INNER-CITY NEWS

INNER-CITY 2016 - August 2016 THE INNER-CITY NEWS NEWS JulyJuly 26,27, 2017 - August 01,02, 2017

Financial Justice a Key FocusHelp at 2016 NAACP Convention Harp, Cops Call For Community’s In Wake Of Tyriek’s Murder New Haven, Bridgeport

INNER-CITYNEWS Volume 27 . No. 2240

Volume 21 No. 2194

Malloy Malloy To To Dems: Dems:

“DMC” First Summer Trump immigration

policy grows

Color Struck?

Ignore “Tough On Crime” Rebooted Schooner Camp Sails Into Its Ignore “Tough On Crime”

Snow in July?

“Dream Train” Graves Makes Bid All Aboard The

THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

Mother of four takes sanctuary as resistance to Trump immigration policy grows

by Joelle Fishman,

Support and solidarity has been overwhelming for Nury Chavarria, who took sanctuary at the Iglesia de Dios Pentacostal church on July 20 rather than be deported and separated from her four dependent children, all U.S. citizens, one with cerebral palsy.

Her courage in refusing to allow her family to be broken apart has sparked state and national response.

Donations of food and other necessities and assistance for her children on a go-fund-me page have been pouring in.

Just 36 hours after Chavarria began sanctuary, a diverse crowd of over 250 from across the street and across the state, clergy and elected officials filled the empty lot next to the church in the Fair Haven neighborhood for a vigil and rally. Every speaker emphasized to the Chavarria family that they are not alone.

A common theme, reflecting the spirited and powerful gathering, was that this is just the beginning of a new level of unity and solidarity to end deportations and win a fair and just immigration policy.

“I want you to know, Nury, that New Haven is with you,” said Mayor

Nury Chavarria Toni Harp, who was elected this year as president of the national African American Mayor’s Association.

Calling the treatment of Chavarria

and her children “cruel and inhumane,” Harp said she is “standing in protest to work together for solutions, for justice for Nury.”

“It is a foreign concept to me that a woman who has lived in Connecticut 24 years, worked in Connecticut, raised a family in Connecticut, must now leave Connecticut — her home, her job and her children — to satisfy discrimination and baseless fear in the hearts of some Americans,” said Harp.

Mayor Harry Rilling of Norwalk, where Chavarria and her children live, assured everyone that his city is providing the necessary services to ensure that the children can stay in their home, have food on the table and continue their education. “I too, am ashamed of what our immigration laws are doing to this wonderful woman,” he said.

At one point Chavarria briefly came out to the fence surrounding the church to express her appreciation to everyone. “Si Se Puede,” was the chant in response.

Chavarria left Guatemala 24 years ago at age 19 seeking asylum in the U.S. She did not receive asylum but stayed, working as a housekeeper and raising her children. She has no criminal record, and has consistently complied with required annual visits to the office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

When Chavarria went to ICE for her

annual check-in this year, things were different. She was denied the usual stay of deportation and asked for further documentation. She provided that along with communications of support from all three members of Congress.

But the stay was not granted. Instead, she was fitted with an ankle monitor and ordered to return to Guatemala in two days where she would not be eligible to apply for a visit to her children for ten years.

Lawyers’ appeals got no response.

For months churches and immigrant organizations in New Haven have been preparing for the eventuality of unjust deportation cases.

Chavarria decided not to leave her children. Instead she sought sanctuary at the church.

As the news broke, Governor Dannel Malloy left the capitol to visit Chavarria. Speaking to national media in front of the church he warned, “This case stands in stark contrast to what everyone has been told, that ICE is only going after the ‘bad guys’....The greater wrong is when the American people are lied to about what the government is doing. Then each and every one of our rights is Con’t on page 20

Harp, Cops Call For Community’s Help In Wake Of Tyriek’s Murder

by PAUL BASS & MARKESHIA RICKS NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

As police continue to search for the killer of a 14-year-old boy, Newhallville ministers formed a new group to reach out to young people and Mayor Toni Harp appealed to citizens to help the cops solve gun crime.

Harp issued the appeal on the latest episode of WNHH radio’s “Dateline New Haven.”

She noted that in addition to the fatal July 9 shooting of 14-year-old Tyriek Keyes, a 13-year-old boy was shot in the leg on Saturday, also in the neighborhood, at Shelton Avenue and Ivy Street. The shootings do not appear to be related, Harp said.

“Newhallville is hot right now,” Harp said on the program. She called for stepped-up overtime patrols in the neighborhood.

She said that while police don’t yet know who killed Tyriek or why, it appears the murder may have stemmed

from some kind of spat with kids from another part of New Haven.

“Right around the time that shooting occurred, I’m told there was a shift change. There weren’t that many people around at that time. We’ve got to look at shift changes and see why that happens,” Harp said.

But more than any other factor, the most important cause of death here was a gun, she argued. She called on New Haveners to take responsibility for helping to get guns off the street.

“The real problem is guns in our community,” Harp said. “... We have got to get the guns out of the hands of the children.”

“When you see something, say something to the police. We define for ourselves what our community is going to be like. If we allow these folks with guns, no matter their age, to run roughshod over us, that that is what they are going to do. They are going to terrorize us,” Harp continued.

“Let them know, ‘If you come into our neighborhood and do something, we

MARKESHIA RICKS PHOTO

Pastor Charles H. Brewer and members of the newly formed The Joshua Generation Clergy Association.

are going to let the police know. We are going to testify against you.’”

Police spokesman Officer David Hartman echoed Harp’s appeal for the public to come forward with information.

“Every person who gets shot in this country — somebody knows who did it,” Hartman said in a conversation Monday. “Give us a lead. Let us work

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the case. This is community stuff as well as police stuff. We want to know. Give us a starting point.” People with information about crimes can call detectives at (203) 946-6304.

Hartman said the police do not yet have a suspect or “person of interest” in the investigation.

As the community’s concern has grown,

the police chief, Anthony Campbell, and Assistant Chiefs Luiz Casanova and Otoniel Reyes have been out of town (in Boston and in Quantico, Virginia) for training. That has left Assistant Chief Achilles “Archie” Generoso as the face of the department in town.

Campbell did release quotes in a press release issued Monday by Hartman.

The release quoted Campbell as saying: “As a result of these recent shootings the New Haven Police Department has deployed multiple additional resources to the areas which are being affected by this violence.

Although this may help reduce the probability of additional shootings, it is imperative that the community step up and work with Police to bring justice to the victims of these horrible incidents. Now is the time for the community to take charge and to join us at the NHPD in a way Con’t on page 20

Graves Makes Bid For Probate Bench THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

by MARKESHIA RICKS NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

The woman had been living in the woods in a tent, disowned by her family, homeless and battling substance abuse. New Haven’s Probate Court judge asked attorney Clifton Graves Jr. to help her not only get into treatment but find permanent stable housing.

Graves went one step further after being appointed her conservator. He helped her reestablish a relationship with a member of her family.

Graves recalled that story in describing why he’s now running to become probate judge himself, in a threeperson race.

Graves has served as the director of the city’s prison re-entry program, Project Fresh Start, since 2014. He said opportunities to help people like the woman who found herself far from her California home and living in New Haven drew him into the race to succeed Probate Judge Keyes, who is retiring in January.

Probate is the only elected judgeship in the state. Judges serve four-year terms; the position pays an annual salary of $125,000. Candidates are required to live in the district where they serve.

The probate court deals with adoptions and custody cases. It also can sort out what to do with an estate after someone has died and how to protect the rights and money of people who are elderly, physically infirm, Graves faces two opponents for the seat that Keyes has occupied for over three decades, attorneys Americo Carchia and Orlando Cordero. (Read this article about a recent ward committee meeting in which all three candidates recently participated.)

Graves said while he has enjoyed helping men and women reintegrate into society after incarceration, he’s ready to offer “help and hope” in a different capacity.

“What I’ve learned over time is that we all have contributions to make in different forms and different settings,” he said. “I’m certainly honored to have served in the Harp administration and thank the mayor for giving me this opportunity to be of service ... The reason I’m throwing my hat in the ring for probate judge is that I believe that there is another level of service that I can provide.”

MARKESHIA RICKS PHOTO

Clifton Graves Jr.

Graves, 64, has been a fixture in city government and social justice circles for more than 30 years, having served in different capacities under three mayors. He received his undergraduate degree from Tufts University and his law degree from Georgetown University. He has served as assistant and deputy corporation counsel for the city, as a staff attorney for the city’s housing authority and as the director of diversity and equity for Southern Connecticut State University. He made an unsuccessful bid in 2011 for mayor.

Graves said his varied experiences, including seven years of working with the probate court system, make him a natural candidate for probate judge.

“Having a law degree and having over 25 years of experience in the legal field has more than equipped me with the necessary tools to serve effectively and efficiently as probate court judge,” he said.

The People’s Court Graves said he believes that the person who succeeds Keyes has to have three qualities—or the “three Cs”: Competence, compassion, and connectedness.

He said he has had experiences both

as an attorney serving as a hearing officer and as an administrator having to weigh and interpret state and federal laws. He said that has helped him develop the competence needed to adjudicate the many matters that come before a probate court judge.

He said getting to watch the way Keyes conducts court — without wearing a judge’s robe or sitting on a high bench — and being involved in the intimate details of someone’s life through the court and his own many civic commitments over the years taught him the compassion needed tobe efficient and effective,fair and just.

He said he wants to continue his family’s legacy of commitment to serving New Haven. His mother was a public school teacher; his father served two terms on the Board of Education. His two adult children are a product of the New Haven Public Schools.

“The voters of New Haven decide who is going to serve as their probate judge,” he said. “Why is that?

Probably because the legislature understood that the probate court judge deals with everyday problems and issues that confront our families, our children, our elders, our mentally,

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physically and intellectually disabled and all of that as well as wills and estates and other issues. In many ways, it is truly a people’s court.”

“Folks love and respected Judge Keyes because he is down to earth,” he said. “He was a people person and that made him effective and respected. The person who succeeds him has to bring that as well to build on that foundation he has established.”

Making The Law Respectable The woman who once lived in a tent in the woods is now in an independent living facility. She’s still mostly estranged from her family, but through continued outreach, Graves said, her sister was convinced to come and visit her.

“I’m still her conservator, ” he said.

“It was a very sad and tragic situation that I was thrust into, but I’m pleased to say after several years now that her situation is far better now than when I was assigned the case.

“To call it a happy ending is too simple,” Graves said. “But it is one that at least has had positive results thus far. That experience and many others that I can account for have demonstrated the role a probate court can play. The fact that Judge Keyes saw fit to appoint me for this par-

ticular client means that he thought that someone with my background and experience would be effective at meeting her needs.”

