INNER-CITY NEWS

INNER-CITY NEWS THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09 , 2017 July 27, 2016- -August August15, 02,2017 2016

Financial Justice a Key Focus at 2016 NAACP Convention Communities demand ICE stop separating families New Haven, Bridgeport

NEWS INNER-CITY Volume 27 . No. 2242

Volume 21 No. 2194

Malloy To Malloy To Dems: Dems: Moving

“DMC” Forward Are You About That Plant-Based Life?

Color Struck?

Ignore Ignore“Tough “ToughOn OnCrime” Crime”

Snow in July?

NAACP Commemorates 1917 Silent Protest

Millennials Cycle Into Mayoral Race

Elm City Ballers Take It Downtown THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09, 2017 - August 15, 2017

by JON GREENBERG NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

A match-up between the New Haven Heat and Beaver Hills Sunday evening had all the trappings of a semiprofessional basketball game. Fans filled bleachers and hung on railings ringing the court. Music boomed from speakers in the out-of-bounds area. At the center of it all, the players played hard, hustling for loose balls, fighting past defenders and running back on defense, their efforts producing hoots and hollers from the crowd.

Beaver Hills and the New Haven Heat, although talented, are not professionals. The two squads are composed of New Haven high schoolers, and their match Sunday was the championship game for the 16-18 year old age division of the Connecticut Big 3 Ball Out tournament.

The tournament, which is in its fourth year, gives kids and young adults from across Connecticut an opportunity to play fun, competitive basketball against one another. Games took place on Saturday and Sunday on the stretch of Church Street in front of City Hall,

A moment from the Team Separation v. Beaver Hills game.

which was blocked off and transformed into 16 basketball courts for the event.

Most of the teams that competed in this year’s tournament were from New Ha-

ven, Hartford, and other towns in the state. Others came from New York, New Jersey, Boston, and even Philadelphia.

Ebony McClease, one of the organizers of the competition, said 74 teams of four competed Sunday across five age brackets, ranging from 7-9 years old to 19 years and over. The tournament was single-elimination; match-ups within each age bracket were made randomly.

Three players were on the court for each team at a time, and matches were 20 minutes long.

Pete Duglenski, one of the referees, who officiates college basketball games professionally, said Saturday was a free-play day and had no bearing on the games Sunday. He said teams knocked out in the earlier rounds on Sunday were invited to stick around, play on the open courts, and watch the remaining games, and many did.

Beaver Hills’ path to the championship game was not an easy one. After knocking out a team called CBG in the first round, Beaver Hills’s players found themselves pitted against a very talented squad, Team Separation, in the semi-final. At the end of 20 minutes, Separation and Beaver Hills were tied, forcing a sudden-death overtime. The first team to score two points would win.

After a few changes of possession, Beaver Hills’ Trayvon Sherman held the ball.

“I was just thinking, I’ve gotta win this,” Sherman said.

Sherman did just that, driving to his right and sinking a shot from beyond the three-point arc to send his squad to the next round.

Beaver Hills did not prevail in the championship match against the New Haven Heat, falling 14-12.

Michael Wooton, a member of the squad, said the Heat’s size advantage made it difficult to play against them.

Still, Wooton said he enjoyed the competition and planned to play again next year, as did all the other players who spoke with the Independent.

Joshua “Duck Sauce” Pearson of New Haven, who played in the 10-12 year old division, said his favorite moment from the tournament was hitting three three-pointers in a row in one of his games. Pearson said his nickname is Duck Sauce because he’s “sweet on the court.”

In the 7-9 year old division, the

chief (he got the permanent job this May), he gave Casanova a one-day suspension for calling an officer a “fucking mope” and then denying the officer the right to have union representation at a meeting about it. Casanova was competing with Campbell at the time to become police chief. That incident sparked a demonstration by Casanova supporters in the community alleging that he had been unfairly treated.

This latest incident occurred last week.

At the time, Campbell was out of town at a three-week Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) training course in Boston. Campbell also authorized Casanova to take the three-week course. Casanova had started a week earlier, returned to work in New Haven last week.

Meanwhile, Campbell had decided to discipline three officers whom IA investigations had found to have failed to have followed proper search and seizure procedures. Campbell said the officers were involved in three separate incidents, but their violations were similar. So he decided it made sense as part of their discipline to have them go back

to the academy for retraining.

People familiar with what happened next, speaking not for attribution, offered somewhat conflicting versions, based on whether they are sympathetic to Campbell or to Casanova whether they think Casanova had indeed been insubordinate and undermined Campbell while he was out of town, or whether they think he has been unfairly accused based on outof-context trumped-up accusations.

Here’s where the accounts converge: Casanova disagreed with Campbell’s discipline decision. He told supervisors at the academy so and told them to alter the assigned retraining for the three officers in order to make the day feel like less of a punishment, including hours blowing off steam at the firing range.

Mayor Toni Harp said she plans to meet about the matter with city human resources chief Steve Librandi and Corporation Counsel John Rose Jr. “I need to get more information before I weigh in,” she said.

Con’t on page 8

Chief Orders New IA Probe Of Casanova

by PAUL BASS

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

In the second such drama in eight months on the third floor of 1 Union Ave., Police Chief Anthony Campbell has requested an internal affairs investigation of Assistant Chief Luiz Casanova and temporarily removed him from his responsibilities overseeing the training academy.

Campbell acted after supervisors at the academy came to him with concerns about potentially conflicting messages from him and Casanova.

Campbell said Monday night that he is acting primarily in response to “a concern presented by staff members of a hostile work environment” as well as in response to potential insubordination.

For now, he said, he is restricting Casanova to working inside the third-floor chief’s suite on “administrative assignment.”

“He’ll be inside until we sort this out,” Campbell said.

“I took action to make sure he’s not at the academy at this time, to make sure the academy operates smoothly,”

ALLAN APPEL PHOTO

Casanova and Campbell at recent commission meeting.

Campbell said. “I believe that a fair and impartial investigation will be conducted.”

He said he can’t discuss the matter further because of the pending internal affairs (IA) probe. Casanova said he, too, is not authorized to discuss the matter.

The police union was notified of

the action because of it involves reports written by two union members.

Union President Craig Miller declined comment.

This is the second time Campbell has acted on a complaint involving Casanova. Last December, when Campbell was still the interim police

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09, 2017 - August 15, 2017

2nd Immigrant Takes Church Sanctuary

by CHRISTOPHER PEAK NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

An Ecuadorean immigrant who came to the U.S. to flee violence has taken sanctuary in a New Haven church in the face of a deportation order.

The federal government ordered the father of three, Marco Antonio Reyes Alvarez of Meriden, to fly back to Ecuador Tuesday.

“Instead of going to the airport, he drove instead to New Haven” this morning and took shelter at the First & Summerfield Church at College and Elm streets, reported immigrant rights organizer John Lugo of Unidad Latina en Accion (ULA), which has worked on Reyes’ case. “Nobody is expecting that [after] living in freedom and having a regular life in this country, one day [authorities are] asking their father to leave this country. I think it’s pretty difficult for the family.”

Reyes came to the U.S. in 1997 with his wife and two children and has worked in construction since, paying taxes since 2002, according to advocates. Immigration and Customs En-

CHRISTOPHER PEAK PHOTO

Marco Antonio Reyes Alvarez, with his wife and 12-year-old daughter, at First & Summerfield Church Tuesday.

forcement (ICE) arrested him in 2007 for being here without permission.

The government issued a deportation order in 2009, but he was won stays of deportation ever since. Until now, as the Trump administration has tightened immigration policies.

Around 1 p.m., Reyes’s family

members spoke to the media in the Methodist church’s sanctuary.

Evelyn Reyes said her father had made a “really hard decision” in choosing to move into the building.

“It’s hard for him, it’s hard for all of us,” she said. “We’re hanging in there.” The 23-year-old daughter said

her father had been inspired by Nury Chavarria, another undocumented immigrant who spent a week in another New Haven church. Eveleyn called Nury “a very strong woman.”

Reyes has been waiting in a marooncarpeted office on the first floor of the offices behind the church. He’s been

joined by his wife, Fanny; his son, Anthony, 21; his daughter, Adriana, 12; several in-laws, nieces, nephews and other family and friends.

Out in the hallway, organizers from ULA and the Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance (CIRA) managed a deluge of phone calls from reporters, tried to line up politicians for an evening press conference and compiled a list of essentials that Reyes will need during his indeterminate stay.

