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Murphy Makes A Splash THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

by Lucy Gellman, The Arts Paper

Joseph Murphy looked down at a maze of blue, green and white tiles spreading out around his toes. He looked up at instructor Ian McCool, arms flexed and ready to receive him.

He waved his arms once, and brought them back down to his sides.

Then, bending his knees, he leapt.

A student at Barnard Environmental Studies Magnet School, 4-year-old Murphy is one of over 50 students starting another season of swimming lessons with New Haven’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Trees.

Offered on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at John D. Martinez School in Fair Haven, classes run through Nov. 9. They are $100 per 12-lesson session ($125 for non-New Haveners), with some scholarship options for families that have more than one child.

The program is at 90 percent enrollment, with a maximum capacity for 60 students. Future sessions will start in January 2018; more information on the department’s website.

The lessons ring in another year of aquatic education designed for public school students. After success with open swims this summer, Parks & Rec is also offering open swims at John Martinez School on Wednesdays from 5-8 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and at James Hillhouse High School on Thursdays from 4-7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. “Senior Swim Fridays” also run at Career High School from 4-6 p.m. each Friday. Open swim options run through now through May 23.

In tandem, said swim coordinator Robert Davis, those structured and open swim options are designed to get New Haveners in the water, and out of harm’s way. In recent years, the department has worked to shrink class size, giving students focused attention as they grab their kickboards, pool noodles and bathing suits. The studentto-teacher ratio is now 3:1.

Murphy: ready to make a splash? Lucy Gellman Photos.

Instructor Brian Coppage with two students. Coppage, who has been teaching for over seven years, is now the head teacher/lifeguard on duty at John D. Martinez.

Davis: As much attention per child as possible.

Davis: As much attention per child as possible.

“We try to give children as much attention as we can,“ said Davis, who has helped coordinate the sessions and

Joseph and Asia Murphy. While this is Joseph’s first season swimming, his sister has been in the program for three seasons.

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supervise the lifeguards for the past 10 years. “It seems to work well … students seem to like it.”

In a given year, approximately 240 of those students pass through the program. Most are from New Haven’s public schools, but a few tend to trickle in from nearby towns. Davis said that he hears frequently from parents that they’ve enrolled their kids because of safety concerns.

According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, unintentional drowning still claims almost 30 lives in the state per year. That’s just what is reported. That number also carries with it a continued national trend: Black and Latino kids, as well as children of recent immigrants, are still more likely to drown than their white peers.

“That’s their concern,” Davis said of parents. “The problem is getting them [students] here. ” To accommodate parents, Davis said the department has opened as many time slots as it can, offering classes at 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. At 5 p.m. Tuesday, a full group of parents lined a window ledge by the pool.

30 minutes in, it had been unofficially dubbed “the sauna” by Joseph’s mom, Estelle Murphy.

“It’s important to teach them how to swim at an early age,” said Murphy, watching as Joseph and his older sister Asia cut through the water on matching red kickboards. “Kids love the water. They love to be in the water, so it’s a necessity that they learn to be comfortable in the water.”

“It’s always the biggest thing about vacations,” she said. “They ask: Is there a pool? Not the hotel. Just: Is there a pool.”

She added that she never learned to swim as a kid growing up in Hartford.

But watching her kids in the water “makes me also want to take swimming lessons for myself.”

Back in the water, McCool instructed Joseph on kicking with his face in the water, and leaping forward with a kickboard at the ready for freestyle. A prospective student at Gateway Community College, McCool grew up in New Haven’s Annex neighborhood, swimming in the pool and on beaches from a young age. He said he teaches and lifeguards partly for the money, but largely to give kids the same opportunity he had.

“This is a great job to have,” he said after the lesson had ended. “If you start

swimming early, you can be a lifeguard, do swimming — and there’s the safety part of it.”

Just moments before, he had held Murphy and instructed him to work on a strong kick, necessary for a burgeoning freestyle and for staying afloat. As Murphy’s feet worked furiously back and forth, a small trail of green foam went up around him.

It was progress, he said. Slow and steady. On the first day of classes last week, the two concentrated on standing and running in place in the pool’s shallow end, laying partially submerged on the pool’s steps, and dipping one’s face in the water. Nearby, Asia Murphy worked on her midstroke freestyle form, placing her arms above her head in a sharp triangle.

Now, Joseph was that much closer to catching up with her.

“My favorite part is kicking,” he said after the class, a towel draped around his shoulders like a cape, “because that’s how you learn how to swim.”

Arrested Cop’s Fate In Limbo

New Haven police are waiting to see what happens in court before deciding the departmental future of an officer arrested for shoplifting.

The 38-year-old officer had a state court appearance in Bridgeport scheduled Monday on a misdemeanor larceny charge in connection with the theft of a computer monitor from a Stratford BJ’s. Her next court date is Nov. 15, according to the state judicial database, which offers no other information about the case. (Her file has been sealed.)

Because the officer is already on injured leave from her job in New Haven, and receiving disability benefits rather than salary, the department isn’t initiating disciplinary action yet, Chief Anthony Campbell said Monday. He said if the officer returns to duty which is not known at this point then he and the Board of Police Commissioners would take up the case. In the meantime, “we’re watching” the court proceeding in Bridgeport.

Before going on leave, the officer was the subject of a complaint by community activist Holly Tucker of harassment and unfair arrest.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

Alders OK $9.5M Settlement, Cotto BOE Appointment

by MARKESHIA RICKS New Haven Independent

A wrongfully convicted man will get his multimillion-dollar settlement and the Board of Education will get its newest members thanks to votes Monday night by the Board of Alders.

During a meeting Monday at City Hall, alders unanimously OK’d the Harp administration’s plan for paying Scott Lewis the $9.5 million settlement that a court has ruled the city owes him.

The city agreed to pay the money after failing to convince a judge to throw out a federal wrongful conviction lawsuit filed by Lewis, who spent 18 years in prison on murder charges trumped up by a New Haven police detective.

The settlement came in July after the city had wrapped its budget process for fiscal 2017-2018 in June. The vote by alders Monday amended the city’s capital budget to find the funds to cover the settlement’s cost. The bulk of the money, about $6.35 million, comes from the Grand Avenue Bridge project and will have to be refunded when the state is ready to advance that project.

The rest comes from delaying capital purchases in other departments. The city also had to take action because it

PAUL BASS PHOTO

Lewis

was required to pay Lewis by Nov. 15.

Mayor Toni Harp’s pick to replace the Board of Education President Daisy Gonzalez, Jamell Cotto, got his final approval from alders in a separte vote Monday night. Gonzalez died unexpectedly in July. The board has been

MARKESHIA RICKS Cotto

deadlocked since her death; Cotto’s appointment gives members who side with Mayor Harp (at least for now) a majority.

Cotto rose as a political figure in the city when he ran to unseat elected Board of Ed member Ed Joyner. He

withdrew from the race during the Democratic Party convention ahead of the September primary. Harp subsequently selected him to serve out the rest of Gonzalez’s term, which expires on Dec. 31, 2018.

Hill Alder Dolores Colon serves on the

Aldermanic Affairs Committee, which recommended Cotto’s appointment to the full Board of Alders. She said that “the committee found him to be an admirable problem solver who will make every effort to bring the Board of Education to shared agreeable solutions.”

Alders Recognize The Injured, Fallen

by MARKESHIA RICKS New Haven Independent

Alders recognized two officers who recently risked their lives to save others, and paused to remember a retired officer who passed away.

With more than a dozen of their fellow officers looking on in City Hall’s aldermanic chambers Monday night, Officers Scott Shumway and Eric Pessino were recognized for their work in apprehending a man who shot his wife and the both of them one unseasonably hot weekend in September.

Shumway and Pessino were among the officers who responded to an emergency call of shots fired on Elm Street. Both officers were shot in what would become a tense standoff between police and a man who had shot his wife earlier in the day.

The man ultimately would be apprehended and arrested, and his wife, a former corrections officer, and star youth outreach worker would survive

her wounds.

Quinnipiac Meadows Alder Gerald Antunes, a retired police officer who also serves as the chairman of the alders Public Safety Committee, said that the two officers were not being honored because they were shot. That is an unfortunate reality of the job.

They were being honored for “believing in their community, doing what they were sworn to do for us and for considering the safety and well being of others before themselves.”

Antunes pointed out that had those bullets gone three inches to the right or left—both officers were shot in their arms—Monday’s ceremony could have been very different.

“Both officers were struck,” Antunes said. “They didn’t just shoot back as many think they would because that’s what they see on TV. It doesn’t happen that way. They backed away, called for assistance, helped secure the area before being taken away for treatment. They showed great knowledge, restraint, and control. And be-

MARKESHIA RICKS PHOTO

Officers Pessino and Shumway at City Hall Monday.

cause of their actions, everyone lived to see another day. These officers are the future of policing in New Haven and they are a part best police department in the state of Connecticut.”

Assistant Police Chief Ontoniel Reyes said that it meant a lot to the department to have alders recognize the work of the officers and the department for their work on that tough

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day.

“They faced what they were told in the academy they could face and they knew full well what they were dealing with then they walked in the line of fire,” Reyes said of officers Pessino and Shumway. He said how the two officers behaved on that day epitomizes what officers do every day defies a national narrative that says

what they did is not common.

“This is what’s common,” he said.

“The bravery that they displayed— that’s what’s common. The risk we take every day when we walk out the door that we might not come back is real. This is an important moment to not take for granted what happened that day.”

Fellow Assistant Chief Archie Generoso said that day in September was a trying one for the police department, “but I think it was probably this department’s and this city’s finest hour.

“Everybody responded,” he said.

“Everybody did what they were trained to do, and we came out with a very positive outcome and that speaks to the dedication of these officers, and all the officers, firefighters and all the departments that responded including the state and federal agencies.”

Dwight Alder Frank Douglass thanked the officers and said that their response bolstered the confidence of Con’t on page 5

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

BULLARD-HAVENS TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL AUTOMOTIVE TEACHER NAMED FINALIST FOR 2017 HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS PRIZE FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE Teacher, School Guaranteed $30,000; Could Win Top Award of $100,000

BRIDGEPORT, Conn.- A BullardHavens Technical High School automotive teacher was named one of 10 finalists for the 2017 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, which will award more than $500,000 to outstanding skilled trades teachers and programs in American public high schools. As a finalist, the school and teacher will receive at least $30,000 and up to $100,000 if they win the top prize.

