INNER-CITY NEWS

THE INNER-CITY NEWSNEWS - September 22,2016 2021- August - September 28, 2021 INNER-CITY July 27, 02, 2016

AFinancial New Haven Playwright Makes His Broadway Debut Justice a Key Focus at 2016 NAACP Convention New Haven, Bridgeport

INNER-CITYNEWS

Volume 29 . No. 24511 Volume 21 No. 2194

Bishop Davis “DMC”

Malloy Malloy To To Dems: Dems:

Ignore Ignore“Tough “ToughOn OnCrime” Crime”

Leaves His Mark

MAYA MCFADDEN PHOTOS Elijah Davis Jr. leads final service as pastor: God needs fishers of men.

Color Struck?

Snow in July?

NHPD: Violence Thwarted AtUS Violence FOLLOW ONVigils 1

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100+ Call For Action vs. Rising Crime

ISAAC YU PHOTO Shirley Lawrence: “Right now we’re in the darkness”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 22, 2021 - September 28 , 2021

In Year Two, LIT Fest Becomes A Destination

By Shawn Murray

New Haven Independent

In the sun-drenched parking lot behind Dixwell Plaza, a tale of young travelers journeying through ancient Mayan jungles burst forth from the speakers.

The story belonged to Connecticut author Anna Nyakana, reading an excerpt from Niyah Zuri and The Mayan Eclipse. As she read, words sailing through the air, she managed to keep the attention of the crowd that moments before was dancing to 1980s R&B. Hearing stories was what they were there for. It was the first day of the second annual Elm City LIT Fest, and if Saturday was any indication, there will be many more to come. Events took place between the plaza, home to the old Stetson Branch of the New Haven Free Public Library, and People Get Ready Books on Whalley Avenue nearby. Read more about the work that went into LIT Fest, Though it was the second edition of the event, the past weekend marked the first in-person festival, and the first to bring in Black businesses and artists outside of literature. Last year, the first LIT Fest was an all-virtual affair due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For founder and co-coordinator IfeMichelle Gardin, the in-person experience made it feel like year one all over again.

“Our first years being virtual opened us up to a global audience because we broadcasted online,” she said Saturday.

“The challenges of that were not being able to have vendors and there being no in-person interactions with authors.”

This year’s event provided opportunities for in-person vendors, author talks, outdoor performances and real time book sales and signings as the festival took advantage of a world now outside of lockdown.

The festival’s mission statement is to “celebrate literature, literary arts, and literary artists of the African Diaspora, for everyone,” said Gardin. Saturday, that celebration came alive with a moving ancestral call and drum performance by members of Fair Haven’s Bregamos Community Theater.

Not only was the performance a welcome pick me up—events got underway at 10 a.m. Saturday, after all—but it was a reminder that the African diaspora extends beyond the boundaries people typically consider Black or African American. The Bregamos drummers hail from largely Latinx and Afro-Caribbean backgrounds.

WYBC’s Darryl Huckaby and DJ Dooley-O were constant fixtures onstage in between various acts. They welcomed New Haven’s own Isaac Bloodworth, whose performance Curled told the story of the importance of Black hair. On stage, Bloodworth told a story that evolved from a simple hairstyling session between grandmother and child and evolved into a

Anna Nyakana. Shawn Murray Photos.

supernatural display of power.

The artist said that he was inspired by his own experience: he was forced to cut his hair earlier in life, while attending a charter school, and still sees similar stories in the news. His story hit home with the largely Black audience, which featured a wide variety of gorgeous hairstyles, from high-top fades to thick locs that flowed past the waist.

Bloodworth later said that his interest in puppeteering began during a summer spent in UConn’s Mentor Connection program, where he went on to earn a BFA in Puppet Arts. It has only grown since then.

There were nearly a dozen vendors, including Ashleigh Huckabey of Empath Vintage and artist Jesse Wolf. Huckabey, who helped Gardin organize the vendor fair, sells all manner of vintage items from clothes to vinyl records. Wolf is a visual artist and muralist who sold paintings at the event and has contributed to various murals around the city. In addition to selling his work, Wolf said he was most excited to be among the people and soak in the positive vibes.

Back on stage, Nyakana made a big splash with an ebullient reading of the book. Nyakana, whose latest Niyah Zuri book was released Sept. 13, said she wanted to write books that help children “unlock themselves” by first helping them to know themselves and their history.

LIT Fest Founder IfeMichelle Gardin. Team members also include coordinators Sha McAllister and Emalie Mayo, and Julius Stone.

She hopes to make an impact around the world by “connecting the dots” and showing children the ways in which we are ultimately more alike than different, she said. Her Niyah Zuri books are such a big hit that they will soon be adapted into an animated series and have gained her a spot on Connecticut Magazine’s 40 Under 40 list.

Sha McAllister, co-coordinator of the festival, met Gardin when they both went to see Nikki Giovanni speak at Yale in 2019. McAllister and Gardin both separately expressed a desire to make their

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festival into a “true destination event,” with McAllister adding that they sought to make it “a time when people are coming into New Haven to visit the festival while also creating something that locals can take ownership of.”

The importance of local talent, and local engagement and involvement was a frequent talking point among organizers, vendors and attendees alike. When asked what inspired her to create the festival, Gardin spoke of her visits to large literature festivals in other cities like Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, but also of a

desire to create a festival on par with New Haven’s famed International Festival of Arts and Ideas.

She added that though there are many events that take place in the city, many of them represent and celebrate Yale, but not New Haven.

“New Haven has a lot of arts celebrations, but we need something for the community,” she said. “Something that celebrates and educates about the richness of local resources.”

Justin Hernandez said he also sees the importance of community and local talent. Hernandez was a vendor at the festival representing Bloom, a newly-opened lifestyle boutique and wellness center in the Westville neighborhood. At the Bloom table, attendees could purchase plants, teas, fragrances, and many other enticing items. Most popular on Saturday though, were Hernandez’ delicious artisanal mocktails—a refreshing respite from the midday sun.

Hernandez came to work for Bloom in what he sees as an act of pure serendipity.

Shortly after it opened, he walked in believing it was a flower shop. He browsed and chatted with the store’s owner, Alisha Crutchfield-McLean, who expressed a need for more help around the store. He had just recently left his previous job. The rest is history.

Hernandez described Bloom as a “community space reimagined” that promotes health, wellness, and local involvement.

The plan is for it to be much more than a store, but more like a hub for activity within the Westville neighborhood.

A few blocks from the parking lot, there were more LIT fest events taking place at People Get Ready Books. Despite opening just months before the pandemic hit, the bookstore has become something of a community center, known for hosting book talks, film screenings, youth programming and upcoming comedy nights.

Over the weekend, attendees could turn up at PGR and sit in on panel discussions, listen to readings from various authors, and take in a speech from keynote speaker Lucy Hurston.

One such event was Saturday’s “Authors of the African Diaspora” panel, which featured readings and interviews with journalist and author Nicole Blades (Have You Met Nora?), Jael Richardson, and Deesha Philyaw (The Secret Lives of Church Ladies). In the space, the conversation ranged from writing schedules and character naming conventions to character inspirations and the viability of short stories in the literature market. It was moderated by Lisa D. Gray, an author who hails from New Haven.

As the festival expands, Gardin said she’s excited for it to grow, but endeavors to always “keep it in the community, and keep it local.”

So far, so good.

Young Klean Needs "Time To Heal” THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 22, 2021 - September 28, 2021

By Sam Hadelman, The Arts Paper www.newhavenarts.org

“Time To Heal” opens with a swanky guitar lead and soul sample, grabbing listeners almost instantly. As it blooms into fast, ear-grabbing lyrics and a tight rhyme scheme, it doesn’t let them go.

“Time To Heal" comes from Young Klean—or as he is more affectionately known by his family and friends, Mango.

Five years or so after arriving on the city's evolving hip-hop scene with his hit “Ville Shit”, the Newhallville-based rapper has released a track that is part confessional, part evolution, and full of heart and honesty. It is also a time capsule of where he's been, and where he wants to go next.

The artist was born and raised in Newhallville, the neighborhood that has since become his musical home. Currently, the 25-year-old splits his time between the studio, playing basketball in New Haven, most recently in the Bassett Tournament in Newhallville, and taking care of his infant daughter Kaylee. In June, the track arose from the grief that followed the loss of some close friends and family members.

“I’m gonna let the world know how I feel because I know there are plenty of people feeling the same way I feel," he

said in a recent interview. "So that’s the type of music I’m gonna make: Feel good music. This is gonna describe how you feel about your life or what’s next in your life or what you been going through.”

In the midst of the pandemic, the artist lost several of the people closest to him, he said in a recent interview. Reeling from loss, Young Klean took to the studio. He freestyled the song, bars coming together as he treated the recording space as a therapy session.

“It’s literally my feelings," he said.

"Through my music I learned to express myself more. Instead of just rapping or whatever, this is actually how I feel, actually what I’m going through now.”

The track marks a stark shift in his lyrical content and sound. Previously, Young Klean’s music was much closer to the music of the Midwest and New York, regions whose style have constantly been utilized in Connecticut hip-hop. “Time To Heal '' shows Mango growing into his own sonically, and making the best use of experimentation. The production on the record is soulful and melodic, a deviation from the hard-hitting and amplified sounds of his past.

The opening lyrics, “Don’t know if I’m gonna make it, only time will tell,” is a perfect encapsulation of the thematic na-

of not only his music career—but his life.

The song is not wrapped exclusively in doom and gloom, but also redemption and purpose.

The track is short and sweet, clocking in under three minutes, and the brevity of the song is accompanied by a sincere sense of clarity. Young Klean doesn’t waste a single second to tell a listener exactly what’s on his mind—and even if it's hard can’t relate to the story, they can feel the weight of his words. “Time To Heal” covers exactly what the title implies: the beginning of a long, complicated recovery process.

When looking towards the future, Young Klean’s goals are to elevate New Haven’s status in the world of music, he said. He hopes to create a pathway for both himself and the other musicians in the area to find the success the city deserves.

“It’s time for all these big record labels and these big musicians to hear what New Haven has in store," he said. "And it ain’t even just about me, it’s for the whole city.

That’s next for me, putting the city on a platform where everybody knows what New Haven is capable of.”

Young Klean

ture of the record. The bar is also a call to the uncertain vision of what the future

may hold for the artist, of whether or not he will be able to make it to the next level

On Friday night, Mayor Justin Elicker and Police Chief Renee Dominguez presented a number of citywide initiatives being taken to stem violence, including Project Longevity, Project Safe Neighborhoods, and an increase in walking beats.

Dominguez highlighted a number of

successful raids made in recent days, including an arrest and seizure of two guns just that morning. Youth employment programs, according to city youth worker Ronald Huggins, were able to offer summer jobs to every applicant for the first time this year.

Dominguez also spoke of the factors influencing this particular rise in crime, referencing multi-gang conflicts and rivalries leading to targeted homicides.

Responding to gang activity in several neighborhoods has stretched resources thin, she said.

During public comment, frustration surfaced over and over, with residents speaking passionately from experiences of losing loved ones and living in the neighborhoods in fear.

“I’m tired of the band-aid,” said Apostle Loria Morrison, a pastor and social worker overseeing the funeral of 14-year-old Tyshaun Hargrove, who was killed on Aug. 25. “Gun violence is the symptom of a community that is bleeding. If you really want to help this community, you will help formulate a plan to bring wealth to these families.”

Still, as the night wore on, finger-pointing was kept to a minimum. Instead, a general consensus of a unified commu-

Listen to the track on Spotify.

100+ Call For Action vs. Rising Crime

by ISAAC YU

New Haven Independent

Top police brass, city officials, and residents gathered in Fair Haven on Friday night to seek community solutions to the city’s increased gun violence, challenging police while resolving to work together.

They met in the cafeteria of the Family Academy for Multilingual Exploration, just blocks away from a Tuesday nonfatal shooting at the Grand Cafe on East Pearl Street. It was one of a string of five shootings in four days, three of which were fatal, drawing out emotions of fear and frustration for those gathered.

“Right now we’re in the darkness, and I’m sick of it,” said attendee Shirley Lawrence.

The three-hour-plus meeting drew 120 attendees, including several police district managers and 12 Democratic candidates for alder.

The meeting came on the heels of an online grassroots session held with around 60 Fair Haveners the night before, which ultimately created a list of immediate action steps and formed the Fair Haven Community Safety working group.

The Thursday meeting was hosted by alder candidate Sarah Miller, social-

DuBois-Walton presents working group’s plans.

justice acitvist Kica Matos, and housing authority chief Karen DuBois-Walton.

Participants resolved to revoke the liquor license of the Grand Cafe, which they said fosters crime in the area, as well as “occupy the corner” on East Pearl Street, enlisting community members in a campaign inspired by Minneapolis activists.

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nity response emerged.

“We’ve got to defend our hoods by any means necessary,” said Magaly Cajigas, who recounted growing up amid violence in the Hill. “We need to come together, start having vigils, rallying, walking in a group. I will join you. I will walk with you.”

“It takes a village,” added Trel Morrison, who works with young men in a mentorship program and lost a mentee to gun violence. “Bring the village back — it takes all of us.

Many residents spoke highly of the officers present. Officers, in turn, begged the community to help them do their jobs.

Assistant Chief Karl Jacobson asked those present to call 866-888-TIPS with any information, and also identify friends and relatives living in the city who could be a part of upcoming classes of new officers.

“The police need you,” he said. “Everyone in this room: please become recruitment officers for the NHPD. We can’t get people from New Haven without you.”

Jacobson also noted that he previously staged drug buys at the Grand Cafe while working undercover for the state’s narcotics unit. “I’ll sit with you, and we’ll do it together,” he told DuBois-Walton.

1,000 Afghan Refugees Expected THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 22, 2021 - September 28 , 2021

by THOMAS BREEN

New Haven Independent

Forty-five New Haven and West Haven residents remain trapped in Afghanistan, and are currently caught in an “agonizing” position: Do they find a way to get back to the United States while leaving their families behind, or do they stay in a country where they and their families are in constant danger?

A call went out Monday to help them get back home — and to help Connecticut prepare to resettle 1,000 new Afghan refugees through next summer.

Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS) Executive Director Chris George issued that call Monday during a press conference held under the front portico of First & Summerfield Church at Elm Street and College Street downtown.

George joined U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Mayor Justin Elicker, and a host of local and statewide refugee resettlement organization leaders to talk about the urgency for Congress to provide funding for housing, healthcare, and other basic needs for an incoming influx of Afghan refugees.

The press conference took place less than two weeks after the U.S. completed its military withdrawal from the country.

The hectic end to a two-decade-long war saw well over 100,000 people airlifted out of Afghanistan—with hundreds of U.S. citizens and tens of thousands of Afghans left behind in a country now controlled by the Taliban.

Most of Monday’s press conference focused on the need for Congress to appropriate millions of dollars to help refugee agencies across the country handle a surge of new arrivals from Afghanistan.

George said that IRIS has already

Blumenthal (right) and Elicker.

helped eight to 10 Afghan families resettle in New Haven in recent months. That number is likely to spike in the coming weeks as more and more refugees who have been staying in U.S. military camps across the country make their way to the U.S. George estimated that Connecticut will see roughly 1,000 Afghan refugees over the 12 months ahead—which is double the number of Afghan refugees IRIS has helped resettle over the past five years combined.

Blumenthal said that the U.S. has a “moral imperative” to allocate enough

money to resettlement agencies across the country to make sure that those who were able to flee Afghanistan, those who have left their home country after helping the U.S. overseas, are able to find safe homes here in the United States.

George spent most his time at the mic Monday drawing attention to IRIS clients who remain in Afghanistan.

Forty-five people from New Haven and West Haven who are U.S. residents, green card holders, or otherwise legal residents of this country remain stuck in Afghanistan, George said. They and their families tried to make it on a flight out of the

Kabul airport in the last days of August, but they were “beaten and bruised” in the process, and are now “hunkering down in safe houses in Kabul.”

