t think about the aches and pains of legislation. He thought about having fun, especially with his grandson. Looney dropped by with State Rep. Al Paolillo, who helped Haywood organize the event. Looney noted how many grandparents step in often not only to help out, but even to take custody of their grandkids. Of the 20,000 kids in the New Haven public schools, many live in homes where the grandparents are the primary care-givers. Looney grew up nearby on Wolcott Street and said he used to bike to Dover Beach as a boy to swim. He said he could not recall another day in Fair Haven dedicated to grandparents. Paollilo said he wouldn’t be surprised if the day, which Haywood said she is going to make an annual event in the Fair Haven wards, might catch on citywide.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 25, 2018 - July 31, 2018

Part-Timers Get New Letter— & Confusion by CHRISTOPHER PEAK NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

Never mind, part-timers, you’ll get your jobs back. For now. But check your mailboxes again next month. The school system’s current and past part-time workers got that latest “clarification” from a Board of Education criticized by at least one member of “undermining” and micromanaging a new superintendent it fought hard to bring to New Haven. Layoff notices that were sent last month are being rescinded, but a plan to figure out who to keep is still being worked out with the school board, Superintendent Carol Birks told Board of Alders Education Committee at a Wednesday night hearing at City Hall. In late June, just after kids left school for the start of summer vacation, Birks sent termination notices to over 1,100 part-time school employees. The recipients included secretaries, bus monitors, librarians, athletic coaches, teaching assistants, and arts and language instructors. Then, two weeks ago, Mayor Toni Harp and Board of Education President Darnell Goldson called a press conference at City Hall in which they directed a conspicuously absent Birks to rescind the notices. Birks said that a letter rescinding the notice was sent out on Tuesday. That letter apologized for causing any undue stress and confusion, and it added that a timeline and process for keeping their job next school year would be forthcoming. But unless the board finds money to keep all 700-plus current part-time employees on the payroll amid a $19.4 million budget deficit, some will likely be getting a third letter saying their services aren’t needed after all — a seemingly inevitable outcome that Birks denied. (Over 300 of the people receiving the original notice turned out not to have worked for the school system for up to five years.) “There’s a lot of factors that come into play, so I can’t commit to that,” Birks said. “The decisions that we make will be tied to the state’s accountability indicators, absent priorities as a district that we have enacted publicly.” Next time around, though, school board members themselves will make the decision about who stays. Based on their interpretation of the board’s existing policies, they’re withholding authority for Birks to dismiss part-timers without their vote the latest salvo in a battle about the superintendent’s authority to make decisions without the school board’s explicit approval. A new trove of emails (described later in this article) reveals the extent of the behind-the-scenes wrangling taking place. Part-timers are viewed within the school district as “flexible workforce,” said Darrell Hill, Birks’s interim chief financial officer. “They are not guaranteed hours. They don’t cross over years. They didn’t have a full-time position to be laid off from.” But that wasn’t clear to many of the tem-

CHRISTOPHER PEAK PHOTOS

Birks testifies Wednesday: Undermined & micromanaged?

Goldson to Birks: Stay on task.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Creed students walk out of school on May 18.

porary employees, Birks said, because the district hadn’t consistently followed its own hiring guidelines. According to a 2016 document, which Birks presented to the alders, school principals or office administrators are supposed to first send requests for part-time hires to the Finance Office to confirm that funds are available. If money’s available in the site-based budget, supervisors will then confirm that the requested hires meet “programmatic appropriateness,” which Birks defined as making sure it “matches our academic indicators.” Requests then go up the chain again to

Human Resources Office for final approval after confirming that the hire aligns with current union contracts, pay rates and staffing requirements. That office also takes fingerprints and runs a background check. That three-step approval didn’t always happen, Birks told the alders. “Given that we are a portfolio district, we have given our principals a lot of autonomy around hiring part-time staff. In some cases, our process was not followed with fidelity, but it varied,” she said. “In this case, people were not given notice of a term of employment consistently throughout the district, so in the letter, it said you’re a parttime employee and your assignment ends

at the end of the school year.” After hearing that explanation, Fair Haven Alder Kenneth Reveiz acknowledged that Birks had procedural errors to clean up and a massive deficit to close. But he asked if she’d recognized the “tremendous amount of worry and concern and panic” that dismissed employees had experienced over the last few weeks. “We’re in a crisis situation. This is not very easy,” Birks said. “We know that they are people, but we also have to make decisions that focus on student achievement. We have to focus on the classroom first.” Birks said that right-sizing the staff would allow the district to put more money toward training the employees they choose to keep. She also said that the district was creating an evaluation to process to make sure that non-certified staff are doing what they’re supposed to. She added that human resources staff is also working to make sure the hiring process is followed more rigorously in the future to avoid another surprise. But from now on, every hire and every termination won’t be in her control. Instead, those will have to go to school board for approval. After the press conference at which Goldson referred to her actions as an “avoidable” “stumble” by a rookie superintendent, the Board of Education is now seen in some quarters as trying to micromanage multiple aspects of how Birks does her job. Behind-Scenes Tension Revealed A trove of school board members’s emails obtained by the Independent reveals that, for the last two months, the Board of Education has been second-guessing the superintendent’s decisions behind the scenes. Starting in May, the board the majority of whose members fought hard to hire Birks earlier this year intervened in a small disciplinary matter: whether a student should be allowed to go to prom. That dispute flipped the board’s earlier allegiances. After a hard-fought battle to get Birks appointed, her one-time boosters are now trying to keep her on a tight leash, while the one board member who voted against her hiring is now calling for the others to give her more slack to do what they hired her for. After the board voted to shut down Cortlandt V.R. Creed Health & Sports Science High School, students walked out of the building in protest. On the way back to class, one girl refused to have her bag searched. She stormed past the security checkpoint, screaming and swearing, as one administrator described it. Creed’s principal, with Birks’s support, suspended the student for five days. That meant she was barred from going to prom the next night. But in an email the next day, signed by five board members (excluding Mayor Harp and Ed Joyner), Goldson said the girl should be allowed to go to prom. The Board of Education prepared to hold a formal hearing about the suspension. “We have met and taken a vote by phone

and email, and have decided to stay the suspension until such hearings has been held,” Goldson wrote in an email to Birks. “We would like to reiterate our support for the administration, from the principal to the superintendent,” he continued. “Normally we would not and do not intend to involve ourselves in these types of situations, but we feel that this situation is highly unusual based on several factors, including what we believe is the BOE’s role and decision to close this school just three days ago.” In an email to Goldson, Joyner, the board’s other elected member, protested. He said he believed the school board was micromanaging Birks. “I believe that we have established a precedent that we must immediately walk back to preserve the proper relationship between the board and the superintendent,” Joyner wrote. “We the board undermined the authority of Dr. Birks in an illegal electronic meeting by overturning her ruling. The superintendent’s decision, based on my interpretation and experience, was the correct course of action.” Joyner said he was emailing Goldson privately to “try to solve this issue inhouse and avoid any more negative publicity that would undermine our credibility.” After prom, the student withdrew her appeal. The board cancelled the hearing and left the suspension in place. But the relationship with the new superintendent still had to be worked out. Roles Defined More recently, amid the controversy about laying off part-time employees, the Board of Education has clarified the superintendent’s role, saying she has no authority to bring on employees, contractors or consultants without them. In an email last week, Birks, now in her fourth month on the job, gave the board members a heads-up that she would be appearing before the aldermanic committee and gave some idea of what she planned to focus her presentation on. This Monday evening, Mayor Harp said she wanted to give Birks direction on the next steps. She asked to see the latest draft of a letter going out to part-time employees and said to hold off on committing to any plans for how open spots would be filled next year. “Please provide the new draft of the rescission letter to the part-time employees. The letter you previously shared we agreed was not drafted properly,” Harp wrote in an email. “In addition to your remarks to the Board of Alders, I am concerned about a possible ‘job fair’ without the Board of Education signing off on next steps.” Later that night, Goldson followed up with more instructions, based on the statement that six board members had agreed to before the press conference. He said he didn’t want to “micro manage” Birks, but he then gave her three tasks to carry out. “It is our goal see you, as well as the school system, grow and prosper together. We intend to provide additional support and guidance to you as our superintendent. We Con’t on page 11

Mayor Plays Hardball Back THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 25, 2018 - July 31, 2018

by THOMAS BREEN AND PAUL BASS NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

Mayor Toni Harp vowed to fight the Board of Alders “perhaps” even taking it to court if it proceeds with plans to strip $483,172 from city departments to reduce the new 11 percent tax increase. Harp revealed her administration’s stance on the matter on the latest edition of WNHH FM’s “Mayor Monday program.” She said she plans to fight any effort by the Board of Alders to put the new proposed ordinance amendment into effect. “We don’t think they can” remove money from a department once a budget is passed, Harp said. “We think it’s against the charter of the city. So we’re having some people look at it. “The Board of Alders gets a time they can pass the budget,” she continued. “Any changes to the budget have to be approved by the mayor. That’s our reading. We’ll see.” Will her administration go to court to prevent the alders from moving

money? “Perhaps,” Harp said. She noted that the alders haven’t yet taken action to try to move the money. During last Monday’s Finance Committee meeting, the committee alders voted unanimously to recommend approval of an ordinance amendment

that would reduce 16 city department budgets by a total of $483,172. The proposed amendment would then reallocate that money towards a newly created line in the budget dedicated to mill rate reduction. If the measure passes, the average New Haven homeowner would save approximately $10 on taxes.

The alders explicitly stated during the committee meeting that the $483,172 covered by the proposed ordinance amendment corresponds dollar for dollar to raises over two years that the mayor issued to 36 non-unionized city department heads and other positions that hadn’t seen raises for up to seven years.