Graves said if elected he would continue Keyes’ legacy through the Thomas Keyes Fund. Keyes established the fund to help alleviate some of the financial stress of would-be guardians taking on the full-time care of children. He said such a fund is more important than ever because of the state’s ongoing financial crisis.

“This is not Fairfield County, Darien or New Canaan,” he said. “This is New Haven, where many people are not like my client, who came from wealth but come before the court with a low to moderate income. They are often grandmothers who don’t have enough resources to take care of children and grandchildren. “ He said if he is elected he would like to see the pool of people who are designated as conservators expand.

The current pool is composed mostly of attorneys. He said he’d like to see more people who come from caring backgrounds and who are studying to be future lawyers, social workers, and health care professionals. He said he’d like to partner with Southern Connecticut State University to get graduate students and professors involved.

He said he also wants to see court forms simplified.

“I have heard of those with professional degrees having a difficult time filling out these forms,” he said. “Imagine what someone who is working class might go through trying to figure out these forms. It is certainly a challenge, to say the least, to complete the forms and I would like to make them more user-friendly for the clients and those who avail themselves of the court.”

Graves said he wants to do what U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandies said should be done over 100 years ago.

“He said, ‘If we desire respect for the law, then we must make the law respectable,’” Graves observed. “So my position is Judge Keyes has done that, and I want to continue to make the law, the probate court and the court system respectable. By that I mean fair and just, providing the help and hope that folks need.

“Fairness and justice are essential to make the law respectable,” he said.

Green Gets WiFi’d THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

John P. Thomas Publisher / CEO

Babz Rawls Ivy

Editor-in-Chief Liaison, Corporate Affairs

by MARKESHIA RICKS

Babz@penfieldcomm.com

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

Advertising/Sales Team

The next time you’re downtown on the Green and need to send a quick email, an Instagram snap from a concert or simply find out when the next bus is coming you can do it without a cell phone data plan— though you will need a smartphone, tablet or laptop.

That’s because the Green has been WiFi’d.

Mayor Toni Harp along with members of her economic development team and the city’s controller joined the president and CEO of Spot On Networks and a New Haven Green proprietor Janet Bond Arterton Thursday to announce that the city will be providing free outdoor WiFi just in time for this Saturday’s upcoming concert.

For more than a year the city has been working to get the Green wired as part of the Harp administration’s ongoing efforts to bridge the digital divide. Harp said wiring the Green for connection is part of the city’s ongoing efforts to improve the public space. The Green has new LED lights that everyone can see and new underground conduits that people can’t see to improve stage sound and lighting. The city also purchased a new stage.

Harp noted that the WiFi is available just in time for Saturday’s free concert on the Green featuring The Stylistics. The city has evidence that the service will get plenty of use, especially during major events on the Green. There was a soft launch of the service nearly a year ago; usage peaked during the two hours before and after the EnVogue concert with around 3,000 devices logged on.

Since then, more than 1,800 devices a day are using the service during the warmer months, while it drops down to about 700 per day when it’s cold. The city is expecting those numbers to continue growing.

“All those who attend will have access to free WiFi services as long as they’re here,” she said. Concerts and festivals attract thousands to the Green from around the region and access to free WiFi helps out-of-

Trenda Lucky Keith Jackson Delores Alleyne John Thomas, III

Editorial Team Staff Writers

Christian Lewis/Current Affairs Anthony Scott/Sports Arlene Davis-Rudd/Politics

Contributing Writers David Asbery Tanisha Asbery Jerry Craft/Cartoons Barbara Fair

MARKESHIA RICKS PHOTO

Dr. Tamiko Jackson-McArthur

WiFi on the Green part of the city’s strategy for digital inclusion.

towners navigate the city. The Harp administration hopes it will help businesses near the Green attract customers.

The idea to wire the Green for WiFi came from City Controller Daryl Jones. Jones said Thursday that he got the idea while attending a United States Conference of Mayors conference in San Francisco, which like a growing number of municipalities offers public WiFi access.

New Haven is a city that has been flexing its tech and startup muscles in recent years, and Jones didn’t see why there shouldn’t be public access in the Elm City.

He said with the support of the Board of Alders, the city was able to set aside $300,000 in capital funds to make the project happen. Spot On Networks was chosen to provide the service through a request for pro-

posal process.

To access the WiFi connection all a person has to do is look for the network name “Historic New Haven Green” on a smartphone, tablet or laptop, and enter an email address.

Jones said the city is looking to offset the monthly cost of maintaining the network by offering advertising opportunities to businesses on the landing page where people sign into the network.

Jones said wiring the Green is just the start. The city is looking for ways to wire other neighborhoods including Wooster Square and Lighthouse Point Park, and working with the Housing Authority of New Haven to wire communities like the new Farnam Courts on Grand Avenue as part of a citywide digital strategy.

“We’ve been working on this for over a year, working bugs and

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kinks,” he said. “I’m excited about it and it is a testament to the foresight and vision of the mayor and shows that she understands the fact that digital inclusion is so important to where we’re at today in this world.”

Janet Bond Arterton, a member of the Committee of the Proprietors of the Common and Undivided Lands of New Haven, which holds the New Haven Green in trust, said that wiring the Green keeps it open for all to enjoy.

Spot On Networks President and CEO Dick Sherwin said that WiFi has become an integral part of the infrastructure of cities and is a testament to Mayor Harp’s vision for the city.

Business owners interested in advertising opportunities can contact Jones or city Economic Development Officer Carlos Eyzaguirre.

Michelle Turner Smita Shrestha William Spivey Kam Williams Rev. Samuel T. Ross-Lee

_______________________

Contributors At-Large

Christine Stuart www.CTNewsJunkie.com Paul Bass New Haven Independent www.newhavenindependent.org

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

All Aboard The “Dream Train”

by LUCY GELLMAN

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

Scene: The city and the forest, once a single village, have been divided by a railroad that cuts through the land.

Scene: The two halves are now two municipalities. No trade flows between them. Families, then friends, lose touch. The city moves to protect itself with high walls.

Scene: All the trees are dying, one by one. The walls have severed their roots.

So unfolds The Dream Train, the latest project from Imaginary Theater Company (ITC) during its summer session. Written and directed by ITC Founder Starry Krueger, the play runs Friday through Sunday at Lyric Hall in Westville. After opening there last weekend, it also held a performance at the New Haven Free Public Library on Thursday afternoon.

The Dream Train is, at first glance, disarmingly simple. As we learn in a series of flashbacks and flash-forwards, Dawn (Ariana Valdez) and Ezra (Tim Smith) are close friends. They play for hours together in their thickly wooded village, baking apple pies and sketching out blueprints for treehouses. That changes one Independence Day when the mayor who just happens to be Ezra’s father announces that a railroad is going in, splitting the village into two as construction picks up.

Fast forward: The two have stopped speaking to each other, shuttled to city (Ezra) and forest (Dawn) as the railroad creates political, social and logistical cleavages across the land. They grow into their parents’ roles. Ezra becomes the mayor of the city, and Dawn that of the forest. Feeling in need of protection, Ezra pledges to build high walls around the city.

Walls that will kill the forest’s trees, and isolate her people. Walls that will break up friends and families (but they’re doing it to create jobs!). As conditions grow dire, only Ezra and Dawn’s young daughters may be able to stop time—and in this case, isolationist industry—in its tracks. There’s just one problem. They’ve never met, and they’ probably never will, because the city and the forest don’t meet.

Unless, of course, they just dream their friendship into existence one night, as they do.

When they get on the dream train, so do we, guided through past and present by a chorus of woodland spirits. The simplicity is disarming—part Christmas Carol, part cautionary tale about isolationism, pervasive doubt and xenophobia. As daughters Scout (Aija

Ziani Boone and Ariana Valdes as Honor and Dawn.

Aija Covington and Ziani Boone as Scout and Honor.

Covington) and Honor (Ziani Boone) time travel, the story of the town’s railroad becomes one about I-91, cutting through the city during urban renewal. It becomes one about the allocation of municipal resources to the neighborhoods that need them most.

About learning that good fences—or in this case, good walls—don’t really make good neighbors, but conversation might.

For Krueger, 29, it’s based directly on experience. A preschool teacher at Alphabet Academy in Hamden, she started spending students’ naptime thinking about the dreams they shared with her previous classes, from British Columbia to Montana to Amistad Academy Elementary School. The geographic, often socioeconomic divisions that existed were no match for the fantasies of dreamland, she said Thursday. So she began to commit the idea to writing.

“I wanted to create theater that had both whimsical elements and things that happened in real life,” she said.

“It was important to write plays where children were the heroes” Dream Train does just that, bringing forest magic, folky, homespun vocals and an otherwise straight-talking script

to life with young actors. With a crown of ivy and flowers in her hair, Elizabeth Grayson leads the chorus through a wild, dream-soaked night, pulling out light choreography as her young spirits (Tracine Allen and Duha Yeroz) guide Scout and Honor through a muddy past and present.

As Scout and Honor, Aija and Ziani are a particularly dynamic duo. They are immediately distrustful of each other, and the slow process by which they warm to each other happens almost entirely in movements, with a few spare words thrown in. Even as the two sit back-to-back dreaming in complete silence, a certain thread runs from them to the audience, pulsing with a need to connect.

Some of the young actors got that too.

“I really liked the play because of the singing and the flowers,” said Duha.

“Sometimes it is painful for people to talk about the past, or to tell their kids.”

“They’re still figuring out the problem,” she added.

Dream Train runs Friday, July 21 through Sunday, July 23, at Lyric Hall in Westville. Tickets are $10 for children and $15 for adults.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017 Con’t from page 2

Trump immigration policy grows damaged.”

Standing next to Malloy, Chavarria’s nine year old daughter Hayley made a direct plea to President Trump on behalf of her mother.

“She’s not a criminal. She has a positive attitude about everything. I want her to stay because I love her so much. My message to President Trump is don’t separate my family.”

U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy along with Rep. Rosa DeLauro also came to the church to decry ICE’s decision as unjust and to pledge to continue to seek a stay of deportation on humanitarian grounds.

At the vigil and rally Pastor Hector Luis Otero welcomed the crowd on behalf of his congregation. “To feel the spirit of unity is a great honor,” he said. “All we want is for Nury to be able to continue caring for her children.”

Local clergy who formed the New Sanctuary Movement this year in the wake of Trump’s immigration policies helped prepare the rally.