They are running out of food, George said, and they’re also running out of hope.

“They feel like they are bargaining chips in some high stakes game of international diplomacy.”

Why are they still in Afghanistan at all, given that they’re legal U.S. residents?

George asked rhetorically.

Because they have had to make “an agonizing decision” of: “Do I take a seat on a plane to come to the United States, or do

I stay and protect my brothers and sisters” and family members in Afghanistan.

George implored Blumenthal and other members of Congress to ask U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during an upcoming hearing on the matter: “Would you leave your parents behind?”

And George referenced one such IRIS client in Afghanistan who he texted with over the weekend. “This decision is driving me crazy, Mr. Chris,” George quoted that man as writing. “Can you please help me decide” whether to leave his family, or stay and try to find a way for all of them to come to the U.S. George said the U.S. needs to “use its considerable leverage to bring U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, out of Afghanistan and back to the United States.”

He called on the U.S. State Department to prioritize getting these U.S. residents and their families out of Afghanistan safely and as soon as possible.

What about these New Haven and West Haven residents’ family members who are not legal U.S. residents? Can the federal government really bring them into the country as well at this time?

George said that many of these family members are already in the visa process.

Many have submitted humanitarian parole applications, he said, or applications for I-130 petitions. They are in the U.S. immigration visa process, he reiterated, and they should be able to come to the U.S. alongside their family members who are already residents.

“It’s a basic universal human right that people should have the freedom to leave their country, especially if they feel at risk,” George said. “The Taliban has got to respect that.”

Rafael Ramos Takes The Lead On Lead

by PAUL BASS

New Haven Independent

After 25 years making sure porches didn’t crumble and the heat stayed on in renters’ apartments, Rafael Ramos is taking on a new challenge: making sure kids don’t eat lead paint at home and diners don’t eat poison at restaurants.

Ramos begins that challenge Oct. 4 as the city’s new director of environmental health programs.

He will oversee a team within the Health Department of 15 inspectors enforcing laws regulating lead paint in homes, water quality at beaches and pools, health standards at restaurants, and weights and measures (whether that gallon of gas or pound of ham is truly a gallon of gas or a pound of ham).

After a quarter century working in the city’s anti-blight Livable City Initiative (LCI), where he most recently served as a deputy director, Ramos could have retired. He could have put his feet up, devoted the rest of his time to his many volunteer pursuits, from running Fair Haven’s Bregamos theater and serving on the board of Junta for Progressive Action to taking neighborhood kids on annual camping trips.

Instead, he decided put his inspection and enforcement experience to use in a new public-service mission.

“I’m not ready to retire,” Ramos said during an interview about his past work and future plans, on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven” program. “I like challenges. If I take 60 kids camping,

PAUL BASS PHOTO Rafael Ramos at WNHH FM: “Government can impact people’s lives.”

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you know I love challenge!”

In one sense, Ramos is returning to his roots: Before joining LCI in 1996, he worked as a lead paint inspector for the city of Bridgeport. Through decades of public service, he said, he has learned how “government can really impact people’s lives.”

Ramos’s new boss, Health Director Maritza Bond, called him the “ideal” person to fill the environmental health post at a time when the city has ramped up lead-paint enforcement after ending years of litigation on the issue.

“Everyone’s really excited” to work with Ramos, Bond said. “He’s a great person. He’s passionate about public health.”

The post has been vacant since the re-

tirement two years ago of its longtime previous occupant, Paul Kowalski. The health department has hired more lead inspectors since then. It has pivoted to direct outreach in neighborhoods like Newhallville, Dixwell, Fair Haven, and the Hill to get prevention advice to renters and remediation help to property owners. It has started a free training program for landlords’ maintenance crews.

Ramos said he believes in leading with “education” before “enforcement. “I’m a true believer in voluntary compliance,” he said. But he has no hesitation pivoting to citing people who still refuse to comply with the rules.

Bishop Davis Leaves His Mark THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 22, 2021 - September 28, 2021

ried our headaches,” Edwers said. “We want to thank his children for the days he was at the church and not home.”

The service had a full house. Claps and hums rang from the pews in sync with the choir and church band. The bishop sat at the center of the stage alongside his wife and church staff.

The church also thanked First Lady Davis for serving as a “picture of perfection” who supported her husband since he became head pastor.

Davis’ two kids, Chris and Renee Davis, were aged 16 and 17 when their father became Pitts Chapel’s bishop.

The duo thanked the church Sunday for their faith in their father and years of support for their family.

Chris was a rising high school senior and Renee had just graduated high school when the bishop stepped up at Pitts Chapel. When their father took on the role, they learned to depend on each other as the bishop worked. “At that time you know that’s an age where you need guidance and someone to depend on,” Chris said.

Chris thanked his father for showing him devotion and sacrifice while also being focused on the church. Watching his father while growing up, he learned to carry their family name with pride, he said.

“We believed in what our parents taught us and told us,” he said. “That success came through watching them.”

Chris urged the families of the church to be an example to their youth.

“I am proud to be a Davis,” Chris said.

“If you’ve ever asked yourself was it worth it — yes it was. The fishing trips that we missed, it was worth it.”

Darrell McClam thanked the bishop for nurturing him and his brother through ministry and teaching them about faith.

“God sent a man in the midst of a congregation to heal the church,” said Edwers. “He brought this church a mighty long ways.”

Bishop Davis’s nephew, Fire Lt. Samod “Nuke” Rankins, joined the Sunday celebration in church.

After the church service, attendees joined at the corner of Brewster and Shelton to reveal the renamed corner.

Newhallville leaders including former Alder Delphine Clyburn, Newhallville Alder Oscar Havyarimana, and State Rep. Robyn Porter thanked the bishop for his years of service.

Porter presented Davis with a state citation at the Sunday corner renaming.

The day ended with a banquet back at the church.

by MAYA MCFADDEN New Haven Independent

En route to leading his last service as pastor of Pitts Chapel Unified Free Will Church, Elijah Davis Jr. accidentally left his bible in the limo. So he ditched his planned sermon and preached a word about fishermen and loyalty.

Davis preached that sermon as part of one of two events Sunday marking his retirement.

Davis shepherded Pitts Chapel for the past 35 years, the longest pastoral term in the congregation’s history. On Sunday he was celebrated at a farewell service by more than 100 church members. After the service, the community celebrated outside at Shelton Avenue and Brewster Street by unveiling a sign renaming the corner after the bishop.

For his farewell sermon, Davis urged his church to continue to “introduce the word of God to others” as he has for decades. He referred to Matthew 4:18, a scripture written on the back of the Sunday program. It appeared alongside a photo of Davis with his wife back in 1986, during his first year as pastor at Pitts Chapel.

“The scripture says, ‘Follow me. I’ll make you fishers of men.’”

The bishop was gifted with limousine rides to and from the Sunday celebration. Upon arrival at the 10 a.m service, he discovered his briefcase with his bible was misplaced. This caused him to have to improvise his final remarks.

“There are times when you throw your net out and you might not catch everything that you tried going after.

You’re going to lose some along the way. You’re not going to catch a fish every time, but you keep on fishing,” he said.

Davis’ improvised sermon brought the congregation to their feet in applause and cheers of “Amen” and “Hallelujah.”

Friends and family members showered the bishop and First Lady Esther Davis with gifts of gratitude during the service including watches, plaques, and blankets. Members of the congregation made donations to a fund for the bishop’s retirement.

The Sunday farewell service was led

by Bishop Nathan Edwers of New York and Ministers Darnell and Darrell McClam of Union Temple FWB Church.

The church thanked the bishop for his service not only as a bishop but also as a father, husband, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

“I know there was many days she [Esther Davis] dealt with him while he car-

Esther and Elijah Davis.

MAYA MCFADDEN PHOTOS Davis prays over congregants at Pitts Baptist Sunday.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 22, 2021 - September 28 , 2021

894 City Workers Vax’d; 247 Choose Weekly Testing

by THOMAS BREEN | New Haven Independent

Nearly 900 city employees are already vaccinated, while just under 250 have chosen to be tested weekly rather than get their shots, according to newly released data from City Hall.

City spokesperson Kyle Buda shared those numbers by email Wednesday in response to a request from the Independent.

Tuesday night at midnight marked the first deadline for a municipal employee vax-or-test mandate that Mayor Justin Elicker announced during the last week of August. That mandate requires all city employees to either get fully vaccinated against Covid-19, or submit to weekly Covid testing starting the week of Sept.

27.

Tuesday night’s deadline was for city employees to register their choice in the City of New Haven COVID Vaccination/ Testing Portal.

That is: Have they already gotten vaccinated? Or will they opt out and go with weekly Covid testing instead?

This mandate applies to all municipal workers, but does not include city public school teachers, who are covered by a separate statewide vaccination mandate.

According to the data provided to the Independent, 1,149 of the city’s 1,406 total municipal employees registered in the online system before midnight Tuesday.

Of those 1,149 who registered, 894 indicated that they have already been fully vaccinated, 247 indicated they will be choosing the weekly testing option instead of showing proof of vaccination,

City Health Director Maritza Bond (right) gets vax’d last December.

and eight indicated they are scheduled to get vaccinated.

That means that, of the 1,149 city employees who have registered so far, over 77 percent are already vaccinated.

When taking into account the additional 257 city employees who have not yet registered, that city employee vaccination

rate drops to 63.5 percent.

Buda noted that the city employee vaccination rate is bound to increase as those 257 unregistered holdouts fill out the necessary online forms in the coming days.

He said the rate will inevitably fluctuate on a daily basis, as City Hall’s workforce is always changing due to new hires, re-

tirements, and resignations.

According to city Health Director Marit za Bond, 63.7 percent of eligible New Haveners over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated, while just over 70 percent have gotten at least one dose.

The policy requires vaccinated employees to submit proof that they have gotten their shots. That proof can be a photo of their CDC Covid-19 Vaccination Record Card, documentation from a health care provider, or a state immunization information record. “Personal attestation will not be accepted as an acceptable form of proof of a Covid-19 vaccination.”

Those who opt out of getting vaccinated and choose the weekly testing route must also show documentation from a health care provider indicating the results of a Covid-19 test taken in the last five days.

“Employees who are found to be noncompliant with this policy shall be barred from physically entering the workplace and allowed twenty-four (24) hours to provide proof of compliance through the New Haven COVID Vaccination/Testing Portal as described above,” the policy concludes. “Employees shall be placed on leave without pay unless they choose to use their accrued time for any time they are absent from work for non-compliance with this policy.

“Those approved for telecommuting are not exempt from this policy and must comply with all requirements and/or deadlines as detailed above.

“Failure to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.”

State Honors 2 New Haven Arts Heroes

by STAFF Two New Haven “arts heroes” got their due Wednesday night — in the form of statewide recognition of their contributions to Connecticut culture.

Lucy Gellman and Kim Weston received those honors during the latest annual Connecticut Arts Hero Awards, held in downtown Hartford at the Infinity Music Hall & Bistro on Front Street.

Gellman, who is the editor of the New Haven Arts Paper and the co-founder of the Youth Arts Journalism Initiative, was one of nine Connecticut residents to receive the 2020 Arts Hero award from the state Office of the Arts.

Weston, a photographer and teacher with a studio in Erector Square, was one of eight to receive the 2021 award.

Penfield Communications Inc

John P. Thomas Publisher / CEO

Babz Rawls Ivy

Editor-in-Chief Liaison, Corporate Affairs Babz@penfieldcomm.com

Advertising/Sales Team Keith Jackson 10 Delores Alleyne John Thomas, III

Editorial Team

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

Contributing Writers David Asbery / Tanisha Asbery Jerry Craft / Cartoons / Barbara Fair Dr. Tamiko Jackson-McArthur Michelle Turner / Smita Shrestha William Spivey / Kam Williams Rev. Samuel T. Ross-Lee

Contributors At-Large Christine Stuart www.CTNewsJunkie.com

Paul Bass www.newhavenindependent.org

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THOMAS BREEN PHOTO Lucy Gellman and Kim Weston, back stage at Infinity Hall.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 22, 2021 - September 28, 2021

Hillhouse Football Game Violence Detailed; New Attendance Policy Debated

by MAYA MCFADDEN New Haven Independent

New Haven was lucky no one got shot.

School and security officials offered that assessment as part of a briefing about a series of brawls that broke out last Friday at a Hillhouse High School football home game at Bowen Field against Hamden High.

The briefing — and a debate about a resultant new policy requiring students to be accompanied by parents or guardians at school sporting events —took place at Monday night’s Board of Education meeting.

New Haven Public Schools Director of Security Thaddeus Reddish said the “potential for gunfire was there” at the game.

The Friday game drew about 4,000 spectators, 1,500 of which were kids ranging between eighth grade and high school ages, Director of Physical Education, Health, Athletics Erik Patchkofsky reported at the Monday meeting. There was almost a “Thanksgiving size security presence,” he said.

“We did have a group of students that came, and they didn’t come here to watch the game,” Patchkofsky said.

During the game a series of fights broke out, which security worked to break up.

Hillhouse Principal Glen Worthy reported that he alone broke up three to four fights, which included no Hillhouse students.

One Hillhouse student later revealed that he had fought with students from a different school at the game after being chased.

“I’ve been in New Haven for 28 years and grew up in New Haven and grew up in Newhallville. Friday night was probably the first time I felt unsafe,” Worthy said.

Worthy added that most of the students involved in causing the chaos were from schools outside of New Haven.

After being kicked out of the game for fighting, several students found a way back in by going through the woods and climbing fences to continue fighting, Reddish reported.

New Haven cops joined in to help the school security officers deescalate the situation. This led to students fighting with police. The fights spilled into the parking lot.

The NHPD brought in members of the intelligence unit Friday to help assess the incident.

“Right now is the bigger picture than just this football game. There are homicides taking place in this city, as everyone knows. But what a lot of people don’t understand is a lot of the kids who were involved in these homicides, they were there,” Reddish said.

The event ended in no arrests or gun violence.

“Everyone breathing. We’re not attending a funeral. And we don’t have to sit and justify why somebody was killed,” said Reddish, a retired NHPD assistant chief.

“The vicious cycle we need to stop is 14 year-olds killing 14 year-olds.”

During half time, the gates were closed to avoid adding in more people to the unsafe

MELANIE ESPINAL FILE PHOTO Schools security chief Reddish: “Everyone breathing. We’re not attending a funeral.”

situation, Patchkofsky said.

New Attendance Policy Rolled Out Afterwards, schools Superintendent Iline Tracey gathered an administrative team including Patchkofsky, Worthy, and Reddish to come up with the temporary policy as a result, which ended up with the requirement of parents or guardians accompanying students to sporting events.

Patchkofsky and the team said the policy will not be permanent. It will last until they “determine how to get our students into these activities and keep out people

that come here not for the events but to cause chaos.”

On Monday the temporary policy was sent to NHPS parents with a note calling it a safes solution to the incident that still allows families to attend upcoming games.

“We’ve never seen something like this before in New Haven,” Superintendent Iline Tracey said. “We had to do something. We had to take some action for the safety of all involved.”

Patchkofsky learned from student workers that the fights were planned at the

event to settle neighborhood disputes.

He added that he doesn’t foresee future fights happening for similar issues at games with non-neighboring towns. The next potential issue would be with the future game between Cross and Hamden Oct. 29, Patchkofsky said.

The new policy states that all students attending the games must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to attend NHPS sporting events until future notice.

BOE member Darnell Goldson argued that the policy should last only a week, in an effort to avoid punishing all NHPS students for the acts of a few.

“You don’t make a policy this far-reaching based on one moment,” he said.

Goldson added that all parents don’t have time to join their kids to football games.