Reyes follows a path forged by another employed, longtime resident and undocumented immigrant, Nury Chavarria. She took sanctuary last month in a Fair Haven church, Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal, on the day she had been ordered to leave the country. The community and statewide elected officials rallied around her. On July 26, a judge granted her permission to stay in the country as her case is reopened.

Supporters gathered over 1,000 signatures over the weekend calling for him to be allowed to stay in the country. But his last appeal for a stay was denied on Monday.

Con’t on page 15

Communities demand ICE stop separating families

by Joelle Fishman People’s World. August 2017 NEW HAVEN, Conn.—A planned protest march turned into a victory march for Nury Chavarria when she was granted an emergency stay of deportation six days after taking sanctuary at Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal.

Overwhelming community support from across the state and at every level of government had forced U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to reconsider.

Yet even as the march went through the neighborhood, discussions were underway about how to support the growing list of known deportation orders around the state.

Across the country immigrant rights activists, attorneys, clergy and local elected officials are hard at work strategizing about how to protect their

neighbors and co-workers from wanton targeting and deportation. It is a crisis for thousands of families in Connecticut and nationally.

Within a week, the Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance (CIRA) and Unidad Latina en Acción were outside Immigration Court in Hartford holding a press conference to stop the August 8 deportation of Marco Antonio Reyes Alvarez.

Reyes’ new lawyer has filed a motion to reopen his case so he can seek permanent residence. If Reyes is returned to Ecuador his life will be endangered, and he will be in a forced separation from his wife and children for ten years.

The case brought U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal back from Washington at a moment’s notice.

“When I heard about this rally I was on the floor of the U.S. Senate voting for a bill. I finished the second vote at 12:30, made it to a 1:44 plane, got right into the car and made it here. That is how important this is. We can send a message on every one of these cases.

We care about them and their families and children,” he told the media.

The Reyes family has lived in Meriden, Conn., since 1997, where they are respected members of the community. Two of the children are protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and one is a U.S. citizen.

After being apprehended by ICE when the family accidentally crossed the border into Canada during vacation in 2016, Reyes has reported regularly to ICE as required and has been granted stays of removal. This June he was suddenly denied and fitted with an ankle bracelet that monitors his every movement.

His daughters tearfully told the media of their need for their father and their love for him. “He’s been here for 20 years. He’s part of America and he needs to stay here with me and my brother and sister,” said Evelyn.

“No one should have to go through this,” added her sister. In response, the crowd chanted, “Keep Marco here!”

“Marco, thank you for your courage and strength,” said Sen. Blumenthal, citing the facts of the case as “inhumane and intolerable.”

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ICE has been given open season under the Trump administration. They are purposely carrying out family separation. In recent weeks they have entrapped parents by asking them to come to fake appointments at ICE for their children. Yasmine Rodríguez, a lawyer with the Esperanza Center for Law and Advocacy, says that has been the case with several families she represents.

CIRA is organizing to bring the facts into the open and build strong public support to force a change in policy.

“We are going to stand against policy at the national level of segregation, separation and racial discrimination that tears families apart,” said Meriden Councilman Miguel Castro as he pledged to stand by the family.

“Marco works hard. His kids go to school with our kids, the family are leaders and advocates. They make a serious moral, civic and Christian contribution to our community,” he said.

The religious sanctuary movement in Conn. has also pledged support. “I do not believe the dream of America has died,” said Reyes’ pastor Omar

Herrera. “The rights of this nation and Constitution are still effective. We want to see the law of the land prevail in the way of justice for all the sons and daughters of God,” he added.

Concluding the press conference, emcee Jesús Morales Sánchez of Unidad Latina en Acción urged ICE to reopen the case. “We cannot call ourselves a humane nation when millions of families are terrorized and torn apart,” he said. “We condemn a system that separates families without remorse.”

Encouraging the entire community to remain engaged, he said, “No matter if you came to the United States last week or on the Mayflower, the immigration crisis faces us all and we should all be part of the solution.”

The Reyes case is one of many thousands. As with Nury Chavarria, the courage of his family to step forward is giving strength to the growing movement to end the senseless, inhumane deportations that are destroying families and communities and to demand comprehensive immigration reform.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09, 2017 - August 15, 2017

Millennials Cycle Into Mayoral Race

by MARKESHIA RICKS NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

Marcus Paca’s campaign found a way Thursday to get 20 and 30-something moving in local politics: order them some pizza and invite them on the Elm City Party Bike.

The Democrat’s campaign for mayor has a Millennial Task Force, which invited young professionals to Ah Beetz pizza on Temple Street after work Thursday afternoon and hired out New Haven’s new mobile pedal-bar with wheels to pedal around downtown and talk about how to make a better city.

Paca was determined not to wear a suit to the event.

The weather had finally started to feel like summer, and the candidate was going to be riding for a few hours and talking to some of the city’s 20 and 30-somethings about why they should vote for him to be their next mayor. A suit was out of the question.

After discussing it with his most trusted campaign aide, his wife Mendi Blue, he arrived at Ah Beetz at the end of the workday in a short-sleeved button down shirt, cargo shorts, and Nike huaraches. He was ready to shake some hands, share his vision for how millennials would help chart the city’s course under his leadership, and he fit in with a crowd that was a mixture of after work, summer casual and ready for fun.

Paca is the first candidate to rent the Elm City Party Bike, which is already a hit with millennials, for an event, according to co-owner Colin Caplan.

The beer-pizza-cycling event reflects a challenge facing local office-seekers: how to bridge a generational divide and start harnessing the energy of millennials who haven’t so far swarmed to political campaigns.

At 40, running against an incumbent mayor nearing 70, Paca is just a decade or so older than the millennials he’s working to attract to his campaign.

He is in the process of petitioning his way on to the Sept. 12 Democratic Party mayoral primary ballot against two-term incumbent Toni Harp. He needs 1,872 signatures from registered Democrats. He added up a few more Thursday as his happy hour event was gearing up. (He needs only 220 voters, of any party, to run unaffiliated in the Nov. 7 general election.)

The energy was high Thursday as the first group of about 11 people, many of them already Paca supporters, prepared to make the downtown loop past busy bars and restaurants in the

MARKESHIA RICKS PHOTOS

Paca helps a supporter onto the party bike.

Lewis-Dupree, 33, (center), who said she wants to help shape mental health policy.

city. Those who didn’t make the first trip stayed back at Ah Beetz enjoying pizza and drinks.

As the first group pedaled their way up Crown Street they joined Paca in waving and shouting “Vote for Paca” to people on the street, dining outside and driving with their windows down.

Many people honked their horns, while others waved and smiled at the enthusiastic group.

The event was the brainchild of 34-year-old Kelly Moore, who heads up Paca’s Millennial Task Force. She works at Yale Law School as an assistant director in the business office and grew up in the city, though she wasn’t born here.

“I just love this town,” Moore said.

“Nothing else compares to New Haven.”

It would have been easy for her to vote for the incumbent mayor. Harp’s late husband, Wendell, helped her family with housing when they first moved here from a U.S. Air Force base in California. The New Haven Works

job-placement agency helped her get her foot in the door at Yale. She voted for Harp in the past. But she said this time she felt different: She didn’t want to continue to support an incumbent as blindly as she said has been done in this town in the past.

“The heart of democracy is us being involved and our voices mattering,” she said. “It’s not so much the argument of different political views. We need to make sure that everyone is a part of the process and then let the majority decide. One of the foundational pieces that drew me to Marcus was his passion for getting people involved.

That’s where my passion is, in inclusion.”

She said Paca wasn’t trying to foist an agenda on her or anyone else but was genuinely interested in the ideas of others.

“We just need to hear from them and remind them that this is a place that they can come and talk about how they feel and what their vision is,” she said of young voters like her. “And then we

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have to figure out how we turn those dreamers into believers.

“One of the hardest things we face, and what we saw in the federal election, everyone doesn’t feel like their voice is being heard,” Moore added.

“If we don’t give people those options, our democracy is going to fail.”

When the boisterous party bike pulled in for a pit stop near Barracuda Bar & Bistro, Paca asked members of his pedal party to share what they love about the city and what kind of ideas they had for making the city better.

That also opened the door for him to talk about some of his ideas about improving job opportunities and increasing mental health awareness.

Britt Lewis-Dupree, 33, said she was happy that Paca created an opportunity for the young professionals in the city to have their voices heard and that’s important because they are making the choice to live, work and raise their families in New Haven, and they’re doing that over other places they could be.