West Haven Movie Star Nora Mullins To Host Benefit For Principal

Nora Mullins, 14, a West Haven High School incoming sophomore is staring as “Steph” in the movie Eighth Grade. The film is a comedy-drama, written and directed by comedian Bo Burnam. The movie is critically acclaimed and received a 98% from Rotten Tomatoes. The movie follows an eighthgrader, played by Elsie Fisher, who struggles to finish her last week of classes before starting her freshman year in high school. Eighth Grade will be in theaters nationwide, August 3rd. Mullins is hosting a private premier of the film on Tuesday, August 14th at 7:00 pm at the Criterion Cinemas, 86 Temple Street, in downtown New Haven. Tickets are $15.00 per person and must be purchased no later than Tuesday, August 7th. Tickets can only be purchased online at www. eventbrite and search for Eighth Grade Movie Premier. There is no guarantee that tickets will be available at the door. Nora Mullins, 14 (left) is staring as “Steph” in the coming of age movie Eighth Grade The premier is a benefit for West is with West Haven High School Principal Pamela Gardner. Mullins is hosting a movie Haven High School Principal Pame- premier as a benefit for Gardner, who is suffering from a rare form of cancer.

la Gardner. In June of 2017, Gardner was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumor, a rare cancer found in her stomach. She has been going through treatments since last July. Gardner, her husband Scott, a University of New Haven police officer, her daughter Mackenzie, an incoming WHHS sophomore and her son Kevin, an incoming eighth grade student at Harry M. Bailey Middle School are residents of West Haven. Gardner is a 1987 graduate of WHHS and is a lifelong Westie. Prior to taking the position as principal in West Haven, she was assistant principal at Frank Scott Bunnell High School in Stratford. Winkle Bus Company is providing two buses for transportation the evening of the premier. Pickup will be at 6:15 at the West Haven City Hall parking lot, Center Street side. Bus transportation is on a first come, first serve basis at not cost. For additional information or to order a”Pam Strong” bracelet, you may call Mullins’ father, Steven R. Mullins at 203-824-4262.

The alders roundly criticized the mayor for issuing raises at a time when city taxpayers are taking on a 11 percent tax increase to help cover a $30 million structural deficit, and for not being transparent about her intention of giving out raises after the alders passed the budget at the end of May. The proposed ordinance amendment will require two hearings and a vote by the full Board of Alders before it can take effect. “Our board respectfully disagrees with the Mayor’s assessment,” Board of Alders President and West River Alders Tyisha Walker-Myers wrote in a statement responding to the mayor’s promise to oppose the proposed ordinance amendment. Walker-Myers was one of the chief defenders of the new legislation at last week’s Finance Committee meeting. “We intend to continue to take actions to address the concerns of our residents and prioritize reducing the mill rate, how and where we can,” she continued. “We welcome the Mayor to be a partner in this effort and encourage her to be conscientious about using funds that could be used to lower the burden on our constituents for purposes that do not.” Finance Committee Vice Chair and Westville Alder Adam Marchand responded with similar caution to the mayor’s statement. “I don’t know for sure which legal authorities or which section of the City Charter she had in mind when she made her statement about pushing back,” he wrote in an email to the Independent. “I think she and her team will have more research to do if they want to take some sort of action. To my knowledge, they haven’t done anything definite yet. It’s much too early to speculate on something as unclear as this.” Indeed, the mayor did not specify which section of the city charter she and her lawyers are looking to for justification of their rebuttal to the alders’ proposed ordinance amendment. City spokesperson Laurence Grotheer did not not point to a specific section when asked for the mayor’s rationale, saying instead that she is working with corporation counsel to research the issue. One relevant passage may be ArCon’t on page 12

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 25, 2018 - July 31, 2018

OP-ED: Congress Must Stop Family Separation and Pass the Keeping Families Together Act

By Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.)

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Like many Americans, the treatment of children and families at the border has shaken me to my core. San Diego-based U.S. District Court Judge Dana Sabraw has essentially said to stop defying the courts and reunite these families. The deadline to reunify parents with children under 5 was July 10th, and the deadline to reunify children five and older is July 26th. The Administration has asked for an extension, saying it would need more time to reconnect parents and children in certain cases. They have requested an extension to the deadline, but the court is still monitoring and it has yet to be granted. It’s no secret that Donald Trump views immigrants with disdain. He has called Mexicans “rapists” and referred to immigrants as “animals.” The Trump Administration has embraced nativist dog whistles from day one. Nowhere is this clearer than in the shameful “zero tolerance” policy pursued by President Trump, which has separated families, locked kids in facilities, and traumatized innocent children. Families come to this country seeking asylum. They undertake grueling, dangerous journeys in the hope that America will provide safe harbor from the violence that they are fleeing. Some are escaping domestic abuse, others have come to our shores to save their families from gangs. None expect to have their children ripped from their arms when they finally reach

safety. Two weeks ago, I travelled to McAllen, Brownsville and Los Fresnos, Texas to visit detention centers and see the situation firsthand. I witnessed terrified kids sleeping on cold concrete floors. I saw scared toddlers separated from their families. I heard from mothers unsure if or when they would see their children again. Some parents didn’t even have a phone number to reach their children. This is not the first time in America’s history that we have separated young children of color from their parents. It happened during the Middle Passage. It chills me to the bone to know our government would repeat this dark history of jailing children and splitting up families. Before the abolition of slavery, children of Black slaves were sold by owners at will. This was a constant fear for enslaved families—that their beloved children would be sold away, never to be seen again. Starting in the 19th century, Native Americans were forced to send their children to government or church-run boarding schools, known as “Indian Schools.” There, these children were stripped of their culture, forced to cut their hair and given new names. These schools existed in America until the 1970s. America also has a long history of jailing entire families, like the Trump Administration now wants to do with asylum seekers. Who can forget the devastating internment camps of the 1940s, where people of Japanese ancestry were forced to live during World War II. This policy was such a source of national shame that in 1988, the U.S. government signed legislation formally apologizing and providing restitution to interned JapaneseAmericans. Instead of learning from our painful history, the Trump Administration is

repeating the mistakes of our past and inflicting more trauma on families seeking safe harbor from the violence and abuse they left behind. And now, rather than proposing real solutions, the Trump Administration wants to lock immigrant families up indefinitely. Let me be clear: jailing children is unacceptable under any circumstances. Ending the policy of separating families—but forcing kids to live in jail for months on end—is just replacing one form of child abuse with another. These human rights violations must be addressed immediately. I have asked UN Secretary-General Anthony Guterres to send observers to report on the conditions at detention facilities and to ensure the thousands of children who have been separated from their parents are reunited. I’m also asking for the resignation of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Sessions established the inhumane zero-tolerance policy—knowing the trauma and distress it would cause families seeking asylum—and Secretary Nielsen implemented it and lied to the American people. The stunning immorality on display from both of these officials should preclude them from ever serving in public office again. I am proud of Judge Sabraw’s decision to bar the separation of migrant children from their parents, ordering them to be reunited within 30 days. Now, we need Congress to pass the Keeping Families Together Act to stop this from happening again and to mandate U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents’ complete child welfare training on an annual basis. Above all, Congress must get serious about fixing our broken immigration system. Our immigrant brothers and sisters—and most of all, children— must be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect. Congresswoman Lee represents the 13th Congressional District of California. She is a member of the Appropriations and Budget Committees, Vice Chair of the Democratic Steering & Policy Committee, Co-Chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus, and a Senior Democratic Whip. Rep. Lee is a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, a former co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and serves as chair of the Democratic Whip Task Force on Poverty. Follow Congresswoman Barbara Lee on Twitter @RepBarbaraLee.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 25, 2018 - July 31, 2018 Con’t on page 06

Part-Timers

do not intend to micro manage you, but do intend to carry out our responsibilities as outlined in [state law] as well as our own policies,” he wrote. “Therefore, we are setting clearer short term goals for the upcoming few months.” Goldson said the board was “immediately” directing Birks to rescind the previous layoff notices sent to 764 part-time employees and inform them that administrators would be conducting a “more thorough analysis … whether or not those roles will fit the boards desire to increase educational outcomes.” He also directed her to “focus on completing the central office reorganization” and “pay particular attention” to getting ready for next school year’s start. Goldson added that, going forward, the school board would be the final decisionmaker for hiring and laying off all personnel as well as paying for contractors and consultants. He cited board existing policies as justification. “Issues have been raised by you as to whether or not you have certain authorities outside Board designated and approved authorities,” he wrote. ”In order to avoid confusion, I would implore you to become familiar with state statutes as well existing BOE polices as soon as possible.” Goldson cited a policy for temporary and part-time personnel that says the Board of Education is responsible for employing “such person as may be needed to conduct the business of the school district.” The policy says that, except in “extraordinary conditions,” no part-timer can be brought on without its official action. But the policy, which hasn’t been revised since 1999, doesn’t provide any guidance about when those temporary employees can be let go. Goldson wrote in the email that he interpreted the policies to mean that the board had sole authority “to create, hire or eliminate a position, part-time, full-time, temporary.” In response, on Tuesday afternoon, Joyner distributed a guide to all the board members put together by the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education and the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents that lays out the best practices for delegating authority. The guide said that, usually, the school board acts as the “legislative body” that sets policy, while the superintendent is the “professional educator” chosen to implement those policies. “The focus of the relationship must always be collaboration on behalf of children,” the document read. Regardless of who has the final say, the board’s recent methods for telling Birks what to do likely violate the state’s open meetings law. The Independent has filed two complaints to the Freedom of Information Commission arguing that the school board shouldn’t be giving the superintendent directions outside of public meetings, whether secretly by email or publicly at press conferences.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 25, 2018 - July 31, 2018

COOL JUSTICE Energetic Indifference:

How Hartford Shafts Brutality Victims, Cops and Citizens at Large By Andy Thibault