“You continue to do stuff like that, you’re going to force these kids into acting how you don’t want them to act. They’re going to start getting angry about being punished about what these people did. And being seen as perpetrators as opposed to victims,” Goldson argued.

As part of a longer-lasting solution, Patchkofsky said, he is working on is getting school staff and administration to be at the game gates to identify problem students who are likely to cause problems.

He said staff however are asking for more time to get to know students throughout the school year to do so.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 22, 2021 - September 28 , 2021

Avshalom-Smith Wins Ward 20 Primary

by LAURA GLESBY

New Haven Independent

Devin Avshalom-Smith, a 32-year-old state legislative aide and Newhallville community organizer, defeated a partyendorsed candidate to win New Haven’s only Democratic primary Tuesday night.

Avshalom-Smith defeated Shirley Lawrence, a union activist who was endorsed by the Democratic Town Committee, 260-173, in a primary for the Ward 20 Board of Alders seat held for the past 10 years by Delphine Clyburn, who has retired.

Avshalom-Smith received 192 votes at the ballot box at the Lincoln Bassett School polling station, and another 68 absentee ballots. All but 19 of Lawrence’s votes came at the polls.

A third candidate, Addie Kimbrough, picked up 10 votes, two of them through absentee ballots.

“I am extremely grateful and thankful,” Avshalom-Smith said after the polls closed. “I walked like 50 hours per week to meet my neighbors. There is so much more that unifies us than divides us.”

“I feel like I still need to go door-knocking,” he added. “Actually, I do.”

As he canvassed the ward, he said, he was surprised to learn how high a priority blight-related issues like trash clean-up and lighting were, right up there with gun violence.

Kimbrough has successfully petitioned for an unaffiliated ballot line on the Nov. 2 general election ballot. The Republicans do not have a candidate in the race.

Avshalom-Smith said his priorities, if elected as expected in November, include creating a host of classes for Newhall-

LAURA GLESBY PHOTO Victor Devin Avshalom-Smith with supporters at polls Tuesday night.

ville residents, including ones on parenting, anger management, credit repair, and first-time homeownership. He hopes to advocate for zoning changes that would allow existing buildings to be repurposed for a youth and elderly community center, which would include emotional support services like counseling.

Avshalom-Smith was supported by neighborhood leaders like Community Management Team Chair Kim Harris, who knocked on doors to help him attract

votes.

“He’s the one who’s for all the people,” Harris said with tears in her eyes, because, she said, she could feel that a positive change was coming.

Rhonda Nelson-Sheffield said she decided to support Avshalom-Smith after meeting him six weeks ago:“Just reading his bio was enough for me. And then talking to him — if he didn’t know the answer to something, he would call someone up to get it.”

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Shirley Lawrence said one of the main goals of her campaign was to revive the former State Building at 188 Bassett St, creating a mental health center and community gathering space for the ward.

The building would house mental health counseling services, as well as a computer lab, video game center, and arts and crafts spot for young people. “When you get 14-year-old kids that don’t want to go outside, that’s not normal,” she said.

“This neighborhood is traumatized.”

Kimbrough said she enjoyed the experience of running for office.

As she spoke outside the polls, a young kid ran up to her and gave her a hug. “Are the plants growing?” he asked — referring to a community garden that Kimbrough runs in the neighborhood, where he had helped plant some food.

“You’ll have to come see them and get some vegetables,” Kimbrough told him.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 22, 2021 - September 28, 2021

"We Are Definitely In A State Of Emergency

By Lucy Gellman

Arts Council of GreaterNew Haven

The poet Sun Queen sits on the steps of City Hall, dressed in white with pops of yellow at her crown and feet. The pages, drawn in electric blue lettering, flap in the wind. She begins to flip through them, revealing a deconstructed poem that is also a prayer.

Not one more, the first panel reads. Keep us healthy and safe. By investing in our city. We need action! We need resources.

She lifts her arms and looks right into the camera. Fund New Haven. Move with urgency. It is your city.

Queen, an artist, activist and organizer who is also the co-founder of Black Lives Matter New Haven, has turned to poetry as protest as she grapples with a wave of citywide gun violence that has left 22 people dead in the first nine months of the year. Wednesday afternoon, she appeared outside New Haven’s City Hall with a message for elected officials and poem for citywide healing.

“People say they are waiting for the clergy to do something,” she said in a phone call Thursday morning. “People say they are waiting for us [Black Lives Matter New Haven] to do something. I’m not waiting for nobody. I’m an artist, an artivist, and I think that there are other ways to do this. We have to reimagine what public safety looks like. It’s not just the mayor. It’s not just the city. We have to do this work together.”

Wednesday, Queen let her words do the talking. During the first part of her artas-protest, she remained silent, revealing her message page by page as the sign for City Hall peeked out behind her right shoulder. She said that the message was intended for city officials, who have remained fairly tight-lipped when providing specifics on gun violence in the city.

In particular, Mayor Justin Elicker and New Haven Police Department Chief Renee Dominguez have received criticism from statewide elected officials, city residents, and organizers for how little information they share in the wake of shootings. As she looked from the camera to City Hall and back to the camera, Queen held up a sheet reading We Deserve To Live/We Deserve To Thrive.

“New Haven has all this money,” she said, referring to over $90 million that is coming into the city from the $1.9 trillion federal American Rescue Plan. “I know that Elicker has said that some of the money has gone to outreach workers. Who are the outreach workers? What resources are there for the community?

What is being done for the families?”

She added that does not envision a New Haven with more law enforcement, but one with more well-resourced healing and affinity spaces and cultural opportunities, particularly for Black and Brown people. As a poet and organizer who is also a queer Black woman, she has

Sun Queen, performing at the unveiling of a mural in the Hill on Juneteenth 2021. Lucy Gellman File Photo.

struggled to secure funding for her own events, including a new series focused on healing through the fine and performing arts. She’s watched as fellow organizers are also closed out of funding. Police don’t make her feel safer, she said—but adequately funded communities do.

This week, she proposed a series based on Kingian Nonviolence Trainings from herself and Pastor John Lewis, her mentor through the CT Center for Nonviolence, to Elicker. She said that those types of programs, which seek to address violence holistically and before it escalates, can help end the cycle by giving people different social and emotional tools to work with. She hopes to see more American Rescue Plan funding going toward similar healing, nonviolence, and trauma-informed programs for city residents. Ear-

lier this year, several city residents also advocated for expanded youth and family programming from those federal dollars.

“We need to know what the community wants and needs,” she said. “I’m tired of the community saying ‘this needs to stop,’ and it’s always a Facebook post and that’s it. You can send an email, you can set up art in the park with folks, it’s things that get us back to being a village.

We have to really invest in ourselves and invest in our community.”

During a second part of her performance, she performed a crisp, still-stinging poem meant to speak directly to city residents.

The totality of gun violence is deeply personal to her: her brother Christopher Fain was shot and killed while riding his bicycle on Dixwell Avenue in December 2012. He was 19, with a big smile and

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bright eyes. Eight years later, New Haven Police still have not identified a shooter.

While her first words were directed at city officials and particularly Elicker, she said the second poem was “for the hood.”

In the piece, she weaves together a plea for community members to put down guns with chilling imagery from a war zone, and a reminder to protect the earth instead of chiseling it into turf wars. She said that she considers the city in a state of total emergency, and that gun violence is a public health crisis.

Why are we at war with each other/ Don’t we bear enough?/Don’t we? she read.

Are we no longer deserving of thriving and making it home?

We should be choosing love over hate/ We should be choosing love over hate

… We strayed away from being a village/ Treating each other like strangers Aren’t we neighbors in the hood?/Isn’t it my/Isn’t it your/Isn’t it our neighborhood?

She and her partner-turned-videographer Ashleigh Huckabey (who also took the photograph at the top of the story) chose City Hall not only because it is where New Haven’s legislative body resides, but also because the building offers a glimmer of artistic hope. Isaac Bloodworth’s huge, bright work Black Kid Joy is installed just outside the first-floor offices. Ed Hamilton’s Amistad Memorial sits at the center of that installation.

It comes in a year of deep grief and exhaustion for the artist and for the city.

This month, New Haven eclipsed the total number of murders that it saw in 2020. Those killed, who have left behind grieving families, elders, parents, and oftentimes young children, range from baby-faced teenagers with big basketball dreams to victims of partner violence to young adults who were at cookouts in public parks.

This week alone, that number includes the murders of Trequon Lawrence, Luis Fernando Gonzalez-Sandoz, and Zaire Luciano in four days of extreme violence.

The city has also seen a high number of nonfatal shootings this year, including two that have been reported in the past three days.

Each one is a weight on her heart, said Queen. She struggles to sleep thinking about the way gun violence rips through families. Each shooting brings her back to her own trauma, and reminds her of a city that is “definitely in a state of emergency.” This week alone, she has taken videos to capture the constant sound of sirens in Westville, where she lives. In late August, the sudden murder of 14-yearold Tyshaun “Ty Ty” Hargrove hit her particularly hard.

“Ty Ty was 14,” she said. “Fourteen!

That just, that was a lot to process. 14.

You’re still really figuring out if yellow is still your favorite color. I don’t know.

Probably some religious folks, they would be like ‘we are living in the last of days.’ I don’t want to live in the last of days.”

Going forward, she said, she plans to continue poetry as a form of protest—and to make space for fellow artists, activists, and organizers who are also working to help heal a grieving city. On Thursday morning, she was working on a poem for Elm City Lit Fest when she picked up the phone. On Sept. 18, she plans to hold an affinity space in Westville behind Mitchell Library.

“I feel like I can’t rest until we are able to experience real joy and real peace,” she said. “I want peace and light and joy in my city.”

Space Lifts Off At District THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 22, 2021 - September 28 , 2021

and impact.”

In a Super Mario t-shirt that glowed yellow and green, photographer Quantwilla Gibson buzzed around and snapped a few shots. The founder Gibson Saw It Photography, she called Space Studios “part of an awakening for Black culture.”

On the other side of the room, Jefferson and Wiggins-Henry’s interview ended with a smattering of applause and a few knowing mmmms. Wiggins-Henry headed over to the keys, and began to play notes that filled up every inch of space. Attendees drifted to the front of the room, still holding plastic plates and small cups of pudding. Some hummed along and began to sway; others pulled out their phones and started filming.

By Lucy Gellman

Arts Council of GreaterNew Haven

A larger-than-life astronaut beckoned from one wall, projected in hazy pinks and a crisp white space suit. On a couch across the room, Adriane Jefferson interviewed musician Finn Wiggins-Henry about what it meant to have ownership over an artistic project. A camera bulb flashed nearby.

Chatter spilled out into the hallway, where friends compared notes on just-sweetenough tiramisu and thick, silky banana pudding.

That is the vision behind Space Studios, the multimedia project of 35-year-old filmmaker Donnell Durden and Aligning Media. Thursday night, Durden launched the studio from District New Haven, where he is renting out a 1600 square foot space for photography, film, music, and smallscale video production. While the space has technically been in use for months, Thursday marked its formal opening to the public.

“I want to be an asset to people in our community,” he said. ”I felt a way about this building [District] being in the heart of Fair Haven, which is mostly Black and Spanish … We’re coming in through this creative channel. This was fully intentional.”

Durden said that Tiffany Stewart, who was originally his business partner and worked on earlier iterations of Space as the president and chief executive officer of Aligning, is no longer involved in the project. In December of last year, Stewart published her second book and has been working to spread the word on it in the months since.

He is working closely with consultant Corinna Santos, who has also done work for the city’s Economic Development Administration and Civic Space initiative.

Nestled in District’s James Street home, Space Studios is meant to be a hub for Black creatives and non-Black creatives of color. Located just a few yards beyond the building’s entrance, the hub is set up as a large room, with sweeping white walls, mood lighting and high ceilings. Thursday, one niche became a photo studio, with bright lighting equipment and a black backdrop against which people posed all night.

Just a few yards away, another mini-studio was set up for videography and live interviews. On a plush couch, Cultural Affairs Director Adriane Jefferson interviewed musicians Thabisa Rich and Finn WigginsHenry before they drifted to the front of the room, and soaked it in floor-to-ceiling sound in two different performances. Nearby, makeup artist Yulonda Zanders chatted with attendees about her business, WildHeart Beauty Den. Durden said that the model is meant to support creatives across varying income brackets, including those who have small budgets or can do a talent swap, like a musical performance for a photo or video shoot. He has already landed multiple projects with organizations including the

Wiggins-Henry made a calculation in their head, and rearranged the set list.

Donnell Durden and Corinna Santos. Lucy Gellman Photos. cussions about a second satellite location in Dixwell, but said that he can not give many details about it at this time.

“This is what it’s all about—all the creatives being creative,,” he said. “I felt a need for us to be here, taking advantage of this space. It’s all about the dream. Music, photography, videography … this really gives me life. It inspires me.”

Thursday night, friends, family, and artists from across the city and the state turned out to support him. In the hallway, Elena Brito of Xadonis Catering greeted attendees with a spread of cheese and meats, frosted strawberries, sliced fruit and a watermelon carved into a hollow, delicate pink-andgreen bowl. As attendees trickled in, she and her daughter Cameo Davis buzzed around the table, helping attendees fill their plates.

A lifelong New Havener and graduate of the Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology’s (ConnCAT) culinary arts program, Brito said she is thrilled to see Space taking off. Living in Newhallville, she often feels like people associate Blackness— and particularly young Black men—with crime, she said. This flips the script.

“I love it,” Brito said. “I love it because it gives people an opportunity to see that we have such great talent.”

Down the hall, friends taste-tested banana pudding, tiramisu, and still-warm beef and chicken empanadas from Cruz Control Bakery, a food business run by Chef Amanda Cruz. While she is based in Seymour, Cruz does a lot of her business in New Haven. The small-scale bakery was born during the pandemic, when the Cordon Bleu graduate found she had more time to cook at home.

City of New Haven, Tsai City at Yale, the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, and the United Way of Greater New Haven.

He said that ideally, he can use those bigger-ticket items—as well as corporate partnerships that he is working to secure— to subsidize projects that have smaller budgets. His goal is to not have to turn anyone away, he said. Thursday, he motioned to a small, masked crowd filling the hallway, pointing out painters, visual artists, and videographers among the group.

“This is why I did what I did,” he later said.

He added that launching from District is part of that mission. Durden grew up in Newport, Rhode Island and moved to New Haven when he was in high school. As a student at James Hillhouse High School, “I got in trouble a lot,” he said. “I was a crazy kid.”

His creative pursuits, including music and filmmaking, were the things that pulled him back into wanting a sustainable career.

When his son Bryce was born 10 years ago, Durden went back to school for accounting, and picked up marketing skills that transferred surprisingly well onto arts administration. When he graduated, he said, he didn’t feel fulfilled in a nine-to-five finance job. He turned back to media, and discovered a universe that was waiting for him.

When he first spotted District several years ago, he wondered if it would reflect the diversity of the Fair Haven community, which is largely Black and Latinx. He realized very quickly that it didn’t, despite what he sees as a clear need in the community. That’s where Space Studios comes in, he said. He is also in preliminary dis-

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She met Durden a few months ago through Malcolm Redfield, a childhood friend of his who runs a small consulting business.

Thursday, she watched as attendees compared her desserts, and layered praise on her empanadas, crisped and toasty on the outside and still giving off steam on the inside.

“I think it’s great,” said Redfield, with whom she agreed almost instantly.

Inside Space, attendees gathered to watch live interviews, pose for brightly lit photos, and listen as musicians turned one half of the room into a stage. Sade Manigault, who started the Fairfield-based apparel business iCrown Collective in 2019, watched a live painting demonstration from artist D. Douglas.

After moving to New Haven from New York for the University of New Haven 11 years ago, Manigault created iCrown as a way to spread affirmations by and for creatives of color. She said the brand currently produces t-shirts, sweatshirts, and masks. Before going into business, she was working in medical administration for the Stamford Hospital system. But “I wasn’t satisfied.”