“We’re on the front lines of whatever profession that we’re in,” said LewisDupree, who has been a clinical social worker for about a decade. “We see things that people in certain offices don’t always see.”

She said Paca’s commitment to taking the Millennial Task Force beyond the campaign trail impressed her.

“My field is mental health ... If can help shape policy based on my experience working in the field, I would love the opportunity,” she said.

Paca, of course, isn’t the only candidate running hard after the millennial vote. Harp’s team is led by 34-year-old Jesse Phillips said that like Paca, the Harp campaign is using happy hours, brunches and networking events to connect with a younger demographic, Phillips said. Philips said Harp has been most active with the Urban Professional Network, also known as UPN, and the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce’s PULSE group, which is for young professionals 21 to 40.

“She wants to make sure that the city is working on policies and ideas and trying to retain us here in New Haven,” he said. “You can go to New York, Boston, Atlanta, Houston, but she wants you to have reasons to stay.

We want to be the No. 1 city for startups but also No. 1 for young families to move here.”

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Dr. Tamiko Jackson-McArthur Michelle Turner Smita Shrestha William Spivey Kam Williams Rev. Samuel T. Ross-Lee

_______________________

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

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09, 2017 - August 15, 2017

Call Him “Young Mr. Starpower”

by JON GREENBERG NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

Quinton White Jr. of New Haven has not graduated elementary school yet.

But he has won two national dancing championships, and he has no intention of stopping now.

The 9-year-old phenom, whose family lives in New Haven’s Beaver Hills neighborhood, won Starpower Talent’s Young Mr. Starpower award at the Mohegan Sun Casino on July 13 and the American Dance Awards’ Young Mr. Dancer of the Year award in Orlando the next day. Both of the competitions featured contestants from across the country.

Quinton said he danced the same routine at both competitions.

Lia Davila, the owner of the Hamden Academy of Dance and Music, where Quinton practices said these were the first two titles for which Quinton competed.

Quinton’s Young Mr. Starpower Trophy is nearly twice his size. He was barely able to fit it through the door of his dance academy, where he sat down with the Independent to talk about his dancing.

Despite his slight stature, Quinton is nothing short of talent. He has mastered intricate routines and difficult moves, including handless frontflips and backflips and “acro’s,” a sort of backflip-to-handstand move, which he performed during the interview. He will have the opportunity to show off these moves and more at the historic Apollo Theater in New York, where he was offered a chance to dance in August.

Quinton’s grandmother Lily Bethea said Quinton started dancing at Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church in Hamden when he was 4 years old.

Bethea said as Quinton got older, more and more people from the church told her that she should enroll him in dancing classes class.

“People kept saying, ‘This kid is talented, he needs to be in a school,’” Bethea said.

Bethea and Quinton’s mother, Krystal Bethea, signed Quinton up for dancing lessons at the Hamden Academy of Dance not long after. He has now been taking lessons at the academy for two years under the tutelage of dance instructor Tavon Dudley, who took an interest in Quinton “from day one,” according to Davila. Dudley choreographed the solo routine that Quinton performed in the two national competitions.

Quinton said he was very nervous

COURTESY OF CHERI WALKER

Quinton with his mother, Krystal Bethea, and his colossal trophy after winning the Young Mr. Starpower award.

before he went on stage at the competitions.

“Before I got on stage, I kept thinking I was going to mess up, ” he said.

“But when I got on stage, I felt comfortable.”

Quinton said he wants to be a professional dancer when he grows up. He added that he mostly does contemporary dance now, but did liturgical dance at his church and has dabbled in other types of dance too.

Davila said the Hamden Academy of Dance and Music was founded 15

years ago but that she only began enrolling her students in competitions three years ago. She said she currently has about 130 students, mostly from New Haven and Hamden, who range in age from three to 18 years.

“This is a very unique school … we’re like a family,” Davila said.

She said she seeks for the school to not only be a place to learn dance, but also, more broadly, to be a place where students feel like they belong and are doing something positive.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09, 2017 - August 15, 2017

Harp: Fighting Wrongful Imprisonment Suit Could Have Cost $18M

by PAUL BASS

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

It could have been worse — an $18 million bill rather than a $9.5 million bill to compensate a man for the 18 years he spent locked up on charges fabricated by a crooked New Haven police detective.

So Mayor Toni Harp said about the news that the city has settled a lawsuit with former inmate Scott Lewis for $9.5 million. Which means New Haven will now go $9.5 million into debt to pay off the bill.

“It’s a lot. It could have been more though,” Harp said on the WNHH radio show “Mayor Monday.” “The judge could have decided that a million dollars a year is reasonable for the 18 years [Lewis] spent in jail. That has happened in the past.

“We felt we had to do it [settle]. When officers do something like that, and it impacts someone’s life, the judicial system is going to exact a price. It’s unfortunate. And we’re paying for it.”

Lewis was one of two men convicted of having committed a 1990 double murder in the Hill of former Alderman Ricardo Turner and his lover. An FBI investigation soon revealed that a detective named Vincent Raucci was heavily involved in New Haven’s cocaine trade and allegedly set up Turner based on fake evidence. It took more than a decade for Lewis to be freed from jail, and only after state and then federal appeals prepared with the help of pro bono attorneys and law students. Lewis was finally freed from jail in 2014. (Click here, here and here

PAUL BASS PHOTO Lewis (center) celebrates his freedom in 2015 with attorneys Brett Dignam and Richard Emanuel.

to read prior stories about his case.

Click here for a detailed account of the FBI revelations and the specifics of this case, from a 1998 exposé in the now-defunct New Haven Advocate.

And click here to read the full FBI report, which covered wide ground about New Haven’s drug trade.)

Lewis subsequently filed a federal suit against the city. After the judge, Stefan Underhill, denied a city request to dismiss the case, city lawyers negotiated the $9.5 million settlement. This week the Board of Alders received a Harp administration request to bond for the $9.5 million.)

Harp was asked on the radio program what the city is doing to prevent such expensive lawsuits in the future.

She said — and Police Chief Anthony Campbell subsequently confirmed — that the department had hired a consultant to help screeners notice police applicants who could turn into rogue officers. “We’ve got to find ways to identify these people and root them out.,” Harp said. She also said that the department’s “command structure” must “assure that all of the officers ... are honest. If they’re not, we’ve got to help them find another form of employment. It’s that simple.”

Scott Lewis told the Independent that on the advice of his lawyer he will not comment on the pending settlement until it’s finally approved.

Harp supported Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim’s bid to participate in the

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public-financing system for his 2018 run for governor.

Because Ganim spent seven years in prison for taking bribes and kickbacks (in his previous term as mayor; he won the seat again after leaving prison), he does not qualify for the system under the current rules. So he decided to file a federal lawsuit in an effort to strike down that part of the system, the Citizens Election Program, as unconstitutional.

“I would argue that if he’s a politician and he meets all the qualifications, why would you use that to hold against his actually participating in something that would be a clean way and difficult, by the way — of raising money for a statewide campaign?

I think we do it all the time,” giving people a second chance to participate in society after completing criminal sentences.

Harp equated Ganim’s bid to use public financing to ex-cons’ bids to regain voting rights.

She was asked about the special argument made in this case, that a politician who has abused the public trust shouldn’t get the special privilege of receiving taxpayer money to regain elected office. “That’s a decision that the legislature should make, and not a body that is not elected. And it should be debated,” Harp argued.

• In the wake of another homeless encampment appearing on the east side of town, Harp said, she has asked her community services chief to explore the underlying causes. The city earlier this year ordered a similar camp disassembled.

Harp said she has learned that part of the reason the camps pop up is that addicts from elsewhere in Connecticut come to New Haven for its plentiful methadone programs, some of which, unlike programs in other communities will provide the antidote even if a user has dirty urine. Addicts are coming here from as far as Willimantic, she said.

She also criticized state rules that have hindered the opening of clinics in towns that don’t have them.

• Unlike some other Connecticut municipalities, New Haven will not consider delaying the start of school, even if the state legislature fails to pass a new (overdue) budget this month, Harp said. A listener asked if any teacher layoffs loom if New Haven ends up millions of dollars short of promised state cash. “We will absolutely not do that unless the teachers are not teaching in the classroom and are funded by a grant that has been terminated,” Harp said.