Drawn from across the country and representing skilled trades like construction, automotive, architecture, woodworking, manufacturing and marine systems technology, the 10 finalists are in the running for three firstplace prizes of $100,000, with $70,000 going to the high school skilled trades program and $30,000 to the individual skilled trades teacher or teacher team behind the winning program. The seven second-place winners will each be awarded $30,000, with $20,000 going to the high school program and $10,000 to the teacher/team. The winners will be announced on Oct. 26.

The Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence was designed to recognize outstanding instruction in the skilled trades in U.S. public high schools that inspires students to learn a trade that prepares them for a career after high school.

“We created this prize out of huge respect for the intelligence and creativity of people who work with their hands to create, build and repair,” said Eric

Smidt, founder of the prize and founder, owner and CEO of the national retailer Harbor Freight Tools. “We’re proud to honor the important leadership of these skilled trades teachers, who are working so hard to equip their students with the know-how and skill to land good jobs, pursue bright futures, and become part of a workforce our country needs.”

Roxanne Montarro Amiot was recognized for her leadership of BullardHavens Technical High School’s automotive technology department. The first woman to graduate from BullardHavens in auto shop, Amiot worked in the automotive industry before returning to her high school to teach auto

shop. She has taught in the Connecticut Technical High School System as an auto instructor for 29 years. Passionate about preparing her students for successful careers and providing skilled technicians to the industry, Amiot’s auto lab is a licensed repair facility, and students complete internships with local businesses and graduate with industry certifications.

“These 10 are exceptional educators who combine hands-on knowledge and passion to open doors for their students to the skilled trades and to life,” said Robin Kramer, executive director of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools. “The talents of these public school teachers go unrecognized far too often, and we’re proud to shine a light on their important work in creating futures for their students and to support their can-do spirit.”

The need for skilled trades professionals in the U.S. is growing. Between now and 2024, there will be more than 1.5 million skilled trades job openings as Baby Boomers retire, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The prize competition drew nearly 700 applicants from 48 states, who were narrowed to 54 semi-finalists.

The application process included a learning component, giving all applicants access to ideas and practices, shared through a series of online expert-led learning models, to help them be more effective in the classroom.

The finalists were selected by pan-

els of judges from the worlds of business, K-12 and higher education, the trades and crafts, non-profits and philanthropy. A separate panel of eight judges will select the first- and second-place winners. Harbor Freight Tools for Schools does not play a role in selecting the finalists or winners.

The school’s prize winnings will support the skilled trades program being recognized, and the teacher’s or teacher team winnings can be used at their discretion.

About Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Harbor Freight Tools for Schools is a program of The Smidt Foundation, established by Harbor Freight Tools Founder Eric Smidt, to support the advancement of skilled trades education in America. With a deep respect for the dignity of these fields and for the intelligence and creativity of people who work with their hands, this program was created to foster and shine a light on excellence in skilled trades education in public high schools. Believing that access to quality skilled trades education gives high school students pathways to graduation, opportunity, good jobs and a workforce our country needs, Harbor Freight Tools for Schools aims to stimulate greater understanding, support and investment by public entities and others in skilled trades education. Harbor Freight Tools is a major supporter of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools program.

John P. Thomas Publisher / CEO

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

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

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Cities Dial Amazon Direct THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

by PAUL BASS

New Haven Independent

After Connecticut spurned them, New Haven and Bridgeport took a quest to land a $5 billion new corporate campus directly to the company doing some high-stakes shopping: Amazon.

The two cities Monday submitted a joint proposal to the Seattle-based online retailing behemoth to seek to land its planned new eight million square-foot second main corporate campus (aka “HQ2”).

Cities across the country are competing to land the headquarters, which, like the company’s product offerings, is expected to come with a hefty discount (n the form of tax breaks).

Connecticut had asked cities to submit proposals that it would then forward to Amazon; it rejected the joint New HavenBridgeport bid. So New Haven Mayor Toni Harp and Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim — whose cities have been forming a closer business and political identity in recent months — decided to refine the pitch to take directly to Amazon. The mayors held a press conference Monday in the Park City to announce that they’ve submitted the proposal.

Ganim noted that a non-disclosure agreement with Amazon prevents the cities from publicly releasing the proposal.

Originally they were going to pitch a plan in which four million of the square feet would be in New Haven, centered downtown around the vanishing Route 34 Connector, and four million in Bridgeport.

The idea was to convince Amazon that the two cities are so close together that in other parts of the country they’d be considered one municipal unit, so in fact the eight million square feet still fell in “one” city.

Staffers working on the proposal called Amazon and learned that it would not accept that divide, New Haven economic development chief Matthew Nemerson said in an interview. So the cities offered Amazon two options from which to choose: spreads of eight million square feet in either city. It remains a joint proposal, highlighting the 17 colleges and universities in the region as well as a combined labor force of over one million people. (Filing singly, the two cities would not have met the one million threshold required by the company.)

Nemerson said New Haven found additional land at the Sports Haven

site and the Long Wharf food terminal.

“If need be,” he said in other words, if Amazon does miraculously pick the New Haven-Bridgeport proposal New Haven could “talk to Yale about” making more land available around the old Lee High School property in the Hill.

“When you’re talking about $5 billion worth of buildings,” buying a $30-$40 million site probably wouldn’t present much of a problem, he ventured.

Government and business leaders said that whatever happens with this proposal a long shot for any city, even one that is actually one city the process has brought together Greater New Haven and Greater Bridgeport leaders in a way that promises productive future collaboration.

“We do not have metropolitan regions in Connecticut,” Harp said at Monday’s event. “So we decided we would have a metropolitan region here.”

LEAP Halloween Party Set For Fun, Fright

LEAP’s annual Halloween party for kids and families will be Oct. 27 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the LEAP Community Center at 31 Jefferson St..

We will have face painting, a haunted house, tons of games, pumpkin decorating, scary music, and a photo booth. We will be joined by our friends from the New Haven Police and Fire Departments as well as volunteers from Yale University.

5 Each year our great Once again, we will join with our neighbors on Lyon, William and Bradley Streets to have trick or treating for kids. neighbors open their homes to trick or treaters on the same night as LEAP’s Halloween party. We will have plenty of LEAP counselors and staff on each of the streets ensuring a fun and safe night for everyone.

Because hundreds of children attend every year, our neighbors can quickly run out of candy. So please consider donating candy. You can drop it off between 9 am and 7 pm, Monday to Thursday or 9 am to 6 pm on Friday. We hope to see you on October 27th!

Usually “mayors come together on policy stuff,” Ganim noted. “This is a much more substantive and a much deeper commitment and relationship that you don’t see too often.” He praised the unofficial dubbing of the joint entity as “Bridgehaven.”

At the press conference, Ganim and Harp showed a 30-second commercial that pitches the “New Haven Bridgeport region” to employers. The video which can be viewed near the beginning of the below Facebook Live video from Monday’s event touts the joint region’s allegedly effective transportation system and “the largest educated workforce in the Northeast.”

Con’t from page 3

Alders Recognize

the community.

Annex Alder Alphonse Paolillo Jr. called the officers are the face of community policing, which is bigger than one person or even the police department.

“It’s those 400-plus officers who make that concept a reality every day,” he said. “Every day and night you suit up with the intent to come home and take upon yourselves the actions that we would never take ourselves. Not only did you act heroically, but the whole public safety team acted heroically and professionally.

“It’s not likely, but definitely that you preserved human life,” Paolillo added.

After Pessino and Shumway were recognized Paolillo introduced a resolution on behalf of alder expressing condolences for the death of retired Capt. Jeff Hoffman, who passed away unexpectedly earlier this month. Paolillo noted that Hoffman had served 20 years in the department rising through the ranks to become a district manager and head of the patrol division before he retired.

“He worked with many folks in this room and was a standout officer, but more importantly he was a stand out individual,” Paolillo said.

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GOP Makes A Stand In The Cove THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

by PAUL BASS

New Haven Independent

Republican Donald Trump won far more votes in Morris Cove’s Ward 18 - 830 than anywhere else in New Haven last year. Which might seem like a boost for one of the 27-year-old GOP candidate for alder there this fall.

Until you find out that he actually voted for Hillary Clinton in that election.

As did 1,061 voters in Morris Cove.

So Republicans know they have a lot of work to do to try to elect their candidate, first-time office-seeker Joshua Van Hoesen, who’s taking on threeterm incumbent Democrat Sal DeCola.

But they also see the Cove as their best shot at actually winning a competitive election in their quest to rebuild a second political party in New Haven. The 30-member Board of Alders hasn’t had a Republican on it for six years. Registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans 16-1. The party is fielding candidates for only two of the 30 seats in the Nov. 7 general election; it has no one running for mayor, a seat last won by a Republican in 1951. (It also has a candidate for probate judge; an endorsed candidate for Board of Ed ended up not submitting paperwork to run.)

The last Republican to win an alder seat, Arlene DePino, represented Morris Cove until retiring six years ago. So did the last Republican to hold a state representative seat. The ward has 287 registered Republicans, the largest concentration in town. It also has 723 registered unaffiliated voters, many of whom can be convinced to pull a Republican lever. Citywide, the Republicans have 2,359 registered voters; the district with the next-highest number of registered GOPers is Westville’s Ward 25, with 157.

“Even though we lose elections, we have the most Republicans in the 18th Ward,” observed John Cirello, an attorney who lives in Morris Cove and ran for state representative three years ago on the Republican line. “There’s a viable chance of a Republican taking the seat.”

Viable. Not necessarily easy.

“One of the things that we run up against,” Cirello observed, “is that people look at what’s going on in national politics, and they relate it back to the local candidates, who may or may not be on board with what’s happening in national politics. Sometimes national politics buoy a candidate. Sometimes it tears them down.

PAUL BASS PHOTO

Van Hoesen reciting pledge at GOP nominating convention.

LUCY GELLMAN PHOTO

DeCola signing city’s international climate change pledge.

“Right now with the Trump administration, Republicans are not being helped in Connecticut.”

Republicans ask Van Hoesen whom he voted for in 2016 when he knocks on their doors seeking their votes Nov. 7. They’re not pleased to learn he voted for “Lock Her Up!” Hillary.

One woman kept the door partly closed for 15 minutes as he made his pitch, Van Hoesen recalled Wednesday during an interview on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven” program, to which he drove his Vulcan 500 motorcycle.

Trump identified good issues in his presidential campaign, Van Hoesen told the voter (and stated on “Dateline”). “The solutions, in my mind, were not there.”