Rabbi Herb Brockman of Temple Mishkan Israel called Chavarria a hero. “Nury is not just a victim.

Her courage to stand up for justice should inspire us, for it is our justice as well as it is hers that is at stake....

It is the conscience of our nation as well as hers that is under threat,” he said Asking everyone to look around, he concluded, “Her example has

brought our community together.

Her example has demonstrated remarkable strength and length…. She may even get to change our laws.”

Before the vigil Hayley Chavarria and other children put the finishing touches on a giant banner provided by rePublicArt.org. Performers led everyone in song including Las Cafeteras who were in New Haven on tour from Los Angeles.

Around the country, threats and fear of mass deportations are rising.

The movement around Chavarria takes on added significance in this context. It is a product of the resistance to Trump along with years of consistent grass roots organizing for immigrant and workers rights by the Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance (CIRA), Unidad Latina en Accion (ULA) and other local groups.

Kica Matos, national director of immigrant rights and racial justice at the Center for Community Change, lives down the street from the church and has been a leader with Chavarria’s case.

Indicating that there are 13 other immigrants who have taken sanctuary at churches around the country, she told local media that the case of Nury Chavarria and her four children has received national attention because it has shocked the conscience of most Americans.

Builder Can Start Work; Wharton Objects

by MARKESHIA RICKS NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

A developer won permission to stockpile clean dirt in preparation for the cleanup and future development of a former Winchester Repeating Arms factory — over the objections of one City Plan commissioner who argued that the neighborhood has been shut out of the process.

The developer, Double A Development Partners LLC, has plans to transform a 13-acre site formerly owned

by Olin Corp, which bought out Winchester in 1931, into a yet-to-be detailed housing complex. But first it has to get rid of the contaminants that remain from the site’s former industrial life. And to do that it needs clean soil.

It won permission to do that Wednesday night in a four-to-one vote by the City Plan Commission. The commission approved a special permit that will allow the storage of 26,000 cubic yards of soil. That’s much more than the 500 square feet of outdoor storage that the developer is allowed by right.

The soil will come from the site of a Yale science building which is under construction about a mile away on Whitney Avenue.

Double A won over commissioners who had worried aloud last month about the potential lasting impacts of a huge dirt pile in a rapidly changing neighborhood.

Double A did not convince lone dissenting Commissioner Jonathan Wharton. After learning of communication problems that have kept developer and neighbors apart and

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MARKESHIA RICKS PHOTO

Neighbor Wilkins-Chambers: Fears another cancer cluster.

neighbors in the dark, Wharton called the case an example of how not to effectively communicate with an urban community, which in this case sought to know more about what kind of housing will be built in their neighborhood and what health problems they may encounter in the process.

“There is a failure here,” Wharton said. “The connection has been lost.”

Double A Development principals Douglas Gray and Brent Anderson put in a personal appearances at Wednesday night’s meeting, all the way from California and Colorado, respectively.

The meeting which was a continuation of a public hearing on the special permit that was carried over from the commission’s June meeting after neighbors and commissioners raised concerns about the fate of what will be an enormous — but, according to the developers, temporary — dirt pile.

Anderson laid out for the commission a fairly aggressive schedule for utilizing the stockpile of dirt and tearing down remaining structures on the site, removing that debris and removing most of the contaminated soil on site and replacing it with the clean dirt.

Demolition work is already underway and is expected to last about 70 days.

The cleanup of the soil is expected to start in August and conclude by the end of the year. The clean soil coming from Yale will be needed to replace any soil that is removed.

Developers were forthcoming on their plans for the dirt pile but stuck firmly to their guns about not revealing their plans for the housing they plan erect on the site. The housing would add to a part of the city being transformed by the development of Yale University and new market- rate apartments.

When pressed by commissioners and the handful of residents who showed

up to express their concerns about the project, they begged off.

“We have a project meeting with the Dixwell community and would like to present the details to the neighborhood first before we present more here,” Gray said.

That was a problem for Newhallville residents Claudine Wilkins-Chambers and Jesse Hameen II and his wife Iman.

Hameen, who lives closest to the factory site on Munson Street and recently saw the developers keep a promise to clean up the overgrown site, pointed out Wednesday night that the developers are meeting with the wrong community first. The truck route proposed for bringing the dirt from the science building goes through the Dixwell neighborhood, but the actual factory site is in Newhallville.

Gray said he and Anderson have been trying to schedule meetings with both Dixwell and Newhallville neighbors since October of last year. Had they been able to do so, the details of the plan for future housing, including this plan for the dirt stockpile, would not have been such a surprise.

Wilkins-Chambers pointed out that neighbors would not have known about the meetings at City Hall had it not been for the Hameens, who attended the first hearing last month. Anderson said that notices were sent to property owners within 200 feet of the site, which is the legal requirement. But Wilkins-Chambers noted that many property owners in Newhallville live out of town. She said renters deserve notice too about what is happening in the community. She said the more effective way to reach people is through the management teams and flyers placed on the doors.

Con’t on page 20

THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

Paca Certified For Public Financing

by PAUL BASS

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

Talk about a good deal: Marcus Paca has to turn over $2,910 — and he gets $19,00 in return.

That’s because the Paca has qualified for matching money for his campaign for the New Haven Democratic mayoral nomination under the city’s public-financing system, known as the Democracy Fund.

Aly Heimer, who administers the fund, said Friday that she has confirmed that Paca passed the threshold of obtaining at least 200 local contributions of $10 or more, plus a total of at least $5,000 in contributions, to qualify for the system’s initial $19,000 grant. Moving forward, Paca will receive a 2-to-1 match on the first $30 of every subsequent donation up to a total of $125,000. (In other words, the candidate receives a $60 match for a $30 donation as well as for a $100 donation; a $20 match for a $10 donation.)

In return, the candidate agrees to limit individual contributions to $370 rather than the usually allowed $1,000; to limit spending to $368,000 in the primary election and another $368,000 in the general election (and personal spending on the company to $19,000 in each case); and to forswear contributions from “business entities” and political action committees.

Paca has raised some contributions above the $370 limit, including four $1,000 contributions (the maximum allowed for candidates who don’t participate in the public financing system). So to receive his $19,000 he has to return the difference between those contributions and the $370 limit, or a total of $2,910, according to Heimer. Paca understood all along that this would be the deal, she said.

Paca said in a written statement Friday that he’s “thrilled” that his campaign qualified and looks forward to continuing his participating in the Democracy Fund. He stated that the milestone reflects “incredible momentum around giving, evidenced by the fact that we received nearly 75 percent more donations from New Haven residents than our goal number to qualify.”

That “tells us that our message for new vision, new energy and real

MARKESHIA RICKS PHOTO

Paca: Running on clean money.

progress is resonating with voters.

Now, with public financing, we will be able to continue our focus on the concerns of residents, business owners and seniors and won’t be beholden to big donors, special interests or machine politics.”

Paca’s $1,000 contributions, according to campaign finance documents, were William Santagata, owner of the Vandome nightclub on Hamilton street; Genovesi Bianca, a paralegal who lives in Hamden; former city Corporation Counsel Patricia Cofrancesco, who’s now a private lawyer; and her sister Mary Cofranesco, a retired New Haven public school teacher.

Participation in New Haven’s Democracy fund — Connecticut’s only municipal public-financing program — is voluntary. Mayor Toni Harp, whom Paca is challenging for the Democratic nomination this year, has decided not to participate in the Democracy Fund in her campaign for a third two-year term.. She said that’s because she believes the system needs to be tweaked.

Advocates tout the fund as a way to limit the influence of big specialinterest money in elections and to enable more candidates to field competitive campaigns.

Democracy Fund board Chair Sergio Rodriguez, too, said he’s “thrilled” Paca qualified. “I believe the fund is an important and engaging part of what makes New Haven a great city to live in,” Rodriguez said.

Harp and Paca this week released their most current campaign finance reports, which cover the period ending June 30.

Paca reported raising a total of $14,883, with a balance of $3,527 left on hand, as of June 30. The Harp campaign reported having raised $85,365, of which $49,405 came in in the most recent period. The campaign reported having $13,432 on hand.

The following people donated $1,000 to the Harp campaign: William Curran, a New Haven retiree and philanthropist; Kenneth Horan and Bruno Riga of Guilford; developer Randy Salvatore; Charles Tisdale of Bridgeport.

Harp legislative aide Rick Melita contributed $800 to her reelection campaign; Patsy Mayo of New Haven gave $700. Barbara Hennessey of Hartford, who works for Aetna contributed $600 to Harp’s campaign, as did Harp’s deputy economic development chief, Stephen Fontana of North Haven.

TWILIGHT TUESDAYS

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

Rebooted Schooner Camp Sails Into Its First Summer

by LUCY GELLMAN

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

Kathia Gerena started the summer nervous about getting into a sailboat.

Now the 11-year-old is ready to steer a directed route on the Long Island Sound.

So are her pals Kayson Maciel-Andrews and Kymani Chapman, newly emboldened after capsizing — and righting their boat with a little extra help.

Gerena, Maciel-Andrews and Chapman are three of 48 students to hit the Schooner Summer Camp this week, as the New Haven Land Trust hosts its first season exploring sea and shore. The eight-week camp, offered in one-week increments, is part of the Land Trust’s absorption of Schooner, Inc. earlier this year, which included keeping the popular camp program going.

The camp began its season on June 26. It runs through Aug. 18. Currently, each week’s session is fully enrolled, with wait lists of up to 15 students for certain weeks.

“It couldn’t be more different” than last year’s program, said Land Trust Executive Director Justin Elicker. He and camp director Sarah Morrison are seeing that as an exciting change.

After taking on Schooner, Inc.‘s signature coastal exploration component formally in February, Elicker and Morrison designed a full-day, eightweek summer learning program that

The capsized: Kayson Maciel-Andrews and Kymani Chapman with friend Devon Riley.

LUCY GELLMAN PHOTO

Kathia Gerena: Nervous, then excited to sail.

8

takes advantage of the land around the marshy Nature Preserve. At the end of a six-hour day, students have an after-care option through 5 p.m.

Six-to-eight-year-old campers spend their days in the camp’s Shore Program, learning about the small fish and crustaceans that call the Sound their home. Nine-to-twelve-year-olds split their time between sailing instruction and time on the shore. For this first Schooner summer, the Land Trust has developed partnerships with Solar Youth and Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS) and awarded over $60,000 in financial aid and scholarships. Sixty percent of the total camp enrollment is supported by financial aid. That breaks down to 74 campers, or about 51 percent of the camp.