Harp said her finance team has directed all departments, including the schools, “that any of the contracts that we have out there that we don’t have to negotiate right now and are not needed to start school or any of the work we have to start on — we are going to slow-walk the contracting process, hoping they will have a budget” soon. The city’s good for cash through Sept. 30, she said. If the state somehow still doesn’t have a budget at that point, she said, “we’re going to have a cash problem in this city.” The city could be as much as $60 million short at that point, she said.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09, 2017 - August 15, 2017

Paca Makes Nov. 7 Ballot

by PAUL BASS

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

New Haven voters will be able to choose between at least two candidates for mayor in at least one election this fall.

That’s because Marcus Paca has qualified for the Nov. 7 general election ballot as an unaffiliated candidate, in his quest to unseat two-term Mayor Toni Harp.

Jessica Rios reported to her boss, City Clerk Michael Smart, at around 3 p.m. Tuesday that she had verified 293 signatures of New Haven voters that Paca had collected on petitions to make that ballot. He needed only 122.

“This goes to show that democracy is not dead in our city,” Paca said.

“But we have a lot more to do.”

Paca is also collecting signatures Con’t from page 4

Millennials Cycle Into Mayoral Race It would seem to be hard to have a one-on-one conversation with someone on a party bike. But Paca and Cerrone Bell, 25, managed to do it. It turns out that years ago when Bell was applying for college, he bumped into Paca in Stop & Shop.

Bell was wearing hoodie with the name of Paca’s alma mater, storied historically black Hampton University, emblazoned on it that day. Paca chatted him up over the sweatshirt and ultimately wrote a letter of recommendation for Bell. He didn’t get into the school, heading instead to the nation’s oldest HBCU, Lincoln University, but he never forgot how Paca had tried to help him.

Bell is now a financial assistant in the Office of Sponsored Projects at Yale.

He said he stands ready to help Paca, just as Paca helped him.

“I let him know I would do anything I could to help,” said the New Haven native, who grew up in the Newhallville section of the city. “He actually bridges the gap with my political interests. I hate politics. I don’t like what it does to people but it makes it more genuine that I know what his commitment is and what he’s done for me. So I can only assume that he will transfer that to the community. He’s built trust with me already.”

PAUL BASS PHOTO

Jessica Rios of the city clerk’s office Tuesday upon completing Paca’s count.

to have his name appear on the Sept.

12 Democratic Primary ballot. He needs a lot more verified signatures on petitions to do that — 1,852 signatures of registered Democrats. He said his campaign has collected “at least 2,600” signatures so far and hopes to break 3,000. (It usually takes collecting a lot more than the required number to succeed, since officials usually end up rejecting some, or many, signatures, depending on how carefully they were collected.) He and other candidates petitioning to have their names on the primary and general ballots have until 4 p.m. Thursday to turn in those petitions.

Thanks to a quirk of state law, two different city offices on the second floor of the 200 Orange St. municipal government building review petitions and certify whether candidates make the ballot. The Registrar of Voters Office has the big job: reviewing petitions for the primary ballot. The City Clerk’s Office has the more modest job: reviewing petitions for the general election ballot.

Only 122 signatures are required to make the latter ballot for citywide positions. Candidates for alder need as few as three signatures in some wards.

As a result, a slew of alder candidates is submitting petitions to both offices so they’ll have two shots at winning this fall, in both the primary and general elections. In the past,

Democratic primaries have been considered the real elections in New Haven since most voters are Democrats. However in recent years, as New Haven’s unaffiliated voter rolls have grown, some general election races have grown competitive, and more of these two-round contests have been developing.

According to the most recent available figures, the city now has a total of 54,216 active registered voters: 37,048 Democrats, 2,348 Republicans, 14,321 unaffiliated, and 499 minor-party members.

For instance, Ira Johnson (pictured), who hopes to make the ballot to run for clerk, left 200 Orange St. Tuesday with petitions for the general election. He said he has collected about 1,200 signatures so far to make the Democratic primary ballot, with only a bit more than 24 hours to go until the deadline. He said he plans to pursue the 122 signatures for the general election as a back-up.

Americo Carchia, who hopes to challenge party-endorsed probate judge candidate Clifton Graves Jr. in the Democratic primary, dropped off a batch of completed petitions and picked up more blank ones Tuesday in the Registrar of Voters office. He has concentrated on just the primary ballot, he said. So far he has collected around 2,100 or so signatures, he reported, so he was hustling to build the margin.

7

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09, 2017 - August 15, 2017

Lawyer Bid Blocked For Model 2nd-Chancer

by NATHAN J. ROBINSON NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

Former prisoners do not get much more “rehabilitated” than Reginald Dwayne Betts. In the time since his release in 2005, Betts has published two acclaimed books of poetry and a memoir, earned a college degree with a 4.0, earned an MFA, started a family, held a Radcliffe Fellowship at Harvard, earned a law degree from Yale, received an NAACP Image Award, given talks at schools, prisons, and conferences around the country, been accepted to a PhD program, worked for the New Haven Public Defender’s Office, and passed the Connecticut Bar Exam.

Yet this past Thursday, Betts was told by the State of Connecticut that he may not have the requisite “character and fitness” to practice law.

Having passed the bar exam , Betts received a letter indicating that the state’s Bar Examining Committee “has not recommended you for admission to the bar at this time.” The Committee referred Betts to Article VI of its regulations, which provide that “for the protection of the public and the system of justice… a record manifesting a significant deficiency in the honesty, trustworthiness, diligence or reliability of an applicant may constitute a basis for denial of admission.”

Betts’ felony conviction, from when he was 16 years old nearly 20 years ago, continued to haunt him. The endless list of accomplishments had not been enough. Nothing, apparently, could ever be.

(Betts has hired attorney Willie Dow to represent him before an upcoming Connecticut Bar Examining Committee hearing where he will get a chance to prove his “good moral character.”)

A criminal record follows you around for life. In Devah Pager’s formulation, it creates a permanent “mark” upon a person, a stain impossible to get rid of. Once you are marked, you stay marked, and your record will always define you in the eyes of employers, institutions, and society at large. The obstacles to achieving even an ordinary life will be many: finding a job, finding housing, and getting social services will be multiple times more difficult. And as Pager’s work documents, that difficulty is multiplied even further if you are black. It has always been true in the United States that being black means you need to be “twice as good” in order to achieve the same level of recognition. But as Betts’ case shows, if you have a criminal record,

Dwayne Betts you can even be nine times as good and it might not matter.

It’s important to realize just how destructive this is. Every additional difficulty placed in the way of a re-entering offender will discourage people from pursuing the kinds of lives that society ostensibly wants them to lead. You can say you want nothing more than for offenders to be rehabilitated, for them to study hard and work tirelessly and get law degrees . But if you make it clear when they do these things that , in fact, they’re not welcome, fewer people will bother. It has to actually be possible to be fully reaccepted into society for people to attempt to prove that they deserve it.

It’s also worth noting that it was Connecticut that refused to certify Betts’ application. Connecticut is, of course, a blue state with reformist impulses, and many of the people on the Bar Examining Committee are almost certainly progressive-minded. But as James Forman documents in Locking Up Our Own, some of the most unforgiving elements of our criminal justice system have been pushed by otherwise-progressive people. Commenting on Betts’ case, Forman said: “There are too many people across the political/ideological spectrum who in small, unaccountable, and sometimes even unknowing, ways reinforce mass incarceration’s heartlessness.”

The character and fitness portion of the bar admissions process has been controversial. Betts isn’t the only per-

son to have otherwise-impeccable credentials neutralized by a past criminal offense. Earlier this year, a law student who had won a prestigious Skadden Fellowship had her bar application denied by the State of Washington, due to a previous drug offense. And bar committees have been notorious for invasively inquiring into people’s mental health conditions in determining whether to grant licenses. The belief that “character” rather than simply “competence” should determine one’s ability to practice law leads bar committees to assume a strangely moralistic role.

But even if we believe that character assessments are generally fair, Betts’ case illustrates the disturbing punitiveness of American criminal justice. It’s somewhat strange that there should even be consequences that last beyond the length of your sentence; after all, being released is supposed to mean that you have served your time.

As Betts said in reaction to the decision, “the question, really, is how long should a prison sentence last… What exactly does society want from me?”

I would hope there’s a significant chance that Connecticut will ultimately admit Betts to the bar. It should be a serious embarrassment to them, a public scandal. And Betts will have a greater chance than many people do of getting the Committee to act: his credentials are unusually extensive, and he will have Yale Law School faculty members pulling for him. But

8

one shouldn’t have to have superhuman levels of accomplishment in order to erase the presumption of unfit character.