For instance, it makes sense to strengthen immigration enforcement, but not to build a wall along the southern border, Van Hoesen said. He noted that many immigrants who stay here illegally came have overstayed visas. And people have “ladders” and “planes” and other ways to get past a wall, he said. He further argued that the country needs to admit more immigrants, especially those with advanced skills needed for jobs for which there are shortages.

He wasn’t “excited” about voting for Hillary Clinton, said Van Hoesen, a self-described Libertarian-leaning Republican who favors limited government spending and considers Thomas Paine his political hero. But he felt Clinton had more experience and

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competence, and therefore more of an ability to make good-government decisions.

“It’s logical,” the skeptical woman said of his Trump explanation, Van Hoesen recalled. Then she opened her door and invited him inside. They proceeded to discuss New Haven issues. Van Hoesen heard her out, and she ultimately promised to vote for him, he said.

He’s been doing a lot of listening on the campaign trail, he said. He doesn’t offer sweeping proposed solutions to improve schools, say, or cut specific government positions. He said voters are telling him that they perceive that the Cove pays more in taxes than it gets back in services, especially in terms of police presence.

Van Hoesen promises to serve as a problem-solver who works hard to connect citizens to government. He said he caught that bug as a computer science student at University of New Haven, where he served in student government. He enjoyed finding out day-to-day problems students encountered, then probing the bureaucracy and school policies to fix them.

After graduation, he bought a home in the Cove because it reminded him of the community where he grew up on Nantucket. “It has a very good sense of community. The American Dream everyone with white picket fences, two and half kids, Labrador dogs.”

He settled into a job as lead engineer at a North Haven company designing accounting software for not-for-profits.

Meanwhile, he found it hard some-

times to get good information from local government. For instance, one day he was out of town when a neighbor called to report: “Hey Josh, they’re towing your car!” A last-minute “emergency no parking” sign had gone up for a public event after Van Hoesen had departed. The tow-truck operator got on the phone and agreed just to tow the car into Van Hoesen’s driveway, where he learned to park in the future when leaving town. but he said the city should have given more notice.

As a techie he was blown away by the antedeluvian state of the city government website until its recent rebuild: “If I had given the old New Haven website to a client, I would not expect to get paid.” He praised the new version. Now, he said, he would expect payment but not a bonus. It still has broken links, as he discovered when paying taxes online and clicking for verification of payment, only to land on an error page.

“A lot of people get frustrated dealing with rules and regulations and government,” Van Hoesen observed. “They need a champion.”

He decided to run to become that champion. Also, he said, he hadn’t even known who his alder was; he was convinced he could do a better job of communicating with neighbors.

At this point he has but three people working on his campaign, he said, although he has gotten advice from Cove Republican veterans. With a preternaturally sunny demeanor, he said he’s not daunted taking on a candidate backed by New Haven’s institutional electoral armies. One party-dominated New Haven “deserves a choice,” and he considers inspiring people to cast votes a victory no matter the result.

“Whether you vote for me or not,” he said, “I want you voting.”

Sal DeCola is running on his record, he said in an interview Wednesday: a record of getting streets and sidewalks fixed in the Cove, of connecting neighbors to district cops, and of taking a lead downtown on environmental issues.

As chair of the Board of Alders City Services and Environmental Policy Committee, DeCola shepherded to passage a nonbinding resolution urging New Haveners to refrain from using pesticides on their lawn. He helped oversee a hands-on effort with city officials to improve snow removal. He has worked closely with City Engineer Giovanni Zinn on improving flood Con’t on page 10

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

Tyrick’s Mom Issues Tearful Plea

by PAUL BASS

New Haven Independent With a new enticement of a $50,000 reward, the mother of slain 14-year-old Tyrick Keyes made a tear-filled appeal to eyewitnesses to help police solve his murder.

“I’m here to see justice for my son ... pleading for someone to come forward, anyone that knows anything or seen anything to come forward,” the mom Demethra Telford, declared Monday afternoon at a press conference called at 1 Union Ave. police headquarters to publicize the reward, which was first reported a week ago after Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed off on it.

“I can’t hold my child anymore. I live day by day.”

Police Chief Anthony Campbell said no eyewitnesses have come forward to help the detectives working and supervising the case

PAUL BASS PHOTO

Chief Campbell consoles Telford at press conference.

who are pictured above at the press conference — since someone shot Tyrick Keyes in Newhallville on July 16. Tyrick died of his wounds four days later in the hospital.

(Officials originally spelled his name as “Tyriek,” which his mom later corrected.)

He said people with information can contact detectives at (203) 946-6304 or through an anonymous tip line at (203) 946-6296. You can also text “NHPD plus your message” to 274637 (CRIMES) or write to this email address.

“We will not rest until we have the person or persons responsible for this in custody,” Campbell promised Telford.

The award money is for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the case.

During the press conference, Telford held up a photo of Tyrick in his casket.

“This is my last memory of child,” she said. “No mother should have to see that.”

Woman Takes LEAD On Familiar Turf

by THOMAS BREEN

New Haven Independent

Rasheen Murphy grew up in the Hill in the early 1990s. She saw friends and family struggle with drug addiction and fall victim to violent crime and incarceration. She had her first child at age 15, while still a student at Wilbur Cross High School.

Twenty years later, Murphy still lives in the Hill and is about to start working with the city and the police department to help keep low-level, non-violent criminals in her neighborhood out of jail and away from some of the challenges that she and her peers faced while growing up on those same city blocks.

On Tuesday night at the Hill North Community Management Team’s monthly meeting at Career High School, Murphy introduced herself as the neighborhood’s community liaison for the city’s new grant-funded Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, which is slated to begin in the Hill North, Hill South, and downtown neighborhoods in November.

Developed in Seattle and already in practice in Albany; Bangor, Maine; and Baltimore, LEAD is an experimental law enforcement initiative that seeks to redirect low-level offenders engaged in drug abuse, prostitution, and other non-violent street crimes away from the criminal justice system and towards a case worker and rehabilitative social services.

The central idea of LEAD is that affordable housing, gainful employment, and substance abuse treatment are more

THOMAS BREEN PHOTO

LEAD’s Minardi and Murphy at Hill North meeting.

effective and efficient than arrests and imprisonment at addressing issues related to poverty, mental health, and addiction.

Much like Project Longevity, a heralded city program that seeks to give gang members one last chance at reintegrating into society, LEAD is a collaborative endeavor that brings together police officers, social workers, healthcare professionals, and concerned members of the community to rally around low-level criminals and try to stabilize their lives for their own safety as well as for that of the neighborhood.

Earlier this year, city officials took a trip to Seattle to learn more about

LEAD and the manager of Albany, New York’s LEAD program came to New Haven to help the city pitch the program to the Hill North management team.

As a LEAD community liaison, Murphy will be responsible for working closely with the city’s Community Services Administration (CSA), the Cornell Scott Hill Health Center, and the Hill North’s top cop Lt. Jason Minardi to help identify potential candidates for LEAD and to visit and support the families of neighbors who are going through the program.

Most importantly, she is supposed to represent a voice and a perspective from the neighborhood at LEAD con-

8

versations among the city, healthcare workers, and police officers.

“Not everyone is going to be comfortable talking with me,” Minardi said about New Haven’s upcoming implementation of LEAD. “But they’re definitely going to be comfortable talking with Rasheen. You might have community members who have a loved one who is suffering from an addiction but they don’t know where to go.

They can go to Rasheen, and she can guide them into this process. She can be a liaison between families, LEAD, and me.”

For Murphy, that role of a connective Con’t on page 10

Con’t from page 6

A Stand In The Cove

controls, from repairing floodgates in Morris Cove and Fair Haven and City Point to installing bioswales throughout town. Their efforts helped the city win a “perfect seven” flood-preparation score from FEMA, meaning that people in neighborhoods like Morris Cove will pay less for flood insurance.

As committee chair, DeCola also helped negotiate a contract with the operator of a new city bikeshare program to ensure that it include Newhallville.

A personable retired postal carrier, DeCola, who’s 60, performs community service outside of the spotlight.

He makes monthly food deliveries to homebound neighbors through the FISH program. He takes the lead in organizing an annual “Talent Haven” political revue in conjunction with the Shubert Theatre to raise money for Music Haven, Neighborhood Music School, Coop High; and an annual fundraising drive for food pantries.

While both he and Van Hoesen emphasize constituent service and neighborhood-level problem-solving, they do offer differing positions on two broader issues.

DeCola embraces New Haven’s “sanctuary city” policy of not having police cooperate with the federal government on detaining undocumented immigrants. He said he saw how fearful immigrants were of reporting crimes to police when they feared being deported, so they became regular victims of assaults and muggings.

New Haven has become safer because of the policy, he argued. Van Hoesen said it’s important for different levels of government to work together.

On the hot-button Cove issue of Tweed-New Haven Airport, DeCola categorically opposes lengthening the runway to lure commercial jet service.

“It’s not going to happen. It’s not conducive for the community. The roads leading up to the airport cannot handle that traffic,” he said. When United had regular service, the local roads couldn’t handle the traffic from the estimated 150,000 annual jet-passenger trips, he argued.

Van Hoesen proclaimed himself “ambivalent” on the question. He bought a house across from Tweed fully aware he’d hear noise; he was accustomed to it from having grown up near an airport on Cape Cod. He signed up for Tweed’s noise-reduction program for neighborhood homeowners. The airport can do a better job communicating with neighbors about that program, he said and if elected, he’ll see it as his job to help.

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10/3/17 11:21 AM

Hall Of Famers Inducted THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

by STAFF

Gateway Community College submitted the following release.

More that 200 from the Greater New Haven community gathered in the Curran Community Center at Gateway Community College on Oct. 5 to celebrate six new inductees at the Gateway Community College Foundation’s 20th Hall of Fame Induction and Celebration.

The annual event, which is the largest scholarship fundraiser of the year, honors outstanding including alumni, corporate and community leader, who demonstrate a commitment to the educational mission of Gateway Community College through distinguished service to the community and the college.

This year’s inductees include community honorees, State Rep. Toni E. Walker, MSW, Connecticut General Assembly and Henry Fernandez, Executive Director, LEAP; corporate honorees Kevin E. Burke, Senior Vice President and Region Head Greater New York and Connecticut Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., and Christopher M. O’Connor, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Yale-New Haven Health; and Gateway alums, Justin Eric Raffone, Parts and Service Director, Colonial Toyota in Milford and Erin M. Randi, Water Pollution Control Technician, Town of South Windsor Water Pollution Control.