Thursday morning, students were deep into the third week of programming, hopping aboard the camp’s bright yellow-and-pink sailboats and wading cautiously into the Long Island Sound. Elicker bobbed between them, chatting with campers and counselors as they navigated sandy trails and rock piles leading to the water.

Eating her lunch in one of the Sound School’s elevated buildings, Gerena (pictured at top) reflected on her week at the camp. When she arrived, she said she was “not scared, but nervous” to step into a sailboat. Despite growing up in New Haven, she hadn’t heard of the Long Island Sound, and wasn’t aware that the city was so close to the ocean.

That changed quickly. After passing a “float test” that all campers must take before going out on the water, she learned the basics from instructors Connor Schiff and Noah Nyhart, making the shift from stepping gingerly into a sailboat for the first time to sailing one with the wind in her favor.

“It’s fun to be with them,” she said of the instructors. “They’re funny, and they’re super good at driving the boat. My favorite part is when we’re in the water, because it makes me feel fun — like I’ve learned something new about going in the water.”

Also taking their lunch before heading out to the nature preserve, nineyear-olds Kayson Maciel-Andrews and Kymani Chapman recalled capsizing earlier this summer, and the unlikely sense of empowerment they’d gotten from it. As Chapman recalls it, he was acting as skipper and Maciel-

Andrews steered the wrong way with the tiller, causing the boat to become uneven.

“It’s good to capsize, and we might be practicing that sooner or later,” said Maciel-Andrews.

“It was fun, except for the fact that out boat flew away and we had to get on the motorboat,” cut in 11-year-old Jahadi Wilson, a camper whose boat had also capsized.

“My main focus is getting kids comfortable with the water,” said head sailing instructor Schiff, who is studying industrial engineering, finance and computer science at Lehigh University. After years of teaching at the Westport Sailing School — Schiff started the sport when he was eight and has taught for four years — he said that Schooner has changed how he teaches sailing, from curriculum design to his weekly goal of a longer “destination sail” with campers who are just learning the ropes.

“It’s unique,” he said of the program.

“Some of these students have never been on a sailboat, or in the water.”

Just a seven-minute walk away on sandy, overgrown trails, first-time campers Nicole Torres and Trinity Vidal stood still and enraptured on the side of a tidal pool, watching a female horseshoe crab lay her eggs in the wet sand. Her tail bobbed behind her, sending a cloud of brown sand into the water as minnows swam by. Debating what to call her — Big Mama or Lucy The Crab — the two described the process of egg-laying and floor-scuttling as they’d learned it that week.

“Once she’s done having her eggs ... she digs a hole to put her eggs in there,” said Torres, gesturing as if she was teaching a science class. “Once she’s done, she’ll lay her eggs to finish growing and then she’ll come back to get her eggs. Her eggs will eventually come to see her ... to see the mother.”

Further down the beach, a group studied the molted shell of a young horseshoe crab that had washed ashore.

Sunlight shone right through it like glass, exposing a tiny, delicate shell and row of expired claws underneath.

Torres was distracted for a moment, then turned back to Big Mama’s pointy, wagging tail.

“I’m going to go watch some other crabs mating over there,” she said. “I think they find each other with sound.

Like dolphins.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

Medicare For All Backers Picket DeLauro

by LUCY GELLMAN

where she is going today.”

“The entire delegation has said that Medicare for all is not going to pass, that we’re not going to get it,” cut in Bullock. “I think many of us here think: You’re right. But we’re the richest country in the world. Our representative is holding up the possibility of single-payer health care. There’s 30 million Americans ... It’s just unacceptable.”

Lamb tried to respond, but Bullock wasn’t finished. “And we know she’s

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

Around 25 people gathered Monday afternoon outside Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro’s office to pressure her into a vote—and send a message that they won’t support her reelection if she votes otherwise.

Coming from local chapters of Medicare For All, the Hamden Democratic Town Committee, Black Lives Matter New Haven and other activist groups, the 25 gathered around 4 p.m. outside DeLauro’s 59 Elm St. offices to ask for her “yes” vote on House Resolution 676, a bill that would provide free health care to “all individuals residing in the United States and U.S. territories” by expanding Medicare Initially proposed by U.S. Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, the bill has picked up support in the House of Representatives. None of Connecticut’s five Congressional representatives — John Larson, Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro, James Himes and Elizabeth Esty — has signed on to it, however.

In assembling Monday afternoon, organizers outside her office said they hope to change that number.

“We will no longer elect politicians” who do not stand for Medicare for all reform, said speaker Marc Moorash.

“She can have the choice whether to stand in solidarity with us” and support HR 676.

“Our votes are not for sale,” he added.

“Health care is a compassion, and it is something that every living, breathing person deserves.”

Amid cries of “Sellout!” and “Get her out!” that ricocheted around the crowd, organizer Diane Bullock spoke about her rising Affordable Care Act (ACA) premiums, with which she’s dealt as a freelance writer and video editor. She questioned whether insurance industry political contributions are swaying Congressional votes against universal care.

Petition in hand, Bullock asked for constituents “from the district” to bring a petition inside the 59 Elm St. building, where DeLauro’s office is located. John Blankley, Sanderista Debra Cohen, and Hamden Democratic Town Committee member Dan Garrett volunteered right away as more signatories stepped up to the petition, pens in hand. Then, a small group headed inside.

They didn’t make it far. Holding up one hand, a security guard told them they’d have to sign in individually,

taken almost a million dollars from the health insurance industry.”

“That is not true,” said Lamb.

Lamb studied the petition, littered with names and zip codes but no email addresses. She handed Bullock her card.

Before the protesters left the building to march to the New Haven Green, one of the protesters piped up for a final time.

“Medicare for all is going to happen,” he said. “She can be a leader on this.”

Con’t from page 6

Builder Can Start Work;

LUCY GELLMAN PHOTO

Organizer Bullock.

Protesters on Elm Street, including Sun Queen of Black Lives Matter New Haven.

each with IDs. Bullock asked if he could call up to the office and ask DeLauro to come down. She wasn’t in the district or even the state Monday, they learned. Office District Manager Jennifer Lamb was. As the group waited for Lamb in the lobby, Bullock motioned for members to squeeze in, a crowd forming by the time Lamb and an assistant emerged from the elevator.

“We know you can’t speak for Rosa, but HR 676 single healthcare payer for all Americans, it’s what we need,” Garrett told Lamb. “Why won’t Rosa, one of the most progressive voices…”

“She is, and she hears you,” Lamb cut in.

“Listen, I know that you’ve been to some of our town halls, you’ve been to some of our other events here [in Connecticut],” said Lamb, turning the pages of the petition in her hands as she spoke. “Obviously Rosa’s focus, and you’ve heard her say this, is to make

sure that we keep fighting for the Affordable Care Act and everything that the Republicans are trying to to do to repeal it.”

“It’s not enough! It’s not!” Garrett retorted. “We need it for all! If Rosa can’t do it, can we find another representative who actually will be more progressive? There are primaries throughout the country ... is she that secure in her position that she can’t sign on to healthcare for all Americans?”

“I don’t think it has anything to do with that,” said Lamb. “Rosa is ... and I think you’ve seen where she’s been, over the last many years, fighting for affordable health care.”

“If I was in her position I would be supporting universal health care for all Americans,” said Garrett. “Why is Rosa better than me?”

“You know, she isn’t,” shot back Lamb. “This week we are focused on defeating the Senate bill, and that is

10

Neighbors are wary of plans for the contaminated factory site because of the contentious cleanup of a former Olin Corp. site that took place near the Hamden Newhallville border. That site was a dumping ground for industrial waste where houses for factory workers was eventually built. Some people’s houses damaged in the process, Wilkins-Chambers said a cancer cluster is believed to have developed in the area as well. She lost an 11-yearold nephew who lived there. The Hameens know of at least two other people who lived on that site who also died of cancer.

This breakdown in communication prompted Commissioner Wharton to vote against the approval of the special permit Wednesday though his colleagues were satisfied with the explanations of the developers.

“With all due respect, I disagree with you all,” Wharton said after listening to his colleagues praise the developers’ responsiveness and neighbors tenaciousness in getting information about the development. “There should be no chasing. Government has a fiduciary responsibility to inform and communicate and that should be the same for those who are seeking to enter into development. Clearly, there is a failure here. So with all due respect, I will plan to vote against this because now it requires more time and more communication. Clearly, the connection has been lost.”

Wharton said too often neighbors are left out or clued in late in projects like these.

Commission Chairman Ed Mattison said New Haven does a better job than most when it comes to getting residents involved and residents actually participating.

Wharton, a Southern Connecticut State University political science

professor who studies urban development (and chairs the Republican Town Committee), argued that just because New Haven is better doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement.

“Not only do they have to be informed, they have to know what’s going on,” he said of neighbors. “If it requires a paper chase by neighbors, if it requires the alders to be in communication but they’re not, if [the developers] are not certain which management team to go to, then it’s a problem.

“There are all kinds of problematic holes,” he said. “It’s like Swiss cheese.

Somebody ought to be doing a better job connecting the dots.”

Commissioner Leslie Radcliffe pointed out that in addition to the coming meeting with the management team, the developers will have to come back to the commission for more approvals, which will provide more opportunities to learn about the project.

Wharton said the process of informing neighbors should not have started at the City Plan Commission.

“I’m not blaming anyone, but I think that there are so many missing steps in all this it’s like a bad game of telephone,” he said. “There is a rich tradition in inner cities of oral communication and the management team serves that function. I have studied the heck out of this for my research. You can write all the notes you wish, you can send all the letters but communication face-to-face is more sacred and respectable than a letter that is legally required.

“I have lived this with the interviews I’ve conducted on urban development,” he added. “If you’re not communicating it, guess what, you’re disrespecting it. I’m not disregarding the law. You followed the law and that’s great but there’s the human element.

That is worth more than gold.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

“Nationalists”? Or White-Hoodwinkers?

“White supremacists” came to recruit members on New Haven’s Green. Or did they?

by PAUL BASS NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

New Haven is wrestling with that question as officials reexamine why a visit by six members of a new national alt-right or “alt lite” group called the Proud Boys ended up in four arrests, minor brief violence and a massive police presence last Saturday after 150 mostly local anti-racism counterdemonstrators showed up.

New Haven’s not alone. Nationwide, law-enforcement officials and left-ofcenter activists are researching and debating how to characterize a new crop of violence-prone far-right groups looking to boost their numbers and create mayhem in the Age of Trump while some bandana-clad “antifascist” or “antifa” activists join in the battle.

Mayor Toni Harp huddled with the police chief and two assistant chiefs late Wednesday as they sought to get in front of public outcry over the handling of last Saturday’s incident and prepare a public review, with a planned public release on Friday.