The Bar Examining Committee indicated in its letter to Betts that it would conduct “further review,” though it gave no indication as to what this review might entail or what Betts can do to erase the suspicions that hang over him. But even if the Connecticut Bar ultimately decides to admit Betts, the message it has sent him is clear: once you are marked a criminal, you are always a criminal.

In our punitive society, that cloud of suspicion will follow you for a lifetime. Every application to anything will go in for “further review” and additional processing. There may have to be a hearing. Everything will need additional references, extra paperwork, layers and layers of small humiliations designed to remind you that even if they let you in, they are making an exception for you rather than simply recognizing that you meet the requirements. The burden of proof will have permanently shifted against you: you start out as a threat, and you have to prove that you aren’t. And no matter what you do, no matter how many degrees you earn or Image Awards and letters of recommendation you amass, you will can never be deemed to have truly paid off your debt. That debt is infinite and it is permanent, and nothing will ever be enough.

Con’t from page 2

Elm City Ballers

Ankle Breakers, a New Haven team, reigned supreme. The Ankle Breakers held off Lights Out, another New Haven squad, by a score of 12 - 4 in the championship game.

Lomell Satchell, who played for the Ankle Breakers. was named the MVP of the championship game. He said he thought his team played well because they passed the ball well and because no one hogged the ball. He said his team played the Lights Out twice, once Saturday and again in the finals, and said it was the toughest team he faced in the competition.

After the Ankle Breakers won the championship, City Youth Services Director Jason Bartlett presented the team with a trophy and a custom-made ball with Tremont Waters’ picture on it. Waters, a New Haven native, was the #38 ranked high school basketball prospect in the nation this past year and will play college ball at Louisiana State University on a full scholarship starting this fall. The Ankle Breakers also met and took picture with Waters.

The winning team from each age bracket Sunday received those same honors.

Bobby Moore, a New Haven native whose son played Sunday, said the city should sponsor more activities like the tournament.

“There’s really not much for kids to do in the city,” Moore said. “This tournament is nice because the kids can go out and play in front of a crowd … we should have three or four of these a year.”

Basketball was not the only attraction on Church Street last weekend.

The city set up rides and other amusements, including a jumpy castle and a large rock-climbing wall, on the Green. Fans at the games also were treated to live music performances from local artists.

One of the musical groups that performed Sunday, a brother-and-brother duo called N Finity Muzik, has performed at the competition for the past three years. Michael Bethune Jr. and Kejuan Simmons, the two brothers, told the Independent that they perform mostly hip-hop, but that some of their music mixes genres.

On Sunday, the brothers rapped over beats from Desiigner and other popular hip-hop artists, but they said they make their own beats for some of their songs. They added that they would like to be professional musicians when they grow up.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09, 2017 - August 15, 2017

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09, 2017 - August 15, 2017

Nita Key Enrichment Focused on Saving Music in N.C. Schools

By Taylor Burris, NNPA/DTU Journalism Fellow

“College should not make you or break you,” said Shanita Ollison, a 27 year-old “artrepreneur” and the founder and owner of Nita Key Enrichment.

“Just because you didn’t go to college doesn’t mean you can’t be a manager of a multi-million dollar company.”

Ollison continued: “You can do anything you put your mind to, whether you go to college or not. Nothing is promised; you’ve got to have that drive. You’ve got to have that ambition.”

Nita Key Enrichment is the first, Black music enrichment company in North Carolina.

When she was 21 years-old, Ollison decided that she needed to jump into the fight to save music and arts education in her community. After taking on church gigs, a handful of positions teaching music and other odd jobs, she founded Nita Key Enrichment, to serve the children of her community.

Ollison, also known as “Nita,” continues to break down barriers as one of the youngest Black women in her field.

Ollison’s investment in the arts for youth comes at the perfect time as music and arts education is losing ground and funding in public schools.

According to a 2012 report by the Department of Education, many students that attend schools in high-poverty, urban school districts still lack access to music and arts programs.

Following national trends, music and arts programs in North Carolina face

similar threats.

According to The Times-News, due to budget shortfalls in 2011, Transylvania County schools in N.C. faced the elimination of 100 percent of all off-campus band, music, and clubs competitions.

Recently, The Citizen-Times reported that N.C. state legislators and the governor are working to reduce class sizes, a move that could have a negative impact on arts and music education in the state’s public schools.

“Education groups are increasing pressure on state lawmakers to pass legislation they say is needed to avoid potentially laying off as many as 4,500 art, music, physical education and foreign language teachers,” The News & Observer reported. “North Carolina school leaders say they may have to cut art, music, physical education and foreign language classes in elementary schools to help pay for new smaller

class sizes in kindergarten through third grade that are supposed to start in July.”

Ollison said that music education is not being taken seriously and the benefits of exposing children to the arts are also being ignored. “[Music] provides a healthy outlet for children,” said Ollison. “Music helps with hand-eye coordination, memorization, raising test scores, and adds a sense of achievement.”

Research has shown that music helps children improve reasoning, language, intellectual development, and can also serve as an outlet to handle anxiety.

Ollison has partnered with with local schools to create after school music enrichment programs and started a non-profit, Music Is Life, that serves children who can’t afford voice and music lessons. Ollison’s work revolves around instilling the value of learning about all aspects of music

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including theory, note value, composition, and notation.

The Pamlico County native has reached out to a number of public figures to join her cause including former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Thad Lewis, Miss Black North Carolina Chanda Branch, and Debra Antney, the former manager of rapper Gucci Mane and mother to rapper Waka Flocka.

Ollison has also partnered with North Carolina Central University (NCCU) to begin a five-week “STEAM” (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) program. Working with NCCU and Sisters In Power, a women’s empowerment organization, will provide music education classes later this summer.

Despite push back from some N.C. school officials and the tragic deaths of her father and sister, the young artrepreneur continues to press on, in-

spired by her fiancé, her three year-old daughter and families touched by her work in the community.

“When the schools take something out, we’ve got to put it back in,” said Ollison. “We need legislators to [get] behind music education.”

Ollison said that if people imagined a world without art and design, they might have a different perspective on arts education.

“I challenge you to never listen to the radio again, never look at architectural designs again,” said Ollison. “I challenge you to sit there a whole day and not benefit from the arts. I challenge you to do without the arts and let’s see, if you would change your mind.”

Taylor Burris is a 2017 NNPA/DTU Journalism Fellow and Spelman College student, who is creating content for The Carolinian this summer. Follow Taylor on Twitter @tburris24.

NAACP Names Derrick Johnson

as Interim President

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor

The NAACP has named Derrick Johnson, the vice chairman of their board of directors, the organization’s interim president.

The unanimous decision was made by the executive committee of the board of directors during the Association’s 108th annual convention in Baltimore. The NAACP is the largest and oldest civil rights organization in the U.S. The executive committee of the board is comprised of 14 people.

On May 19, the NAACP board announced that the contract of Cornell William Brooks, the outgoing president, would not be renewed. Brooks’ contract ended on June 30. Brooks began his tenure as NAACP President in May of 2014.

“I am thrilled to announce that my friend and colleague Derrick Johnson has been appointed to interim president and CEO. I could not think of a better, more battletested or more qualified individual to guide the NAACP through this transition period,” said Leon Rus-

sell, the chairman of the board of the NAACP. “Derrick’s longtime service with the Association will allow him to take decisive action to deal with daily challenges. He will also serve as the primary spokesman for the NAACP. I have every confidence in Derrick and will support him in this new endeavor every step of the way.”

In a statement released on July 22, Johnson said that it is truly an honor and a privilege to be named the interim president and CEO of an organization that he’s served for decades.

“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done and we won’t waste any time getting to it. We are facing unprecedented threats to our democracy and we will not be sidelined while our rights are being eroded every day,” said Johnson.

Con’t on page 11

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09, 2017 - August 15, 2017

Con’t from page 10

“We remain steadfast and immovable, and stand ready on the front lines of the fight for justice.”

The NAACP is about to embark on a nationwide listening tour to hear advice on what their focus should be moving forward.

NAACP leadership has acknowledged that younger civil rights organizations are getting more traction and attention in a world of social media and faster communications.The first stop on the NAACP listening tour is Detroit on August 24. The second stop will be San Antonio, Texas in September. The organization’s leadership will “visit a total of seven major cities across the country over the next few months,” according to a press release about the tour.

Johnson will serve as interim president and CEO until a new president is named. Johnson formerly served as vice chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors as well as state president for the Mississippi State Conference NAACP. Lauren Victoria Burke is the White House Correspondent for NNPA Newswire and a writer and political analyst. Lauren appears on “NewsOne Now” with Roland Martin every Monday.