The former college football star will never walk like a normal person and he will never run or jump again. Since just before Christmas 14 years ago, severe pain and all its related maladies have been his everpresent companions. Hartford Police pulverized his knee and bashed him in the head repeatedly with a baton. At age 43 now, he’s still too young for a necessary knee replacement. In a series of preliminary operations to try to help him walk, a plate and screws have been inserted and removed as his cartilage disappeared, leaving what is left of his knee bone on bone. His surgeon evaluated the pain as “a 10” on “a scale of one to 10.” His crime? Traveling from Wethersfield to patronize a Hartford restaurant. Tylon Outlaw played college football at Missouri Valley College where he was the top tackler in his conference and an honorable mention All American National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics [NAIA] cornerback. Following that, he also played several years professionally in the Arena Football League. He works as a tutor at Bloomfield High School in addition to coaching the football team to a state championship in 2015. Now, the city of Hartford is shafting both this beat down victim and the cop stuck with a $454,197 jury verdict for civil rights violations. This is not an isolated case. A federal magistrate judge has called the city’s practice of trying to cut loose cops found liable for civil rights violations “bewildering,” questioning “what capable officer, in his or her right mind, would want to work for such a city?” The police union’s Twitter account has even cited the judge’s remarks. U.S. Magistrate Judge William Garfinkel wrote the following opinion in a Nov. 13, 2017 ruling in a related case in which the city stiffed both the brutality victims and the cops. Garfinkel’s entire opinion should be circulated widely. Of note, Garfinkel previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in New York County and, as a long-time practitioner of martial arts, earned a black belt in Tang Soo Do. “The City’s position, in addition to being unsupported by precedent, is bewildering. How can Hartford maintain a qualified police force when it is willing to expose its officers to personal liability for compensatory damages for civil rights judgments? What capable officer, in his or her right mind, would want to work for such a city? And what message does this send to the community, the residents of Hartford, when their governing officials promote a position that, in all likelihood, will leave them without full compensation for injuries in the event that they are the victims of a civil rights violation?” The coach still has a lien on his house for hospital bills cited in his federal jury award, which was affirmed in March of

this year by the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Not only that, the city has filed an action to bill him about $10,000 for court costs. His case sheds light not only on the city of Hartford’s unscrupulous legal contortions, but also on its sordid history of willful failure to investigate brutality thoroughly and properly and to hold those responsible accountable. The legal term for this failure is deliberate indifference. In Hartford’s practice and policy, we should call it what it is: energetic indifference to the rule of law. Occasionally a federal judge will have the integrity and sense of duty to call out these practices, as U.S. District Judge Janet Arterton did in 2003, only a year before the unprovoked attack on the coach: “ ... Hartford had a policy or pervasive pattern of deliberate indifference to the possibility that its officers were prone to use excessive force, as demonstrated principally by Hartford’s failure to reasonably investigate complaints and the absence of punitive consequences for any accused officer, that such policy or pattern may have emboldened or implanted a sense of impunity in its officers, resulting in the challenged first offense by this defendant, and that the offense would not have occurred had proper investigation and police discipline procedures been in place.” A decade earlier, I was part of a team that documented patterns of unchecked police brutality for a two-part series published by The Hartford Courant. The series, entitled “Violent officers take toll on public trust, pocketbook” and “Flawed system shields violent officers from detection; Procedures, politics hamper Review board’s effectivenesss,” revealed that no one responsible for keeping police brutality in check in Hartford -- not even the chief of police -- knew how many officers were accused of brutality or who they are. It’s likely they still don’t know. It seems abundantly clear to any reasonable person that they don’t want to know. A month before the Bloomfield coach was so severely beaten, the same officer, Michael Allen, actually broke his police baton over the head of another civilian. In subsequent depositions, Patrick Hartnett, Hartford police chief from 2004-06, and a former Los Angeles county sheriff, testified they had never heard of an officer striking anyone hard enough to break his baton. Significantly, Hartnett and the Hartford Police Department concluded the shattering blow to the head of the other civilian was “inadvertent” and “necessary / reasonable” force. Put simply, there is no valid or competent oversight of the Hartford Police Department. Instead, there is negligence and malfeasance on a grand scale. The U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals found that an annual report from the so-called Civilian Police review Board -- mandated by Hartford city ordinance since 1992 -- apparently has been issued

only once, in 1994. “The record suggests that annual reports were not prepared for the other years,” the U.S. Second Circuit found. The federal appeals court noted: According to the 1994 Report, the Review Board’s early meetings were met with “mass protest by the police union”; officers “jeered and insulted both the Board and complainants” and threatened some with “bodily harm.” (1994 Report 2, 1213.) The Board also reported difficulties in carrying out its duties, since “[r]epeated requests to the Chief of Police regarding ordinance mandated data ha[d] been met with marked, delayed responses ... or no response at all”; and the data that were received were “woefully incomplete.” (Id. at 4.) The 1994 Report stated that the IAD seemed unable “to complete investigations in a timely manner,” as a result of which a “public perception that officers w[ould] not be appropriately disciplined [wa]s reinforced.” (Id. at 7-8.) And the IAD in-

vestigation files often gave the impression “that the complainant rather than the officer ... [wa]s being investigated by IAD.” (Id. at 7.) In its first 17 months, the Board reviewed 26 cases, 18 of which involved complaints of excessive force. Of the 18 excessive-force complaints, the Board sustained 14; IAD had sustained only two. The Hartford Courant series also showed that brutality happens in the afternoon in the shadows of the governor’s office or in the middle of the night in a housing project. It happens when an officer has a victim alone, and it happens in front of crowds of witnesses. The victims are men and women, black and white, poor and prosperous, criminals and law-abiding citizens. People have been beaten for making smart remarks, for asking why they are being arrested, for asking an officer why he is beating someone else -- for doing anything that seems to question an officer’s authority. “I think we have a problem,” said the chief

at that time, Ronald Loranger, a 27-year veteran of the force. “I think we’ve had a problem for a long time. I think there are bad apples on this job that when given the chance will use excessive force. ... I think you’re talking less than 5 percent of the force.” More than 40 current and retired officers interviewed agreed that the department has a brutality problem. Some force is necessary to maintain control of potentially dangerous situations, they said, but between 10 percent and 25 percent of the officers go beyond that. This was the maelstrom that coach Tylon Outlaw walked into on Dec. 17, 2004. The coach had gone to a Hartford restaurant to meet with friends regarding a proposed business venture. Upon leaving, he spoke with several other friends he recognized in a taxi cab. An undercover Hartford detective driving an unmarked car yelled at the coach, “Hey motherfucker.” Perceiving this to be an informal urban pleasantry, he responded in kind. The plain clothes detective, Troy Gordon, did not identify himself as a police officer. He did, however, park and ultimately charge at the coach, kicking him in the stomach. As the coach was able to block a second kick with his hands, he was struck in the head from behind with a police baton by another officer. He fell to the ground, yelling for help. On his back he curled into a fetal position as he was repeatedly struck in the head, arms and legs with a baton and kicked in the back and stomach. As he tried to cover his face, officer Michael Allen hit him in the right knee with the baton, breaking his kneecap. Among the eyewitnesses, a ballroom dance instructor described the scene this way: “A crowd of people 10 converged on what looked to be one person ... seemed to be multiple people, five or six, again, beating somebody up pretty badly, kicking, throwing punches … it was pretty brutal.” Upon entering a nearby restaurant, the witness exclaimed: “You should see what’s going on outside, the police are really wailing into somebody ... “Holy shit guys you should have seen them. I mean, there’s Hartford, the Hartford cops are beating the shit out of some guy outside… yeah, man, it’s freaking crazy.” Clearly, there were more than two officers involved in the beating of the coach, either as participants or witnesses. It is not unusual for the city of Hartford to hide the identities of cops in these matters. Indeed, in an unrelated case filed in 2011, the late U.S. District Judge Mark Kravitz wrote: “Discovery is not supposed to be a shell game, where the hidden ball is moved round and round and only revealed after so many false guesses are made and so much money is squandered ... Defense counsel is not entitled to transform discovCon’t on page 12

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 25, 2018 - July 31, 2018 Con’t from page 6

Mayor Plays Hardball ticle VIII, Section 3, which covers “Transfers During Fiscal Year.” “The Board of Alders may establish by Ordinance from time to time an amount of appropriation under the approved budget which the Controller with the approval of the Mayor shall be authorized to transfer between line items within any department or from one department to another,” the section reads. “No such transfer in excess of such authorized amount shall be implemented unless it shall be proposed by the Mayor and approved by the Board of Alders, provided that an increase in the total appropriation shall be approved only by vote of two-thirds of the entire Board of Alders.” Although this section is clear that the mayor must initiate any budget transfers that exceed the dollar amount authorized by the approved city budget, it is also clear that the Board of Alders may pass ordinances that transfer money between budget line items, so long as the total amount of money moved around amounts to “under the approved budget.” At the end of May, the alders approved an amended version of the mayor’s $547.1 million general fund budget for the fiscal year that began July 1. That budget included an 11 percent tax increase. The $483,172 covered by the alders’ proposed ordinance amendment does not increase the total dollar appropriations in the budget. Instead, it takes money from 20 different specific line items from 16 different departments, and moves that money instead towards a proposed new line item for mill rate reduction. City spokesperson Laurence Grotheer said the mayor and corporation counsel are evaluating whether the Board of Alders is authorized to go forward with the amendment as recommended. In the meantime, he said, the mayor has asked her chief of staff, Tomas Reyes, to require different department heads to put together contingency plans in case the amendment does go forward. “The work is being done on a hypothetical basis,” Grotheer said. “Because there is no action by the Board of Alders.” Yet. That action won’t take place until September at the earliest, which is when the full board will be able to hold a second hearing and vote on the proposed legislation.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 25, 2018 - July 31, 2018