That review may touch on several questions, including: • Why, even though organizers took pains to urge counterdemonstrators to keep their distance from the Proud Boys and refrain from violence, a pair of out-of-town “antifa” activists concealing their faces were able to hijack the event by kicking the Proud Boys, setting off smoke grenades, and tossing paint-filled balloons.

• Why city cops, despite their best planning efforts, were caught somewhat unaware of how the event unfolded.

• Why two nonviolent New Haven

Protester and “Proud Boy” after one of the nonviolent conversations that also took place.

DAVID SEPULVEDA PHOTO

activists were arrested as well. (Police said they disobeyed orders to keep a distance at key chaotic moments; they deny it.)

• Whether the police under- or overreacted to a highly challenging, fastdeveloping situation.

Also prominent in the review mix is the question of how to characterize the Proud Boys. Police officials agree with the Proud Boys leaders that the group is not “white supremacist” — and argue that a misunderstanding about that label led to the problems Saturday. Others look at the group’s words and actions to draw an opposite conclusion, and argue that splitting hairs about an allegedly obviously racist movement distracts law enforcement from more germane questions about how to handle similar events in the future. Because, people

on all sides agree, more such events are probably on the horizon.

Police knew in advance of Saturday’s event that some sort of right-wing activists planned to hit town to recruit members. They saw social-media postings by local antiracist groups calling on supporters to mount a counterdemonstration against “white supremacist” “KKK” groups.

But the cop didn’t immediately know which right-wing recruiters planned to show. Because the group in question doesn’t appear on “KKK” or “white supremacist” lists. And they couldn’t confirm the time or actual location of the event.

They knew finally a few hours before the event that the recruiters were members of a group called the Proud Boys,

some of them based in East Haven.

Cops got to work, trying to dissuade the Proud Boys from showing up — and learning what they’re about.

In their own words, the all-male group is about promoting “western chauvinism” and a renewed male model that eschews masturbation (except within a few feet of a woman). Here’s a more extended self-description of the group’s agenda on its Facebook page: “minimal government, maximum freedom, antipolitical correctness, anti-racial guilt, pro-gun rights, anti-Drug War, closed borders, anti-masturbation, venerating entrepreneurs, venerating housewives, and reinstating a spirit of Western chauvinism during an age of globalism and multiculturalism.”

Through a paramilitary wing called the the Fraternal Order of Alt Knights, Proud Boys have been crashing leftwing anti-Trump protests throughout the U.S. and Canada with the intention— often fulfilled — of getting into physical fights. Leaders regularly declare the the group includes some Latino members, as well as gays, and that Nazis and Ku Klux Klanners oppose them. The cops did see firsthand last week that the East Haven group included at least one Latino.

In New Haven, the six Proud Boys who arrived on the Green last Saturday did not provoke violence. They planned to hear a recruitment speech by one of the group’s national leaders, Augustus Invictus. Invictus never showed. The 150 counterprotesters did, and while many engaged in peaceful debate with the Proud Boys, the two out-of-town face-concealed “antifa” activists provoked the violence. Cops ended up

shooing the Proud Boys away to safety.

In the aftermath, the police department issued a statement urging the press not to refer to the Proud Boys as “white supremacist.”

“The group is NOT affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan or a white-supremacist movement, as was reported by some news outlets and those who represented themselves as members of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement and other protest groups,” read a department press release, rightly urging the press to exercise caution in labeling the group. “Rumors that a white-supremacist group were scheduled to rally at the NH Green prompted a rallying of counter-protesters including Black Lives Matter.”

On Tuesday night, Police Chief Anthony Campbell sounded a similar theme in reporting to the Board of Police Commissioners about Saturday’s event.

He blamed the chaos of the day on the fact that counterdemonstrators labeled the Proud Boys as “white supremacist” and “KKK” in social-media calls to supporters.

The Proud Boys are “no KKK, no white supremacist group,” Campbell told the commissioners Tuesday night. He also blamed the outbreak of violence on misinformation about the group spread by counterdemonstrators in advance of the event. He said his department tried to convince the counterdemonstrators that they misunderstood the Proud Boys.

One lesson he drew: the police need to communicate more with local counterdemonstrators not to exaggerate their targets’ views.

A search through the Internet can also

Overcoming White Supremacy in Today's Times

by Jahmal Henderson and Joelle Fishman Winchester-Newhall Club, Communist Party USA A few members of the Proud Boys, a white supremacist, nationalist, misogynist hate group traveled to New Haven last Saturday to recruit members on the theme “Resist Socialism.” A chaotic counter-protest resulted in the

Proud Boys leaving, and four arrests that made the news.

Across the country white supremacist hate groups, emboldened by Donald Trump and the extremist right-wing are seeking out progressive cities to provoke confrontations that will make the news and create confusion in order to justify a climate of repression.

History shows that provocations can be overcome with large-scale tactics that bring people together in unity across race, gender and religious lines.

Racism, white supremacy and bigotry hurts everyone. They are not simply personal attitudes. They are systemic,

built into our nation’s capitalist structure, from slavery onward.

These poisons have been used to rationalized slavery, segregation, terror, voter suppression, mass incarceration, deportation and war. They have been the central tool for dividing working class people and weakening their ability to win racial and economic equality, workers’ rights, social justice and peace.

Racism, white supremacy and bigotry are a barrier to all progress in our communities and our country.

Sharing, respecting and learning each others cultures, traditions, languages

12

and perspectives makes us all stronger.

Nurturing a culture of diversity depends on rooting out racism, bigotry, hate and division.

In New Haven, a powerful movement to force Yale and other major employers to open good jobs to Black and Latino residents facing high unemployment has brought people together across neighborhood, religious, race and gender lines.

This labor-community movement is at the forefront of resisting Trump’s extremist billionaire agenda. New Haven is a target because this movement is organizing and educating people and

bringing them into action against racism and hate and for equality.

Hate groups use fear of dreaming big to keep people from searching for basic solutions. The theme “resist socialism” is a fear tactic to stop people from imagining how our country could be organized for the benefit of everyone, not just the billionaires.

Martin Luther King warned of the “urgency of now.” Today’s urgency is to resist the Trump extremist agenda, to dream big and build an expansive and inclusive movement beyond capitalism, racism and exploitation to achieve basic human needs for all.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

Two Sisters Launch New Sunscreen Product Line Specifically For Black Skin

Many people believe that if you are Black, you are not susceptible to sun burn and skin damage. But the truth is that the sun affects Black skin as much as white skin. That is why two Nigerian sisters, Chinelo Chidozie and Ndidi Obidoa, have introduced a new skincare product line called Bolden USA - made specifically for people of color.

Rich in antioxidants, one of their products, Bolden Shea Oil, is a brilliant multi-tasker, moisturizing both dry hair and skin, while combating the effects of sun damage and aging. It contains a sunblock that goes on clear with no white streaking.

Saturday, July 29th

12:30 - 4:00 PM Stetson Library 200 Dixwell Avenue You're Invited!

100th Anniversary of the Dixwell & Newhallville Neighborhood Library From the original house on Division Street in Newhallville to today's Stetson Branch located in a commercial plaza on Dixwell Avenue, the library has an incredible legacy of service to the residents of New Haven.

Celebrate our Centennial and get ready for the next chapter of Stetson Library: a home at the reimagined and reopened Q House!

Join us on Saturday for a sampling of Stetson programs, refreshments, family activities, games, and music and entertainment.

RSVP on the event's Facebook page.

Learn more about the campaign for the next Stetson Library.

Support Stetson Library with our Community Challenge—and have your donation matched, dollar for dollar!

Many Blacks think the sun doesn’t affect their skin Both sisters agree that the Black community needs to be educated about the dangers of not using sunscreen. Sadly, many Blacks do not use sunscreen because they don’t think the sun poses a danger to them.

However, Chinelo explains, “Even though skin cancer doesn’t affect people of color as much as it affects people with white skin, that makes it more dangerous because it’s often not caught until it’s in an advanced stage.”

Another myth is that Black skin can not burn, but more and more Black people are starting to experience sunburn especially during the summer

months.

How they got started The sisters grew up in West Africa where shea butter is readily available.

So, the main ingredient in their original Bolden beauty line products was shea butter, but many of their customers wanted something they could use as a sunscreen that wouldn’t leave white streaks.

So they expanded their line to include a sunscreen recipe designed specifi-

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Via their web site, the sisters comment, “We exist to embolden women like us to confidently embrace their natural beauty. Through expertlycrafted, responsibly-sourced, and tailor-made beauty experiences, we’ll deliver on this commitment - making beauty products that really work well for women of color.”

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14

What’s Next for O.J. Simpson?

THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Contributor

O.J. Simpson will be a free man on October 1.

On Thursday, July 20, a Nevada parole board unanimously voted to grant the fallen gridiron star parole on his 2008 conviction on armed robbery and kidnapping charges.

“Thank you,” Simpson, 70, said, dropping his head in relief.

Although, many media outlets noted how much slimmer Simpson appeared compared to 2014 when the Daily Mail dubiously reported that he tipped the scales at 300 pounds, prison records indicated that, by 2016, he weighed 235 pounds.

Simpson wore prison issued blue pants and a blue top and told the four-member board that he had missed as many as 36 of his children’s birthdays while incarcerated.

He said that he started and led Baptist ceremonies in prison and has “basically spent a conflict-free life.”

When the board asked about his participation in the armed robbery that took place in a Las Vegas hotel room, Simpson said he was unaware that any of the men were carrying guns.

During the hearing that lasted more than a hour, Commissioner Tony Corda asked Simpson, “What were you thinking?”

Simpson said he was simply trying to retrieve items that belonged to him, including personal photos of his children, ex-wife and mother.

“I’ve done my time,” he said. “I’d just like to get back to my family and friends. I’m sorry it happened.

I’ve said, ‘I’m sorry to Nevada.’ I thought I was glad to get my stuff back, but it wasn’t worth it.”

Board members held up thousands of letters they said were both in support and against Simpson’s parole. They said they would not consider any letters that asked them to take into account the brutal 1994 slayings of Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.

O.J. Simpson Simpson was famously acquitted of the murders of Brown and Goldman, but a civil court jury found him responsible for their deaths and ordered the football legend to pay more than $33 million to the Brown and Goldman families.

According to an article published in The New York Times in February 1997, the criminal court jury and the civil court jury basically heard the same case, with a few key differences.