The 20th Hall of Fame was the first for Dr. Paul Broadie II, who paid hom-

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Inductee State Rep. Toni Walker, a leading community college advocate at the Capitol.

age to his predecessor, Dorsey Kendrick, in his welcome remarks. “I cannot fill her shoes,” he declared. “But I will stand on her shoulders and continue the important work she started.”

Broadie was followed by Gateway student, Connor Pullen, a US Army veteran and first responder, who spoke about the importance and impact of Foundation scholarships on students who struggle to afford books and tuition. “It changed my life,” Pullen said.

Event Chair, Thomas Beirne III, Vice President at Halsey Associates, and Secretary of the GCC Foundation Board, told the crowd that the event “sends a powerful message to the students that their local leaders share and support

The honorees at the ceremony.

their academic and professional aspirations.” Honorary Chair, Brigadier General Army (Ret.), Senior Vice President, Military and Veteran’s Affairs at Comcast NBC Universal The GCC Foundation Board, Chaired by Mimi Lines, Counsel at Robinson + Cole, LLP, is dedicated to raising scholarship funds for Gateway Community College students.

The Hall of Fame event is the largest source of scholarship revenue for GCC students, thereby allowing the Foundation to award more than $100,000 in scholarships each year.

“The GCC Foundation held its first Hall of Fame event in 1997 to raise scholarship funds,” Lines explains.

“Now, 20 years later, more than twothirds of Gateway students still require some form of assistance to attend college. The funds raised from this year’s Hall of Fame event will make a difference in the lives of so many of our students.”

Over the years, the Gateway Community College Foundation Hall of Fame Induction and Reception has become increasingly popular, bringing community and business leaders together to raise funds that are reinvested in the community by way of student scholarships.

“There is an ever increasing demand for our graduates in many different industries, and it is typical that GCC

students work and live right here in the region,” explains Beirne. “We know that our scholarship program is the economic engine that helps students realize their dreams. Our collective financial success is dependent on a skilled, diverse, educated and vibrant community.”

The Gateway Community College Foundation Hall of Fame Induction and Reception is made possible through generous support from Comcast, William E. Curran, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Robinson + Cole LLP, and Yale New Haven Health.

Con’t from page 8

Woman Takes LEAD On Familiar Turf thread between the community and LEAD makes perfect sense, because she grew up surrounded by people working through the very problems that this program is designed to address.

“I’ve lost a lot of friends,” Murphy said. “I know a lot of guys who went to jail. I know the reasons why they went to jail. For most of us, when we grew up, if your parents were not on drugs, you were special. Because that’s how many parents were on drugs in New Haven. And that’s how you get to what we see today. And I don’t want that to happen to the generation underneath us.”

Murphy said that when she hears about the murder of a 14-year-old boy this summer in Newhallville or about a gang member going to prison for decades for shooting and killing his best friend, her heart breaks. Now a 36-year-old mother of two, she said that it is easy to ask with dismay: How can people do this to each other?

But then she reflects on the systemic challenges that many young people in this city face, and that she herself faced as a young girl growing up on Ward Street in the Hill.

“If you live in a dysfunctional situation and your friend is dysfunctional and we hang together and this all seems nor-

mal,” she said, “nobody is there to say: This isn’t normal. A lot of these people are in survival mode. That’s all they’ve known since childhood.

I got to get my next meal. Does this friendship really matter if I’m hungry? If I’m trying to feed my addiction? You’ve got angry kids and childhood issues that are never dealt with.”

Murphy herself said that she had her first child when she was only 15, and that the father of one of her two children just recently got sent to jail.

Nevertheless, she managed to graduate from high school, has worked extensively with mentally ill patients

10

at private and public group homes throughout the state, and now owns a home just a few blocks from where she grew up.

As a community liaison for LEAD, she said, she is hoping to use her intimate understanding of some of the challenges of growing up in New Haven to help other families in the Hill find support, and not incarceration, for loved ones struggling with addiction and susceptible to engaging in a life of crime.

“We’re going to be a team for each person in the LEAD program,” she said as she looked at Minardi, and then at the rest of those gathered for

the night’s meeting.

Minardi said that the LEAD program is scheduled to start in the Hill North, Hill South, and Downtown neighborhoods in the first week of November. Murphy will be the community liaison for Hill North, and two other local residents have been hired to be the community liaisons for Hill South and Downtown. One employee from the Cornell Scott Hill Health Center and one from Columbus House will also serve as case workers for the city’s LEAD program.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

We Need a Values Revolution in America

By Reverend Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, Repairers of the Breach Jeremiah 22:1-3,4-5 The Message (MSG)

“Walking Out on the Covenant of God” 22 1-3 God’s orders: “Go to the royal palace and deliver this Message. Say, ‘Listen to what God says, O King of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne—you and your officials and all the people who go in and out of these palace gates. This is God’s Message: Attend to matters of justice. Set things right between people.

Rescue victims from their exploiters.

Don’t take advantage of the homeless, the orphans, the widows. Stop the murdering!

4-5 “‘If you obey these commands, then kings who follow in the line of David will continue to go in and out of these palace gates mounted on horses and riding in chariots—they and their officials and the citizens of Judah. But if you don’t obey these commands, then I swear—God’s Decree!—this palace will end up a heap of rubble.’”

On Friday, October 13, Donald Trump went before the annual Values Voter Summit hosted by the Family Research Council and declared America “a country that never forgets that we are made, all of us, by the very same God in heaven.”

In the name of Jesus, Trump vowed to “stop cold the attacks on Judeo-Christian values,” but the Values Voter Summit no more represents Jesus than did the church

authorities that backed slavery.

Ironically, Trump invoked the name of Jesus in virtually the same breath that he announced his executive order to stop the federal government’s cost sharing reduction payments, which subsidize healthcare for lower-income families under the Affordable Care Act. Throughout the Scriptures, virtually ev-

ery story of Jesus admonishes us to see to the needs of the poor and vulnerable among us, but Trump vowed at the Values Voter Summit to defend those who use religion to discriminate.

The Christian nationalists Trump has emboldened do not follow the Jesus I know and preach. Their values are not Christ, but cash; not grace, but greed. As the Princeton historian Kevin Kruse has chronicled in his book, “One Nation Under God,” they are the heirs of preachers, who were purchased by the robber barons of the early 20th century to resist the New Deal and the Social Gospel.

During the Civil Rights Movement, they spoke against Rabbi Abraham Heschel and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. These Christian nationalists contradict Jesus, who said that, “as you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.” They serve only the interests of the wealthiest Americans and take every opportunity to deny any provision of care or encouragement to the poor.

They have elected far-right extremists in the country’s legislatures, who have become paid puppets of a White supremacist corporate oligarchy. Elected with the support of wealthy despots, these men (and a few women) pass voter suppression laws that make them accountable to the voters. These peddlers of piety deliver huge tax cuts for the super-rich, permit corporations to spew poison into the environment, and fund a military budget so enormous and sacrosanct, that American citizens are

12

no longer even welcome to know what that budget is. All of this in the name of the Prince of Peace.

Their poisonous mix of racism and religion hurts all of us, but the irony is that it hurts more poor, White people in raw numbers. The agenda they are pushing in Washington and in state houses will hurt Southern, so-called “red” states, the worst, but at the Values Voters Summit, lead organizer Tony Perkins put on duck hunting waders and pretended to “wade into the swamp” as a man of the people.

The Southern Poverty Law Center calls Perkin’s Family Research Council “a hate group.” Perkins denies that Islam is a religion and regularly rails against gays and warns that LGBT citizens plan to round up the Christians in “boxcars.” His vice president, William “Jerry” Boykin, Jr., claims that Islam is “pure evil” and should not be protected under the First Amendment. Boykin has threatened to physically attack anyone not using the bathroom that he thinks they should use.

We have to stop calling these leaders White Christians or evangelicals. Why should we listen when they p-r-a-y in public and p-r-e-y on the people? These attacks on healthcare will become devastating to the poor. Even a Republican governor said Trump’s executive order will hurt the mentally ill, damage the poor and distress families.

Trump has brought about a devolution of values, not a revolution of values.

They did not have a values conference in that D.C. ballroom; it was a vicious

conference where they clapped and applauded a president, who would undermine healthcare for the poorest and most needy people in our country and then attempt to claim that somehow he has rescued Judeo-Christian values.

Nothing could be further from the truth, and nothing could be more of a sign that this president and those who go along with him suffer from a values and moral bankruptcy.

Now, more than ever, we see the truth of what Dr. King said: we need a “moral revolution of values.” I have been crossing this country for the past eight weeks with Rev Dr. Liz Theoharis, meeting in churches and synagogues and community colleges with thousands of people, who know we need a values revolution in America. We are building a Poor People’s Campaign and Moral Revival to not only reclaim our time, but also to reclaim our values, which been hijacked by extremists.

Corporate sponsorship has bloated the public image of extremism, but there are far more people of faith and conscience, who want to revive the heart and soul of our democracy. We are inviting that moral majority to speak out and stand up for a #ValuesRevolution.

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, is the President of Repairers of the Breach, cochair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, and author of The Third Reconstruction.

Follow Rev. Dr. Barber on Twitter @ RevDrBarber. Follow Repairers of the Breach on Twitter @BRepairers.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

Lawmakers Seek End to Triple-Digit Interest on Payday and Car-Title Loans

By Charlene Crowell, Communication Director, Center for Responsible Lending

A group of Capitol Hill lawmakers are combining efforts and influence to legislatively crack down on predatory lending, nationwide. Seventeen Members of the U.S. House and eight U.S. Senators are supporting companion bills that would slash the cost of payday and car-title loans from their typical 300 percent annual interest rate to no more than 36 percent—the same rate protection that Congress first provided military families in 2006.

Today, 90 million Americans living in 15 states and D.C. benefit from enacted rate caps of 36 percent or lower.

But in the other 35 states, residents remain vulnerable to triple-digit interest rates that average 400 percent nationwide on an average loan of only $350.

When consumers use their car titles as collateral for a larger and equally costly loan, a loss of personal transportation occurs when borrowers can no longer keep up with the spiraling high costs.

If enacted, the legislation is expected to have an immediate impact on payday and car-title loans, but would ensure that all consumer financial services would end cycles of debt that trick and trap unsuspecting consumers into long-term debt. The bicameral effort is led in the U.S. Senate by Senators Dick Durbin of Illinois and Jeff Merkley of Oregon. Their leadership counterparts in the House of Representatives are Matt Cartwright of Scranton, Pennsylvania and Steve Cohen of Memphis, Tennessee.