Con’t on page 11

COOL JUSTICE

ery of the names of police officers ... into a game of hide-and-seek. From a reading of court records, it appears possible police had mistaken the coach for another person involved in a different incident. Indeed, once the coach was taken to the Hartford Hospital he was booked under a false name. His family and friends could not find him or talk to him for some time. “It was a big hush-hush cover-up thing in the hospital,” his surgeon testified in a deposition. During a brief lull in the beat down, Allen placed the coach face down on the pavement, cuffed his hands and dragged him for 60-odd feet and threw him to the pavement between parked cars, where the coach landed on his face. Blood was dripping from his head and face. After surgery at the hospital, police shackled his legs to his bed. The coach was falsely charged with breach of peace, being intoxicated in a roadway, threatening a police officer and assault on a police officer. This tactic is standard operating procedure after a beat down. To get rid of the case, he took a plea for the infraction of “creating a public disturbance.” This disposition shows prosecutors recognized the case for what it is -- the beat-down of an innocent man. The federal court found that conflicting testimony by Gordon and Allen was “not credible.” The court found that “the testimony by Detective Gordon that the Plaintiff struck him, or, as Officer Allen testified, that Plaintiff grabbed the detective by his coat, is not credible and not true. Plaintiff is more credible when he testified that he was accosted by an unknown man on a dark street whom he feared was holding a gun. Without warning, he was kicked in the midsection by Detective Gordon and then struck from behind by Officer Allen. This testimony is corroborated by the testimony of the witnesses in the cab, as well as the undisputed testimony that it was Detective Gordon who got out of his car and approached Plaintiff without identifying himself as a police officer.” The court found further that “Officer Allen’s testimony that Plaintiff fought with Detective Gordon and then continued to try to kick Officer Allen after being knocked to the ground by a blow to the head is not credible. Offcier Allen struck Plaintiff at least four times with a police baton -- drawing blood with the blows to the head and later breaking Plaintiff’s knee. Plaintiff’s version that he was struck from behind by Officer Allen, fell to the ground, attempted to protect his head where he had already been hit, and was then struck on the knee is more credible than Officer Allen’s version of events.” In a deposition on Jan. 4, 2016, Dr. Christopher Lena, an orthopedic surgeon, testified about the coach’s fractured kneecap [patella] and lacerations over his face. Some of the lacerations required stapling. “The patella is ... a small bone that sits in

the front of the knee,” the surgeon said. “It is required for extension of your leg. It’s what helps you to ascend, descend stairs. It helps you getting up from a seated position. It bears a lot of weight, and the cartilage over it is somewhat sensitive ... he developed significant post-traumatic arthritic changes over the years secondary to the fracture that he sustained and the decrease in blood supply to the cartilage, which has led to his bone-on-bone contact ... We have been putting him off [for knee replacement] as long as we can ... [because of his relatively young age] ... he has consistently over the years been coming back to us discussing and having continued problems.” The city of Hartford’s ruse of flip-flopping on the question of covering or indemnifying police officers for civil rights violations was characterized by The Hartford Courant in another case -- in which a Hartford cop shot and killed a dog in front of a 10-year-old girl in 2006 -- as a negotiating tactic. Last year, the city finally paid a total of about $885,000 in damages after flip-flopping on the indemnification issue in the dog case. The third case [Edwards v. Cornell] involves a $410,000 jury award from an excessive force incident in 2012. This case is still being litigated on issues including indemnification. “Under two state statutes and court precedent, a municipality remains liable to indemnify any public employee found liable for civil rights violations unless they notify the parties and the courts [ahead of time] that they won’t pay.” said Hartford attorney Jon Schoenhorn, who prevailed in the dog killing case. “Any claim to the contrary is specious.” Indeed, just as the officers involved in the dog case were compelled to sue the city to enforce compliance with state indemnification laws, a lawyer for officer Allen in the beat down case filed a similar action in May of this year. “Most cities want to encourage out-oftown people to patronize local business,” said one of the coach’s lawyers, Raymond Rigat. “Here, the message seems to be: ‘Welcome to Hartford, catch an old fashioned police beat-down, go to the hospital -- it’s your problem not ours.’ This is another reason it is so puzzling to me why Hartford refuses to make this right.” Watch for follow-ups to this column at http://www.inqnews.com/ and http:// cooljustice.blogspot.com/. This column may be reprinted or reposted courtesy of Inquiring News. Inquiring News. Editor’s Note: Since 2000, the Cool Justice column has appeared in newspapers including The Connecticut Law Tribune and The New Haven Register. Many of those columns are compiled in two books, “Law and Justice in Everyday Life,” and “more COOL JUSTICE.” The second collection http://morecooljustice.com/ features columns credited with helping to free a woman unjustly imprisoned for premeditated murder.

Hill’s Snowprah Arrives

by BRIAN SLATTERY There’s a party on the street, people dancing in front of Eddy’s Food Center in the Hill. People jammed onto the stoop of a house. Snowprah comes to the party draped in the Jamaican flag, but leaves no mistake as to where she’s from. “Out’cha feelings, get up and go get ‘em,” she raps. “This is the Yank riddim / this is the Yank.” With over 170,000 views and counting, “Yank Riddim” is a viral hit. It has landed the 23-year-old New Haven-based musician on Hot 93.7 and beyond. Not bad for someone who started writing songs only in March. Snowprah her real last name is Snow (she declined to give her first name) grew up in Bridgeport, the child of a DJ father and a dancer mother. (“My parents are lit,” she said.) She moved to New Haven as a teenager and graduated from Hillhouse High School. She currently lives in the Hill. She grew up around music thanks to her family and “always did poems,” she said, “as soon as I could write.” As a student, she did a little spoken word. She listened to “all the heavy hitters,” she said, Tupac, Biggie, Nas, Jay-Z. “In English, they would ask for an essay, but I was better off expressing myself in poetry.” She want to Gateway Community

College but didn’t finish. “Institutions are not for me,” she said. What she excelled at was throwing parties, which she did regularly from October 2016 to June 2017. “I ran the scene for a month,” she said, hosting events in houses, warehouses, and biker clubs. “The biker club parties were the best parties,” she said. In June 2017 Snowprah started making dance videos. She developed a following on social media. Working up her own songs was always in the back of her mind, but “I was scared,” she said. “Scared about what people would think.” Then she suffered through the deaths of a few friends (“Yank Riddim” is dedicated to Zoe Dowdell, an aspiring rapper who was shot and killed in a run-in with police in New Britain in December 2017.) She realized, she said, that “I had nothing to lose.” So in March, she started writing songs. “Soft Drink” came first. Then the song “Flex Lon Don.” “Yank Riddim” was the third song she wrote, in April, but “the first one I dropped because it was the most ready,” she said. “I was getting impatient.” She teamed up with New Britain producer Chillshump. In homage to Dowdell, they moved forward and made a video.

She only started rapping in front of people at the end of May, at the second Wifi and Friends festival in Hartford. “Yank Riddim” came out in June. “It’s been magic since,” she said. “I didn’t know it was going to be that fast.” “Yank Riddim” and Snowprah herself landed on Hot 93.7 in late June. On the strength of “Yank Riddim” and a “catalog” of songs that she has written since, she said, she ended up courted by record labels, and signed to Island Records. She got the call about that while visiting her niece, who had just undergone a liver transplant. The advance is going to help pay for the procedure, she said, which was a factor in her signing: “the fact that they cared so much about my family,” she said — not to mention the label’s Jamaican connection. Her grandfather, so the family stories went, hung out with Bob Marley. Her father is a DJ in Jamaica. Her brothers are DJs. “When you’re Jamaican,” she said, “music is in your culture.” But Snowprah is mostly ready to lift up the state’s culture, by making more music and throwing more events. “Connecticut is going to be on the map for sure,” she said. “We got culture here.”

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 25, 2018 - July 31, 2018

Jahi McMath: Brain Dead Teen Who Fought Life Support System, Dies BlackDoctor.org Staff

Jahi McMath, an Oakland teenager whose brain-death following a routine tonsil surgery in 2013 created national headlines, died on June 22, according to the family’s attorney. Over the years, the family has shown videos and released statements that show Jahi was “still alive” despite reports from some doctors. According to court documents, the ordeal all started when McMath was admitted to Children’s Hospital Oakland on December 9, 2013, for an adenotonsillectomy and other related routine procedures. It was hoped that these procedures would provide improved airflow during her sleep at night. The hospital described these procedures as complicated. The family described the surgery as a routine tonsillectomy in media reports. After the surgeries were performed, McMath was conscious and according to her mother, Latasha “Nailah” Winkfield, asked for a Popsicle while in the recovery room. On December 9, 2013, McMath suffered massive blood loss and consequent cardiac arrest. According to McMath’s doctors at Children’s

Hospital Oakland, the loss of blood circulation caused whole brain death. On December 12, 2013, her doctors declared her brain-dead. Her family was informed that she was legally dead, and that as a result, life support systems would be discontinued. Her family refused to accept the medical declaration of death by neurological criteria, said that McMath was not dead, and initiated legal proceedings

in an effort to require the hospital to continue treatment. Nearly five years later, “Jahi died as the result of complications associated with liver failure,” the statement from attorney Christopher Dolan said. “A preliminary Abstract of Death (Death Certificate) was completed by the hospital physician treating Jahi listing her cause of death as bleeding as a result of hepatic (liver) failure,”

Dolan said in the statement announcing McMath’s death. He goes on to say the death certificate, “notes that Jahi had been suffering from an anoxic brain injury for 4 years. Anoxic brain injury occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen. Jahi suffered an anoxic brain injury as the result of severe blood loss after surgery at Children’s Hospital Oakland in December of 2013 when medical staff failed to treat Jahi or summon a doctor after she had undergone surgery on her tonsils, adenoids and soft palette to address a condition known as apnea.” She died at home surrounded by her mother, Nailah Winkfield, stepfather Marvin Winkfield and sister, according to the statement. Winkfield said she is “devastated by the loss of her daughter who had showed tremendous strength and courage.” Adding that she “forced the world to rethink the issue of brain death,” referring to… … the sweeping national debate about what legally and ethically constitutes death surrounding her daughter’s case. Since then, the case has prompted some commentators to discuss the futility of life support in such cases

and even refer to it as “death support”. Other questions that have been raised include how California law treats brain death and whether McMath’s case could change existing laws and practices. McMath’s attorney, Christopher Dolan said, “There would have been no legal battle if Jahi had had her tonsils out in New Jersey”, referring to a New Jersey state law allowing religious objection to a declaration of death on the basis of neurological criteria. Public confusion surrounding differences between brain death and cardiac death raised by this case led some doctors to voice concern about how the case could affect live organ recovery from brain dead patients. The impact of this case on medical negligence awards in California has also been discussed, as there is no compensation limit if the patient is alive, while compensation is capped at $250,000 if the patient has died. Winkfield said she is thankful for the years she had with her daughter and although her daughter could not talk to her, “my daughter knew I was there and that I loved her, I knew she was there and that she loved me too.”