“The criminal case was tried by a predominantly Black jury, and conviction required a finding that Mr. Simpson committed the June 12, 1994, slayings beyond any reasonable doubt,” The New York Times article said. “The civil case was tried before a predominantly White jury, and a verdict required only 9 of 12 votes, with the basic legal standard being that in all probability Mr. Simpson committed the slayings.”

MarketWatch.com reported that Simpson collected between $400,000 and $600,000 from his National Football League pension while he was incarcerated.

“He made over $400,000 if he

started taking his pension at age 55, and over $600,000 if he started taking it at 65,” the MarketWatch. com article said, which was based on ESPN’s analysis.

Simpson isn’t required to use his pension funds to pay the Browns or the Goldmans, because NLF pensions are protected by state law, according to MarketWatch.com.

Arnelle Simpson, Simpson’s oldest child, was one of two people to testify at the hearing for Simpson.

No one spoke in opposition of his parole.

Arnelle Simpson fought back tears, as she described her father as being her rock.

“We just want him to come home, so we can move forward for us, quietly,” she said.

One of Simpson’s robbery victims, Bruce Fromong, also spoke, telling the board he felt Simpson’s 33-year prison term was too long RP inner city news july 27.qxp_Layout 1 7/25/17 11:20 AM Page 1 and the nearly nine years he’d al-

ready served exceeded justice for the crime committed.

He said he and Simpson had been friends for more than 20 years and, at one point, turned to Simpson to reiterate his support of the one-time Heisman Trophy winner.

“O.J., if you called to tell me that you were getting out tomorrow, Juice, I’d be here to pick you up,” Fromong said. “I mean that, man.”

The board took about 30-minutes before rendering its decision that was televised live on several news outlets and on ESPN. Simpson’s attorney said, with the permission of probation, he’ll return to Florida and lead a quiet life.

The MarketWatch.com article said that, “If Simpson lives in Florida when he’s released—he lived there before his arrest—he also wouldn’t be forced to sell his house to pay off the civil suit, because of the state’s homestead exemption.”

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15

THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

Matthew A. Cherry’s “Hair Love” is the Movie We Need Right Now

by Jennifer Wright Special to the AFRO There is nothing more special than a bond between daughter and father.

Unfortunately, you do not hear about this bond often enough, especially in the Black community, where mass media often leaves you thinking that there are no good fathers.

NFL wide receiver turned movie director Matthew A. Cherry re-creates this bond in his forthcoming Pixarstyle animated film “Hair Love.” The five-minute animated short film will center around the relationship between father Stephen and his daughter Zuri.

Despite having long locks himself, Stephen is use to his wife doing Zuri’s hair. So when she is away from home, Stephen has to figure out how to do his daughter’s hair. It seems simple until Stephen learns that Zuri’s natural hair is not trained to obey.

Cherry is attempting to fund the short film via online crowdfunding site Kickstarter, his third such campaign on the site. His initial goal was $75,000, but after going over that goal, he set a new goal of $200,000. As of this writing, he stood at $134,195 with 11 days left in his campaign. He said he plans to use the money to cover costs and fees associated with making an animated film of the “highest quality,” and is offering rewards to backers at various levels.

“This story was born out of seeing a lack of representation in mainstream animation projects, and also wanting to promote hair love amongst young men and women of color,” Cherry said on his Kickstarter campaign page.

This film will be Cherry’s first attempt at an animated project. He previously directed two live-action films: “The Last Fall” and “9 Rides,” both of

which premiered at South by Southwest. He is also the director of two live-action short films, “This Time” and “Forward.”

Cherry said he first had the idea for “Hair Love” a few years ago, but didn’t have the confidence to bring the film to life until he started seeing viral videos of African American fathers doing their daughter’s hair.

Peter Ramsey is serving as executive producer of “Hair Love,” and gained fame as the first African-American director to helm a feature-length animated film, 2012’s “Rise of the Guardians.” He is also co-directing Sony’s new animated “Spider-Man” movie.

“Through this project, it is my hope that we can show a positive image of Black fathers and their daughters, while encouraging natural hair and self-love throughout the world through the animated space,” Cherry wrote on his Kickstarter page.

Watch Cherry’s Kickstarter message here: https://www.kickstarter.com/ projects/matthewacherry/hair-loveanimated-short-film

White-Hoodwinkers?

Con’t from page 12

produce another narrative for what the Proud Boys represent: that it and similar groups are cleverly parsing words to seek to conceal (to opponents, not to their supporters) an old-fashioned violent white-supremacist agenda.

So while some of the group’s videos and social-media postings deny any connection to racism, other postings and public comments communicate the opposite.

For instance, consider Augustus Invictus’ own tweets of recent days. One, posted at the top of this article, uses the flag of the Sons of the Confederate Veterans group (pictured at the top of this story).

Others use the image of Pepe the Frog — which the “alt right” has appropriated as calls to mass attacks on Jews and African-Americans and women over the past year — as a wink to followers, like the posting above ... ... and the retweet below: Invictus also slips at times from his denials of racism and anti-Semitism and homophobia. For instance, at the 1:27 mark in the above video, he puts air quotes around “Holocaust” when referring to the Holocaust Memorial Museum.

At the 4:44 mark in the same video, he can be heard referring to transsexuals as “gender niggers.”

He has been quoted calling Asians “slopes” and “riceballs.”

Some of Invictus’ web followers interpret his statements as out-and-out white supremacy. “Commies/Muds want to kill Whites who don’t want to be near them. Sociopathic Leeches. Embrace Your Ethno-States!” wrote a follower calling himself Angry Ice Wolf2 in a comment posted to an Invictus YouTube video. “Diversity is our death.

Non whites don’t think like us.”

16

Activists and journalists on both the left and the right brand the Proud Boys as white supremacists.

For instance, the Daily Caller, a conservative web daily, acknowledged in an article otherwise devoted to bashing New Haven’s counterdemonstrators last Saturday that the event itself was “organized by local white nationalist groups with ties to ‘Proud Boys,’ a new political movement helmed in the U.S. by the Canadian Vice Media-cofounder Gavin McInnes.” Even the Daily Caller acknowledged in that article that Invictus “has openly advocated for eugenics and a civil war while attracting a following of mostly neo-Nazis and white nationalists.” It didn’t see a need to sugarcoat the conservative demonstrators in order to take aim at the violent actions on this particular day taken by some left-wing counterdemonstrators.

From the left, ““antifa” groups have devoted time to documenting the Proud Boys’ neo-Nazi and otherwise white supremacist affiliations, and the group’s participation in “the DIY Division, or ...

Rise Above Movement,” “a loose collective of violent neo-Nazis and fascists from Southern California that’s organized and trains primarily to engage in fighting and violence at political rallies.”

One researcher of U.S. hate groups, New Haven’s Henry Fernandez, noted a danger in efforts to portray the Proud Boys as non-white supremacist.

“In the racists’ world and in the world of some people who research these groups there are distinctions between being ‘white nationalist’ and ‘white supremacist.’ However in reality, I have found that there is no distinction,” Fernandez, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, stated in an email message. “This is along the lines of

your simple Google searches. White nationalists invariably believe things that involve protecting their race from other races and want to do so because they denigrate other races. Some have shortened their term from white nationalist to just ‘nationalist,” but this is a game.

“There have long been fights (physical and online) between different factions of white supremacists. So the fact that these groups fight is not particularly informative. For instance some Klan members hated neo-Nazis because their fathers fought the Nazis. Some skinheads fight other racists because they are basically thugs who like to fight.

But in the real world racists tend to move between these groups based on geography and which group has the most members or the best club house or whatever. There are different ideologies among white supremacists but these are distinctions that would matter little to you or me.”

Fernandez argued that “getting wrapped up in the distinctions that white supremacists make among themselves is ridiculous. They are all white supremacists. The Proud Boys are not racist because they say they are not racist? This particular group appears to exist to get in street fights, apparently including provoking them. “ That doesn’t mean the half-dozen young white Proud Boys attacked anyone last Saturday on the Green. They didn’t. They were attacked.

It doesn’t mean that it made sense for two out-of-towners who crashed last Saturday’s counterdemonstration to kick the Proud Boys and throw paint balloons at them. People on all sides of the New Haven incident condemned those actions. (And those actions did not reflect the fact that the New Haven organizers of the counterdemonstration specifically instructed marchers not to make contact with the Proud Boys.)

And the police inevitably got hit from both sides in such circumstances — criticized for doing too little and for overreacting.

Meanwhile, the cops plan to step up communications efforts.

On Thursday, Chief Campbell said the department plans to create a more active presence on sites like Instagram and Snapchat and Twitter — “things that I don’t even know about, but my 15-yearold daughter does” — to “alleviate a lot of misinformation.” He said he hopes to have an officer staff a social media unit.

Meanwhile, how to talk about hate groups will pose just one of many tough challenges New Haven faces in figuring out ways to deal with provocative visits to New Haven. The words, all sides agree, have real-life consequences.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

Black Publishers Push for Report on Federal Ad Spending

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Contributor

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is set to begin work on a report detailing advertising spending by federal agencies—particularly as it pertains to Black and Latino media companies.

“After several senators joined our request, including Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Shumer, GAO sent us an update in February saying that the request would take about six months of work,” said Benjamin Fritsch, a spokesman for Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), who first called for the report during a press conference with National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) members and representatives of the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP).

The GAO is a government agency that provides auditing, evaluation, and investigative services for Congress.

Charles Young, the managing director of public affairs for the GAO acknowledged that the request for a new report was formally received in February.

“Staffing was not expected to be freed up from existing work for several months and we now expect to begin the work in August or September,” Young said.

In March 2016, Norton called on the office to issue a report on federal advertising contracts and subcontracts with minority-owned newspapers and media companies.

Norton said that the federal government serves as the largest advertiser in the country, and it’s important that news outlets and media companies owned or published by individuals of color with a primary mission to serve communities of color have the same opportunities as other media outlets, especially as African-Americans and Hispanic Americans continue to grow in number in the United States.

“We believe that this request is particularly timely, because GAO will be conducting an audit of spending by federal agencies on public relations and advertising,” Norton said.

One month after publicly making the request, Norton circulated a letter to members of Congress to sup-

said the U.S. government stands as one of the biggest marketing and advertising entities in the world in terms of dollars spent.

He cited a 2012 report that revealed government ad spending had reached $16 billion.

“That was five years ago and that number is not likely to have gone down,” said Smith. “Being a publisher, and knowing what others are getting, clearly the Black Press has not been a part of those ad buys and, by and large, we’ve been on the outside looking in.”

Con’t from page 12

Girls Trip

port her call to GAO to issue a new report.