“Predatory lending disproportionately harms people who are already struggling financially,” noted Rep. Cartwright, where in Pennsylvania these types of predatory and high-cost loans are already banned by state law. “This consumer-friendly legislation would provide relief from exorbitant fees for many low-income consumers across the country.”

Rep. Cohen, Cartwright’s House colleague, felt similarly.

“Throughout my career, I have always worked to shield people from those who would take advantage of them through predatory lending practices that can wreak havoc on people’s lives and perpetuate a cycle of indebted-

ness,” said Cohen. “Both justice and morality dictate that reasonable caps on interest be enacted to protect borrowers from devious lenders.”

From the Deep South, to the Pacific Coast, and westward to the mid-Atlantic and Midwest states, state payday interest rates range as high as 662 percent in Texas to California’s 460 percent, and Virginia’s 601 percent. Likewise, in the Midwest, the states of Illinois, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin have comparable high interest rates that all exceed 400 percent. In Alabama and Mississippi, two of the nation’s poorest states when it comes to per capita incomes, payday interest rates are respectfully 521 percent and 456 percent.

“What we have encountered across the country is that when voters are given the chance to support a rate cap, large majorities consistently say ‘No’ to debt-trap lending,” said Yana Miles, senior legislative counsel with the Center for Responsible Lending. “Conversely, when it comes to state legislatures, reform efforts are often thwarted by the industry.”

Already more than 40 national, state and local organizations have jointly written their members of Congress in support of the legislation. Signers of the correspondence include civil rights organizations, labor, consumer advocates, and research institutes.

In part, the letter states, “Veterans, seniors, women, and communities of color are most often targeted for exploitation by these unaffordable high-cost loans…While the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is expressly prohibited from setting a rate cap, Congress is not and should do so. A federal rate cap puts all creditors on a level playing field without undermining any additional consumer protections in the states.”

Durbin said that, despite the economic gains we have made as a nation in recent years, many working families continue to struggle.

“For some, payday lenders offer a quick way to make ends meet,” said Durbin. “But their outrageous interest rate caps and hidden fees can have crippling effects on the people who can least afford it.”

Merkley noted that the bill’s simple, straightforward approach will protect consumers and ensure that families aren’t bankrupted by high interest rates and hidden fees.

Charlene Crowell is communications deputy director with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

Derek Jeter Becomes the First Black CEO of a Major League Baseball Team --

Says He's Fine With His Players Kneeling

by The Black Business Blog

A group headed by 14-time MLB All-Star Derek Jeter and Florida businessman Bruce Sherman has completed its purchase of the Miami Marlins, a Major League Baseball team. Jeter, now a co-owner of the team, has also been named the team’s first ever Black CEO. Jeter retired in 2014 following a 20-year career in baseball playing for the New York Yankees. He won five World Series Championships, was the longest-tenured captain in Yankees history, and is the only player to garner All-Star Game and World Series Most Valuable Player Awards in the same season (2000).

The only other African American that is an owner of a Major League Baseball team is Magic Johnson, who owns the LA Dodgers.

Many celebrities like P. Diddy congratulated Jeter on his historic accomplishment.

He posted on his Instagram page: “Congrats to my brother DEREK JETER THE

1st AFRICAN AMERICAN CEO OF A MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM. #blackexcellence I HAD THE PLEASURE OF THROWING HIM A CONGRATULATIONS DINNER LAST NIGHT WITH @ davegrutman so proud of my friend!”

The Marlins, who won World Series Championships in both 1997 and 2003, were established as the Florida Marlins in 1992 and officially became a part of the league in 1993. The organization was renamed the Miami Marlins during the 2012 season, the same year they moved into Marlins Park, which hosted the 2017 MLB All-Star Game.

Will players kneeling during the national anthem be an issue?

Not according to Jeter himself. He recently told the New York Daily News, “Everyone should be fine with that. They’re focused so much on the fact that they are kneeling as opposed to what they’re kneeling for.”

He continued, “Peaceful protests are fine.

You have your right to voice your opinion.

As long as it’s a peaceful protest, everyone should be fine with that.”

When Marshall Comes to Town Stephen Urchick, The Arts Paper

“I welcome Keepsakes,” smiled Cynthia Farmer Streeter, ticking off a list of community organizations in attendance at Tuesday night’s advance screening of the Bridgeport-based biopic Marshall. “I welcome Perfect Blend! I welcome the NAACP!” Streeter represented New Haven’s branch of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, which helped organize the preview with the Elm City Youth Club for local teens, mentoring partnerships, and fraternal peer societies. Shown at Bow Tie Criterion Cinemas on Temple Street downtown, the film was followed by a Q&A with Marshall coscreenwriter and Connecticut attorney Michael Koskoff.

“You are the first youth to have seen this movie, because it has not opened yet,” said Koskoff afterwards. “You are the first high school group!”

The 118-minute historical courtroom drama follows a young Thurgood Marshall (Chadwick Boseman) and Bridgeport litigator Sam Friedman (Josh Gad) through their 1941 defense of chauffeur Martin Spell (Sterling K. Brown) against racially-motivated rape allegations from his employer, the white Connecticut socialite Eleanor Strubing (Kate Hudson).

“It’s about racism in the north,” Koskoff said at the preview. “Nobody does this! It’s always about some poor innocent guy in the south.” He offered up the stock tropes of Klansmen, the bigoted hayseed sheriff.

“This is a northern racism—where every-

Thurgood Marshall (Chadwick Boseman) and Bridgeport litigator Sam Friedman (Josh Gad)

body is on their best behavior.”

A NAACP trial lawyer from Harlem at the time, Marshall first enlists the unwilling Friedman to admit him to the regional bar as an out-of-area attorney. He quickly comes to rely upon Friedman as a mouthpiece and an ally when the presiding Judge Foster (James Cromwell) allows Marshall to represent Spell, but swears him to silence.

“How many of you knew anything about Thurgood Marshall?” Koskoff asked the crowd.

A forest of hands shot up. “And you knew he was the first black supreme court jus-

tice?” The hands stayed up. The response was weaker, however, when Koskoff asked about this unsung chapter in the justice’s life. “This is less well known!”

Speaking beforehand, Judge Robin Lynn Wilson of the New Haven District Superior Court mentioned how she hoped the film would help resident students understand the “work of Thurgood Marshall and his impact on race relations in Bridgeport.”

“He had the intellect, the fortitude, the— as I said—gazumbas,” she paused and grinned, reaching for a less exciting word, continued. “The tenacity to do what he

14

did.”

From the film’s establishing shot, Marshall portrays its titular lawyer as kind of roaming crusader. At no small personal risk, he rockets out from the New York headquarters of a true-to-life justice league to fight for equality in America’s small towns. The first seconds linger lovingly over Marshall’s superheroic attributes: his clothes iron giving off a wispy, thinning cloud of steam; his gauzy, handpressed dress shirt and luscious silk tie; the gold NAACP seal tooled onto his heavylatched leather attaché case.

Wilson said she was optimistic about the pre-screening’s potential to spread this story of inspired, itinerant activism. She added that the event was oversubscribed, with more people than could fit in the screening.

The evening’s first question cut straight down to Marshall’s character. “I was wondering why Chadwick was picked for this,” a student who introduced himself as simply “Michael” asked Michael Koskoff.

A NAACP trial lawyer from Harlem at the time, Marshall first enlists the unwilling Friedman to admit him to the regional bar as an out-of-area attorney. He quickly comes to rely upon Friedman as a mouthpiece and an ally when the presiding Judge Foster (James Cromwell) allows Marshall to represent Spell, but swears him to silence.

“How many of you knew anything about Thurgood Marshall?” Koskoff asked the crowd.

A forest of hands shot up. “And you knew he was the first black supreme court justice?” The hands stayed up. The response was weaker, however, when Koskoff asked

about this unsung chapter in the justice’s life. “This is less well known!”

Speaking beforehand, Judge Robin Lynn Wilson of the New Haven District Superior Court mentioned how she hoped the film would help resident students understand the “work of Thurgood Marshall and his impact on race relations in Bridgeport.”

“He had the intellect, the fortitude, the— as I said—gazumbas,” she paused and grinned, reaching for a less exciting word, continued. “The tenacity to do what he did.”

From the film’s establishing shot, Marshall portrays its titular lawyer as kind of roaming crusader. At no small personal risk, he rockets out from the New York headquarters of a true-to-life justice league to fight for equality in America’s small towns. The first seconds linger lovingly over Marshall’s superheroic attributes: his clothes iron giving off a wispy, thinning cloud of steam; his gauzy, hand-pressed dress shirt and luscious silk tie; the gold NAACP seal tooled onto his heavy-latched leather attaché case.

Wilson said she was optimistic about the pre-screening’s potential to spread this story of inspired, itinerant activism. She added that the event was oversubscribed, with more people than could fit in the screening.

The evening’s first question cut straight down to Marshall’s character. “I was wondering why Chadwick was picked for this,” a student who introduced himself as Con’t on page 22

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

Who Is Most At Risk Of Breast Cancer?

WELL-WOMAN CHECK-UPS. IT’S WHAT WE DO. With 682,208 preventative check-ups, screenings, exams and counseling services last year to young women like you, we know women’s health care.

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by Ruthie Hawkins, BlackDoctor.org Contributor Like all disease, breast cancer does not discriminate based on race, color, gender, identity or even social status. Still, according to experts, some are at more risk than others.

“The people most at risk for breast cancer are people that have genetic mutations that increase their risk for breast cancer,” Chicago-based OB/GYN, Dr. Idries Abdur-Rahman, tells BlackDoctor.org. “The most common genetic mutations are BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 which are associated with a 60 percent and 45 percent lifetime risk respectively.”

Everyone has BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 genes, according to the site BreastCancer.org. However, studies suggest that Black women have a higher rate of abnormal BRCA genes.

“Having said that, only 10 percent of breast cancers are genetic meaning that 90 percent of breast cancers are sporadic (no prior family history),” added Dr. Idries. “So, while a genetic mutation/family history puts you at higher risk for breast cancer, the majority of breast cancers are neither genetic nor familial and with 12 percent of women being diagnosed with breast cancer, all women are at risk.”This is a statement the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) echoes. Not counting some forms of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, no matter race or ethnicity. It’s also the most common cause of death among Hispanic women and the second most common cause of death from cancer among White, Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native women, the agency reports.