Tuskegee University’s Dynamic Pitcher-Catcher Duo Participate in MLB’s All-Star Futures Game

By Daja E. Henry and Ila Wilborn (2018 NNPA DTU Journalism Fellows)

Over 38,000 people watched from the stands Sunday in Washington D.C.’s Nationals Park as Tuskegee University pitcher Christian Marshall stepped up to the plate to throw the ceremonial first pitch of the 2018 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. Elgin Woodside, a catcher for Tuskegee’s baseball team, assisted. Although the two were not yet prospects for the “Majors,” they both have a stake in the future of baseball. “Growing up as kids, playing baseball, everyone has that dream of going to the [pros],” Marshall said, as he explained the feeling of pitching in a game with Minor League Baseball’s top prospects. Woodside added: “Even though we never thought that moment would come to us, whenever we got in the moment, it didn’t feel like we were out of place. It felt like we were meant to be there, and all our hard work was paying off and God just gave us our blessing.” As a part of the Major League Baseball’s All-Star Week, the 2018 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game is meant to shine a spotlight on budding baseball stars. At the 20-year mark, the exhibition game “features the top Minor League prospects competing in a nine-inning contest as part of All-Star Sunday,” according to the league’s official website. Marshall and Woodside are pitcher and catcher of Tuskegee University’s SIAC

baseball team. The two bonded over baseball, however, long before they entered Tuskegee, in their hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana; both participated in the New Orleans MLB Urban Youth Academy. “A lot of kids [in New Orleans] don’t get the opportunities we got,” Marshall said. From 2005 up until June 2018, Louisiana was deemed the incarceration capital of the world. According to EdWeek, the state ranks 46th in K-12 achievement. Orleans Parish itself was named the most murderous county in 2017. Marshall and Woodside were determined not to become a part of those statistics. The two are beginning their senior year at Tuskegee, both studying mechanical engineering. Marshall is interning this summer, testing parts for NASA in Pasadena, Calif. Woodside is assessing aerodynamics at Lockheed Martin in Stamford, Conn. The two student athletes do not have much idle time. “In the fall, even though we’re not in season, we’re still practicing,” Marshall said as he described their daily schedules that begin with workouts as early as 5 A.M. The rigorous coursework and hectic baseball schedules keep the two utilizing the creative work ethic they acquired back home at the MLB Youth Academy. Though they have a lot on their plate, there is a driving force pushing them to reach for further success. “Whenever you get tired, you’ve got to have something in the back of your mind that you can tap into,” Woodside said. “The

things that I’m doing, it’s a reflection of me, but it’s also a reflection of something bigger.” Woodside explained how he is building a future that will make his entire and future family proud. Marshall and Woodside exist in a rare intersection for young, Black men. As of 2017, the MLB reported 7.7 percent African American or African Canadian players. According to 2010 Census data, African American men made up just 3 percent of scientists and engineers working in the field. Their very existence in this intersection is a statement of triumph over the lack of access to vital resources that often plagues young Blacks. While many African Americans get into basketball and football, it’s just not as easy to get into baseball. The lack of equipment, facilities and role models make it difficult for young, Black men to expose themselves to the sport. While in football and basketball, children can just pick up a ball and practice, baseball requires highly, specialized equipment like gloves, bats and balls, which puts children from lowincome families at a disadvantage. Exposure is the main factor that separates Marshall and Woodside from their counterparts. Marshall’s mother exposed him to baseball around six years-old. Woodside’s father put him into tee-ball at three yearsold. While participating in the Urban Youth Academy, they both gained a baseball role model in Eddie Davis, a Black resident of New Orleans, who played minor league baseball in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ sys-

tem. Both expressed a level of difficulty finding mentors in engineering, as well. At times, they feel as if they are under a microscope. However, they remain humble, consistent and determined to overcome those obstacles. “Knowledge is power. If you can get more knowledge and just learn how things operate, then I feel like that’ll be the key to overcoming any type of adversity there is at your workplace or in your life,” Marshall said. Their mechanical engineering playbook

includes asking a lot of questions, staying engaged and setting up lunch meetings to learn from people, who are in the positions they want to be in. Tuskegee has been instrumental in creating a networking pipeline and served as a beneficial aspect of Woodside’s life, since he first began attending the university. “It just felt like everybody was one big family,” Woodside said. With just under 3,000 students enrolled in 2017, Tuskegee has the opportunity to Con’t on page 16

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 25, 2018 - July 31, 2018

GAO Report Finds Federal Agencies Spend Very Little of their Advertising Budgets with Black-owned Firms By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Contributor

Over the past five fiscal years from 2013 to 2017, federal government agencies have spent approximately $5 billion in advertising, but a minute share—$327 million—went to minority-owned businesses, according to a long-awaited report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The federal government serves as the largest advertiser in the country. While non-minority-owned businesses continue to rake in billions of dollars in federal advertising money, Hispanicowned businesses received just $192 million over five years—or about $38.4 million per year. Black-owned businesses netted just $51 million—or roughly $10 million per year over the five years covered in the new report, which was prepared over a nine-month period beginning last October. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and other members of the Congressional Black

NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., speaks outside of the U.S. Capitol during a joint press conference with the NNPA and the National Association Hispanic Publications on Capitol Hill in March 2016. D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (far left) joined the press conference to call for the GAO report to examine how much federal agencies spend on advertising with minorityowned firms. (Freddie Allen/AMG/NNPA)

Caucus requested the report. Native American-owned businesses were the recipients of $50 million in advertising spending over the past five fiscal years while Asian American-owned enterprises received $31 million, ac-

cording to the report.

Ethnicities classified as “other” received $3 million. “Today, the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) received the longawaited report from the United States GAO, a report that was triggered by the NNPA and NAHP working with the Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s office, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus,” said NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. “This factual report exposes gross, racial discrimination and the refusal of the federal agencies cited in the report to be serious about diversity and inclusion with respect to annual federal spending on advertising.” Dr. Chavis continued: “For the government to admit today, on the record, that in the last five fiscal years, nearly $5 billion was spent on advertising and yet only a total of $327 million was actually spent on minority-owned businesses…this report is not surprising nor is it shocking, but it does reveal the consequences of systemic racial discrimination in both Republican and Democratic administrations when it comes to federal advertising spending.” NNPA Chairman Dorothy Leavell wasn’t surprised by the GAO report, but she still expressed disappointment in the federal government. Leavell, who is also the publisher of the Crusader newspapers in Chicago and Gary, Ind., called the federal government’s current level of advertising with Black-owned firms “atrocious.” “We have the Census coming up, HHS with Open Enrollment, and what they’ve spent with us on a scale of 1 to 10 is less than 1,” Leavell said. “How

do you get this government to be responsive to its citizens; to give them information; to work with our businesses, and to do all of the other things that federal agencies should be doing?” The Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) were responsible for 73 percent of federal advertising contract obligations that went to specified businesses over fiscal years 2013 through 2017. Thirty-four other agencies were responsible for the remaining 27 percent of such obligations. “Some agencies directed all or nearly all of their advertising contract obligations to specified businesses, but because these agencies’ advertising contract obligations were relatively low, the amounts they directed to these businesses were also relatively low,” Kris Nguyen, the acting director of Strategic Issues at GAO, wrote. It’s been more than a decade since the GAO published a report on federal advertising spending. The 2007 report revealed that just five percent of the $4.3 billion available for advertising campaigns went to minority-owned businesses. That report singled out five agencies—DOD, DHS, the Department of the Treasury, Department of the Interior, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)—for their spending with minority-owned contractors. For each of the past five years, DOD, HHS and DHS were consistently the top three agencies in terms of the amount of advertising contract obligations they directed to specified businesses. All three generally increased the amounts they obligated to these businesses.

For example, in fiscal year 2013, the three agencies shuttled over 60 percent of all federal advertising contract obligations to specified businesses; in 2017 they accounted for more than 80 percent. In 2017, DOD obligated 30 percent of the $147 million in advertising contracts to SDBs and those owned by minorities and women. That was followed by Homeland Security (27 percent), DHS (25 percent) and all other federal agencies (18 percent). Those figures were up from 2013 when the same agencies contracted for just $75 million in advertising. Leavell said that it’s good to finally have the report out. Now, the NNPA chairman wants to see direct action that will ensure that federal agencies spend more of their advertising budgets with Black-owned firms. “We’re going to call on [HHS] to talk to them about Open Enrollment and other programs, so that we can figure out how to not only increase advertising in Black newspapers, but also to distribute vital information to our communities.” Norton spokesman Benjamin Fritsch said the congresswoman was examining the report and would comment once she’s reviewed it. However, Chavis said the NNPA Con’t on page 22 Con’t on page 22

Tuskegee University’s

provide its students with a close-knit atmosphere. “It [isn’t] a big school, so you know you’re going to make connections that can last a lifetime,” Woodside said. The teammates rely on their lifetime connection to help win games. “The closeness that we have is like unspoken communication,” Marshall said. “Every game that I’ve pitched really well, he’s been the one catching for me the whole time.” Woodside expressed equal admiration for Marshall. “If it wasn’t for Christian Marshall, Elgin Woodside would not be the person that he is today,” Woodside said. “Christian was always there to pick me up.” “When I’m on the mound and he’s on the plate, especially when we catch our groove, it feels like we’re unstoppable… almost.” Marshall said as he explained the natural chemistry that is critical in the makings of a great team. Marshall continued: “We made the most of what we had at Tuskegee and I feel we made a major impact because of the mentality we brought into the program.” Daja E. Henry (Howard University), Ila Wilborn (Florida A&M University) are 2018 NNPA Discover The Unexpected Journalism Fellows representing #TeamAuthentic. Follow their stories this summer at nnpa.org/dtu.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 25, 2018 - July 31, 2018

Tyrin Turner: From ‘Menace’ To Man On A Mission 25 Years Later by Derrick Lane, BlackDoctor.org

During the 1990’s there were a barrage of Black movies that spoke to the gritty street life going on all across the U.S. There was New Jack City, Boyz N the Hood, and of course, Menace II Society. ‘Menace’ was released on May 26, 1993, starring Larenz Tate, Jada Pinkett Smith, Samuel L. Jackson and a then little-known actor named Tyrin Turner. The film grossed $27.9 million at the box office, making it an instant hit with quoteable lines galore. Turner, the movie’s central star, had been seen in Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation video and some projects before landing the role of “Caine.” His portrayal of a street savvy hustler who was torn between the street life and making something out of himself turned Turner into an instant start. You would think he would been in more feature films, but 25 years later, what happened? Let’s take a step back to where it all started. Turner was raised in a small house on 51st Street and Hoover in SouthCentral Los Angeles with his mother, his grandmother, Little, and a rotating cast of family, friends, and neighbors

who’d shack up when times got tough. His mother was 15 when he was born, and she was often out of the house by 7 a.m. for her job at the post office (his father reappeared when Turner was a teenager). At 5, he was taking public transportation unaccompanied. Around this time, he began hanging around dice games. The older kids in the neighborhood gravitated toward