She now does her own designs and prints apparel for fellow small businesses, including Space Studios. After meeting Durden through the 48 Hour Film Project last month, she offered to collaborate with the venture as it was getting off the ground.

She sees iCrown as aligned with Durden’s mission, she said.

“I felt like I was meant to serve my community. And that is Black and Brown people— that is our main target audience,” she said.

She added that she sees the importance of Space as “three words: inspire, influence,

“White people have really been trying me this week,” they said before going busting out an a cappella cover of Alice Smith’s “Shell Shock.” No sooner had they asked for musical help than the room became a percussion section, hands clapping and feet stomping the floor. Standing from the piano bench, they belted, walking into the center of the space to serenade the audience directly.

They later performed a mix of covers and originals, getting the audience dancing with Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody” before slowing it down with buttery vocals and soft, almost purring spoken word. When the first notes of “Ain’t Nobody” drifted into the air, the room exploded in cries of “Hey!” “Yeah!” and “C’mon!” Fresh off her own set, the musician Thabisa began to dance shoulder-to-shoulder with New Haven Independent reporter Karen Ponzio.

“Y’all better sing that!” Wiggins-Henry cried between lyrics. “This is what happens when the culture gets together,” they later added.

Nearby, a woman’s torso and crossed legs bloomed across a canvas as Douglas worked on a new painting, nodding her head to music as Wiggins-Henry and then DJ Spinfresh kept the beat pumping.

Douglas, who is in the midst of curating a new “Make It Melanin” art show at Erector Square, said she’s grateful for a new space for Black makers in the city. She ended the night fielding questions on her work.

She hadn’t expected to be at the event, but had jumped at the opportunity after flooding from Hurricane Ida left the artist Marsh stranded in Philadelphia and looking for a last-minute replacement. She praised Durden for his vision, pointing to the chronic lack of space and resources that Black artists experience in New Haven. It was her first time painting live, she added—but almost certainly not her last.

“This is everything for me,” she said. “We don’t have many spaces like this, that are for us by

Cop Facial Recognition Ban Advances THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 22, 2021 - September 28, 2021

by NORA GRACE-FLOOD New Haven Independent

A proposed ordinance that promises to ban town use and acquisition of facial recognition technology has moved one step closer to approval, sparked by concerns about bias and wrongly charged criminal suspects.

The proposed legislation, co-sponsored

by Council members Brad Macdowall and Austin Cesare, would prohibit the Town of Hamden from accessing or utilizing any facial recognition systems and/or information extracted from said systems.

The proposal was unanimously passed the Hamden Legislative Council’s Administration Committee on Wednesday night. It now goes before the full Council for approval.

The discussion and vote on setting proactive parameters around such software arrived at the Council roughly four months after BuzzFeed News published a report listing the Hamden Police Department as one of thousands of taxpayer-funded entities that had run at least one facial recognition scan as of February 2020.

The Hamden Quinnipiac News Net-

work later reported that HPD had received a free trial of the technology from Clearview AI early that year. Read more about Clearview AI and its controversial practices in this New York Times article.

“The Hamden Legislative Council finds that the benefits of using facial recognition are outweighed by its harms,” the proposed ordinance states, citing legal threats posed by the technology to civil rights and civil liberties; histories of disproportionate inaccuracies by the technology in identifying the faces of people of color, youth, and women; and concerns that information from facial recognition technology would be incorporated into databases and systems that are already plagued by racial biases.

Some law enforcement agencies have praised the technology for helping to solve crimes. Some critics have noted particular higher rates of wrongly identified suspects of color.

Some Council members Wednesday night vocally opposed any acquisition of facial recognition technology, supporting the proposal’s firm and total rejection of such software. “I’m 100 percent against it,” said Councilwoman Athena Gary. “This could hurt Black and brown

NORA GRACE-FLOOD PHOTO Chief Sullivan: What if technology improves?

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people way more than it could hurt anyone else… I don’t think it would benefit my people at all.”

Others were more hesitant to move forward with the policy. Councilwoman Valerie Horsley suggested the conversation oversteps given that the Hamden police department is not currently using facial recognition technology “It feels like we’re solving a problem that doesn’t exist, and oftentimes when you try to fix a problem that doesn’t exist, you create more problems,” she said.

“We don’t want to get ourselves in a situation where we can’t identify a murder victim because we have an ordinance on the books.”

Horsley said she would like to see the suggested legislation revised to limit the ban to a set amount of time, such as “three to five years,” and to allow for usage in “extreme circumstances.”

Police Chief John Sullivan questioned the reach of the ordinance. He said that while the department is not “currently looking to acquire facial recognition technology,” he could imagine doing so in the future if the “rapidly developing technology” becomes less discriminatory, more precise and normalized across

communities.

The chief asked whether he would be permitted to work on cases with the FBI if they were utilizing facial recognition software. Macdowall asserted that state and federal powers supersede Hamden’s authority, and pointed out that individuals will not be barred from accessing such software; the ordinance applies only to the town and government officials.

Macdowall added that at any point in time, future councils could revisit the ordinance and choose to revise the legislation. He suggested passing the ordinance as a preventive measure based on the current concerns with such software.

But he asked Council Attorney Sue Gruen to create language to address Councilwoman Horsley’s concern before the Council votes in full on Sept. 20.

The approval of the developing legislation marked a rare moment of unity and compromise within the Council. Cesare, a conservative Council member serving his last term on Council, noted that he usually sees things very differently from Macdowall, one of the Council’s most progressive representatives. “It’s nice to agree on something,” he said.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 22, 2021 - September 28 , 2021

A New Haven Playwright Makes His Broadway Debut

By Lucy Gellman

Arts Council of GreaterNew Haven

Lights up. Curtains open. On a stageturned-church, the Jenkins family has come together to lay their patriarch to rest. Inside the sanctuary, barbs fly. There are sisters at odds with each other, cousins on the cusp of reconciliation, partners figuring out what their relationship is. Music swells around the family, and sounds something like home.

If it feels like a family reunion at Thomas Chapel Church of Christ, it’s supposed to.

This fall, playwright Douglas Lyons is returning to his New Haven roots with Chicken & Biscuits, a newly-minted Broadway play shaped by and set in the Elm City. Directed by Zhailon Levingston, the show opens at Broadway’s Circle In The Square Theater later this month.

For Lyons, who first premiered the work at Queens Theatre in early 2020, the moment has been decades in the making.

“It is the laughter that the world needs,” he said in a recent phone interview. “The show is in part about loss, because there’s a character onstage that we don’t see. It’s about reconciliation, it’s about joy, it’s about healing. After the year we’ve had, being so isolated, it’ll be nice to see a group of eight actors come together.”

Preview performances begin Sept. 23, with opening night planned for Oct. 10.

In light of the highly infectious Delta variant and ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, attendees are required to mask up and show proof of vaccination. Tickets and more information are available here.

Chicken & Biscuits tells the story of the Jenkins family, pulled together for the first time in years to bury patriarch Bernard Jenkins. Every character has a different relationship with Bernard, from daughter to son-in-law to beloved grandchild. Set at a fictional St. Luke’s Church in New Haven—not to be confused with the real one on Whalley Avenue—the bulk of the work unfolds at Bernard’s service, as long-festering wounds open up, two boyfriends enter uncharted territory and a family secret tests whether blood is truly thicker than water.

In a funeral at a historically Black church, Lyons has found the right container for the show. He makes room for a kind of deep, expressive and sometimes sharp-tongued grief that is big enough to also hold celebration and comedy. As sisters, cousins, and boyfriends exchange barbs and guard their conversations, the audience is reminded that home and family aren’t always synonymous with comfort.

Along the way, the playwright weaves in questions about what it means to be Black and queer, when and how Black women get to experience loss and joy, and the sometimes murky line between biological and chosen family. He is nimble, jumping from a wailing, unrestricted sort of grief to quips about interracial dating and RuPaul.

Photo

Courtesy of Douglas Lyons.

For Lyons, who grew up as a preacher’s kid at Thomas Chapel Church of Christ, it is also a love letter to the city that raised him. When he was young, the playwright’s first exposure to the arts came through gospel music in the church, a love he has held onto for decades. As a preteen, Lyons studied dance at Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School, and then went on to play West Side Story’s lead Tony at Hill Regional Career High School.

Even after he left New Haven—first

for the Hartt School and then to tour the country in musicals—he never forgot the role that the city played in his career.

There is a little bit of the city and a lot of him in many of his characters, including the twenty-something son of tightly wound protagonist Baneatta Mabry.

“I am overwhelmed with gratitude,” he said of opening the show on Broadway.

“I’m humbled. I’m elated. I am fired up.

I’m a little nervous because of this [Delta] variant ... but I feel like the collective

12

hard work of the past five years of my writing career” is paying off.

The show is a triumph for the playwright in a year that has shaken the performing arts. Chicken & Biscuits originally premiered at the Queens Theatre in late February 2020, but the run was cut short as the then-novel coronavirus gripped New York City. During quarantine, Lyons had more time to sit with his work, and watched it flourish as the world remained on pause outside his window.

Meanwhile, he started watching his mother’s Sunday sermons from his bedroom, and then would call her to talk about them. He said that he is constantly in the process of rewriting the script, and growing his footprint as a playwright and a mentor. In the midst of twin pandemics of Covid-19 and systemic racism in June 2020, Lyons launched the Next Wave Initiative, a program of The Directors Company specifically to support Black artists.

He said that he’s excited to be putting a play on Broadway—long seen as inaccessible to both Black artists and Black patrons—that invites theater geeks and church goers alike enthusiastically into the theater. When previews open this month, Levingston will be the youngest director to ever grace Broadway. Lyons said he’s excited to be working with him, as well as a star-studded cast including Michael Urie and Norm Lewis.

He also longs for a New Haven theater that wants to stage and perform his work (”I want to bring it [Chicken & Biscuits] home!” he exclaimed during the phone call). The closest he has gotten is the Legacy Theatre in Branford, which put on his Polka Dots: The Cool Kids Musical this May. His mother, who he visited over Mother’s Day weekend, attended it with him.

From New Haven, his church family is rooting him on. His godmother Marcella Monk Flake, a pillar of the Thomas Chapel Church community, remembered watching Lyons when he was just an infant and “you could just see this bent towards music.” From church pageants, Monk Flake watched him grow into a young kid who loved singing, so much so that he auditioned at an Apollo showcase when he was just five years old.

“I was so afraid, and this little person just ran on stage,” she recalled. “He always just had this love for music, a beautiful tone, awesome pitch. It’s just so exciting. It couldn’t happen to a nicer young man. Needless to say, we are ecstatic.”

She and her husband, who together run the Monk STEAM and Jazz Collective, are enthusiastically planning to see the show this fall. She added that they are trying to bring Polka Dots to the New Haven community, for the youth that they work with.

Michael Twitty, whose sons Corey and Cameron grew up with Lyons, said he is equally excited for the performance. He bought tickets months ago, shortly after they went on sale.

“I’m thrilled for him,” he said. “You know, that business is not easy. I really hope that after this, New Haven will try to get him here. We have a gem in New Haven—this Black kid that has made a great life on the stage. And I think that should be acknowledged.”

Chicken & Biscuits begins previews Sept. 23 at the Circle In The Square Theatre and officially opens Oct. 10. It is scheduled to run through January 2, 2022.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 22, 2021 - September 28, 2021

WHITE SUPREMACY’S

CULTURE WAR

by Oscar H. Blayton For more than 1,500 years, Europeans and their cultural descendants have been defining reality for the people they have subjugated around the world.

We tend to think that global domination by that small percentage of the world’s population living in the northwest corner of the Eurasian land mass began in the late 15th century when Christopher Columbus sailed to the Western Hemisphere and Vasco da Gama sailed to India. But the seeds of white supremacy were planted long before that.

Ancient Europeans were aware of the existence of India. Most serious students of history learn of Alexander the Great’s invasion of India. From the time of Augustus Caesar, the Roman Empire routinely traded with India. But when many modern writers reference the “Ancient World,” Greece and Rome come to mind, but not India. Neither are references made to Native American cultures that were in existence thousands of years before Columbus set sail.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, European religious and cultural leaders began to develop narratives that centered themselves and people like them in the history of humankind.

This centering had a profound impact upon the development of Western civilization.

In the absence of the Roman Empire, Europe fractured into much smaller independent states with little knowledge of what existed beyond their borders.

These states warred with each other and promoted their own characteristics as superior to all others. It was during this time that the national identities of the French, the Germans and the Spanish began to solidify, and for almost 1,000 years, there was constant violence and conflict as each culture tried to gain dominance over the others and secure for themselves the limited resources that were available.

After this 1,000-year period of ignorance, violence and conflict in Europe, which is often referred to as the “Dark Ages,” state-sponsored European explorers began to venture out beyond their small corner of the world in search of resources. Spain sponsored Christopher Columbus’ voyage westward to find a new route to India. And soon after Columbus stumbled upon the Americas, Vasco da Gama sailed south from Portugal along the West African coast, rounded the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of the African continent and eventually crossed what became known as the Indian Ocean to India itself. Armed with cannon and cruel greed, the Spanish and Portuguese fleets began to plunder these foreign lands.

To justify the horrific atrocities committed against the people found in these new lands, the Spanish and Portuguese professed to be the messengers of Christian love and charity. So noble was their cause

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deemed to be, that in 1494, Pope Alexander VI divided the world in two, giving one half to Spain and the other to Portugal. But soon, the English, French and Dutch challenged the Spanish and Portuguese for these “new lands” filled with riches. Then Europeans began to slaughter each other as well as the unlucky indigenous inhabitants.

Armed with religiosity as well as cannon, European imperialists began to differentiate between Christians and “heathens,” bringing the latter to heel in the name of God’s mandate and the progress of civilization.

As they had done to each other in Europe for centuries before, the imperialists then began to do to the rest of the world. They created “others” and declared them to be undeserving of the bounty of their own lands. In support of this world view, the Eurasian land mass was divided into two parts, distinguishing Asia, with its non-white population, from Europe and its mostly white population.

This notion of Europe and Asia as separate continents has existed for centuries, with geographers declaring that there were seven major land masses called continents, and that each continent was divided from the others by a body of water. But the briefest examination of a world map reveals that there is no water separating Europe from Asia. The socio-political construction of Europe and Asia as separate land masses was created merely to “other” the non-white Asians.

Europeans and Asians, Christians and heathens, white people and Black people are all social constructs built to support a social order of global inequality that advantages white people to the detriment of people of color.

If we are ever to bring an end to white supremacy, we must diagnose the socio-economic and political condition of the world today and determine the causes of racism and the “othering” of the world’s various populations.

Critical Race Theory is one way to perform this diagnosis. It can demonstrate that there is a cultural thread that runs from the medieval superstitions of Europe to the 1836 Constitution of the Republic of Texas, which not only protected the right of its white citizens to own slaves, but also prohibited people deemed to be Indians and Africans from living freely within its borders.

Critical Race Theory also can demonstrate the cultural thread running from the slaughter of Africans and other people of color during the “age of exploration” to the present-day efforts of white supremacists to disenfranchise people of color in America and block their path to the voting booth.

We are now at the dawning of a new phase of a centuries old culture war, and we must arm ourselves with the knowledge of how we arrived at this point, because if we do not, the war will be lost.

Oscar H. Blayton is a former Marine Corps combat pilot and human rights activist who practices law in Virginia. His earlier commentaries may be found at https://oblayton1.medium.com/

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 22, 2021 - September 28 , 2021

NHPD: Violence Thwarted At Violence Vigils

Carlson Qualifies For Public $

EMILY HAYS PHOTO

by PAUL BASS

New Haven Independent

PAUL BASS PHOTO Interim Chief Dominguez, Asst Chief Karl Jacobson, major-crime chiefs Capt. John Healy and Sgt. Bertram Ettienne at Tuesday briefing.

by PAUL BASS | At a 14-year-old’s funeral, the mayor preached from the pulpit, calling on the community to help cops solve shootings.