Despite a large body of research, there are still many misconceptions surrounding ones’ risk of getting breast cancer. The biggest? “By far I think the biggest misconception is that you are only at risk for breast cancer if you have a family history.

I have so many patients who resist getting a mammogram because they say they have no family history. Again, 90 percent of new breast cancer patients had no prior family history,” said Dr. Idries.

Other risk factors include:

°The risk for breast cancer increases with age; with most cases diagnosed after age 50. °Women who start their menstrual cycle before age 12 are exposed to hormones longer, raising their risk by a small amount. °Getting pregnant after the age of 30 or never experiencing a full-term pregnancy can raise breast cancer risk. °Not being physically active can put women at a higher risk of getting breast cancer. °Older women who are overweight or obese after menopause have a higher risk of getting breast cancer than those at a normal weight. °Taking certain forms of birth control pills have been found to raise the risk of breast cancer. °Women who have undergone radiation therapy to the chest or breasts for treatment of illnesses like Hodgkin’s lymphoma – a cancer of the immune system — before age 30 have a higher risk of developing breast cancer later in life. °Studies have shown that drinking excessive alcohol can also increase a woman’s risk for breast cancer. °If you have a family history of breast cancer, you may be a candidate for genetic testing. Discuss this option with your doctor.

16

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

My Story: “Breast Cancer Was The Pink Elephant In The Room”

by Team BlackDoctor.org

After losing her mother to breast cancer at 14 years old, Lorraine Gibson lived with the fear of the “pink elephant in the room,” unable to speak about how the loss affected her or about breast cancer. Bright Pink, a national nonprofit focused on the prevention and early detection of breast and ovarian cancer, helped Lorraine get her voice back.

“Bright Pink gave me the confidence to have conversations with my family; gave me the confidence to have conversations with my doctors. It gave me the right questions to ask so that I can plan out preventative care and treatment,” Lorraine said.

Lorraine is now an Ambassador for Bright Pink, using her voice to speak out about breast cancer, particularly to other women who are high risk.

She shared her journey with BlackDoctor.org in this Q&A. BlackDoctor.org: Was the possibility of breast cancer something that was on your radar before your mother’s passing? Was there a history of it in your family?

Lorraine Gibson (LG): Before my mother passed away, breast cancer was somewhat abstract for me. I was about 10 years old when my mother received her initial diagnosis, so breast cancer was still rather vague for me. I remember my mother and my sister telling me, “Mama had to go to the hospital and have surgery to remove the cancer in one of her breast.” I remember being a little girl and hearing that my mother had to get a special treatment to help her cancer go away. A few years later, I began to understand that my mother had a mastectomy, which left a deep scar on her chest; and chemotherapy treatments that resulted in hair and weight loss. Prior to my mother’s diagnosis, as far as I knew, there was no history of breast cancer in our family.

Breast cancer was not a topic that we discussed and I believe that it was a bit of a shock to my entire family. I didn’t quite know how to feel but I knew that life was changing. I knew that it was serious. Things became even more serious after the breast cancer came back after my mother had been in remission for nearly 4 years.

BlackDoctor.org: Walk us through life after your mom received her diagnosis.

LG: As I mentioned earlier, I was young when my mother received her initial diagnosis and I remember my

family trying to keep life as normal as possible for me. My mother’s biggest concern was making sure that her girls (3 daughters and 1 granddaughter) were okay. Even though her appearance changed due to the mastectomy and the chemotherapy, she eventually went into remission. My family was relieved. My mother was a survivor.

For a while, things went back to normal. My mother gained healthy weight, her hair grew back and she went back to work. Life was good again! Then when I turned 14, things changed. We received news that the cancer came back and this time it was much more aggressive.

Lorraine GibsonAfter losing her mother to breast cancer at 14 years old, Lorraine Gibson lived with the fear of the “pink elephant in the room,” unable to speak about how the loss affected her or about breast cancer. Bright Pink, a national nonprofit focused on the prevention and early detection of breast and ovarian cancer, helped Lorraine get her voice back.

I still remember the night that she died at only 45 years old. We were there with her, by her side, as she took her last breath. It was the worst night of my life. I remember screaming and collapsing to the floor. Although my family surrounded me, I felt scared, alone, and empty inside.

BlackDoctor.org: How did losing your mom to breast cancer impact your approach to health and wellness?

LG: For a while after my mother’s death, my approach was to deny, deny, deny. I didn’t want to think about breast cancer because it hurt too much, and since breast cancer stole my mother away from me, I was scared of it.

Secretly, I believed it would become my own fate, and that I would have a similar experience as my mother. I was worried about my sisters. What would happen if I lost them, too?

Breast cancer was “the pink elephant in the room”, don’t speak about it, don’t think about it and it won’t exist.

But it did exist and I felt like it was a dark cloud over all of us.

It wasn’t until I connected with Bright Pink that I learned more about preventive care. The first step was learning how to talk about my family history and more specifically my mother. Her cancer diagnosis is a gutwrenching part of my health history.

I learned how to speak to my doctor about my concerns. I began a health care plan that involves early screening due to my increased risk based on

Lorraine Gibson

my family history, living a healthier lifestyle, and eventually I underwent genetic testing. Most importantly, I learned that denying my family health history would not change it, nor would it change the potential impact that history had on my own health. I came to understand that denying it would not reverse the death of my mother and could even be dangerous to my health.

BlackDoctor.org: What types of questions should women ask their doctor, particularly when they have a family history of breast cancer?

LG: For me, asking my doctor for a referral for my first mammogram was the most difficult question. I dreaded this conversation because asking it made my mother’s death and my personal risk a reality. However, scheduling my first mammogram 7 years ago was an important step in my health care journey. I was nervous and scared but more importantly, I was taking care of my health and myself.

Bright Pink teaches women to visit a trusted healthcare provider at least once a year, even when we feel perfectly healthy, for an annual wellwoman’s exam. At this visit or any other, your provider should take time to answer your questions, so be sure to come prepared! Bright Pink recommends women ask: 1. What factors are increasing my risk of breast and ovarian cancer?

2. Based on my personal risk level, what should my risk-reduction and screening plan include?

3.

What lifestyle changes can I make to reduce my risk for developing breast and ovarian cancer?

BlackDoctor.org: What has going

17

through this journey taught you about yourself?

LG: This entire journey has taught me that my health is a priority. Yes, breast cancer is real and it is scary, but I learned I do not have to be passive – and honestly, I do not want to be. My journey has educated me. I prepare my questions before my doctor visits to help facilitate my conversation. I am sure to do my self-breast exams

and so I am aware of my body and if I notice any changes/differences, I ask my doctor about them. I have learned to openly discuss my experiences. I have found more emotional stability in sharing my journey with other women.

There are so many women with similar experiences as mine, they are just like me. These women have taught me so much and given me advice, support and confidence. I learned that I really am not alone, none of us are.

Elm City Youth Club Thursday Oct. 19, 2017 11am-11pm

2335 Dixwell Ave. Hamden, CT 06518 203-407-0111

20% of the sales* will be given to Elm City Youth Club. By joining us for this meal, you help raise money for To support the community service work of the Elm City Youth Club, boys and girls age 12-18.

Interested in helping out the community?

Visit facebook.com/tgifridays.eastcoast to discover other benefit events happening at other neighborhood Friday’s®.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

Terry Crews Reveals He Was A Victim Of Sexual Assault

“God Brought Us Together” Angela Bassett & Courtney B. Vance On 20 Years Of Marriage

By Aria Ellise, BlackDoctor.org

by T. R. Causay, Social Reporter A growing number of actors and others in the film industry have come forward and made detailed accusations of rape and horrific sexual harassment against the Hollywood film producer, Harvey Weinstein. Nearly 30 women and counting, including notable Hollywood actresses such as Ashley Judd, Angeline Jolie, Rose McGowen, and Gwyneth Paltrow are outing the predator.

Recently, actor Terry Crews took to Twitter to share his own account of sexual assault. Yes, THAT muscle-bound actor Terry Crews known for being in TV shows like Everybody Hates Chris and Brooklyn-9-9. Crews says he had to say something after being moved by the many stories coming to light in connection with the Weinstein allegations.

In a series of 16 tweets, Crews recounts an incident that involved an unnamed Hollywood executive groping his genitals while at an industry party last year. Naturally, he wanted to react, but instantly knew the ramifications of such actions as a black man. …’What happened?’ because when you’re the +1, you’re just looking around, and I didn’t see.”

She says Crews then became angry with the man, but didn’t attack him.

Terry said he knew media accounts could have painted him as the aggressor

in the situation.

“He grabs my hand and says ‘Dude, what’s your problem?’” she said. “I saw the guy looking at him and laughing, like he was inebriated or high or something.”

“This is the thing about criminal behavior,” Rebecca said. “There’s always a loophole for the rich and famous. It’s sad but true.”

According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), on average, there are 321,500 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States.

As of 1998, an estimated 17.7 million American women had been victims of attempted or completed rape.5 Young women are especially at risk.

Over 82% of all juvenile victims are female. 90% of adult rape victims are female. Females ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.

Women ages 18-24 who are college students are 3 times more likely than women in general to experience sexual violence.

Females of the same age who are not enrolled in college are 4 times more likely.

Also, 2.78 million men in the U.S. had been victims of attempted or completed rape. About three percent of American men—or 1 in 33—have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. One out of every 10 rape victims are male.

One can hardly believe that it’s been 20 years since the Hollywood power couple tied the knot. With the divorce rate in upwards of 50% in the United States, this loving couple does what it takes to keep it together. No one knows this better than Courtney B. Vance, as he says it was harder to ask Angela if she liked him than it was to ask her to marry him.

The college sweethearts met while students at the Yale School of Drama.

In the beginning they weren’t lovers, just friends, as they recall, “the best of friends.” For nearly 14 years they ran in the same collegiate circle and their bond grew deeper and eventually blossomed into a love that neither of them could deny.

After the two graduated and started living their lives, they reconnected.

And on October 12, 1997, Angela married Courtney and they began the next phase in their lives together as one. As both their careers began to take off, the couple was blessed with two little miracles – twins born via surrogate after years of trying to conceive.

Despite the pressures of Hollywood they both make time for one thing: their love for God. “God brought me an angel, a rare ruby,” Courtney admits. “And I don’t know where I’d be without her. I didn’t grow up in the church or in the bible. Nobody taught me how to be married or how to really love a wife.