Although he’d never rapped before, and, you know. I went with my friend. The first time I had sex, it was a train.” Turner tried a rap career for a little Life moved fast for Turner, but un- while. He relied on ghostwriters, but like the character that defines him, took the career change… he managed to duck gang life. One … seriously. “He was about music day, he was caught stealing a pair of 24/7,” says 7 Aurelius. “It was surVans from a department store and sent prising for people to see how talented home, where his mother tossed him in Tyrin really was, from instruments to the bathtub, ran the water, and pelted the melodies in his head. I encourhim with an extension cord. “After I aged him to write because his ear was gave him that one whupping, I didn’t crazy.” Still, Turner’s rapping on the Geto have any problems with him,” says Turner’s mother, Delores Richmond. Boys’ “Dawn 2 Dusk” and Scarface’s “He didn’t hang out with no one but “Menace Niggas Never Die” was family and turned out to be a very nothing like his acting. It was artificial, inauthentic, and rhythmless. good kid.” His uncle Rock Richmond, a former defensive back for the San Antonio So fast-forward to where we are today. Gunslingers of the USFL, told him Now Turner is back in the land of never to drink or smoke, and he joined the baseball team after befriending fu- Hollywood doing films, videos here him, and when he was 12 years old, he ture major leaguer Garret Anderson. and there while working on bigger But what Turner truly loved was per- projects to come. His social media is lost his virginity to a 16-year-old girl. forming, and despite receiving a D in a a throwback of some of his favor“It happened in a weird way,” he tell drama class, he decided to become an ite music along with his collaboration Grantland Magazine. “One of my with celebrity friends and the love for homeboys called me and said, ‘There actor. is something popping around the cor- “There was a big desire and a strong his family, including his daughter. Wherever life takes him, Turner’s ner on 50th.’ I had a white BMX bike. determination that that’s what he I jumped on the handlebars, my home- wanted to do,” says his first agent, signature smile is still one of the best boy drove me over there, and we went Shirley Wilson. “He wanted it, and he in Hollywood. was a natural.” RP inner newsand 5.471 5.1. july.qxp_Layout 1 7/9/18 2:40 PM Page 1 through thecity window wentx in there

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 25, 2018 - July 31, 2018

Applications Now Open for Disney Dreamers Academy at Walt Disney World By The Skanner News Published: 23 July 2018

Applications are being accepted now through Oct. 31, 2018, for the Disney Dreamers Academy with Steve Harvey and Essence magazine. This annual outside-the-classroom mentoring program is scheduled for March 21-24, 2019, at the Walt Disney Resort in Florida. The program helps high school students, ages 13-19, from across the United States jumpstart their life goals and pursue their dreams. Each year, students participate in hands-on, immersive career seminars in a wide range of disciplines found

at Walt Disney World. Participants learn how to improve their communication skills, what it means to be a leader and networking strategies, among other skills. Applicants must answer essay questions about their personal journeys and dreams for the future. Students are selected based on a combination of attributes, including strong character, positive attitude and determination to achieve their dreams. A parent or guardian accompanies each student on the trip. For more information or to apply to this four-day, all-expenses-paid experience at Walt Disney World, visit DisneyDreamersAcademy.com.

Michelle Williams ‘Proudly’ Seeks Professional Help For Mental Health by Aria Ellise, BlackDoctor.org where it got so dark and heavy because sometimes you feel like ‘I’m the provider, I take care of people, I’m not supposed to be feeling this way – what do I do?’

Former Destiny’s Child singer Michelle Williams has revealed she’s now happier and healthier after recently seeking professional medical help for mental health issues. In an Instagram post, Michelle said that as a mental health awareness advocate, she “listened to the same advice” she’s given to others. “For years I have dedicated myself to increasing awareness of mental health and empowering people to recognize when it’s time to seek help, support and guidance from those that love and care for your wellbeing. I recently listened to the same advice I have given to thousands around the world and sought help from a great team of healthcare professionals.” After posting her confession, Michelle has had a number of messages of support from artists and celebrities including original Destiny’s Child member LaTavia Roberson and Missy Elliott. Williams did not disclose the nature of the condition or conditions for which she sought treatment, but she has previously opened up about her battles with depression and even thoughts of suicide. “For years, I’m in one of the topselling female groups of all time suffering with depression, Michelle Williams said in an interview on The TALK in October 2017.

“I wanted out.”

“It got really, really bad, to the point of being suicidal.” She added: “I was at that place

In her statement on Tuesday, Williams assured, “Today I proudly, happily and healthily stand here as someone who will continue to always lead by example as I tirelessly advocate for betterment of those in need.” According to World Health Organization report, “The Global Burden of Disease” depression is considered to be the greatest burden in women when compared to all other diseases. Women, in general, are reported to have a higher risk of initial episode and earlier onset of depression as compared to men. African American women have reported three million mental health’s visits each year. National study of American life (NSAL) survey reports that the lifetime prevalence of depression is higher for whites (17.9%) than for African Americans (10.4%) and Caribbean blacks (12.9%), but when the course of depression is considered, depression in African Americans persists for a longer duration. Thus, major depression is considered a chronic disorder for blacks. Due to the larger exposure to… … community and domestic violence, African Americans have a

higher risk for depression comorbidities, such as substance abuse, generalized anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorders. The first step in helping those in need like Michelle said, is recognizing when to seek help. Some of the symptoms of depression that should prompt a visit with a health practitioner include: – A persistent feeling of emptiness – Physical symptoms that don’t get better with treatment, like headaches and stomachaches – Inability to take pleasure in onceenjoyable activities – Irritability and general unhappiness – A change in appetite, with accompanying weight loss or weight gain – Problems with memory, concentration, and decision-making – A decrease in energy or motivation. – Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, or worthlessness. – Getting too much or too little sleep – Thinking about death or suicide People who have five or more of these symptoms for more than two weeks should see a doctor. You also should go if any of these symptoms are interfering with your ability to function or if you are thinking about suicide. Beyond improving mental health, getting help for depression may reduce heart disease and improve quality of life.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 25, 2018 - July 31, 2018

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Friday, August 24 • Kids in superhero or princess costumes get in for free! • High School Day • WTA matches

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Host Sponsors:

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INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 -- August 02, 2016 THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 25, 2018 July 31, 2018

***HELP WANTED***

Dispatcher

NOTICE

TOTAL FENCE LLC currently has a full time opening for a fence installer foreman.

SOON ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR HARBOUR TOWNHOME APARTMENTS

Galasso Materials is seeking a motivated, organized, detail-oriented candidate to join its truck dispatch office. Responsibilities include order entry and truck ticketing in a fast paced materials Candidates must have at least 5 years of fencing experience, strong commumanufacturing VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PREAPPLICATIONS AVAILABLEand contracting company. You will have daily innication skills, the ability to provide clear and detailed instructions to their teraction with employees and customers as numerous truckloads crew and management, a reliable form of daily transportation, a valid driver’s of material cross our scales daily. We are willing to train the right license, have the ability to obtain a DOT medical card and to a physical HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House andagree the New Haven Housing Authority, individual that has a great attitude. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. andisdrug testing as required. accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this develReply to Hiring Manager, PO Box 1776, East Granby, CT 06026. opment located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apEOE/M/F/D/V. A valid CDL and current OSHA card are encouraged.

ply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have Please apply in person to: been received at the officesFENCE of HOME TOTAL LLCINC. Applications will be mailied upon request by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours.Our Completed pre525 ELLA GRASSO BOULEVARD tree service company is looking for a laborer applications mustNEW be returned to CT HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third HAVEN, 06519 to assist the Shop manager. Basic mechanic knowlFloor, New CT 06510. Or Haven, email resume to: gina@totalfencellc.com

Shop Assistant

***No phone calls please*** Total Fence LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer

NOTICIA

edge a must Responsible for filling in where needed around our garage and yard. Doing minor repairs and maintenance on equipment and vehicles, loading mulch and/or firewood

VALENTINA***HELP MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES WANTED***

Candidate is subject to a drug check. TOTAL FENCE LLC currently has a full time opening one Housing Authority, HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la Newfor Haven está Email resume to mclellantree@comcast.net fence installer helper. aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos Or Fax: 860-261-7755

Candidates must have at least 1 year of fencing experience, a reliWe areMartes a medium sized 30+ year company that offers máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando 25 able form of daily transportation, a valid driver’s license, have the julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) medical and dental benefits as well as 401K plan ability to obtain a DOT medical card and agree to a physical and en testing las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo aAffirmative petición Action/Equal Opportunity Employer drug as required.

llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse . a las A oficinas de HOME INC enOSHA 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510KMK valid CDL and current card are encouraged. Insulation Inc. Please apply in person to: TOTAL FENCE LLC 525 ELLA GRASSO BOULEVARD NEW HAVEN, CT 06519 Or email resume to: gina@totalfencellc.com ***No phone calls please*** Total Fence LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer

1907 Hartford Turnpike North Haven, CT 06473

Mechanical Insulator position.

Affordable Rental Housing – Studio & 1 Bedroom Units 1645 Black Rock Turnpike, Fairfield CT 06825 The application period will begin later this summer 2018. We will be following up this mailing with at least 2 more over the coming months updating you on the status of everything.

Owner: Harbour Townhomes, LLC Managing Agent: ARG Consulting Applicants will need to meet certain income requirements based on family size for 60% and 80% of Area Median Income. Applications will be received during the to-be-determined application period and placement on the wait list will be made through the random selection method, once the period has ended. The maximum number of applications to be placed on the wait list is twenty (20).

1.5 person family 60% AMI Max limit $42,210 1.5 person family 80% AMI Max limit $56,280 Applications will be provided to any & all interested persons when the application period begins. All units are studio or 1 bedroom units with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. Individuals interested should email harbourtownhomes@gmail.com with their name, email, phone number, current address, and what style of unit (studio or 1 bedroom) they are interested in. We will follow up with you as the application period nears. For Additional Information Contact Anthony: Email: harbourtownhomes@gmail.com

DELIVERY PERSON NEEDED

Insulation company offering good pay and benefits. Please mail resume to above address.. MAIL ONLY This company is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer.