In 2007, the GAO, which acts as the authoritative audit unit for the federal government, probed the spending on advertising contracts with minority-owned businesses by five agencies—the Department of Defense, Department of the Treasury, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of the Interior, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The agency found that just five percent of the $4.3 billion available for advertising campaigns went to minority-owned businesses. Thirty-one of Norton’s colleagues in Congress signed the letter, including CBC Chair Cedric Richmond (D-La.) and legendary congressmen John Lewis (D-Ga.), Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), and former CBC Chair G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.).

Seven months later in November, a group of Senators, including Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (DHawaii), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) also signed a letter and joined the call for accountability in the federal government’s advertising practices – or lack thereof when it comes to minority-owned news outlets.

Several aides to the lawmakers did note that journalists, who work for Black- and Hispanic-owned media outlets must do a better job of keeping the issue on the pages of their newspapers.

Dorothy Leavell, the new chair-

woman of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) has vowed to do just that and she said she’s grateful to Norton.

“We are extremely appreciative of Congresswoman Norton for taking the initiative on this,” said Leavell, who is also the publisher of the Crusader Newspaper Group. Leavell added that the wait for the GAO report has been long enough. “Anymore delay will not be tolerated.”

Leavell also said that it was unacceptable that federal agencies have largely excluded Black-owned media companies from delivering messages from the U.S. government to the Black community.

“I urge the officials at GAO to start today in their investigation and conclude it immediately,” said Leavell.

However, Young said it typically takes months before a request to the GAO is acted upon.

Also, the change in administration had nothing to do with the length of time this process has taken since Norton’s call about 15 months ago, he said.

“The change in administration does not have an impact, just the various other GAO reviews already underway,” Young said, noting that the GAO did not receive a formal request until February.

Headquartered in D.C. and with offices in several cities including Atlanta and Los Angeles, the GAO was founded in 1921. In a Fiscal Year 2016 report, the agency noted that it had provided nearly 2,100 recom-

17

mendations to improve government operations.

Approximately 73 percent of the recommendations GAO made four years earlier in Fiscal Year 2012, have already been implemented, thus making any suggestion on advertising with minority-owned media an important step in the quest for Black and Hispanic-owned papers to receive advertising dollars.

“The NNPA anticipates that the new GAO report will once again substantiate what we already know and that is Black American-owned newspapers and media companies are not afforded equality and equity for annual federal advertising spending,” said NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. “This is a serious problem that urgently needs to be rectified by the government of the United States.”

Karen Carter Richards, the publisher of the Houston Forward Times and NNPA First Vice Chair said that the federal government is the largest advertiser in the country.

“The lack of advertising by federal agencies as it relates to AfricanAmerican and other minority media companies must be addressed,” said Carter Richards. “We remain optimistic that the findings in this GAO report will lead to the necessary changes we need to ensure communities of color have the same opportunities as other media outlets.”

Bernal Smith, the publisher of the New Tri-State Defender in Memphis and second vice chair of the NNPA,

By Dwight Brown, NNPA Newswire Film Critic

This hilarious and relentlessly bawdy take on a girls’ weekend reunion in New Orleans is following in the footsteps of some very popular femaleappeal movies like “Sex In the City” and “Bridesmaids.” But “Girls Trip” is not a copycat. It’s very unique and will leave its own lasting imprint on the good-girls-gone-wild genre.

Ten minutes into this comedy, you’re asking yourself, “Who the hell wrote this?” The story is contemporary, the dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny, the characters are distinct and their life dramas, rivalries and relationship problems are thoroughly engaging for 122 minutes.

Blame the naughty humor on Kenya Barris (TV’s “Black-ish”) and Tracy Oliver (“Barbershop”). They completely understand the lurid minds of ladies who’ve had one-too-many cocktails and speak their mind. And for audience members who do not have a potty mouth, but wish they did, this crew says every wicked thing you ever thought, but never had the nerve to say.

Ryan Pierce (Regina Hall, “When the Bough Breaks”) is a successful and envied author, somewhat like an Oprah without a TV show. She’s married to ex-NFL player Stewart (Mike Colter, “Luke Cage”). On the surface, they have an ideal marriage and are on the verge of getting their own talk show. Behind closed doors, they’ve got problems. However, they must protect their brand and are determined to keep up their facade.

Ryan talks her old college girl-

THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

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18

Con’t from page 2 that it has not done before. This violence must stop immediately.”

The release included a chart showing that violence continues to drop throughout the city, including in Newhallville. (The number of shots fired for a while went up because of increased use of ShotSpotter technology that recorded more gunshots.) Keyes’ was the first murder in Newhallville so far this year; the neighborhood had had three at this point last year.

The neighborhood is getting a new district manager: newly promoted Lt. Renee Dominguez.

Meanwhile, a group of young pastors of local churches announced the formation of an association that they hope can address the gun violence that has taken the life of a 14-year-old, and seen a 13-year-old shot in the leg.

The group is called The Johsua Generation Clergy Association and its members gathered together at New Trinity Temple COGIC on Dixwell Avenue Monday to announce that their members will be opening the doors of their church for mentoring and community involvement to stop more young people from being killed.

“You don’t need another preacher telling that there is a problem,” Pastor Charles Henry Brewer III said during the press conference. “We all realize that.”

Brewer, who acted as the spokesman for the group Monday, said that it is imperative that the community come together to stop the violence and the pastors are offering their churches as safe havens where young people and their families can access services that address their mental and emotional needs. He said that the churches and their leaders are offering spiritual and daily guidance to deal with the trauma of these violent events. They also are encouraging anyone with information about the shooting death of Tyriek B. Keyes to come forward and help catch anyone responsible for the crime.

The group has already started a dialogue with Police Chief Anthony Campbell and two of his assistant chiefs to figure out ways to help stem the violence. The group is “advised” by the Rev. Boise Kimber, an influential member of the Greater New Haven Clergy Association.

The Joshua group also is opening the doors of the associated churches to other community groups to be in partnership with them.

“There is much to pray for—much we must do as a group of young leaders,” Brewer said. “And we don’t want to talk about it, but we want to be about it.”

Girls Trip

THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

Film Review:

By Dwight Brown, NNPA Newswire Film Critic

This hilarious and relentlessly bawdy take on a girls’ weekend reunion in New Orleans is following in the footsteps of some very popular femaleappeal movies like “Sex In the City” and “Bridesmaids.” But “Girls Trip” is not a copycat. It’s very unique and will leave its own lasting imprint on the good-girls-gone-wild genre.

Ten minutes into this comedy, you’re asking yourself, “Who the hell wrote this?” The story is contemporary, the dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny, the characters are distinct and their life dramas, rivalries and relationship problems are thoroughly engaging for 122 minutes.

Blame the naughty humor on Kenya Barris (TV’s “Black-ish”) and Tracy Oliver (“Barbershop”). They completely understand the lurid minds of ladies who’ve had one-too-many cocktails and speak their mind. And for audience members who do not have a potty mouth, but wish they did, this crew says every wicked thing you ever thought, but never had the nerve to say.

Ryan Pierce (Regina Hall, “When the Bough Breaks”) is a successful and envied author, somewhat like an Oprah without a TV show. She’s married to ex-NFL player Stewart (Mike Colter, “Luke Cage”). On the surface, they have an ideal marriage and are on the verge of getting their own talk show. Behind closed doors, they’ve got problems. However, they must protect their brand and are determined to keep up their facade.

Ryan talks her old college girlfriends, who used to call themselves the “Flossy Posse,” into a reunion in New Orleans at the annual Essence Music Festival. There’s Dina (Tiffany Haddish, “The Carmichael Show”), the brassy one who talks like a drunk hooker, “We gonna get some d—k this weekend.” Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith), a nurse with two kids, is the prudish one: “Dina! I need you to use your lady mouth.” Sasha (Queen Latifah) is a gossip columnist, who is having trouble paying her bills.

The foursome gathers at the airport, checks into a lavish hotel and in short order they are kicked out thanks to Dina’s outlandish behavior. Apparently the finer establishments don’t take

kindly to women who threaten patrons with broken champagne bottles. The group moves to a fleabag motel that’s frequented by $5 prostitutes.

That’s the set up, and director Malcolm Lee (“The Best Man”), who has become the populist voice for the Black middle-class, works his magic.

Scenes melt into each other with a quick rhythm, and each has its own dynamic, builds to a crescendo and leaves plenty of room for the cast to engage in comical banter. He gives the actresses room to play their characters to the max. Bedroom scenes, danceoffs, bar fights, Beale Street parades, testy confrontations, shocking revelations and raunchy repartee are orchestrated with precision. You barely have time to breathe between the outrageous scenes (editor Paul Millspaugh, “The Best Man Holiday”).

The cast works well together as an ensemble. Pinkett Smith finds the humor in her dour character, who is in

19

desperate need of a wild night out.

When she hooks up with a lanky 21-year-old (Kofi Siriboe, “Queen Sugar”), she gets her mojo back. Hall, as the lead character, has the right mix of shocking indignation and resignation. Latifah adds texture to the financially challenged Sasha. Larenz Tate plays an old friend named Julian, who is a sensitive soul and a perfect counterbalance to Stewart, a hardened lothario. Tate hasn’t aged a day since 1997’s “Love Jones.”

Haddish gets the best lines and the most outrageous physical humor.

What she does with a banana and a grapefruit in one scene is so whacked out she could earn a best supporting actress award. She lifts the Dina character off the page, brings her alive on screen and displays a go-for-the-jugular humor that makes you think she will do anything for a laugh, just like Melissa McCarthy.

The quartet of actresses must share

top-billing with New Orleans and the Essence Music Festival. Through the lens of cinematographer Greg Gardiner (“The Best Man Holiday”) NOLA and Beale Street look so inviting. The colors, especially in the costumes (Danielle Hollowell, “The Best Man Holiday”), pop off the screen with brilliant yellows, lush reds and bright oranges. Also, if you’ve been curious about the Essence Music Festival and have never gone, you’re getting a free look. Glimpses of concert performances by Maxwell, Faith Evans and others enliven the footage. Cameos by Morris Chestnut and Ava DuVernay add verve.

There is something endearing about watching old friends work through their differences and rekindle the love and solidarity that once united them.

But that’s like reading Playboy for the great articles. Audiences who venture out to see Girls Trip are really hungering for outlandish humor and a good date movie—and that’s what they’ll get. They will laugh themselves silly and leave happy.

Every two seconds you’ll find yourself saying, “I can’t believe they just said that.” But they did—and it was oh-so funny!