I’ve learned that the Lord wants a relationship with you, me, and with all of us. I had to learn that when the Queen is happy, the land is happy. The man may be the head, but the head doesn’t go anywhere without the neck telling it which way to turn it.

“I’ve learned that the Lord is first and that my wife is the most important thing on this earth. The decisions in

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our marriage aren’t easier, but they are clearer because of our relationship with God,” says Courtney.

“God brought me a husband who loves me,” Angela gushes. “But it is because I have a relationship with God, I can have a better relationship with my husband.”

When asked what the key to a long marriage is, Angela quickly chimed in.

“Respect and negotiation,” exclaimed Bassett. “I want what I want, he wants what he wants and sometimes they’re not he same, but we’ve learned how to negotiate to make each other happy and fulfill out dreams and desires.”

“He [Courtney] makes me a better person,” confesses Bassett. “He lets me be me and do me. He is a great support person for anyone.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

#MeToo Hashtag Sheds Light On Thousands Of Sexual Assault Victims

by Marcus Williams, BDO Staff Writer

To be completely honest, as a boy growing up, I had no idea that so many women had experienced sexual assault, rape or intimidation. I thought that it was only a select few or celebrities that were “in that life.” Now, I’d be surprised if I could find a single one who hadn’t.

With more than 30 women coming out against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, on Sunday afternoon, actress Alyssa Milano used her Twitter account to encourage women who’d been sexually harassed or assaulted to tweet the words #MeToo. In the last 24 hours, a spokesperson from Twitter confirmed that since Sunday, 650,000 tweets have included the hashtag.

The #MeToo hashtag isn’t just trending on Twitter, facebook and instagram were filled with heartbreaking testimonies of people publicly acknowledging that they, too, had experienced harassment or assault. More than 12 million posts, comments and reactions happening on Facebook since Monday afternoon. Some shared their stories, some simply posted the hashtag to add their voices to the masses. Other stars like Rosario Dawson and Gabrielle Union

all shared their stories. And it wasn’t just women: Men also spoke up about their experiences with assault.

The power of #MeToo is taking something that women had long kept quiet about and transforming it into a movement. Unlike many kinds of social-media activism, it isn’t a call to action or the beginning of a campaign, culminating into a series of protests and speeches and events. It’s simply an attempt to give a voice to the voiceless. Those who had their hands covered over their mouths for so long because of shame or feelings of helplessness and powerless. Its a way to get people to understand just how prevalent sexual harassment and assault is in society. To change the narrative and let both women and men know that they are not alone.

It’s hard to know what to do, how to feel, or what your options are after a sexual assault. Please know that you’re not alone. According to RAINN (Rape Abuse & Incest National Network) there are three things to keep in mind listed below.

1. Your safety is important. Are you in a safe place? If you are in immediate danger or seriously injured, call 911.

If you’re not feeling safe, consider

reaching out to someone you trust for support. You don’t have to go through this alone.

2. What happened was not your fault.

Something happened to you that you didn’t want to happen—and that’s not OK. 3. Call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673).

You’ll be connected to a trained staff

member from a local sexual assault service provider in your area. They will direct you to the appropriate local health facility that can care for survivors of sexual assault. Some service providers may be able to send a trained advocate to accompany you.

When you call the National Sexual Assault Hotline, a staff member will walk you through the process of getting help

at your own pace. You can also visit online.rainn.org to chat anonymously.

Support specialists can also provide information on topics you might have questions about, including: Receiving Medical Attention Reporting Options

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19

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

Field Engineer

Help Wanted: Immediate opening for construction laborer for Heavy and Highway Construction. Please call PJF Construction Corp.@ 860-888-9998. We are an equal opportunity employer M/F

Help Wanted: Immediate opening for Dump Truck Driver for Heavy and Highway Construction.

CDL A license and clean driving record required. Please call PJF Construction Corp. @ 860-8889998. We are an equal opportunity employer M/F.

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

BA/BS in Civil Engineering or Construction Management.

2-5 yrs. experience. OSHA Certified.

Proficient in reading contract plans and specifications.

Resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 10 Northwood Dr., Bloomfield, CT 06002; Fax 860.218.2433; Email resumes to info@redtechllc.com. RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

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

Fax 860.218.2433; or Email to HR@redtechllc.com

**An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**

Public Notice The Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA) hereby announces its 49 CFR Part 26 Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) plans related to FAA-assisted contracts for professional services and construction projects for federal fiscal years 2017-2019 for Bradley International and federal fiscal years 2018-2020 for the five General Aviation Airports.

The proposed plan, which includes the 3-year goal and rationale, is available for inspection between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday at Bradley International Airport, Administration Office, Terminal A, 3rd Floor, Windsor Locks, CT 06096 or on CAA’s website http://www.ctairports.org, the Bradley International Airport website http://www. bradleyairport.com for 30 days from the date of this publication.

Comments on the DBE goal will be accepted for 45 days from the date of availability of this notice and can be sent to the following: or

Mr. Thomas Knox DBE & ACDBE Compliance Specialist FAA Western-Pacific Regional Office Los Angeles, CA 90009-2007 thomas.knox@faa.gov

is requesting proposals for the painting of interior vacant units.

Norwalk Housing is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Curtis O. Law, Executive Director.

The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT

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

Truck Mechanic

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

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

Laurie A. Sirois Manager of Grants, Procurement and Insurance Programs Connecticut Airport Authority Bradley International Airport Administration Office Terminal A, 3rd Floor Windsor Locks, CT 06096 lsirois@ctairports.org

The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT

norwalkha.org<http://www.norwalkha.org> under the Business section RFP’s/RFQ’s

Common Ground High School seeks a PART TIME Special Education Teaching Assistant (TA). The TA is responsible for supporting the Special Education teachers in general education and special education classes. Support will include individual and small group instruction, facilitation of on-task behavior, and implementation of students’ IEPs, including accommodations, goals, etc. Click here for more details and how to apply http://commongroundct. org/2017/10/cghs-seeks-a-part-time-special-educationteaching-assistant/.

Immediate opening in the Contract Department, in a fast-paced petroleum environment.

Strong computer skills (ie: Excel, Microsoft Office) and analytical skills a must. Candidate must possess a high level of accuracy, attention to detail and be able to research and work independently. Petroleum and energy industry knowledge experience a plus. Send resume to: Human Resource Dept., P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437.

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

Class A CDL Driver

The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Bids for Professional Moving and Storage Services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at 3:00PM.

Office or General Help:

Mechanical Insulator position.

Insulation company offering good pay and benefits.

Proposal documents can be viewed and printed at www.

with 3 years min. exp. HAZMAT Endorsed. (Tractor/Triaxle/Roll-off) Some overnights may be required. FAX resumes to RED Technologies, at 860.342-1042; Email: HR@redtechllc.com Mail or in person: 173 Pickering Street, Portland, CT 06480. RED Technologies, LLC is An EOE.

TRANSFER STATION LABORER

1907 Hartford Turnpike North Haven, CT 06473

RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

Invitation for Bids Professional Moving and Storage Services

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

KMK Insulation Inc.

Certified Police Officer

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

The Town of Wallingford offers a competitive pay rate $62,753.60$ 74,963.20 annually. Application deadline will be November 9, 2017 Apply: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main St., Wallingford, CT. phone: (203) 294-2080; fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE.

Listing: Receptionist/Office Assistant

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

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

20

training on equipment we operate.

Location: Bloomfield CT THE INNER-CITY Contact: NEWS October 18,Burke 2017 - October 2017 James Phone:24, 860243-2300 email: jim.burke@garrityasphalt.com Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer We offer excellent hourly rate & The Town of East Haven excellent benefits The Town of East Haven is currently accepting is currently accepting applications from qualified candidates to participate in the Civil Service Examination for the following positions:

General Clerk Grade Level 10: $39,421/year. Requires a high school diploma or equivalent and 2 years’ experience in office work of a responsible nature. Must be computer literate.

Accountant I: $58,366.44/year.

A Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting plus 2 years of experience required.

Candidates bilingual in Spanish are encouraged to apply. The town offers an excellent benefit package. Applications to participate in the examination are available at The Civil Service Office, 250 Main Street, East Haven CT or online at http://www.townofeasthavenct.org/civiltest.shtml.

The deadline for submission is November 3, 2107

The Town of East Haven is committed to building a workforce of diverse individuals.

Minorities, Females, Handicapped and Veterans are encouraged to apply.

The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven is seeking to fill two full time positions: Vice President for Finance and Operations and Vice President for Development.

Please refer to our website for details:

http://www.cfgnh.org/About/ContactUs/EmploymentOpportunities.aspx EOE

The Glendower Group, Inc

Invitation for Bid Glendower Group Office Renovation The Glendower Group, Inc an affiliate of Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm city Communities is currently seeking sealed bids for the Glendower Group Office Renovations. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonsystems. com/gateway beginning on

Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at 3:00PM

The Glendower Group, Inc Request for Qualifications CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK FOR VALLEY STREET TOWNHOUSE RENTAL ASSISTANCE DEMOSTRATION PROJECT The Glendower Group, Inc an affiliate of Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm city Communities is currently seeking Proposals for Construction Manager at Risk for Valley Street Townhouse Rental Assistance Demonstration Project. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Wednesday, September 20, 2017 at 3:00PM

applications for the following positions:

Firefighter D/Paramedic-Lateral Transfer: Salary- $48,972/year Firefighter/Paramedic-New Recruit: $48,972/year Requirements for both positions and the application is available online at www.FirefighterApp.com/EastHavenFD. East Haven is committed to building a workforce of diverse individuals. Minorities, Females, Handicapped and Veterans are encouraged to apply.

The Town of East Haven is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Union Company seeks: Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Truck and EquipmentConstruction Head Mechanic

Equipment. have a CDL License, Large CT based Fence andMust Guard Rail contractor looking for experienced, self-motivated, responsible Head Mechanic.

Responsibilities will include clean driving record, capable of operating maintaining and repairing all company heavy equipment; beequipment willingand tovehicles, travelupdating asset lists and assuring all rolling stock is in compliance with state and throughout the Northeast & engine, NY. We offer federal regulations. Must have extensive diesel electrical wiring excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits and hydraulic systems experience.

Contact: Dana Top wages paid, company truck and Briere benefits.

Phone: 860-243-2300 Email: AA/EOE dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com Please send resume to Mpicard@atlasoutdoor.com Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

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

Mechanical Insulator position.

Insulation company offering good pay and benefits.

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

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks: Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators with current licensing and clean driving record.