Connect with Lauren by email at LBurke007@gmail.com and on Twitter at @LVBurke.

NAACP Commemorates 1917 Silent Protest

by MARKESHIA RICKS NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

One hundred years ago, thousands of marchers took to Fifth Avenue in New York City to protest mob justice and the ongoing lynching of black people throughout the country. On Saturday, the Greater New Haven Branch of the NAACP took to the streets of New Haven to mark the occasion and to demonstrate why the march must continue.

More than 50 people gathered in the Dixwell neighborhood, the historic heart of the city’s AfricanAmerican community, to commemorate the silent protest parade that the NAACP organized in 1917. The re-enactors marched from the site of the former and future home of the Q House, winding their way past the Shops on Broadway, down Elm Street and to a stage on the upper Green.

During speeches on the Green the names of those lost in unarmed killings by police such as Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner and Sandra Bland were called. They also made sure to call the name of 14-yearold Tyriek Keyes, who was recently lost to gun violence on the streets of New Haven.

Dori Dumas, the Greater New Haven NAACP Branch president, noted Saturday that just two months ago the branch celebrated its own 100th anniversary. And 100 years ago, just two weeks after the founding of the New Haven branch, the NAACP staged a silent protest that drew thousands of people into a New York street—many of them children and all dressed in their Sunday’s best—holding signs that blasted the hypocrisy of a country that proclaimed to be founded on the equality of men endowed with

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“certain unalienable rights.”

Many of those who helped organize the 1917 march like James Weldon Johnson helped organize the New Haven NAACP branch.

And as it was 100 years ago, young people led the marchers through the city on Saturday.

Dumas said though there has been progress, minorities still face problems such as voter suppression, inequality in education and unfair treatment in the justice system. She said marching Saturday was not only an act of commemo-

ration but a reminder that some of the same rights that people struggle for particularly the right to be treated equally under the law is something that is still a struggle for many in the country today.

“We’re still in this struggle and we want to march for those who don’t have a voice to make sure that people are aware that we are paying attention,” she said. “We’re not going to let them turn back the clock. It’s time to move forward.

We’re so far from where we need to be. We can’t get comfortable.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09, 2017 - August 15, 2017

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Con’t from page 3

Sanctuary

Reyes’ “tough decision to defy his removal order is a bitter reminder of the reality that immigrants experience every day, as well as a reminder of how urgent it is to continue fighting back as this situation won’t get better if we don’t stand together and organize our communities,” CIRA organizer Jesus Morales Sanchez stated in a release.

According to ICE New England spokesperson Shawn Neudauer, Reyes reported to a check-in with the agency in Hartford on July 11.

“Reyes was issued a final order of removal by a federal immigration judge in 2009. Since then, he has been granted one stay of removal to allow him to pursue legal options in his immigration proceedings,” Neudauer said. “He has since exhausted his legal options and has been instructed to depart the United States in compliance with the court’s order.”

The agency treats stays as a temporary privilege, giving an undocumented immigrant time to plan their departure, fight their case in court, or otherwise get their affairs in order.

ICE chose not to arrest Reyes at his check-in, Neudauer said.

“If he doesn’t comply with the removal order, he will be considered a fugitive and arrested when encountered,” Neudauer added. “At that point, ICE will carry out his order of removal.”

For now, Reyes appears to be safe from deportation: ICE has had a policy directing agents not to enter church grounds to make arrests except under special orders from a supervisor or in life-threatening situations.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal Tuesday issued a statement that he’s “outraged and heartbroken by the arbitrary and callous decision to deport Marco Reyes.”

“His plight today is a symptom of Trump’s cruel and inhumane immigration policies that lack all sense of reason and rationality,” Blumenthal stated. “Marco is a hardworking father and husband who has called Connecticut home for two decades without any criminal wrongdoing. He faces serious threats to his life should he be deported. I will continue to explore all opportunities to assist Marco and his family. I remain committed to comprehensive immigration reform to provide lasting and significant change to this badly broken system.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09, 2017 - August 15, 2017

Former President Barack Obama: A Legacy of Moving Forward

by BlackDoctor.org Staff

There are a number of Americans who will probably spend Obama’s birthday reminiscing about the good old days when he was actually caring for people and doing real American political work like establishing the Affordable Care Act, taking action to save the environment by signing the Paris Agreement and creating 11.3 million new jobs that caused the unemployment rate to drop to 4.6 percent, the lowest rate in nearly a decade.

As for the newly 56-year-old, he’ll now be enjoying his birthday away from Capitol Hill tweets. He’ll be spending the weekend with his family, former first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters Malia and Sasha Obama, in Martha’s Vineyard, according to Martha’s Vineyard Times.

But even though he’s no longer in the White House, the 44th President Of the United States has still been keeping busy by helping others to speak up for their rights as citizens and creating his foundation. Built upon many of the same principals as his presidency, Obama and his wife started clocking more hours for the nonprofit corporation, established in 2014, aimed at developing the future leaders and active citizens that will one day impact the world.

When Trump signed an executive order imposing a travel ban on folks from seven Muslim-majority counties and preventing Syrian refugees from entering the country indefinitely, Obama was among several leaders advocating for citizens to fight for their rights and protest. In a statement released just 10 days after he left office, Obama encouraged Americans to protest: “Citizens exercising their constitutional right to assemble, organize and have their voices heard by their elected officials is exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake.”

But even with all of that, many in the Black community still ask “what has Barack done for me?” So, as we look forward to what he will do, we take a look back to what he has done.

See below: My Brother’s Keeper: My Brother’s Keeper is a coordinated Federal effort to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and ensure that all young people can reach their full potential. Nearly 250 communities in

all 50 states have accepted the President’s My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge to raise money for young men of color programs.

More than $600 million in private sector and philanthropic grants and in-kind resources and $1 billion in low-interest financing have been committed in alignment with MBK, and new federal policy initiatives, grant programs, and guidance are being implemented to ensure that every child has a clear pathway to success from cradle to college and career.

Economic Security Has Improved: Businesses have added over 14 million jobs over 70 straight months of job growth, which sets a new record.

From 16.8% in March 2010 to 8.3% in December 2015, this job growth has helped but the African American unemployment rate in half and is at its lowest level since 2007.

College Is More Accessible & Affordable: Increasing the maximum Pell Grant by more than $1000 and total Pell Grant by 70%, President Obama signed legislation to help millions of low to moderate income students afford college every year.

He’s also taken steps to reduce student loan burdens including student loan interest rates to historic lows and capping student loan payments.

The president also established and made permanent the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which provides a tax cut of up to $10,000 over four years for nearly 10 million working and middle class families a year pay-

15

ing for college.

Made Home Ownership More Affordable: The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has long been an important source of financing for African American families seeking to buy their first home. Nearly half of African American families used FHA to get a mortgage. During his presidency, Obama had the FHA create a major new step to make buying a home more affordable and accessible for creditworthy families. The FHA reduced its annual mortgage insurance premiums by half a percentage point. For the typical homebuyer, this translates into a $900 reduction in their annual mortgage payment.

Existing homeowners who refinance into a FHA mortgage saw similar reductions in their mortgage payments as well. Following the reduction in 2015 the number of Black borrowers (new purchases or refinance) with an FHA loan increased by nearly 50%.

Black people were hit especially hard by the housing crisis. The President took action to help homeowners, including expanding access to refinancing, which allowed responsible borrowers to save an average of $3,000 per year. The Administration has taken measures to allow homeowners who are behind on their payments to modify their mortgages to avoid foreclosure.

Prevented Families from Financial Abuses, Hidden Fees, and Deceptive Practices: To prevent mortgage companies, credit card lenders, and

payday loan companies from exploiting consumers with hidden fees and other deceptive practices, President Obama fought to pass the most far-reaching Wall Street reform in history which created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Helped the Long-Term Unemployed Get Back to Work: The Obama Administration took steps to help more of the long-term unemployed get back to work, and around one-quarter of whom are AfricanAmerican. The Department of Labor awarded nearly $170 million in “Ready to Work Partnership” grants to support the best models for partnerships between employers, nonprofits, and the job training system to help train and connect the long-term unemployed to work.