Dwight Brown is a film critic and travel writer. As a film critic, he regularly attends international film festivals including Cannes, Sundance, Toronto and the American Black Film Festival. Read more movie reviews by Dwight Brown here and at DwightBrownInk.com.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

Housing Authority of the City of New Haven

The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT is requesting qualifications from

Plumbing Services- West Side Properties

experienced firms for Internet, Internet Voice Bundle and Hosted Voice service. RFQ documents can be viewed and printed at www.norwalkha.org under the business tab, RFPs/ RFQs. Norwalk Housing Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Curtis O. Law, Executive Director

CARPENTER

Petroleum Company has an immediate full time opening. Previous experience in a very busy office handling multiple telephone lines and dealing with customers required. Excellent customer service skills a must. Previous petroleum experience a plus. Applicant to also perform administrative/clerical tasks as assigned. Please send resume to: H.R. Manager, Confidential, P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437.

Invitation for Bids

The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Bids for Plumbing Services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https:// newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at 9:00 AM

Large CT Fence Company looking for a carpenter for our Wood Fence Production Shop. Experience preferred but will train the right person. Must be familiar with carpentry hand & power tools and be able to read a CAD drawing & tape measure. This is an in-shop production position. Duties include building fence panels, posts, gates and more. Some pickup & delivery of materials may also be required. Must have a valid CT driver’s license & be able to obtain a Drivers Medical Card. Must be able to pass a physical & drug test. Compensation $15.00 per hr. Please email resume to pboucher@atlasoutdoor.com. AA/EOE

The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT is requesting proposals from experienced firms for Internet, Internet Voice Bundle and Hosted Voice service or equivalent. Request for Proposal (RFP) documents can be viewed and printed at www.norwalkha.org under the business tab, RFPs/RFQs. Norwalk Housing Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Curtis O. Law, Executive Director

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Invitation for Bids McConaughy Terrace Furnace and Hot Water Heaters Replacement The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Bids for McConaughy Terrace Furnace and Hot Water Heaters Replacement. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 at 3:00PM.

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Listing: Receptionist/Office Assistant

********An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**********

Construction Truck and Equipment Head Mechanic Large CT based Fence and Guard Rail contractor looking for experienced, self-motivated, responsible Head Mechanic. Responsibilities will include maintaining and repairing all company equipment and vehicles, updating asset lists and assuring all rolling stock is in compliance with state and federal regulations. Must have extensive diesel engine, electrical wiring and hydraulic systems experience.

Top wages paid, company truck and benefits. AA/EOE Please send resume to Mpicard@atlasoutdoor.com

Maintainer I – Town of Manchester $46,287.28 CDL req’d.

CLOSING DATE: August 4, 2017

Call HR Recruitment Line at (860) 647-3170 for info or view website: http://hrd1.townofmanchester.org.

POLICE OFFICER Competitive examinations will be held for the position of Police Officer in the Orange, Torrington and West Haven Police Departments.

Candidates may register for the testing process at www.policeapp.com/southcentral.

Application deadline is Thursday, August 17, 2017.

Invitation for Bids Plumbing Services

The physical performance, written, and oral board exams will be administered by the South Central Criminal Justice Administrations.

The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Bids for Plumbing Services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Monday, July 10, 2017 at 3:00PM.

THE DEPARTMENTS PARTICIPATING IN THIS RECRUITMENT DRIVE ARE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYERS.

Certified Police Officer The Town of Wallingford is currently accepting applications for current Connecticut P.O.S.T.C Certified Police Officers. Applicants must be active P.O.S.T.C Certified Police Officers in good standing with their current department, or have retired in good standing, still having a current certification status with P.O.S.T.C. This Process will consist of Written, Oral, Polygraph, Psychological, Medical Exam, and Background Investigation.

The Town of Wallingford offers a competitive pay rate $62,753.60- $ 74,963.20 annually.

Application deadline will be July 28, 2017 Apply: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main St., Wallingford, CT. phone: (203) 294-2080; fax: (203) 294-2084.

EOE.

Listing: Receptionist/Office Assistant

Petroleum Company has an immediate full time opening. Previous experience in a very busy office handling multiple telephone lines and dealing with customers required. Excellent customer service skills a must. Previous petroleum experience a plus. Applicant to also perform administrative/clerical tasks as assigned. Please send resume to: H.R. Manager, Confidential, P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437.

********An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**********

TRANSFER STATION LABORER 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.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

Housing Authority of the City of New Haven Invitation for Bids Plumbing Services- West Side Properties The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Bids for Plumbing Services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Wednesday, July 26, 2017 at 9:00 AM

Housing Authority of the City of New Haven Invitation for Bids Plumbing Services- Scattered Sites

The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Bids for Plumbing Services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Wednesday, July 26, 2017 at 3:00 PM

Diesel Mechanic 3-5 years min. exp. 40-Hr. Hazwoper Repair/maintain triaxles, roll offs, heavy equipment.

Kenworth, Mack, John Deere, Cat. FAX resumes: 860.218.2433; or Email: Info@redtechllc.com.

RED Technologies, LLC is An EOE.

Listing: Senior Accountant

2+ years public accounting or 4 + years corporate accounting experience. CPA preferred.

Monthly tax prep, assist w/monthly closing, account analysis/reconciliation, maintain subledgers, assist managing network and system projects. Must be able to work independently with little/no supervision. Report to Dir. of Acctg. w/heavy exposure to CFO. Strong Excel and analytical skills a must. Great growth potential! Benefit package. Petroleum industry experience a plus. Send resume to: Human Resource Dept. P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437. **An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**

The Glendower Group, Inc Request for Qualifications CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM PORTFOLIO- GROUP IV AND V The Glendower Group, Inc an affiliate of Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm city Communities is currently seeking Proposals for CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM PORTFOLIOGROUP IV AND v. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Monday, June 12, 2017 at 9:00AM

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES Invitation for Bids 162 South Genesee Street Rehabilitation The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Bids for 162 South Genesee Street Rehabilitation. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 at 3:00PM.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

Help Wanted: Immediate opening for construction laborer for

Heavy and Highway Construction. Please call PJF Construction Corp.@ 860-888-9998. We are an equal opportunity employer M/F Help Wanted: Immediate opening for Dump Truck Driver for Heavy and Highway Construction. CDL A license and clean driving record required.

Please call PJF Construction Corp. @ 860-888-9998. We are an equal opportunity employer M/F.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT - Portland Administrative Assistant for reception, phones, filing, and corporate staff support. Working knowledge of Haz. Waste Regs., Manifests, AP & billing. OSHA certification a +. Forward resumes to RED Technologies, LLC Fax 860-218-2433; or Email to HR@redtechllc. com RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

The Town of East Haven is currently accepting applications for the following positions: Firefighter D/Paramedic-Lateral Transfer: Salary- $48,972/year Firefighter/Paramedic-New Recruit: $48,972/year

KMK Insulation Inc. 1907 Hartford Turnpike North Haven, CT 06473

Mechanical Insulator position.

Insulation company offering good pay and benefits.

Please mail resume to above address.. MAIL ONLY This company is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer.

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.

Requirements for both positions and the application is available online at www.FirefighterApp.com/EastHavenFD.

2BR Bristol, CT $950-$990 Zbikowski Park Neighborhood now taking applications for newly rehabbed 2BR apartment.

Available immediately. Income restrictions apply. Equal Housing Opportunity. Contact Beatrice Nieves at (860) 585-2042 or at bnieves@bristolhousing.org

East Haven is committed to building a workforce of diverse individuals. Minorities, Females, Handicapped and Veterans are encouraged to apply.

The Town of East Haven is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Listing: Senior Accountant 2+ years public accounting or 4 + years corporate accounting experience. CPA preferred.

Monthly tax prep, assist w/monthly closing, account analysis/reconciliation, maintain subledgers, assist managing network and system projects. Must be able to work independently with little/no supervision. Report to Dir. of Acctg. w/heavy exposure to CFO. Strong Excel and analytical skills a must. Great growth potential! Benefit package. Petroleum industry experience a plus. Send resume to: Human Resource Dept. P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437.

Construction oriented company seeking full-time Accounting/Administrative Assistant to answer phones, schedule sales appts, filing, typing & other general office duties. Will also have accounting responsibilities-data entry, sales order billing, and processing A/P transactions, supporting our overthe-counter sales person, the controller & CFO. Min 5 yrs. Related experience, excellent written & verbal skills, ability to multitask, knowledge of basic accounting principles, excellent computer skills (5+ yrs. Experience) with Excel & Word, accounting software knowledge a plus. $31,200 annual salary-negotiable based on experience & qualifications. AA/EOE Email resume to mmunzner@atlasoutdoor.com

**An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer** VNA Community Healthcare is searching for Certified Home Health Aides (HHA). Must have 6 months – one year of experience as a HHA. Several opportunities for full and parttime flexible schedules. Submit resume and cover letter to jobs@vna-commh.org. Visit our website www.connecticuthomecare.org for other opportunities. EOE/M/F

KMK Insulation Inc.

1907 Hartford Turnpike North Haven, CT 06473

Mechanical Insulator

Insulation Company offering good pay and benefits.

Please forward resume via REGULAR MAIL only.

This company is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

TRANSFER STATION LABORER

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.comRED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT - Portland

Administrative Assistant for reception, phones, filing, and corporate staff support. Working knowledge of Haz. Waste Regs., Manifests, AP & billing. OSHA certification a +. Forward resumes to RED Technologies, LLC Fax 860-218-2433; or Email to HR@redtechllc. com RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

Class A CDL Driver

with 3 years min. exp. HAZMAT Endorsed. (Tractor/Triaxle/Roll-off) 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, Portland, CT 06480.

RED Technologies, LLC is An EOE.

VNA Community Healthcare is searching for Certified Home Health Aides (HHA). Must have 6 months – one year of experience as a HHA. Several opportunities for full and part-time flexible schedules. Submit resume and cover letter to jobs@ vna-commh.org. Visit our website www.connecticuthomecare.org for other opportunities.

EOE/M/F

THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

N O T WO C AREER P ATHS A RE T HE S AME We Offer: • Employer Incentives to Hire • On-the-Job Training • Job Search Assistance • Re-Training • Transportation Assistance • Hiring Events

4 Locations: New Haven: (203) 624-1493 Meriden: (203) 238-3688 Middletown: (860) 347-7691 Hamden: (203) 859-3200 Open Mon-Fri, 8:30am – 4:30pm Hamden opens at 8am

Visit www.workforcealliance.biz/services/wheredoistart Be Part of the South Central CT Economy

*There is never a fee for the jobseeker or the employer. Services are funded through state and federal grants.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS July 26, 2017 - August 01, 2017

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