NEW HAVEN

Part Time Delivery Needed One/Two Day a Week,

Invitation to Bid:

242-258 Fairmont Ave 2nd Notice Large CT. Fence Company is looking for an individual for our stock Warehouse shipping and receiving and Forklift experience a must. Must have 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 levelyard. , 1BA SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE a minimum of 3 years’ material handling experience. Must be able to read and write

Common Highnew School is seeking a Full Time English, read a tape measure. Duties will include: Loading and unloadingOld trucks, All newGround apartments, appliances, new carpet, close to I-91and & I-95 Saybrook, CT

Teaching Assistant (TA). The TA is responsible for supporting pulling orders for installation and retail counter sales, keeping the yard clean and highways, near bus stop & shopping center deliveries Buildings, 17 Units) teachers in the classroom during the school day, providing targeted organized at all times and inventory control. Individual will also make (4 of fence panels and products, must be able to lift at least 70lbs. Required to pass Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested contactand Maria @ 860-985-8258 supports in academic labs both during and parties after school, assistTaxand Exempt Wage Rate Project a Physical and Drug test, have a valid CT. Driver’s License be able & to Not obtainPrevailing a ing with summer academic programs. For a full job description Drivers Medical Card. CDL B & A drivers a plus. Send resume to pking@atlasourand how to apply, please visit http://commongroundct.org/2018/05/ door.com AA/EOE/MF CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castcommon-ground-is-seeking-a-special-education-teaching-assistantCertificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in-place Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20,Ground 2016 1:30-High School is hiring a Full Common Time Concrete, Grade 10 In3:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. terdisciplinary Lab Instructor,Flooring, a Full Time Teaching Assistant and Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster Large CT fence & guardrail contractor looking for a shop weld- a Part Time certified Social Studies/History Teacher. Please visMechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. St. New Haven, CT er. Duties include but are not limited to welding & fabricating gates, plating posts, truck it http://commongroundct.org/get-involved/join-our-staff/ for job The Town of Wallingford is currently accepting applications for current Connecticut and trailer repairs. Must be able to weld steel and aluminum. Some road work may be descriptions and how to apply. This contract is subject to state set-asideP.O.S.T.C and contract compliance requirements. Certified Police Officers. Applicants must be active P.O.S.T.C Certified Police required. All necessary equipment provided. Must have a valid CT driver’s license and Officers in good standing with their current department, or have retired in good standing, be able to obtain a DOT medical card. Required to pass a physical and drug test. Medical, vacation & other benefits included. Please email resume to pboucher@atlasoutdoor. still having Bid Extended, Due Date: Augusta 5,current 2016 certification status with P.O.S.T.C. This Process will consist of Writcom AA/EOE-MF ten, Oral, Polygraph, Psychological, Medical Exam, and Background Investigation. Anticipated Start: The August 15,of2016 Town Wallingford offers a competitive pay rate $62,753.60 - $74,963.20 annually. Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour APPLY NOW! Project documents available via ftp deadline link below: Application will be August 13, 2018 Apply: Human Resources Department, Town until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, of Wallingford, 45 South Main St., Wallingford, CT. phone: (203) 294-2080; fax: (203) Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage 294-2084. EOE. Seymour, CT Sidewalk with06483 3 years for min. Concrete exp. HAZMAT Endorsed.Repairs and Replacement Top pay for at topthe performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay.

Must Have Own Vehicle If Interested call

(203) 435-1387

Certified Police Officer

Welder:

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

Class A CDL Driver

Smithfield Gardens(Tractor/Triaxle/Roll-off) Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CTDawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com Fax or Email Questions & Bids to:

Some overnights may be required. FAX resumes to RED Technologies, at 860.342-1042; Email: HR@redtechllc.com Mail or in person: 173 Pickering Street,conference Portland, CT 06480. REDheld Technologies, is An EOE.Authority A pre-bid will be at theLLC Housing

TRANSFER STATION LABORER

Firefighter/Paramedic – Town of Manchester $56,698.11 Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority OfParamedic Lic. / CPAT cert. req’d

Off load trailers, reload for trans/disp. Lift 50 lbs., operate industrial powered trucks and forklift. Asbestos Worker Handler Training a +. Resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 173 Pickering St., Portland, CT 06480; Fax 860-342-1022; or Email to lkelly@redtransfer.com RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

fice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

For info view our website: www.townofmanchester.org

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

Common Ground

HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses is looking for an Assistant Manager of FacilitiesAve, and Grounds to assist the Site Manager with the care, upkeep and Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Seymour, CT 06483 AA/EEO EMPLOYER maintenance of Common Ground’s site and facilities in order to ensure

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Office 28 Smith Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

they effectively meet all of Common Ground’s programmatic needs. Click here for a full job descrtipion and how to apply: http://commongroundct.org/2018/07/common-ground-is-seeking-an-assistant-manager-of-facilities-and-grounds/

INNER-CITY NEWS July 2016 -- August THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 2527, , 2018 July 31, 2018 02, 2016

Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Southern CT (SCDAA.SC) NOTICE Director of Operations

The role of the SCDAA.SC Director of Operations is to APPLICATIONS handle day-to-dayAVAILABLE operations with VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PREa focus on efficiency. The Director of Operations will be responsible for organizing and coordinating administrative duties, providing general administrative support to the Board HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, of Directors and ensuring the smooth running of the office. She/he will maintain adminis accepting pre-applications studioand anddevelopment one-bedroom apartments devel-to istrative and financial procedures,for identify new resources at (asthis needed) opment Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apsupport thelocated missionat of108 SCDAA.SC.

ply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y

25,position 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications 100) have The reports directly to the Board Chair to assure the (approximately efficiency, effectiveness and impact the organization to the sickle cell community. beenofreceived at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon re-

quest by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preapplications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Minimal Qualifications: • Baccalaureate Degree marketing, finance, management and or associated social sciFloor, New Haven, CTin06510.

ence or public health degree or related experience • Moderate development experience with a demonstrated track record of success. • Experience with grant writing and grant management. • Demonstrated strength in developing partnerships and collaborative relationships associatedVALENTINA partnershipMACRI development. Ability work withPRE-SOLICITUDES a diverse group of business associates VIVIENDAS DEtoALQUILER DISPONIBLES and volunteers. • Some experience managing capital campaigns and a diverse portfolio of funding sources HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está inclusive of grants and contracts. aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un and dormitorio en estethat desarrollo • Must be versed in all contemporary social media platforms other venues benefit enour la calle 109 Frank Street, Newpublic Haven. aplican limitaciones de ingresos andubicado advance organization to the general andSestakeholders máximos. Lasofpre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 • Some degree human resource management 2016writing hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes • julio, Excellent and oral communication skills pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) • Some Sickle Cell Disease andenviadas its current relative en las degree oficinasofdeunderstanding HOME INC.ofLas pre-solicitudes serán porchallenges correo a petición to prevalence, epidemiology and fundingdurante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510 .

NOTICIA

Major functional responsibilities and duties:

• Significant strength relative to office administration. • Grant management and grant writing proficiency. • Donor stewardship and capital campaign fund development and management. • Overall budget oversight with strong familiarity with spread sheet analysis (e.g., Excel). • Provide strong oversight relative to community engagement and collaboration. • Provide support to appropriate board committees as directed by Board Chair. • Perform a variety of advanced financial analyses to determine present and forecasted financial health of the Association. • Present potential scenarios and outcomes to the management team that supports the All newmission. apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 organization’s highways, bus stop & shopping center on the organiza• Assure all timely and relevant near SCDAA.SC information is maintained tion’s website and 40lb all social media platforms. Pet under allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 • Oversee the preparation and submission of all compliance reports. • Collaborate with management on development and execution of funding strategies. • CT. Examine financial and legal documents verify accuracy and adherence to financial Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offerto a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10financial month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates regulations and acceptable principles. in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:30• Develop and oversee our annual fundraising program. 3:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. • Research donor relation atDavis, local,D.D. state andoffederal art U.F.W.B. institutions (203) 996-4517 Host, Generalprograms Bishop Elijah Pastor Pitts Chapel Church 64 Brewster • Ensure timely and accurate reporting to funders. St. New Haven, CT • Collaborate with staff on the management and planning of fundraising events and donor receptions.

NEW HAVEN

242-258 Fairmont Ave 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

For all interested candidates, please submit cover letter and resume to: admteam. scdaasc@gmail.com Only electronic submissions will beof accepted. Sealed bids areNote: invited by the Housing Authority the Town of Seymour

until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Group, Seymour, CT 06483The for Glendower Concrete Sidewalk RepairsInc and Replacement at the Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

Request for Proposals Market Research A pre-bid conference will be held and at theBrand HousingPositioning Authority Office 28 Smith Street Seymour, CTIncatan10:00 am,ofon Wednesday, 2016. The Glendower Group, affiliate Housing AuthorityJuly City20, of New Haven d/b/a Elm city Communities is currently seeking proposals for Market Research and Brand Positioning. A complete copy of are the available requirementfrom may the be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor OfColBidding documents Seymour Housing Authority laboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning fice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579. on Monday, May 21, 2018 at 3:00PM 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

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport Invitation for Bid (IFB) CF Greene & Trumbull Gardens Parapets Solicitation Number: 112-PD-18-S The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport d/b/a Park City Communities (PCC) is requesting sealed bids for CF Greene and Trumbull Gardens Parapets. A complete set of the plans and technical specifications will be available on July 16, 2018. To obtain a copy of the solicitation you must send your request to bids@ parkcitycommunities.org, please reference solicitation number and title on the subject line. A MANDATORY pre-bid conference will be held at 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06605 on July 31, 2018 @ 10:00 a.m., submitting a bid for the project without attending conference is not in the best interest of the Offeror. Additional questions should be emailed only to bids@parkcitycommunities. org no later than August 9, 2018 @ 3:00 p.m. Answers to all the questions will be posted on PCC’s Website: www.parkcitycommunities.org.All bids must be received by mailed or hand delivered by August 16 , 2018 @ 2:00 PM, to Ms. Caroline Sanchez, Director of Procurement, 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604, at which time and place all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. No bids will be accepted after the designated time.