Increased Funding to HBCUs: Federal funding to HBCUs grew each year since 2009. Through the Higher Education Act, HBCUs received a $17 million funding increase in 2016—the largest increase for the federal program in six years. And President Obama’s FY 2017 budget seeks to maintain and strengthen these opportunities for HBCUs to build their capacity. The FY 2017 budget proposes $85 million in mandatory funding to HBCUs, an increase of $5 million from FY 2016, plus an additional $244.7 million in discretionary funds for Title III. This doesn’t even cover everything President Obama has done, but it’s safe to say he did a lot to help us.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09, 2017 - August 15, 2017

Gwendolyn Brooks Won the Pulitzer Prize while Living in a Housing Project

By Erick Johnson Chicago Crusader Gwendolyn Brooks’ apartment was dark on May 1, 1950. The brilliant, award-winning Black poet, who wrote about life on Chicago’s South Side, had not paid her electric bill.

With no electrical power, little money and a nine-year old son to feed Brooks made headlines around the world while living in a housing project.

A reporter called Brooks and told her that she had won a Pulitzer award, one of the most prestigious prizes in literature. At 32 years-old, Brooks crashed the White-dominated literary world as the first Black woman to win the award.

When Brooks won the Pulitzer Prize with her publisher Harper Row in 1950, she received $500, which is equivalent to about $5,000 today, when adjusted for inflation.

Today, the Pulitzer comes with a $15,000 cash award.

The achievement was important for Brooks’ career, but how she lived was not completely different than other working-class Black women in the 1950s.

Up until the day she won the Pulitzer, Brooks and her husband, Henry Blakely, experienced rampant racism in Chicago’s schools, but especially in the city’s housing industry.

Blacks lived piled up in slums, because of segregation and restrictive covenants that kept Blacks out of White neighborhoods.

As was true for many Blacks, financial woes, racism and a critical

16

housing shortage for people of color led one of America’s greatest literary figures to live in a housing project, one that was once opposed by thousands of White residents at the height of Jim Crow period.

As the 100th anniversary celebrations of Brooks’ birthday continue, Brooks’ literary achievements have made her an enduring figure in American culture—Black and White. While much has been said about her work, her hard life growing up in segregated Chicago has made her success all the more extraordinary.

Some 36 years after capturing the Pulitzer, Brooks gave a sit-down interview in 1986 with the Library of Congress. The interview came as Brooks served as the 29th Consultant in Poetry for the world’s largest library. Alan Jabbour, the director of the Library of Congress’ American Folklore division, and E. Ethelbert Miller, poet and director of the African American Resource Center at Howard University, interviewed her. The interview is posted on YouTube.

During the interview, Brooks was asked how she learned that she had won the Pulitzer Prize. She said: “I was in a house at 9134 S. Wentworth and the lights were out. We hadn’t paid the electric bill so there was no electricity and it was dusk.

It was dark in the house. My son [Henry Blakely Jr.] was nine at the time. Jack Starr, a reporter from the Chicago Sun-Times called. He said ‘do you know that you have won the Pulitzer Prize?’ I said ‘no’ and screamed over the telephone.

I couldn’t believe it. So, he said well, it was true and it would be announced the next day. The next day, reporters came, photographers came with cameras and I was absolutely petrified. I wasn’t going to say anything about the electricity.

Well, when they tried to plug their cameras in—nothing was going to happen.”

Brooks continued: “Well, miraculously, somebody had turned the electricity back on that fast. I never knew exactly what happened. So my son and I danced around in the dusk and decided we would go out to the movies to celebrate. I don’t know what movie it was, before you ask.”

Before moving to Princeton Park Homes, hard times and financial challenges forced Brooks and her husband to move about six times on the South Side. Brooks used the profits of a sale of a house in Kalamazoo, Michigan to buy the house at 7428 S. Evans in the Chicago’s Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood. According to author George Kent’s 1990 book, “A Life of Gwendolyn Brooks,” she lived in that house from 1953 to 1994. Today, the home is a Chicago landmark.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09, 2017 - August 15, 2017

Lyft Taps Obama Advisor Valerie Jarrett For Board Seat

by Lenore T. Adkins Special to the AFRO

Valerie Jarrett is joining the board of directors for Lyft, the company announced July 31.

Jarrett, formerly the senior advisor to President Barack Obama, will serve as an independent director on the now nine-member board.

The Washington Post reports that Jarrett will focus on urban transportation issues. She was previous the chairwoman of the Chicago Transit Authority board, and commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development.

“I am a frequent Lyft passenger and have been inspired by the strong community [co-founders] John [Zimmer] and Logan [Green] have created that is dedicated to enlightened corporate values,” Jar-

Valerie Jarrett

rett said in a statement. “We share a belief that reliable, affordable transportation positively impacts social mobility, and improves the

quality of life in densely populated communities. I am thrilled to join the ride.”

Jarrett joins Lyft amid a time of

growth for the company. It has expanded operations to more than 360 communities and completed more rides this year than in all of 2016, the company said in the statement announcing Jarrett’s position. Yet Uber remains the industry leader with a $70 billion valuation, nearly 10 times Lyft’s, the Post reported.

Jarrett hails from Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood and remains active in the city.

She sits on the board of Ariel Investments and also is an advisor to The Obama Foundation.

She is the latest figure from the Obama administration to connect with the ride-sharing industry. Former attorney general Eric Holder helmed an investigation into Uber’s corporate culture after several scandals at the company came to light this year.

Jarrett will serve on the board

with co-founders Green and Zimmer; Andreessen Horowitz cofounder Ben Horowitz; GM President Dan Ammann; Icahn Capital’s appointee Jonathan Christodoro; investor and former Trulia CFO Sean Aggarwal; Rakuten’s Hiroshi Mikitani; and Floodgate Fund’s Ann Miura-Ko on the Lyft board.

“Valerie is one of our country’s foremost leaders and a distinguished public servant, and a natural fit for our board,” Green said in a statement. “She will be a great partner for Lyft as we continue working alongside public transit agencies to provide upward mobility through transportation, reduce congestion, and ultimately reshape our cities.”

Zimmer added that that Jarrett has a perspective that will propel the company forward “as we work to improve people’s lives with the world’s best transportation.”

It’s not too late to Fall in love with your future!

Super Saturday, One-Stop Registration August 19 from 9am to 2pm CLASSES BEGIN AUG. 29

Come early to avoid the rush w meet faculty w academic advising w on-site placement testing w financial aid assistance w campus tours Parking available in the GCC Garage and we validate for the Temple Street Garage

17

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09, 2017 - August 15, 2017

Saint Aedan School

School Readiness/Pre-Kindergarten Program 351 McKinley Ave., New Haven, CT 06515

Now accepting applications for both 3 and 4 year old programs starting in September Accepting New Haven and Out Of District Students The Saint Aedan Readiness Program, based on Creative Curriculum allows children to learn based on the uniqueness of each child. Building self esteem, friendships and a sense of community, Saint Aedan School is committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment.

Full Year/Full day (7:30-5:30) Parent Fees-sliding scale Care4kids Available

NAEYC Accredited

For enrollment information, contact Dr. James Acabbo, Director drashsp@yahoo.com Mr. Michael Votto, Principal mvotto@staedan-brendanschool.org Call the school at 203-387-5693 or visit us at: www.staedan-brendanschool.org

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09, 2017 - August 15, 2017

Are You About That Plant-Based Life? 6 Questions You Probably Have

by Sharita Jennings, BlackDoctor.org

For the last few weeks, you’ve probably noticed your timelines filling up with people going cold turkey and transforming into vegans overnight.

Whether you’ve watched a certain documentary, or you’re just curious about changing to a vegan lifestyle, here’s what you need to know about the plant-based life before you take the plunge.

What is a Vegan Anyway?

As with most things in life, there are levels to this. Being vegan on the most basic level, means eating only foods that grow from the earth, and avoiding any animal products. This includes byproducts like eggs, dairy products, and even BUTTER! In its most extreme form, being vegan means you don’t consume as in buy, eat, wear, etc., anything from an animal. This could include fur and leather products.

If you decide to make this lifestyle change, keep in mind that you get to decide where on the vegan spectrum you want to fall.

Why Do People Become Vegan?

People turn to the vegan lifestyle for multiple different reasons, from food allergies, to animal rights, or just to cut out certain “bad” foods from their diets. Most recently, a number of people have explored a vegan lifestyle after watching the documentary “What The Health?” which exposes the industry behind meat products and its impact

on animal and human health. Whatever the reason, people decide to avoid animal products and instead get all their nutrients from plant sources like vegetables and nuts.

What About My Protein?

While meat, eggs, and milk are excellent sources, proteins can also be found in plants like nuts and even vegetables like broccoli and spinach.