In the crowd, a 15-year-old kept a Smith & Wesson hidden.

Also in the crowd, plainclothes detectives kept watch on the 15-year-old, to make sure no one else’s funeral would follow.

That episode took place inside Trinity Temple Church of God in Christ at the corner of Dixwell Avenue and Henry Street on the morning of Sept. 8, at the funeral of 14-year-old homicide victim Tyshawn “TyTy” Hargrove.

It was one of two recent memorial events for homicide victims at which New Haven police received tips about armed teens who might be bringing trouble. Both incidents ended with arrests, and no violence.

“Just in those two incidents alone,” Police Chief Renee Dominguez said at a press conference held Tuesday at police headquarters to describe successful recent investigations conducted by the department’s beefed-up shooting task force, “we are significantly stopping further violence at a place where people are grieving due to gun violence. We have a perpetual cycle of victimizing ourself over and over again. We have people there with weapons … It’s important for us to take these off the streets.”

Hargrove was shot dead on Chatham Street on the night of Aug. 25, less than three weeks before he turned 15. At his Sept. 8 funereal, Mayor Justin Elicker made a plea to those assembled to step forward with information about that shooting and others so police can reverse the deadly violence that has gripped New Haven. The city has seen 83 reported shootings and 22 homicides so far this year; last year it recorded 20 homicides, which was also a jump from previous years.

Detectives on the shooting task force

learned that “two individuals would attend the funeral with an illegal handgun,” police spokesperson Officer Scott Shumway told the Independent. The two young men, 15 and 16 years old, arrived at the church in a stolen Honda Accord, and went inside.

Members of the task force and the department’s criminal intelligence unit were present at the church, too.

They received permission from the stolen Honda’s owner to search the car. The firearm was not inside the vehicle.

So as the mayor and others spoke, officers kept a close eye on the two young men.

The men did not cause trouble during the ceremony. The cops stopped the pair when they exited the church, according to Shumway, and found one in illegal possession of a Smith and Wesson revolver. They were arrested on firearms and stolen-vehicle charges.

Elicker was asked Tuesday how he felt upon subsequently learning about what had been occurring under the radar at the funeral.

“I walk in neighborhoods all around the city. Occasionally we will run across people with guns,” he said. “I assume that guns are on people more often than any of us would like.”

“The larger issue,” he said, “is the fact that someone would bring a gun to a funeral, and how we as a society respond to that.”

Shumway described the “fine line” detectives walk during incidents like the one inside Trinity Temple. They don’t want to provoke violence by unnecessarily confronting people during a service, and they want to respect the assembleds’ ability to mourn, he said. On the other hand, they need to be ready to spring into action if trouble develops.

“These detectives did an outstanding job of monitoring until it’s safe enough to make an arrest,” he said.

The task force’s detectives walked that same line, with similar results, at a less for-

mal outdoor memorial vigil held for Hargrove on Chatham Street on the evening of Aug. 26.

In that case, the Bridgeport police department’s gang unit had forwarded information to New Haven’s police that “two individuals known to them to be in possession of an illegal gun” were headed to the vigil, Shumway reported. The pair indeed showed up. Again, plainclothes detectives kept watch amid the crowd in case they needed to take action. They were able to wait until the pair drove away from the scene with three others in a Honda Elantra.

The detectives then stopped the Elantra.

They found two illegal firearms and made several arrests.

At Tuesday’s press briefing, Dominguez reported that the department’s shootings task force is currently focusing on 26 cases, and is making progress on many of them.

As a result, police arrested a man in connection with a nonfatal May 12 shooting, and made two arrests in connection to a May 20 West Street shooting, for instance. A search warrant enabled police to recover weapons connected to another West Street incident, on Aug. 19, when shooters sprayed at least 19 bullets at the scene. An arrest warrant is expected in that case, as well as in the investigation of a Sept. 3 shooting following a fight at Dixwell Plaza. The task force recovered nine illegal weapons and arrested three people in connection with a July 26 shooting incident on Blatchley Avenue.

The chief announced that the state police have assigned three detectives to begin working this week with New Haven’s shootings task force, which also includes members from other area departments.

Dominguez said this will be the first in a series of weekly press briefings about progress made in the department’s increased efforts to stem gun violence. The department decided to initiate the briefings after hearing from the community, at events like a three-hour forum last Friday in Fair

14

Haven, that it would like to receive more information about crime and crime prevention efforts.

The department has embarked on an energetic recruitment effort, with a focus on finding New Haveners interested in becoming cops. The department has 317 sworn officers, out of 406 budgeted positions, according to Dominguez.

Con’t from page 09

Hillhouse Football

said she decided not to attend the game Friday last minute, and is glad she did so.

She agreed that the temporary policy is the best first step. “Anything could have happened that night. We know what the police and the mayor are dealing with right now in trying to figure out what’s going on with the violence that we’ve had,” she said.

Should They Have Made Arrests?

Goldson asked why no arrests were made at the event.

Reddish said the “officers’ hands were tied” due to dealing with minors and actively avoiding using force, detaining, or arresting the students.

Reddish added that several of the teens fighting came to the game with younger siblings, which could have resulted in a risk of injury to a minor charge.

“We’re not helping them by letting them get away with this stuff. We’re not helping by ignoring it and calling them kids,” Goldson argued. “If it’s not a game it’s somewhere else.”

The NHPD were not called to arrest or criminalize youth, but were rather called to help deescalate the situation to avoid “potential gunfire” Reddish said.

In addition, Goldson raised concerns that punishing all students “for the bad acts of a few” criminalizes all students. “I can’t imagine how these kids feel by being kind of accused because they’re a part of the school system and they’re Black,” he said.

Both candidates in New Haven’s mayoral election this year will run with the help of public financing, now that John Carlson has qualified for his first disbursement from the Democracy Fund.

Carlson, the Republican Party’s mayoral candidate, has provided the Fund, which administers the city’s public-financing program, the first 229 names of local donors, according to Administrator Alyson Heimer.

So the Fund will cut his campaign a check for $29,148: a $20,000 grant plus $9,148 in matching funds.

Incumbent Justin Elicker, the Democratic candidate, has already received $61,534 from the Fund, according to Heimer; he began raising money months earlier for an expected Democratic primary that ended up not happening. Elicker’s campaign manager, Kim Agyekum, confirmed that the candidate will be submitting paperwork to continue participating in the Fund and obtaining money for the general campaign.

Candidates who participate in the Democracy Fund agree to limit individual contributions to $390 (rather than $1,000) and forswear political-committee donations in return for a $20,000 grant and 2-1 matches of the first $30 in contributions from registered New Haven voters.

To qualify, candidates must raise at least 200 donations of at least $10 apiece from registered New Haven voters, and have raised and spent at least $5,000 in total.

New Haven has the state’s only municipal public-financing program; it covers just mayoral races.

Participants in the program may spend up to $390,000 on their campaigns.

Carlson promised when the campaign began to stop raising money once he collects $75,000, at which point he will ask donors to contribute instead to a food bank, homeless shelter, or “environmental cause.”

On Wednesday Carlson said he’s sticking by that $75,000 pledge, vowing to “demonstrate I am better at managing funds than my opponent who will probably spend five times that.”

He said the Democracy Fund money he’s receiving “will be a tremendous help to getting my message out and restoring democracy to the Elm City.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 22, 2021 - September 28, 2021

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 22, 2021 - September 28 , 2021

Wilson Branch Library, A Community Treasure, Turns 15

by LISA REISMAN

New Haven Independent

As the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, Luis Chavez-Brumell saw evidence that Courtland S. Wilson Branch Library was meeting its mission.

“One of our summer reading program alums was first in line for curbside pickup,” Chavez-Brumell recalled Tuesday night at the library’s 15th anniversary party outside its Washington Avenue home in the Hill neighborhood.

The celebration was an occasion for neighbors and librarians to reflect on all the activity that takes place at the branch, which has become a community center and a lifeline since opening in 2006.

Chavez-Brumell, who’s currently deputy director of the New Haven Free Public Library, was a classmate of the late Courtland Wilson’s grandson in middle school.

He returned to the area with a graduate degree in library science, eventually rising to the position of branch manager at Wilson branch library in 2018.

The summer reading program, READy for the Grade, which aims to address summer reading loss in children from low-income families, was among the reasons that Chavez-Brumell was in a celebratory mood.

“We fought to have a public library here with that kind of program, and it’s important to take a moment to recognize a place

that was built with community in mind, a place that tries to ensure equal access and opportunity, and that’s what Wilson was all about,” Chavez-Brumell said, referring to the neighborhood activist, mentor, and local politician who died in 2000.

READy for the Grade is just one of hundreds of programs, from recovery meetings to tax assistance to Kwanzaa potlucks and community arts projects, that distinguish Wilson Branch library, according to City Librarian John Jessen, who served as branch manager from 2012 to 2017.

“This library is kind of like a GMO,” said Jessen, among the 40 staff, former staff, and community members in attendance. “It’s a genetically modified library, with a library on the top and community space on the lower level. That gives us multiple different rooms to host programs and multiple opportunities to have the community connect with each other.

As Jesson spoke, Marian Huggins approached to say hello.

“Marian started an amazing book club here” called Urban Life Experience, Jessen said as Aretha Franklin’s “Think” boomed across the parking lot.

Huggins, current branch manager at NHFPL Mitchell Library, shared a leaflet with images of the books the group read in 2020.

“This one is great,” she said, pointing

LISA REISMAN PHOTO New Haven Free Public Library Deputy Director Luis Chavez-Brumell.

to David Chariandy’s Brother. “Make it a point to read it.”

Branch manager Meghan Currey called Hill residents the “true owners” of the library.

“This is not just a library but a community space,” she said. “We are always seeking ways to empower the community, to beautify it, to make magic happen.”

She recalled how librarian Bill Armstrong came up with the idea of brightening the corner around the library with murals.

16

City Librarian John Jessen with Mitchell Branch Manager Marian Huggins at Tuesday’s celebration.

The owner of Five Star Laundromat on 350 Washington Ave. volunteered two walls of his business. Then two neighborhood artists, Edward Smith and Alejandro Colon, inspired by the murals that went up, came forward to do another one.

“We’re here to facilitate all that, make that possible,” she said, as two kids engaged in a spirited game of cornhole nearby.

Armstrong also initiated a sunflower program that involved giving away sun-

flower plants and seeds to the neighborhood.

“The project cost us about $60 for seeds and promotion,” he said. “It was basically, ‘Come in, get free seeds, and plant sunflowers wherever you can in the Hill neighborhood’.”

The sunflowers, he said, “will pull toxins and heavy metals out of soil, making the environment cleaner, but mostly they’re bright and bring beauty and joy.”

For library technical assistant Jeffrey Panettiere, it’s about “helping people leading really stressful lives,” including poverty, hunger, joblessness, and substance abuse.

That’s what prompted his idea to start a musical instrument lending library where visitors can borrow a ukulele, an accordion, or a keyboard.

“It’s nice to be able to offer them some fun,” said Panettiere, a musician, who cited the support of Hungry for Music.

That nonprofit collects used musical instruments and donates them to underserved youth with “a hunger to play,” as its website reads.

He recounted his conversation with someone who had just returned to the neighborhood after a long absence.

“The best part of moving back to the Hill is this library,” the person told him. “And the best part of the library is the people.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 22, 2021 - September 28, 2021

Los Angeles County Returns $75 Million Land to Black Family Black Billionaire, Robert F. Smith, Launches HBCU Tour to Upgrade Campus

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire for years,” the Insider reported.

Cybersecurity and to Help Students Find an Alternative Way to Pay For College

Nationwide — Acclaimed writer and Broadway playwright Lorraine Hansberry once posed the prolific question: what does it mean, “to be young, gifted, and Black?” Nearly 60 years later, the sobering reality that persists for many Black American students seeking a college education in navigating the challenges of being young, educated, Black and broke.

Overburdened with crushing, disproportionate levels of student debt, they are playing catch-up from the first day they step foot onto a college campus. As a result, they start their careers strapped with significantly more educational debt than most white college graduates.

More than 70 percent of Black students go into debt to pay for higher education, compared to 56 percent of white students, according to the American Association of University Women. The Association’s recent report also found that Black women carry about 20 percent more student debt than their white counterparts, owing an estimated $41,466 in undergraduate loans in comparison to the $33,851 that white women owe.

The Brookings Institute finds that the Black-white disparity in student loan debt more than triples after graduation, with Black college graduates owing $7,400 more on average than their white peers ($23,400 versus $16,000).

And that regardless of the incomes they make after graduation, Black households carry more student debt, affecting their creditworthiness and ability to save money or buy homes. The debt difference tends to worsen over time, in part because of the longstanding racial wealth gap, which is only beginning to gain interest on the heels of America’s racial reckoning reignited in 2020.

Billionaire philanthropist Robert F. Smith is all too familiar with the ongoing student debt crisis and he’s doing his part to try and help. Smith drew headlines in 2019 when he pledged a $34 million gift to Atlanta’s historically Black Morehouse College, paying off student balances for 400 graduates. In the spirit of that life-changing support, this Fall he has launched the Student Freedom Initiative tour on the campuses of an initial cohort of nine Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). It provides science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), starting with HBCUs, opportunities to receive educational grants of up to $20,000 per academic year, filling the gap after financial aid awards.

The overarching goal is to provide students with alternative funding sources, in lieu of pursuing traditional student loans or their parents having to take out Parent PLUS loans, which are unsubsi-

Robert F. Smith

dized federal loans with higher interest rates and fees. “This is to help significantly reduce their financial indebtedness, which we believe is largely driven by long-standing economic disparities that persist in American society,” says the Student Freedom Initiative’s Executive Director Mark Brown. “We provide them with opportunities to receive income-contingent funding in lieu of traditional college loans that have long wreaked havoc on their financial futures. These income-contingent agreements, which we refer to as Student

Freedom Agreements, are based on a ‘pay it forward’ concept; meaning they pay it back only when they’re working and their payments are based solely on their income.”

Smith, who serves as chairman of the 501(c)(3) organization, says the objective is to provide HBCU students with long-term financial freedom. “Through the Student Freedom Initiative we hope to give Black students access to the education they need to move forward in this digital economy without the burden of student loan debt stopping them from realizing their fullest potential,” says Smith, who also helms the private equity firm Vista Equity Partners. “While our community continues to face inequities. that too often bar young students of color from accessing quality higher education, the Student Freedom Initiative aims to empower our students with the tools they need to control their financial futures.”

The students also have the opportunity to receive micro-grant funding for emergency situations that arise, along with career development opportunities established through partnerships with Fortune 100 companies. “Eligible students may receive at least two paid internships during their college careers, Con’t on page 18

17

Senior National Correspondent

Nearly a century after the government allegedly used trickery and eminent domain to seize their valuable property, the family of Charles and Willa Bruce are finally receiving justice.

Officials in Los Angeles County reportedly have decided to return the family’s Manhattan Beach property that estimates show might be worth as much as $75 million.

The beach resort once flourished while welcoming African American visitors in the 1920s – a time when Black people and other minorities weren’t allowed on White beaches.

The property famously took on the name “Bruce’s Beach.” Meanwhile, descendants of Charles and Willa Bruce had fought for years to have the land returned to the family.

“It was a very important place because there was no other place along the coast of California where African Americans could actually go and enjoy the water,” Chief Duane Yellow Feather Shepard, the Bruce family historian and spokesperson said in a local interview.

Regularly facing threats and intimidation tactics from the Ku Klux Klan and other White supremacists, the Bruce family maintained their property and kept the resort open.

But in 1924, the city council cited eminent domain as a reason to take the land, reportedly under the guise of building a park.