EXP, welder for structural steel, misc. metals shop Send resume: hherbert@gwfabrication.com

FENCE ERECTING CONTRACTORS

Field Engineer

BA/BS in Civil Engineering or Construction Management. 2-5 yrs. experience. OSHA Certified. Proficient in reading contract plans and specifications. Resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 10 Northwood Dr., Bloomfield, CT 06002; Fax 860.218.2433; Email resumes to info@redtechllc.com. RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

Project Manager Environmental Remediation Division 3-5 years exp. and Bachelor’s Degree, 40-Hr. Hazwoper Training Req. Forward resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 10 Northwood Dr., Bloomfield, CT 06002;

Fax 860.218.2433; or Email to HR@redtechllc.com

RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc

seeks: Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory training on equipment we operate. Location: Bloomfield CT We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits Contact: Dan Peterson Phone: 860- 243-2300 email: dpeterson@garrityasphalt.com Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc

Large CT Fence & Guardrail Contractor is looking for seeks: Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators Fence Installer foreman and helpers. Foreman must have at with current licensing and clean driving record, be least 5 years’ experience. Helpers-no experience required, willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. will train the right person. Work available 10-12 months per We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits Invitationand to Bid: year. Valid Ct. Driver’s license required must be able Contact: Rick Tousignant to get a DOT Medical Card. All necessary equipment pro2nd Notice Phone: 860- 243-2300 vided. Medical, vacation & other benefits included. Must be Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com able to pass a physical and drug test. Foreman rates from Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Saybrook, CT $16 to $22 to $28.10/hour plus benefits,Old helper rates from Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer $18.10/hour plus benefits. OSHA 10 training required. (4 Buildings, 17 Units) Please email resume to pking@atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Union Company seeks:

VanNew Driver to transport w/disabilities Construction, Woodindividuals’ Framed, Housing, SelectivereceivDemolition,Tractor Site-work,Trailer Cast- Driver for Heavy & Highway Coning services according to assigned schedule/destination. HS struction Equipment. Must have a CDL License, in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, diploma/GED plus 3-12 months exp/training. Current CT PSL/ clean driving record, capable of operating heavy Flooring, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Medical Card a Painting, must. Split shift 20-25 hrs/week. Pay rate $11.85/ equipment; be willing to travel throughout the hr. Apply to: GWSNE, Recruitment Mgr., 432 Washington Ave, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. North Haven, CT 06473/fax (203) 495-6108/ hr@goodwillsne. This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements. Northeast & NY. org EOE/AA – M/F/D/V We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits Contact Dana at 860-243-2300. Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com Waste Treatment

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Wastewater TreatmentProject Plant Operator (Attendant II):via Operates documents available ftp link and below: Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer maintains equipment and processes in a municipal sewage treathttp://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage ment plant. Requires a H.S. diploma or GED. In addition, must possess a State of Connecticut Department of Energy and EnviFax or Protection Email Questions & Bids Dawn Lang 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com ronmental Class II to: Operator or @higher certification; or encourages the participation of allcertification. Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses a Class IIHCC Operator-in-training or higher Must possess Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 Large CT Fence & Guardrail Contractor is looking and maintain a valid driver’s license. $25.38 to $30.24 hourly / $22.59 - $30.24 on certifications AA/EEObased EMPLOYER for experienced, responsible commercial and resi& experience plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Apply: Perdential fence erectors and installers on a subcontracsonnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, tor basis. Earn from $750 to $2,000 per day. Email Wallingford, CT 06492. The closing date will be that date the 50th resume to pking@atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE application form/resume is received, or August 21, 2018, whichever occurs first. EOE

FENCE ERECTING SUBCONTRACTORS

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - July 25, 2018 - July 31, 2018

Emmett Till Murder to Be Reopened and Investigated by the Justice Department By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor The U.S. Department of Justice has once again reopened the infamous Emmett Till case. The 1955 murder case was a major turning point in the Civil Rights Movement and one of the most notorious murders in United States history. In August 28, 1955, Emmett Till, who was 14, was murdered in the town of Money, Mississippi by Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam after Bryant’s wife Carolyn alleged that Till whistled at her and groped her. Bryant and Milam abducted Emmett Till from the home of his great-uncle, beat him, shot him in the head and dumped his body in the Tallahatchie River. Till’s body was weighted down by a cast iron cotton gin pulley. Three days later his corpse was recovered from the river. Till’s body was sent to his mother, Mamie Carthan Till, in Chicago. She demanded that her son would have an open casket funeral. The decision would lead to worldwide press attention after hundreds of attendees were given full view of Till’s mutilated corpse. The Black Press, led by Jet magazine, widely covered Till’s murder, featuring several jarring photos. In a Justice Department statement on July 13, the reason given for reopening the Till investigation was related to, “receiving new information.” However, the Justice Department did not detail exactly what the new information was. According to USA Today, the decision was revealed to Congress in a February report, but it is unclear

what the Justice Department is prepared to act on. In September 1955, Bryant and Milam were acquitted by an all-White jury after less than 90 minutes of deliberation. Till’s murderers later admitted to the crime in a 1956 interview for LOOK magazine. Bryant died in 1994 and Milam died in 1980.

CNN.com reported that, “‘Several interested parties’ asked the Justice Department in 2004 whether any surviving suspects could be prosecuted.” At the time the Justice Department determined that the statute of limitations prevented any federal prosecution, according to CNN.com. “Three years later, a Mississippi grand jury declined to issue new charges,” CNN.com reported.

Many have speculated that the reopening of Emmett Till’s death by the Justice Department is related to last year’s publication of the book “The Blood of Emmett Till,” by author Tim Tyson. Tyson’s book revealed that Bryant’s ex-wife, Carolyn Bryant Donham admitted in 2008 that she lied when she claimed Till whistled at her, a tale she would later tell her husband that set off a chain of events leading to Till’s murder. In 1955 Carolyn Bryant Donham was 21 year-old former beauty queen; now, she’s more than 80 year-old and living in North Carolina. The original casket of Emmett Till was donated to the Smithsonian Institution and is now displayed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. “The story of Emmett Till is one of the most important of the last half of the 20th century. And an important element was the casket,” said Lonnie Bunch, the director of NMAAHC, in a 2009 interview with The Washington Post. “It is an object that allows us to tell the story, to feel the pain and understand loss.” Bunch continued: “I want people to feel like I did. I want people to feel the complexity of emotions.” Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist, political analyst and contributor to the NNPA Newswire and BlackPressUSA.com. You can reach Lauren by email at LBurke007@gmail.com and on Twitter at @LVBurke. This article was originally published at BlackPressUSA.com.

Con’t from page 16

GAO Report Finds would call on Congress to craft legislation that could force the hand of federal agencies to do more business with minority-owned firms. “The NNPA, therefore calls upon Congressman Cedric Richmond, the chairman of the CBC, as well as members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) to forcefully raise our voices of discontent and reaffirmation of our demands for equity, for justice, for fairness and put an end to this kind of systemic refusal to treat African Americanowned and Latino-owned businesses along with others in a just, fair and equitable manner,” Chavis said. “We intend to amplify our voices and amplify our actions as a result of the GAO pulling the sheets off the unequal, unjust and unfair federal advertising spending. We will not be silent.” Dr. Chavis continued: “The NNPA expresses its gratitude to Eleanor Holmes Norton for taking the lead to help ensure that this GAO report will be released to the public and, for that, we are grateful. The NNPA also thanks other members of the CBC and CHC for their leadership in this issue. Today, however, it’s time for all of us to respond and to act. There should be legislation introduced in Congress immediately to rectify this gross, systemic inequity.” Stacy Brown is an NNPA Newswire Contributor and co-author of “Michael Jackson: The Man Behind the Mask: An Insider’s Story of the King of Pop.” Follow Stacy on Twitter @stacybrownmedia. This article was originally published at BlackPressUSA.com.

How Frederick Douglass Challenged the Hypocrisy of Independence Day

This Wednesday, marks Independence Day, even as protesters mark America’s denial of liberty to people of color. As The Associated Press noted yesterday (July 1), formerly enslaved abolitionist Frederick Douglass addressed the failure of American commitments to freedom more than a century ago in several Fourth of July-focused speeches. The AP traces Douglass’ critique back to an 1852 speech that he delivered to a predominantly White audience in Rochester, New York. “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro,” which he technically delivered on July 5, captured how ongoing enslavement of African Americans sullied the holiday: What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an

unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety and hypocrisy—a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour. He delivered “The Slaveholders’ Rebellion” a decade later, on July 4, 1862, during the Civil War. Douglass denounced the ways supporters of enslavement twisted the Declaration of Independence to support their beliefs. He noted the deadly impact on not just the primary targets—the enslaved—but other marginalized people

as well: Instead of treating it, as it was intended to be treated, as a full and comprehensive declaration of the equal and sacred rights of mankind, our contemptible Negro-hating and slaveholding critics have endeavored to turn it into absurdity by treating it as a declaration of the equality of man in his physical proportions and mental endowments. This gross and scandalous perversion of the true intents of meaning of the declaration did not long stand alone. It was soon followed by the heartless dogma, that the rights declared in that instrument did not apply to any but White men. The slave power at last succeeded, in getting this doctrine proclaimed from the bench of the Supreme Court of the United States. It was there decided that “all men” only means some men, and those White men. And all this in face of the fact, that White people only form one fifth of the whole human family—and that some who pass for White are nearly as Black as your humble

speaker. While all this was going on, lawyers, priests and politicians were at work upon national prejudice against the colored man. They raised the cry and put it into the mouth of the ignorant, and vulgar and narrow minded, that “this is the White man’s country,” and other cries which readily catch the ear of the crowd. This popular method of dealing with an oppressed people has, while crushing the Blacks, corrupted and demoralized the Whites…. Slavery, that was before the Missouri Compromise couchant, on its knees, asking meekly to be let alone within its own limits to die, became in a few years after rampant, throttling free speech, fighting friendly Indians, annexing Texas, warring with Mexico, kindling with malicious hand the fires of war and bloodshed on the virgin soil of Kansas, and finally threatening to pull down the pillars of the Republic, if you Northern men should dare vote in accordance with your constitutional and political convictions.

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