Since plant-based proteins are usually incomplete proteins, you’ll have to be careful to get a good mix of proteins to support healthy bones and strong muscles. There are plenty of vegan body builders and fitness enthusiasts who find a way to maintain their protein levels and keep their muscle mass nice and high.

Will This Help Me Lose Weight?

Although commoners and Queen Beys alike, turn to a vegan diet for weight loss, it is not guaranteed that you will lose weight simply by avoiding animal products. You can get plenty of calories from a plant based diet, so you would still need to watch your portions. This is especially true if you’re eating a lot of nuts and other fatty foods. 10 vegan cookies can do just as much damage to your waistline as 10 non vegan cookies, don’t get it twisted.

But the good news is that removing animal fat, which is usually saturated fat, from your diet, you might see weight loss benefits at the outset of your new lifestyle. You just have to continue to be careful not to binge on vegan junk food, which absolutely exists. Sugar is still vegan!

So What Can I Eat? Removing all animal products from your diet can leave a huge gap in your food options, that’s for sure. To stick to the plant-based lifestyle, without going hungry, you have to get creative and explore cooking with vegetables, beans, and nuts in different ways. You

can still have rice and most of your sides, but vegetables will become the main course now. Think of ways to spice up hearty vegetables like eggplant and cauliflower the same way you might season your meat.

You can also mimic some of your favorite meat dishes with tofu, which is soy-based, and comes in a variety of textures to best fit the meal you’re craving. Before taking the plunge, download the free African American Vegan Starter Guide, or you could check out vegan recipes on Pinterest, and cookbooks like Courtney Keen’s “Unexpectedly Vegan” for more inspiration and useful tips on manipulating vegan ingredients for your favorite dishes.

Do I Have to Do This All The Time?

The most important thing to keep in mind is that only you define your lifestyle. If you want to go all the way and avoid all meat products 100% of the time, great. If you want to do an 80/20 plan, and be vegan 80% of the time while eating a “regular” diet the other time, that’s fine too. If you just want to be vegan when it works for you, or you’d rather stick to your meat, it’s all up to you. As long as the goal is to live your healthiest life, you’re making the right decision!

Sharita Jennings is a health policy attorney, ACE certified group fitness instructor and nutrition specialist. She leads fitness classes in Washington, DC and provides online coaching and tips on her site, GetFitLikeThat.com.

Russell Simmons Inspires Youth with “Keep The Peace” Program

By Shaquille Woods, Los Angeles Sentinel

Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons recently hosted an event for RushCard’s “Keep The Peace” initiative at the University of Southern California; over 75 young people from southern Los Angeles filled the room.

Simmons, who co-founded the prepaid debit card company RushCard, provides grants annually to organizations that promote peace and reduce youth violence within their communities.

This year, the Los Angeles Community Coalition’s Freedom School received a grant of $25,000 for their peace promoting efforts. The coalition empowers Los Angeles youth through literacy and teaching civil rights history.

Community groups in New York

City, Chicago, Atlanta, and Cincinnati received grants this year.

Simmons began the event by focusing on the importance of giving.

“By giving away happiness, you gain happiness,” said Simmons. “Achievement is just the reinforcement for

giving. Your gifts are what make you happy. Focus on your gifts and give them.”

The New York native built successful business empires throughout the years, including Phat Farm, RushCard, and Def Jam Records.

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Simmons talked openly about his past business failures.

“Do you know how many times I failed with Phat Farm? RushCard failed. Def Jam failed,” said Simmons.

“You cannot fail, unless you quit!”

While wearing his yogi apparel, Simmons advocated why yoga should be a daily practice for everyone.

“I teach in the morning and I teach at night. Yoga is the science of happiness.”

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, studies suggest practicing yoga can relieve anxiety, depression, and decrease back pain.

Simmons gave everyone free passes to his West Hollywood yoga studio called the Tantris Center.

Though Simmons has achieved financial success, he elaborates on money misconceptions.

“A poor man can be just as happy as a rich man. Don’t focus on what everyone else has. Focus on what you have and you will gain more of it,” said Simmons.

The event ended with group meditation. Russell guided the youth with deep breathing exercises. He told them to clear their mind and relax.

For five minutes energized kids stood still. Some snickered, while others focused on their breathing.

“If any negative thoughts come, replace it with positive thoughts. You have the control,” said Simmons.

Each student signed a peace pledge to promote tranquility in his or her life.

When a young girl asked Simmons what quote he lives by, the hip-hop mogul replied, “That changes everyday. It is simply being grateful for what I have now.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09, 2017 - August 15, 2017

Town of Bloomfield Entry Level Police Officer $70,202.00 For more information ,visit www.policeapp.com/bloomfield Deadline to apply 8/22/17

Truck Mechanic

Immediate opening for a truck mechanic. Maintenance “hands on” to be done on petroleum trucks and trailers. Must have commercial truck repair experience. Send resume to: Attn: HR Dept, P O Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437.

**An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer** NOTICE OF INVITATION FOR BID HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF DANBURY BOILER PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR SERVICES IFB NO. B17003

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

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 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**********

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

CONTACT PERSON

Ms. Devin Marra, Director of Procurement Telephone: 203-744-2500 x141 E-Mail: dmarra@hacdct.org

Maintainer I – Town of Manchester

HOW TO OBTAIN THE IFB DOCUMENTS:

Contact Ms. Devin Marra, via phone or email.

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

BID SUBMITTAL RETURN

Housing Authority of the City of Danbury 2 Mill Ridge Rd, Danbury, CT 06811 Envelope Must be Marked: IFB No. B17003 Boiler Services

BID SUBMITTAL DEADLINE/BID OPENING

August 31, 2017 at 10:00am (EST)

[Minority- and/or women-owned businesses are encouraged to respond]

Electric

GENERAL MANAGER-The Town of Wallingford is seeking a highly experienced leader to

manage the Town’s, Electric Utility. This is very responsible public utility executive work involving directing the daily, short term, and long term operations and activities of the Wallingford Electric Division. Work involves responsibility for planning, directing, coordinating all of the activities needed for the effective and efficient operation of the Wallingford Electric Division (WED). The General Manager should possess A bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or related field such as mechanical, civil, or environmental engineering or business or public administration from a recognized college or university, plus twelve (12) years of progressively responsible experience in the electric utility field including at least five (5) years in a management position, or an equivalent combination of education and qualifying experience substituting on a year-for-year basis. The Town offers a competitive salary range of $122,942 - $157,308 per year plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Applications or resumes will be accepted until August 28, 2017 at the following address: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main St., Wallingford, CT 06492, (203) 294-2080. Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE.

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.

$46,287.28 CDL req’d.

CLOSING DATE: August 4, 2017

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.

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

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

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 August 09, 2017 - August 15, 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.

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.

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

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

Common Ground High School has a part time opening (29 hours per week)

for a Math Teaching Assistant (TA). The Math TA is responsible for supporting Math teachers in the classroom during the school day, providing targeted supports in academic labs both during and after school, and assisting with a four week summer school in 2018. For a complete job description, please visit http:// commongroundct.org/2017/07/common-ground-seeks-part-time-math-teaching-assistant/ for a complete job description. Common Ground is particularly eager for candidates who help us fulfill our commitment to building a racially and culturally diverse faculty and staff.

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.

21

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09, 2017 - August 15, 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 August 09, 2017 - August 15, 2017

Cuteness Overload.

Spend the day a world away!

BRIDGEPORT, CT

50% OFF BEARDSLEY ZOO CHILD

ADMISSION (ages 3-11)

with purchase of adult ticket and this coupon. Limit 1 discount ticket per household. May not be combined with other offers. EXP: 12/31/17 INRCTY517

THE INNER-CITY NEWS August 09, 2017 - August 15, 2017

SERVING UP THE BEST OF SUMMER AUGUST 18–26 CT TENNIS CENTER AT YALE, NEW HAVEN TICKETS ON SALE NOW! 855-464-8366 SPECIAL EVENTS SHOPRITE KIDS DAY Sunday, August 20 AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA

2016 CONNECTICUT OPEN CHAMPION

OPENING NIGHT presented by Yale Monday, August 21 Featuring mixed doubles with Martina Navratilova and Mats Wilander

POWERSHARES MEN’S LEGENDS Thursday and Friday, August 24-25 Thursday: James Blake vs. Michael Chang Friday: John McEnroe vs. Mark Philippoussis

WTA SINGLES AND DOUBLES FINALS and UNITED TECHNOLOGIES MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY Saturday, August 26

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