“However, the land remained untouched

According to media reports, Willa and Charles Bruce fought back legally but received only $14,000 in compensation.

Now, city officials have placed the value of the property at $75 million.

“When I first realized that the countyowned the property that was once Willa and Charles Bruce’s Beach Lodge, I knew that returning it to the Bruce family was the right thing to do,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn told CBS Los Angeles in a statement.

“But this is the first time a government has done anything like this, and there were a lot of questions about how it would work.”

For the family and Shepard, there remains more work.

“Our next step will be, once we get that land restored to us, is to go after them for the restitution, for the loss of revenue for 96 years of our family from the business, the loss of generational wealth, and the punitive damages for their collusion with the Ku Klux Klan in disenfranchising our family,” Shepard remarked.

According to media reports, Willa and Charles Bruce fought back legally but received only $14,000 in compensation.

(Photo: Visitors to Bruce’s Beach in 1920, featured in the book “Living the California Dream,” by Alison Rose Jefferson.Credit...

Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection – UCLA)

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 22, 2021 - September 28 , 2021

After Missing Opportunities to Engage Black America, Golf is Capitalizing on New Moments

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

At the turn of the 21st Century, Tiger Woods dominated the game of golf.

Over a near-unprecedented five-year period, Woods staked a claim as the topranked golfer globally, eventually capturing 15 major championships – just three shy of Jack Nicklaus’s record.

But even as Woods – an individual of color – took the game by storm, many believed golf missed a golden opportunity to capitalize on his appeal to African Americans and other minorities.

“Yes, without question,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan stated during an exclusive and historic interview with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) at the BMW Championships in Owings Mills, Maryland.

“Tiger became must-see TV whenever he was playing – the PGA Tour’s version of Michael Jordan with a record-tying 82 PGA Tour wins. It’s important to have people from all fields that you can identify with and aspire to – in sports or otherwise. And Tiger was that for the game of golf,” added Monahan, who became the first commissioner of a major league sport to grant the NNPA an exclusive interview.

The 81-year-old NNPA is the trade association representing the hundreds of Black-owned newspapers and media companies that comprise the 194-yearold Black Press of America.

Determined not to miss any further opportunities to connect with the African American community, The PGA Tour has, among many other commitments, entered a memorandum of understanding with the Black Press of America.

The agreement promises to raise awareness and keep African Americans informed about all the game has to offer.

“One aspect of our focus is helping to grow diversity inside the ropes through our expanded relationship with the APGA Tour,” Monahan stated.

“Working closely with APGA President and Executive Director Ken Bentley, we’ve already seen progress with players like Willie Mack III competing – successfully, and I might add – on the PGA TOUR. “Willie won the inaugural Billy Horschel APGA Tour Invitational presented by Cisco – hosted by our 2014 FedExCup Champion at TPC Sawgrass – and with his victory at the Mastercard APGA Tour Championship, Willie receives a full scholarship into Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School.”

The commissioner continued: “But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

What we’re doing today is identifying, preparing, and transitioning top African American collegiate golfers into professional golf. The efforts of Kenyatta Ramsey, a PGA TOUR employee since 2008, have been instrumental in our progress in the player diversity space.

Kenyatta now oversees this relationship

in an official capacity as Senior Director, Player Development.”

Monahan understands and accepts the criticism golf has received in the past for excluding people of color.

He has pledged that the PGA Tour would become part of the conversation and the solution surrounding racial and social injustices.

“I also said then that, candidly, we didn’t know exactly what to do right away, but that we wouldn’t be deterred,” Monahan declared.

“Does it feel like it was in the distant past? Absolutely not. What we’ve done since is make a commitment to communicate, learn, show compassion, and – ultimately – demand better. That started with – and, frankly, continues with – doing a lot more listening than talking.”

The PGA Tour committed a $100-million pledge over ten years to support racial equity and inclusion efforts and has thriving HBCU and APGA Tour initiatives.

“We hope that, as the careers of these talented, young HBCU players progress, they’ll then be able to play their way into additional opportunities like two others we’re excited to share,” Monahan exclaimed.

He added that expanded collaboration with HBCUs is a crucial point of emphasis moving forward.

Thanks to PGA Tour partners at United Airlines, Monahan noted that he’s pleased to announce that every one of the 51 current men’s and women’s HBCU golf programs across the country will receive a $10,000 grant.

“To take a step back regarding the PGA TOUR’s history as well, we have been giving back to the communities where we play for more than 80 years,” Monahan noted further.

Con’t from page 17

Help Students

what we like to call ‘immersive work experiences,’” notes Brown, a Tuskegee University alum. “We are taking a holistic approach in our drive to empower and prepare the next generation of students. We’re betting on them, that given the right investment they will go out and do well!”

Additionally, with the help of tech partners Cisco and AVC Technologies, the Student Freedom Initiative is also funding campus visits throughout the 202122 academic year to Claflin University, Clark Atlanta University, Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Morehouse College, Prairie View A&M University, Tougaloo College, Tuskegee University and Xavier University of Louisiana, providing free technology infrastructure upgrades.

The Student Freedom Initiative’s partners work directly with the HBCUs to identify gaps and upgrade existing campus cybersecurity infrastructure, in an effort to help them reach compliance with a federal mandate from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) Federal Student Aid (FSA) Office. To date, more than 22 HBCUs have signed agreements to receive the upgrades funded by $250 million in generous pledges: including a $150 million contribution from Cisco, along with firstround grants from the Walmart Foundation as part of The Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity and additional support from the United Negro College Fund.

To learn more, visit StudentFreedomInitiative.org. Brown is available to share his insights on the student debt crisis disproportionately affecting students of color, along with details of the Student Freedom Initiative Tour and Campus Cybersecurity effort.

“It was former PGA TOUR Commissioner Deane Beman, who said it beautifully – ‘I consider us to be more than a sports league; we’re a public trust, and it’s our job to balance the interest of players, community tournaments, and the game of golf.’”

“It’s why we’ve surpassed $3.2 billion in charitable giving in our history. It’s also why the TOUR began its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in earnest back in 2014, why we launched our employee resources groups in 2016 and established the Inclusion Leadership Council in 2019.”

Did it take too long for the Black Press of America and the PGA TOUR to begin working together?

“Yes,” Monahan stated.

“Can we work together now – listen to and learn from each other now – as part of a shared commitment to ensuring golf

18

stands as a game for all? Yes, I firmly feel and believe that, too,” he said.

Monahan added that the Black Press could help further golf’s message of diversity, equity, and inclusion by sharing “these impactful HBCU and APGA Tour stories and more with your audience as part of a regular cadence. Together, we can be part of the solution in inspiring the next generation to know – and feel – that our great game is for everyone,” he said.

“Our goal is to weave diversity and inclusion into all fabrics of the PGA TOUR, and that’s what we’ve been working diligently to do.”

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan meets with members of the black press during second round action at the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills Maryland onSaturday yAugust 28, 2021

About Student Freedom Initiative The Student Freedom Initiative (SFI), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring freedom in professional and life choices for junior and senior students pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees. Initially focused on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), SFI is studentcentered, evidence-based, and holistic, featuring four transformative components: including an income-contingent alternative to fixed payment obligations used to finance college, internships, mentoring, tutoring, and other student services, as well as targeted HBCU capacity building. SFI collaborates with community-based organizations, businesses, and governmental entities through public-private partnerships to make sustainable, systemic changes to support the entire HBCU ecosystem.

INNER-CITY NEWS July 27,22 2016 - August 02, 2016 THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September , 2021 - September 28, 2021

State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management

NOTICE VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE Invitation to Bid: LASCANA HOMES 329 Smith Farm Road Columbus House and the Orange, CT 06477

HOME INC, on behalf of New Haven Housing Authority, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this development located at 108New Frank Street, New Maximum Construction of 7Haven.

Buildings, 46 Units, income limitations apApproximately sf. 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y ply. Pre-applications will be available from 62,573 9AM TO No Wage Rates, pre-applications Taxable on materials 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient (approximately 100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications Project documents include but not limitedwill to: be mailied upon reSite-work, landscaping, concrete, masonry, & finish quest by calling HOME INCpaving, at 203-562-4663 duringrough those hours.carpentry, Completed prewood trusses, waterproofing, insulation, asphaltINC’s shingles, siding,atgutters & downspouts, applications must be returned to HOME offices 171 Orange Street,doors, Third frames & hardware, windows, drywall, flooring, painting, signage, toilet & bath accessories, Floor, New Haven, CT 06510. residential appliances, casework & countertops, floor mats and frames, horizontal louver blinds, fire suppression, HVAC, plumbing and electrical.

NOTICIA

Bid Due Date: September 29, 2021 @ 3pm Project documents available via ftp link below: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=lascanahomesoforange This contract to state DE set-aside and contract compliance requirements VALENTINA MACRIis subject VIVIENDAS ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES All questions be submitted in written formyand to the appropriate estimator:está HOME INC, enmust nombre de la Columbus House de directed la New Haven Housing Authority, Eric Facchini - efacchini@haynesct.com for Site, Concrete, Masonry and MEPs trades. aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo John Simmons - jsimmons@haynesct.com for all trades in Divisions 6 through 14. ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos.

Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses Construction Company,suficientes 32 Progress Ave, Seymour,(aproximadamente CT 06483 julio, 2016 Haynes hasta cuando se han recibido pre-solicitudes 100) AA/EEO EMPLOYER en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510 .

Experience in repair of sewer services, pipe laying and installation & repair of water mains, service lines experience, CDL license Must be able to pass pre-employment drug screen, driving record verification Legal working status, OSHA 10, 30 & OSHA 40 a plus Apply at: Butterworth & Scheck, Inc., 10Thompson St., Stratford, CT 06615

Full Time Construction Position: -

NEW HAVEN

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

!"#$%&'&(")*&+','*"+(,+-('.&(/,)&&)($)&$,),'*"+(/"0)1&1(2"0( +&&-(3")(2"0)('),*+*+45(,%%("+%*+&6(7.&+(8"*+(01("+(/,#$01('"(4&'( '.&(.,+-19"+(&:$&)*&+/&(2"0(+&&-(3")(,(10//&1130%(/,)&&)6(;0)*+4( All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 !"#$%&$'(%)*%+,!'%"-%"./0.1%/1,$.0.23%!"#%40//5

Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/?

Keyword=intergovernmental& Loc=&DeptNumber=&OccList=& JobType=&KeywordFullText=0 #EmpDiv1 The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

DPW Truck Driver Full-time position Go to www.portlandct. org for details

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

Cambridge Park Lead Based Paint Testing and Risk Assessment Services The Housing Authority of the City of Bristol (BHA) is accepting bids from qualified firms to perform lead-based paint testing and risk assessment services for the Cambridge Park Development located at Jerome Avenue, Davis Drive, and Quaker Lane, Bristol, Connecticut. Please find attached the Request for Proposal and information on proposal requirements.

The selected consultant shall be responsible for compliance with all federal, state and local statutes and regulations. All services provided shall be consistent with the requirements and guidelines of the HUD Office of Healthy Home and Lead Hazard Control and the State of Connecticut.

Please note that in order for the City to consider your bid to perform a risk assessment for this property, the proposal must include all items listed in the RFP. All submitted reports and documents must meet stated requirements.

Sealed bids must include technical and cost information and be submitted to Mitzy Rowe, CEO by 4:00 PM September 15, 2021 in the BHA Office at 164 Jerome Avenue, Bristol, CT 06010. All questions regarding this Request for Proposals shall be submitted via email only to Carl Johnson, Director of Capital Projects, cjohnson@bristolhousing.org.

BHA is an equal employment opportunity contractor. HUD Section 3 companies, small business, minority owned business, and women owned business enterprises are encouraged to participate.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST

FHI Studio is actively seeking an innovative and self-motivated full-time Community Engagement Specialist to work on projects focused on improving the quality of life in communities. As a community engagement specialist, you are vital to engaging communities in developing high-quality, livable communities that support the community's residents, employees, and visitors. You work on Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders Invitationprojects to Bid: that range from major transit, bridge, airport, and related infrastructure Top pay for top performers. Health projects to neighborhood development plans to street activation and community nd Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. 2 Notice events. You utilize your understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in planning and design to increase the diversity of community voices. Your attenEmail Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT tion to Old Saybrook, CTdetail and event planning experience fosters an engaging and collaboraAFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER tive environment for a variety of stakeholders. Excellent time management is (4 Buildings,your 17 Units) specialty that is used to be a project team member, provide excellent client Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wageand Rate Projectbusiness development. You gain great enjoyment from enservice, conduct gaging others in a collaborative process through social media and various virtual and in-person mediums.

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, CastAssistant Assessor willSiding, hold a degree in planning, marketing, sociology, or related field in-place Concrete, Asphalt Candidates Shingles, Vinyl Full Time – Benefited with a minimum of threeCasework, years of experience in consulting, event organizing, Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential or public relations. Candidates will also demonstrate experience in developing Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. and implementing engagement strategies and in social media, targeted publicity, This contract is subject to state set-aside and and event contract compliance requirements. planning.

If you feel you'll be perfect as our Community Engagement Pre-employment physical/drug test reSpecialist, apply now using our initial 3-minute, mobile-friendly application at quired. AA/EOE For more information, Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 https://fhistudio.com/join please visit www.bloomfieldct.org

APPLY NOW!

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

highways, near bus stop & shopping center Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 0$(-."*+$"1(2&%2"34"*+$"531"63-72"7-3,-(894-38"" 0$(-."*+$"1(2&%2"34"*+$"531"63-72"7-3,-(894-38"

!" #$%$&'$"())"*+$"*$%+",$(-".$$/$/" !"

The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Manager of Intergovernmental Affairs position.

Request for Proposal

Town of Bloomfield

+(./2:3."*-(&.&.,"*3"%(87;2")&4$"(./"83-$" +(./2:3."*-(&.&.,"*3"%(87;2")&4$"(./"83-$ <./$-2*(./"=3;-"-3)$2"(./"-$273.2&1&)&*&$2"" <./$-2*(./"=3;-"-3)$2"(./"-$273.2&1&)&*&$2" CT. !"

Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s (2"("531"63-72"2*;/$.*" Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:3063..$%*">&*+"3*+$-"2*;/$.*2"(./"2*(44"" 63..$%*">&*+"3*+$-"2*;/$.*2"(./"2*(44" 3:30!"Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. >+38"=3;?))"8$$*"3."%(87;2" (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster

!" @&2%3'$-"*+$"-$23;-%$2"('(&)(1)$"" St. New Haven, CT *3"=3;"ABCD

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY Sealed !"#$%"&'($C/8'($1/0206/1%7)8%(9$"#29%:;8!1,$8"/+'%21(%(91%'<0//'%,.+% bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour &-0/,'*"+('.&2(+&&-(3")(,(10//&1130%(30'0)&,$P)0C$"=1$%7**%($,0.0.2% until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, ,)&,1Q$0C/$'&"<&*1$'&"@)?/($:"7$B)0C$0C/$.,+-19"+('),*+*+45('""%15(,+-( '&/.+"%"42('"($0)10&(2"0)(-&1*)&-(/,)&&),$!

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

Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour. %"22/A0$B)0C$*2$*?1)(()"2($A"72(/8"&$0"$?)(A7(($C"B$:"7$A*2$(0*&0$! !"#$%"&'($@)&07*88:,

A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith !"#$%&'(%&)"*+&,+(-./&0(%&'"/%&1#&%2(&/2*34(5 Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. !"#$%#&'#"($)*(&+,$$EFGGH"DII:5JKL"MNOADP"3-"53163-72Q,3'

Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority Office, 28 !"#$$#% Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579. &$'()*+$#$ !"#$%"&'($)($*$+,-,$./'*&01/20$"3$4*#"&$567*8$9''"&072)0:$51'8":/&$;&"<&*1,$=7>)8)*&:$*)?($*2?$(/&@)A/($*&/$*@*)8*#8/$ 7'"2$&/67/(0$0"$)2?)@)?7*8($B)0C$?)(*#)8)0)/(,$D..EDDF$0/8/'C"2/$271#/&$)($GHIIJ$HHKLMNOI,

!"#$%

The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any informalities in the bidding, if such actions are in the best interest of the

$41.82 hourly

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 Project documents available via ftp link below: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage

Town of Bloomfield

THE GLENDOWER GROUP

Request for Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com

Proposals

Senior Recreation Assistant for Businesses Redevelopment of Westville Manor for Phase 1 HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, Lender/Investor S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Construction Part Time –Haynes Non BenefiCompany, ted 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483

$15.71 hourly

The Glendower Group is currently seeking proposals for a lender/investor for AA/EEO EMPLOYER

Pre-employment physical/drug test required. AA/EOE For more information, please visit www.bloomfieldct.org

19

redevelopment of Westville Manor for Phase 1. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Glendower’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https:// newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Wednesday, September 22, 2021 at 3:00PM.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September , 2021 - September 28 , 2021 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27,22 2016 - August 02, 2016

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

Listing: HVAC Technician

MINORITY CONTRACTOR OPPORTUNITY - STAMFORD

PVC FENCE PRODUCTION

Construction Resources, LLC, an AA/EOE, seeks DAS certified MBE/WBE/SBE Subcontractors and/or suppliers and local business enterprises to bid applicable sections of work/equipment/supplies for the following construction project: Coleman Towers Renovations – Renovate existing building increasing number of units to 132, work to be phased, building will be tenant occupied. No Prevailing Wage, Project is Tax Exempt, Non-Union. Located at 72 Spruce Street, Stamford, CT. Pre-Bid Walk-thru: Wednesday, September 15, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (Masks are mandatory) Bid Date and Time: Tuesday, September 28, 2021 by 12:00 noon (by email to nick@ corebuilds.com or johnt@corebuilds.com. Electronic Plans and specifications can be obtained at no charge by contacting Paulo Ribeiro at (860) 678-0663 or by email to paulo@corebuilds.com.

Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory Fast paced Petroleum Company is hiring for a full time, CT training on equipment we operate. Location: Bloomfield CT HVAC Technician. License required – S-10,S-2 or S-1. ApWe offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits plicant must have experience in oil, propane, natural gas and Contact: Tom Dunay VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE A/C. Competitive wage, 401(k), sign on bonus and benefits.

Send resume to: Attn: HR Manager, Confidential, PO Box 388, Phone: 860- 243-2300 HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Guilford,Authority, CT 06437.

Email: tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to applyapartments at this develAffirmative opment locatedAction/ at 108 Frank New Haven.

Maximum income**An limitations ap- Action/Equal Opportunity Employer** Affirmative EqualStreet, Opportunity Employer ply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon reGarrity Asphalt Incduring seeks: CT Fence quest by calling HOMEReclaiming, INC at 203-562-4663 those hours.Large Completed pre- Company looking for an individual for our Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators with current licensing PVCStreet, Fence Third Production Shop. Experience preferred but will applications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange and clean driving record, be willing to travel throughout the Northtrain the right person. Must be familiar with carpentry hand Floor, New Haven, CT 06510. east & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits & power tools and be able to read a CAD drawing and tape measure. Use of CNC Router machine a plus but not required, will train the right person. This is an in-shop production poContact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300 sition. Duties include building fence panels, posts, gates and Email: rick.touMust have a valid CT driver’s license & be able to obtain VALENTINAsignant@garrityasphalt.com MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDESmore.

DISPONIBLES a Drivers Medical Card. Must be able to pass a physical and Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply drug test. Please email resume to pboucher@atlasoutdoor.com.

Affirmative Action/deEqual Opportunity HOME INC, en nombre la Columbus House y Employer de la New Haven Housing Authority, está AA/EOE-MF aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equipjulio,Must 2016have hastaacuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes ment.

CDL License, clean driving record, capable of (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas porSeeking correo atopetición operating heavyde equipment; be willing to travel throughout the employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreman, llamando HOME INC alexcellent 203-562-4663 horas.Pre-solicitudes deberánand remitirse Northeast &aNY. We offer hourlydurante rate &esas excellent benefits operator teamster trades for a heavy outside work statewide. a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT personal 06510 . transportation and a valid drivers license reReliable

NOTICE

NOTICIA

Union Company seeks:

Construction

The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT is requesting proposals for

Ludlow Commons Management Services.

Request for Proposal documents can be viewed and printed at www.norwalkha.org under the About Us tab, Doing Business tab, Proposal Request. Norwalk Housing is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Adam Bovilsky, Executive Director.

SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNER/DESIGNER

FHI Studio is actively seeking an innovative and self-motivated full-time Senior Environmental Planner/Designer to manage projects in our environmental service line. As a project manager, you are vital to helping clients meet regulatory requirements and identify quired. To apply please call (860) 621-1720 or send resume to: and achieve their project goals. You focus on projects that are resilient and adaptable to meet existing and future community needs. Being a highly organized senior environmental Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410. planner, you efficiently prepare NEPA, MEPA, CEPA, SEQRA, and CEQR documentation.

Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com Excellent time management is your specialty that is used to lead project teams, provide Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V excellent client service, and conduct business development. You gain great enjoyment from Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer Drug Free Workforce engaging in the community with various meetings, public workshops, and public hearings. will hold a degree in urban planning, environmental planning, environmental Invitation Candidates to Bid: science, or related field with a minimum of 7 years of experience in environmental consultState of Connecticut 2nd Notice ing or related field. Candidates will also demonstrate experience in leading environmental Office of Policy planning and compliance projects. Our ideal candidate preferably has experience with a and Management variety of stakeholders, presenting public presentations, and can travel for projects. If you All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 Old Saybrook, CT be perfect as our Senior Environmental Planner/Designer, apply now using our feel you’ll highways, near bus stop & shopping center (4 Buildings, 17 Units) initial 3-minute, mobile-friendly application at https://fhistudio.com/join.

The State of Connecticut, Office of

Contact Dana at 860-243-2300

NEW HAVEN

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

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

We all have

DREAMS.

Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258

CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster

Let Job Corps help you achieve yours.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

St. New Haven, CT

Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour Now enrolling! until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 Tuition-free at its officecareer at 28training Smith Street, High school diploma programs Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the College credit opportunities Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility,Housing, 26 Smith Street Seymour. meals and medical care provided

A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith For more information, visit jobcorps.gov or call (800) 733-JOBS [5627] Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

New Haven County - Jesselica Rodriguez – Rodriguez.Jesselica@JobCorps.org !"#$%&'(")*+,$*-+#".&/$*0(1,)2*3*4&//2*0(,,&"*5*Conner.Kelly@JobCorps.org Waterbury and Surrounding Areas – Abdul Shabazz – Shabazz.Abdul@JobCorps.org

Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority OfCAREERS BEGIN HERE fice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

Job Corps is a U.S. Department of Labor Equal Opportunity Employer Program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. TDD/TTY telephone number is (877) 889-5627.

The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any

Policy and Management is recruiting Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project for a Policy Development Coordinator position.

Listing: Dispatcher

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, CastFurther information regarding the duties, petroleum company needs a full time (which includes on call and eligibility requirements and application in-place Concrete, AsphaltExtremely Shingles,fast Vinylpaced Siding, instructions for this position is available weekend coverage) detail oriented experienced Dispatcher. A strong logistics backFlooring, Painting, Appliances, Residential Casework, at: Division 10 Specialties, ground and a minimum of one year previous experience required. Send resume to: HR Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing andP.O. Fire Box Protection. https://www.jobapscloud.com/ Manager, 388, Guilford, CT. 06437 ThisCT/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1= contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

210506&R2=1581MP&R3=001

********An Affirmative Action/Equal The State of Connecticut is an equal Bid Extended, opportunity/affirmative action employer Due Date: August 5, 2016 and strongly encourages theAnticipated applications Start: August 15, 2016 of women, minorities, and persons Project documents available via ftp link below: with disabilities.

Opportunity Employer**********

The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT

http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage is requesting proposals for QSR STEEL CORPORATION

APPLY NOW!

INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT SERVICE.

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

Equal Opportunity Employer.

Adam Bovilsky, Executive Director.

Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders AA/EEO EMPLOYER Request for Proposal documents can be viewed and printed at www.norwalkha.org Top pay for top performers. Health under the About Us tab, Doing Business tab, RFPs & RFQs. Norwalk Housing is an Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay.

20

INNER-CITY NEWS July 27,22 2016 - August 02, 2016 THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September , 2021 - September 28, 2021

WALLINGFORD HOUSING AUTHORITY WALLINGFORD HOUSING AUTHORITY

Waiting Opening Announcement Waiting ListListOpening Announcement NOTICE The Housing Authority accept 100 pre-applications a computerTheWallingford Wallingford Housing Authority willwill accept 100 pre-applications through athrough computer-generated lotgenerated lottery the HCVSection 8 Waiting for a limited preference specifically for tery for the HCV-for Section 8 Waiting List for a limited List preference specifically for the Mainstream Vouchthe Mainstream Voucher Program from September 20, 2021, at 9:00AM EST through er Program from September 20, 2021, at 9:00AM EST through September 24, 2021, at 11:59PM EST. September 24, 2021, at 11:59PM EST.

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

The purpose of the Mainstream Voucher Program is to provide rental assistance for non-elderly (18-61),

on Mainstream behalf of Columbus House and theprovide New Haven The HOME purposeINC, of the Voucher Program is to rental Housing assistanceAuthority, for nonlow-income families with at least one verifi ablyatdisabled family member. disabled The program also encourages elderly (18-61), low-income families with leastone-bedroom one verifiably family member. is accepting pre-applications for studio and apartments at this develthose with disabilities who are transitioning out of institutional other segregated at serious The program also encourages those with disabilities who areortransitioning outsettings, of institutional opment locatedsettings, at 108 Frank Street, Haven.homeless Maximum income limitations of institutionalization, homeless, or at risk ofof becoming to apply. orrisk other segregated at serious riskNew institutionalization, homeless, or at riskapof becoming homeless to apply. ply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y

2021 household cannot exceed the annual(approximately income limit for each household 25,Income 2016Limit: and Total ending when income sufficient pre-applications 100) have

2021 size: Income Limit: Total household income cannot exceed the annual income limit for received eachbeen household size: at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon re-

quest by calling HOME during those preHousehol 1 2 INC at 3 203-562-4663 4 5 6 hours.7 Completed 8 d Size: applications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third IFloor, ncom e $Haven, 3 6 , 0 5 CT $ 4 106510. ,20 $46,35 $51,45 $55,60 $59,70 $63,80 $67,95 New Limit: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

NOTICIA

Pre-Applicationswill will be be available September 20, 2021 at 9:00AM ET untilET SeptemPre-Applications availableonline onlinebeginning beginning September 20, 2021 at 9:00AM until th, 2021 ber24 24th, 2021 at at 11:59PM 11:59PM ET. thethe form, please visitvisit the following website: September ET.To Toaccess access form, please the following website: https://www.waitlistcheck.com/CT3008 https://www.waitlistcheck.com/CT3008

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

You will need names, social security numbers, birthdates and income information for every You will need names, social security numbers, birthdates and income information forthat everyyou household household member who will be listed on the application.

Please be advised must member who will bequalifications listed on the application. be submit advised more that you must the preference meet the preference above, andPlease cannot than onemeet pre-application for the same household or it will be disqualified. qualifi cations above, and cannot submit more than one ypre-application for the same household or it will HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House de la New Haven Housing Authority, está

be disqualified.

aceptando pre-solicitudes estudiosAdditionally, y apartamentos de un dormitorio este Paper applications will not bepara available. pre-applications willen not bedesarrollo accepted before September 20, 2021.

The online pre-application form can belimitaciones accessed bydeusing any ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven.

Se aplican ingresos personal computer,will laptop, phone or tablet. pre-applications Applicants are will encouraged to visit a local Paper applications not besmart available.

Additionally, not be accepted before Seplibrary for computer access to submit a pre-application. máximos.

LasThe pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles a.m.-5 by p.m. comenzando Martes 25 tember 20, 2021. online pre-application form can be09accessed using any personal computer, laptop, smart or tablet.

Applicants areatencouraged topre-solicitudes visit aStreet local library for computer access julio, 2016phone hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes (aproximadamente 100)to The Wallingford Public library is located 200 North Main and offers free computer submit a pre-application. access.

They can be 203-265-6754.

For other towns, please local en las oficinas dereached HOME atINC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas porcontact correo your a petición library, as their restrictions due to COVID-19 may be different.

llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse

The Wallingford Public library is located at 200 North Main Street and offers free computer access.

If you require a reasonable accommodation, please notify the office and you will be a las de at HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510 .

They canoficinas be reached 203-265-6754.

For other towns, please contact your local library, as their restricadvised on how to proceed with your request. Should you need assistance, appointments tions due to COVID-19 may be different. will be available and scheduled upon request.

If Wallingford you require Housing a reasonable accommodation, please notify thebasis office and you will be advised on how to The Authority does not discriminate on the of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability or familial status. proceed with your request.

Should you need assistance, appointments will be available and scheduled upon request.

WALLINGFORD HOUSING AUTHORITY

NEW HAVEN

The Wallingford Housing Authority does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability or familial status.

242-258 Fairmont Ave 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA All new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 highways, bus stop & shopping center State ofnear Connecticut Pet under 40lbOffice allowed. of Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 Policy and Management The StateDeacon’s of Connecticut, Office of Policy Management is recruiting for a Principal CT. Unified Association is pleased to offerand a Deacon’s Budget Program.

Specialist a month Geographic Information Officer (state program manager) Certificate Thisand is a 10 program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates position. in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application in(203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster structions are available at:

St. New Haven, CT https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1=

210818&R2=6335MP&R3=001 and

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1= 210817&R2=4799MP&R3=001

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

Listing: HVAC Technician

A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith Fast paced Petroleum hiring for a full time, CT20, HVAC Street Seymour, CTCompany at 10:00isam, on Wednesday, July 2016.Technician. License required – S-10,S-2 or S-1. Applicant must have experience in oil, propane, natural gas and A/C. Competitive wage, 401(k), sign on bonus and benefits. Send resume documents available from Seymour Authority Ofto:Bidding Attn: HR Manager, are Confi dential, PO Boxthe 388, Guilford,Housing CT 06437.

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

**An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**

The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any

WALLINGFORD HOUSING AUTHORITY

DELIVERY PERSON

NEEDED

Must Have your Own Vehicle If Interested call

Part Time Delivery Needed One/Two Day a Week,

(203) 435-1387 QSR STEEL CORPORATION

APPLY NOW!

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

POLICE OFFICER

City of Bristol $69,017 - $83,893/yr.

Required testing,

Lista de espera de apertura WALLINGFORD HOUSING AUTHORITY

List Opening Announcement La Autoridad de Vivienda Waiting de Wallingford aceptará 100 solicitudes previas a través de una lotería generada por computadora para la lista de espera de la Sección 8 de HCV para una preferencia limitada específi camente para el Programa de Vales el 20 de septiembre de 2021 a las 9:00 The Wallingford Housing Authority will Mainstream accept 100desde pre-applications through a computera.m. ESTlottery hasta elfor 24 the de septiembre de 2021 a las 11:59 p.m. generated HCV- Section 8 Waiting List forEST. a limited preference specifically for

the Mainstream Voucher Program from September 20, 2021, at 9:00AM EST through September 24,del 2021, at 11:59PM EST.Voucher es brindar asistencia para el alquiler a familias de bajos El propósito Programa Mainstream

ingresos que no sean ancianos (18-61) y que tengan al menos un miembro de la familia con discapacidad

The purpose the Mainstream Voucher Programcon is discapacidades to provide rental assistance for nonverifi cable. Elofprograma también alienta a las personas que están en transición fuera elderly (18-61), low-income families with at least one verifiably disabled family member. de entornos institucionales u otros entornos segregados, que están en grave riesgo de institucionalThe program also encourages those with disabilities who are transitioning out of institutional ización, sin hogar o en riesgo de quedarse sin hogar a postularse. or other segregated settings, at serious risk of institutionalization, homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless to apply.

Límite de ingresos de 2021: el ingreso total del hogar no puede exceder el límite de ingreso anual para

cada tamaño hogar: Total household income cannot exceed the annual income limit for 2021 IncomedeLimit: each household size: Househol 1 d Size:

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

I n c o m e $36,05 $41,20 $46,35 $51,45 $55,60 $59,70 $63,80 $67,95 Limit: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pre-Applications will be available online beginning September 20, 2021 at 9:00AM ET until Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles a partir del 20please de septiembre 2021 a laswebsite: 9:00 a.m.

September 24th, 2021 at 11:59PM ET.en Tolínea access the form, visit thede following ET hasta el 24 de septiembre de 2021 a las 11:59 p.m. ET Para acceder al formulario, visite el siguiente https://www.waitlistcheck.com/CT3008

sitio web:

You will need names, social security numbers, birthdates and income information for every household member who will be listed on the application. Please be advised that you must https://www.waitlistcheck.com/CT3008 meet the preference qualifications above, and cannot submit more than one pre-application for the same household or it will be disqualified.

Necesitará los nombres, números de seguro social, fechas de nacimiento e información de ingresos de

Paper applications will not be available. Additionally, pre-applications will not be accepted cada miembro del 20, hogar que fiThe gurará en la pre-application solicitud. Tenga en cuenta cumplir los requibefore September 2021. online form canque be debe accessed bycon using any personal smart or tablet.más Applicants are encouraged local o sitos de computer, preferencia laptop, anteriores y no phone puede presentar de una solicitud previa parato el visit mismoa hogar library for computer será descalifi cado. access to submit a pre-application.

The Wallingford Public library is located at 200 North Main Street and offers free computer Las solicitudes en papel no estarán Además, se aceptarán previasyour anteslocal del 20 access.

They can be reached at disponibles.

203-265-6754.

For no other towns, solicitudes please contact library, as their de restrictions due to COVID-19 may bededifferent. de septiembre 2021. Se puede acceder al formulario solicitud previa en línea utilizando cualquier

computadora personal, computadora portátil, teléfono inteligente o tableta. Se anima a los solicitantes a

If you require a reasonable accommodation, please notify the office and you will be visitar una biblioteca local para acceder a una computadora y presentar una solicitud previa. advised on how to proceed with your request. Should you need assistance, appointments will be available and scheduled upon request.

La biblioteca pública de Wallingford está ubicada en 200 North Main Street y ofrece acceso gratuito a

computadoras.

Puede comunicarse connot ellos al 203-265-6754.

Para comuníquese The Wallingford Housing Authority does discriminate on the basis ofotras race, ciudades, color, national origin, con su religion, sex, local, age, disability or familial status.debido a COVID-19 pueden ser diferentes. biblioteca ya que sus restricciones

registration info, and apply online: www.bristolct.gov razonable, notifiHOUSING que a la oficina y se le informará sobre cómo proceder con WALLINGFORD AUTHORITY Invitation Si to necesita Bid: una acomodación su solicitud. Si necesita ayuda, las citas estarán disponibles programadas a pedido. nd DEADLINE: 10-29-21 2 Notice “La Autoridad de Vivienda de la Ciudad de Wallingford no discrimina en las base de raza, color, origen nacional, religión, sexo, edad, incapacidad o estado familiar”.

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

MECHANIC Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units) TRACTORTaxTRAILER Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

WATER

Full Time, Benefits, Top Pay – WATER/SANITARY New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing,INSPECTOR Selective Demolition, Site-work, Cast-SEWER – The Town of Wallingford Water DiviApply:Pace, 1425 Honeyspot sion is seeking a highly responsible individual to inspect work involving the installation in-place Concrete, AsphaltorShingles, Vinyl Siding, Rd. Ext., Stratford, CT EOE repair of water and sewer lines for insure compliance with codes and specification.

Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, The position requires a A high school diploma or G.E.D., plus two years of progressively responsible utility construction experience, or an equivalent combination of education and Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. qualifying experience substituting on a year-for-year basis. A P7 license from The State DRIVER CLASS A and This contractCDL is subject to state set-aside contract compliance requirements. of Connecticut, or the ability to obtain the license within one (1) year of appointment is Full Time – All Shifts required. Must possess and maintain a valid State of Connecticut Motor Vehicle Operator's Top Pay-FullBid Benefi ts Due Date: License.

Salary $65,669 - $84,027 Applications may be obtained at the Department of Extended, August 5, 2016 EOE Please apply in person: Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492.

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 Forms will be mailed upon request from the Department of Human Resources or may be 1425 Honeyspot Rd. Ext. Project documents available via ftp link below: downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page. The closing date will Stratford, CT 06615 be the date the 50th application or resume is received or October 5, 2021 whichever occurs http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage first. EOE

Fax or Email & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com Town ofQuestions Bloomfi eld

Heavy/Highway general contractor

HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses

Haynes Construction Company, Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 Zoning Enforcement Offi cer 32 Progress is looking to hire a skilled Carpenter with willingness and eagerness to become a Carpenter AA/EEO EMPLOYER Foreman. Training will be provided. Prefer candidate to be familiar with ConnDOT proSalary $38.03 hourly cedures, bridge, and road construction work. Must communicate effectively with clients, be well organized and safety conscious, and must be able to read plans. This is hands-on Deadline to apply 9/30/21 field leadership position. Top compensation and benefits are available. Full time position.

Pre-employment drug testing.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourage qualified woman and minorities to AA/EOE. For Details go to www.bloomfieldct.org apply. Email resume to jobs@rothacontracting.com

21

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September , 2021 - September 28 , 2021 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 22 2016 - August 02, 2016

Custodian NOTICE

Maintenance workers needed for the Wallingford Public Schools to work the 2:00 P.M. to 10 P.M. shift. Hourly rate: $19.49 to $24.46 hourly plus shift differential. Requires some experience in building maintenance work. The closing date for applications is VALENTINA MACRI APPLICATIONS September 29, 2021 or theRENTAL date we HOUSING receive thePREfiftieth (50) applicationAVAILABLE whichever occurs first. Apply: Human Resources Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492.

FormsHouse will be mailed uponHaven request from the DepartHOME INC, on behalf of Columbus and the New Housing Authority, ment of Human Resources or may be downloaded from the Department of develHuman is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this Resources Web Page.

Phone # (203) 294-2080 Fax #Maximum (203) 294-2084. opment located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. incomeEOE. limitations ap-

ply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon request by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preThe Town of Wallingford’s SewertoDivision is seeking qualifi ed applicants for theThird posiapplications must be returned HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, tion of Maintainer II to perform skilled sanitary sewer construction and maintenance Floor, New Haven, CT 06510. repair work for the sewage collection system, including its appurtenances. The position requires 3 years employment in a field related to heavy sewer construction work of which 2 years shall have involved a special skill in operating manual and mechanical equipment, or an equivalent combination of experience and training substituting on a year-for-year basis. $26.16 to $31.18 plusPRE-SOLICITUDES an excellent benefi ts package. ApVALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DEhourly ALQUILER DISPONIBLES ply to: Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Application materials can be emailed to wlfdhr@wallingHOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está fordct.gov. Application forms will be mailed upon request by calling the Department aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo of Human Resources, (203) 294-2080 or may be downloaded from the Department of ubicado en la calleWeb 109 Page.

Frank Fax Street, Se aplican limitaciones Human Resources’ #: New (203)Haven.

294-2084.

The closing date de foringresos applicamáximos. disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando 25 tions will beLas thepre-solicitudes date the 25th estarán application or resume is received or OctoberMartes 12, 2021, julio, 2016occurs hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) whichever first. EOE. en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510 .

MAINTAINER - SEWER NOTICIA

ELECTRIC UTILITY

CHIEF ELECTRICIAN – The Wallingford Electric Division is seeking a highly respon-

sible individual to direct and assign the work related to the installation, maintenance, repair, inspection and operation of all facilities and equipment within the division’s substations. This position requires a high school, trade/vocational school diploma or a GED, plus six (6) years of experience in the maintenance and operation of electric utility substations and/or utility grade protection and control systems. Two (2) years of college-level education or advanced training in a related field may substitute for two Ave (2) years of the experience242-258 requirement.Fairmont Must possess and maintain a valid Protective Switching and Tagging Procedures certifi cation from other approved 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1CONVEX level ,or1BA agency or obtain same within six (6) months of hire. Must possess and maintain a All new apartments,motor new vehicle appliances, new carpet, to$I-91 & I-95 valid State of Connecticut operator’s license. close Wages: 42.77 – $ 45.83 highways, near bus stop & shopping center (hourly) Apply to: Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492.

Application materials can@ be860-985-8258 emailed to wlfdhr@ Pet under 40lb allowed.

Interested parties contact Maria wallingfordct.gov. Application Forms will be mailed upon request by calling the Department of Human Resources, (203) 294-2080 or may be downloaded from the DeCT. Unified is pleased to offerFax a Deacon’s partment ofDeacon’s HumanAssociation Resources Web Page. #: (203)294-2084. The closing date will Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates beinOctober 19, 2021.

EOE response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:30-

NEW HAVEN

3:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster St. New Haven, CT

WATER TREATMENT

Superintendent-Water – The Town of Wallingford is seeking a highly qualified

Manager to direct the technical and administrative work involved in the operation of the collection, storage, pumping, treatment and distribution systems of the Water Division. This position requires a bachelor’s degree from a recognized college or uniSealedin bids invitedengineering by the Housing Authority the Town of responsible Seymour versity civil are or sanitary plus seven years of of progressively experience the on water utility fiAugust eld with at years of supervisory experience, until 3:00inpm Tuesday, 2, least 2016five at its office at 28 Smith Street, orSeymour, an equivalent of education and qualifying substituting on a CT combination 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairsexperience and Replacement at the year-for-year basis. Must possess and maintain a valid State of Connecticut DepartSmithfield Assisted Living Facility,System 26 Smith StreetCertifi Seymour. ment of PublicGardens Health Class II Water Distribution Operator cation or be able to obtain the same within 6 months of hire. Must possess and maintain a valid State ofAConnecticut Driver’s License.

Salary; $ 94,207 - $ 120,532 (annually). pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28Apply Smithto: Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, WallStreet Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. ingford, CT 06492. Application materials can be emailed to wlfdhr@wallingfordct. gov. Application forms will be mailed upon request by calling the Department of HuBidding documents are available the Seymour Authority Ofman Resources, (203) 294-2080 or mayfrom be downloaded fromHousing the Department of Human Resources Web Page.

Fax#: (203) 294-2084.

The closing date for applicaitons will be fice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

October 21, 2021. EOE

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

APPLY NOW!

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

DELIVERY PERSON

NEEDED

Part Time Delivery Needed One/Two Day a Week, Must Have your Own Vehicle If Interested call

(203) 435-1387

Town of Bloomfield Custodian

Control Room Operations/Dispatching The Town of Wallingford Electric Division is seeking qualified candidates for the position of System Operator/Dispatcher for a municipal electric utility serving 25,000 customers. Coordinates electric system switching and places equipment in and out of service during routine and emergency operations. Requires HS diploma/GED with 2 years experience in the operation of Distribution SCADA equipment and/or switchboards used in the distribution of electricity or other qualifying experience in a related field. Experience and training may be substituted on a year for year basis. Must maintain valid system operation certification from Connecticut Valley Exchange (CONVEX) or other approved agency or be able to obtain the same within 90 days of hire.

Must posses and maintain a valid State of CT Driver’s License. $34.63 - $41.15 hourly plus an excellent fringe benefits package to include a defined benefit pension plan. Apply to: Department of Human Resources, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Application materials can be emailed to wlfdhr@wallingfordct.gov. Application forms will be mailed upon request by calling the Department of Human Resources, (203) 294-2080 or may be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources Web Page. Fax #: (203) 294-2084. Closing date will be September 10, 2021. EOE.

Large CT Fence Company

looking for a full-time individual for our Wood Fence Production Shop. Experience preferred but will train the right person. Must be familiar with carpentry hand & power tools and be able to read a CAD drawing and tape measure. This is an in-shop production position. Duties include mortising & drilling wood posts for fence panels, building fence panels, gates & more. Use of table saws, routers, miter saws, nail guns and other woodworking equipment is required. Some pickup and delivery of materials will be required. Must have a valid CT driver’s license and be able to obtain a Drivers Medical Card. Must be able to pass a physical and drug test. Please email resume to pboucher@atlasoutdoor.com. AA/EOE-MF

$23.40/hourly (benefited)

Pre-employment drug testing. AA/EOE. For Details go to www.bloomfieldct.gov

Invitation to Bid: CITY OF MILFORD 2 Notice nd

Seeking qualified condidates to fill SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE numerous vacancies to include, Old Saybrook, CT Deputy Assessor, Mechanic Buildings, 17 Units) Sewer Line, Public Health (4 Nurse Exempt & Not and more. For Tax information andPrevailing Wage Rate Project detailed application instructions, New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Castvisit www.ci.milford.ct.us Click on SERVICES, JOBS and in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, JOB TITLE. Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework,

Portland

Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.

This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 Youth Services Administrator Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 full-time Project position. documents available via ftp link below: Go http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage to www.portlandct.

org for details.

Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 AA/EEO EMPLOYER

DPW Truck Driver Full-time position Go to www.portlandct. org for details 22

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 22, 2021 - September 28, 2021

THE RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE

Non-profit 501 (C) (3)

PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND

RHIANNON GIDDENS

The legendary band celebrates 60 years of New Orleans Jazz!

Co-founder of the Grammy Award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops!

TROMBONE SHORTY

MARILYN MCCOO & BILLY DAVIS JR.

W/ FRANCESCO TURRISI

SEPTEMBER 10

SEPTEMBER 3

& ORLEANS AVENUE

UP, UP & AWAY!

SEPTEMBER 19

SEPTEMBER 30

Multi-instrumentalist and Grammy Award nominee returns to the Playhouse!

Founding members of the The 5th Dimension!

COMING UP IN 2022

THE 5TH DIMENSION

BLACK VIOLIN APRIL 10

FEBRUARY 20

Classically trained string players Wil B. (viola) and Kev Marcus (violin) blend classical and hip-hop music!

Led by original member Florence LaRue — with hits “Age of Aquarius” & more!

203.438.5795 · RIDGEFIELDPLAYHOUSE.ORG

TWO PARKS, ONE GREAT PRICE!

All-Day Rides & Waterpark Less Than $35

OINK. HONK. FREE! NEIGH.

Purchase Daily & Season Passes Online quassy.com 2132 Middlebury Road, Middlebury CT

Through September 6, Connecticut children 18 and under plus one accompanying adult enjoy FREE Zoo admission courtesy of the CT Summer at the Museum program.

Reserve your tickets now at www.beardsleyzoo.org!

1-800-FOR-PARK 23

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 22, 2021 - September 28 , 2021

HBCUs are more than an education They are a legacy. It's the place you become, where you're uplifted by past generations. It's your family's history and newfound family's future. It's your HBCU. That’s why Xfinity recognizes the legacy, community, and importance of HBCUs. And now that gatherings are a little different, it's time to reconnect to the culture. Just say, "HBCU," into your Xfinity Voice Remote to experience more HBCU.

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Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Requires Xfinity TV with X1 and compatible TV box or Xfinity Flex and Xfinity Internet. © 2021 Comcast. All Rights Reserved. NPA237195-0001 NED AA HBCU V3

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