We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860243-2300 Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

The Manchester Housing Authority is pleased to announce the opening of the State of Connecticut Congregate Housing Program. Westhill Gardens Congregate consists of 37 one bedroom units. Applications are available in person and on the MHA website at http://manchesterha.org and will be accepted by mail or in person at 24 Bluefield Drive Manchester, CT 06040. Applications will be accepted October 1, 2017- December 29th, 2017 at 4PM. The Congregate Program offers housing, a daily meal, and supportive services to frail elders, age 62 or older.

!

FY 2017 State of Connecticut Low-Income (80%) Limit (LIL) 1 person

2 person

3 person

4 person

47,600

54,400

61,200

68,000

The Manchester Housing Authority does not discriminate based upon race, color, disability, familial status, sex, or national origin.

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!

St. Luke’s Sr. Housing, with its Managing Agent DeMarco Management Corporation are pleased to announce that applications are being accepted October 9, 2017 for the St. Luke’s Sr. Housing located at 120 Goffe St., New Haven, CT. We have newly renovated spacious one-bedroom units. Amenities include all new appliances, handicap accessible units and all utilities are included. Applicants must be 62 years of age or older to apply. Income and age limit restrictions apply.

Applications are available at DeMarco Management Corporation, 117 Murphy Rd, Hartford, CT 06114 or you can request an application either by phone (860)951-9411 email at: compliance@demarcomc.com or by AT&T relay service by dialing 711. All applications must be returned to DeMarco Management. **APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AT THE PROPERTY ON THURSDAYS FROM 9:00 am-1:00 pm. AT THE PROPERTY** Equal Housing Opportunities

El Sr. Housing de St. Luke’s, con su Agente Gerente DeMarco Management Corp., se complace en anunciar que las solicitudes serán aceptadas octubre 9 de 2017 para Vivienda de St. Luke’s ubicado en 120 Goff St., New Haven, CONNECTICUT. Tenemos unidades espaciosas de un dormitorio. Las comodidades incluyen todos los electrodomésticos nuevos, unidades accesibles para discapacitados y todos los servicios públicos están incluidos.

Se aplican restricciones de límite de ingresos. Las solicitudes están disponibles en DeMarco Management Corp., 117 Murphy Rd, Hartford, CT 06114 o al (866) 951-9411 correo electrónico en: compliance@demarcomc.com o por servicio de retransmisión AT & T marcando 711. Todas las aplicaciones serán recibidas en Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming Inc DeMarco Management. seeks: Construction Equipment Mechanic Igualdad de Oportunidades

preferably experienced in Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory trainingAsphalt on equipment we operate.

Garrity Reclaiming Inc Location: Bloomfield CT seeks: Construction Equipment Mechanic Contact:experienced James Burke Phone: 860preferably in Reclaiming and 243-2300 Road Milling Equipment.

We offer factory email: jim.burke@garrityasphalt.com training on equipment we operate.

Location: Bloomfield CT Women & Minority Applicants are Contact:encouraged James Burke Phone: 860to apply 243-2300 Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity email: jim.burke@garrityasphalt.com Employer We offer excellent hourly rate & Women & Minoritybenefits Applicants are excellent encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits

Union Company seeks: Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equipment. Must have a CDL License, clean driving record, capable of operating Union seeks: Tractor Trailer heavyCompany equipment; be willing to travel Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer Equipment.

Must have a CDL License, excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits clean driving record, capable of operating Contact: Dana Briere Phone: heavy equipment; be willing to travel 860-243-2300 Email: throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com excellent hourly rate & excellent Women & Minority Applicantsbenefits are Contact: Dana Briere Phone: encouraged to apply 860-243-2300 Email: Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com Employer Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Out of the Shadows: Overt Racism Flourishes in the American South THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Contributor

Race relations in the United States, especially in the South, are plagued by troubling examples of the challenges that face the nation, as Americans work toward achieving the dream that Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of, more than 50 years ago.

Forty-two percent of Americans said that they personally worry a “great deal” about race relations in the United States, up seven percentage points from 2016 and a record high in the Gallup’s 17-year trend, according to Gallup News.

The Gallup poll marked the third straight year that worries about race relations have increased by a significant margin, a surge that experts have said likely stems from the racial tensions and public discourse sparked by highprofile incidents of police shooting unarmed, Black men.

These high-profile incidents, often sensationalized by mainstream media, overshadow the more pervasive forms of racism that exist in local politics, businesses and schools.

A longtime prominent Florence, S.C. school board member abruptly resigned when it was made public that he sent an email in which he described Black members as “darkies.”

In part of the missive, Glenn Odom noted that he “didn’t want the Darkies” to know about the information—a reference to the African-American board members.

He has now apologized.

“I guess, I’m the head ‘darkie,’” school board member Alexis Pipkins, Sr., told the NNPA Newswire. “I didn’t find out about [the email] until September and there was a board meeting on September 14 and they didn’t notify us.”

Pipkins continued: “So, if any of them say they’re shaken up by this, they weren’t shaken up enough to inform all of the board members. If this isn’t racism, my question would be, ‘then, what is?’”

Board Superintendent Barry Townsend struggled with explaining Odom’s actions.

“I thought the biggest issues we’d have to deal with on the school board is education and taxes,” Townsend said.

Florence City Manager Drew Griffin said he learned about Odom’s email, just hours before he was contacted for comment.

“Certainly, the contents and language contained within the email are inconsistent with my personal beliefs as well as the mission and core value statements adopted by the city,” Griffin said.

Surprisingly, the local NAACP President Madie Robinson said the issue is strictly a school board matter and she declined further comment.

Odom, a school board member Florence (District 1) for 25 years and whose term wasn’t set to end until 2020, was among those who fought against a U.S. Justice Department order earlier this year to make sure its schools are more racially balanced.

In Conway, S.C., the FBI arrested a White restaurant manager for enslaving and torturing a Black worker for five years, calling him the “n-word” and paying him less than $3,000 a year while working him daily with very few, if any, days off, according to the local FOX-affiliated.

Restaurant owner Bobby Paul Edwards has been indicted on a felony that carries up to 20 years in prison for enslaving a Black employee.

Christopher Smith had worked for 23 years at Edwards’ J&J Cafeteria as a buffet cook. Prosecutors said Edwards “used force, threats of

force, physical restraint and coercion” to compel Smith to work.

Smith, who reportedly has a mental disability, would work 18-hour shifts six days a week, sometimes without breaks, his attorneys said.

Smith was hit with a frying pan, burned with grease-covered tongs and beaten with butcher knives, belt buckles and fists “while being called the nword repeatedly,” the lawyers alleged, according to The Post and Courier.

In Hope Mills N.C., a massive Ku Klux Klan recruitment effort found its way into a high school, demanding that Whites join to “take back the country.”

The Loyal White Knights of the KKK left flyers on the windshields of cars parked outside of Gray’s Creek High School.

The flyer urged participation by Whites and railed against the removal of Confederate statues from public spaces; the group called the removal of the statues an attack on “White History, the White Race and America itself.”

In Louisiana, Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator vehemently objected to the planned release of Black state prisoners, who he said could continue to work on washing cars for the warden and other officials.

“In addition to the bad ones—and I call these bad—in addition to them, they’re releasing some good ones that we use every day to wash cars, to change oil in our cars, to cook in the kitchen, to do

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all that, where we save money,” Prator protested at a news conference. “Well, they’re going to let them out.”

And, then there was the exchange between a Black female student at Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas, and a White student, according to a local ABC-affiliate.

“U liberals dumb as hell,” the boy posted on Snapchat, according to the Houston Chronicle.

“Not as dumb as you racist,” the girl responded.

“I’m standing up for my country,” the boy said on Snapchat. “We should have hung all u [n-words] while we had the chance and trust me, it would make the world better.”

Myrlie Evers, a civil rights activist and the widow of Medgar Evers, who was murdered by a White supremacist in 1963, said that she was in a state of despair, hurt and anger, according to the Clarion-Ledger of Jackson, Miss.

“I’m 84 years of age, and I’m thankful for my life,” she told the ClarionLedger. “In my prayers, I ask, ‘God, is it ever over? Must we continue to go through this horrible nightmare of prejudice, racism and hatred all over again?’ ” Evers continued: “If we don’t step forward,” she said, “we have no one to blame but ourselves for what the end may be.”

Con’t from page 14 simply “Michael” asked Michael Koskoff.

Koskoff explained how he had come to know Thurgood Marshall’s son well. In reference to Boseman’s upcoming lead role as Marvel’s Black Panther, Marshall’s son had asked: “He plays superheroes, right?”

The screenwriter went on to admit that there were a number of additional factors behind the casting decision. He listed Boseman’s versatility as an artist, his great work ethic, his erudition in reading up on the justice and becoming something of a Marshall scholar. Koskoff still returned, however, to the wandering-warrior archetype: “We decided to call it Marshall because it’s like a western—the marshal who comes into town.”

True to form, Marshall the Marshal rides into the sunset. He leaves before closing arguments on fresh marching orders from the NAACP head office. The scene where Friedman struggles to tell Marshall the verdict by the weak connection of a scratchy rail station payphone begins comically but grades into wistful melancholy. Marshall’s faint voice finally fades away to a staticky dial tone, leaving Friedman with just the memory of a man who once confessed to him, “I need an army of lawyers like you, Sam.” The local quality to Marshall runs deeper than the slightly vertiginous feeling one gets from seeing a Buffalo mock-up of New Haven’s Union Station, all stripped of its familiar concourse benches and model trains, a newspaper vendor where the Amtrak monitors should stand. Connecticut feels too much like a whistlestop on Marshall’s itinerary. Friedman’s reluctance to get involved is a mix of the expected prejudices and a more pointed indignation at being a pawn in the NAACP’s national macro-politics—the sense that Bridgeport is a feather in Marshall’s cap.

Sam angrily warns Marshall, glowering and hissing: “I have to live in this city when this case is over!” He has his own battles to win, confronting casual, hometown antisemitism and smug Nazi sympathizers at the height of the Holocaust.

“This is not my problem,” Friedman growls. “The hell it isn’t,” replies Marshall. “It’s our problem, now.”

Another attending student wondered what made Koskoff “want to do something like this,” to team up with his son and drum up capital from Chinese investors to bring the script to the screen.

“Did it touch you?” the student asked.

Koskoff described how his friend, colleague, and legal scholar Jack Zeldes had uncovered the case down to its fine details: the highly personal debate between Marshall and Friedman regarding the selection of a white, southern juror; the hilariously startling way Friedman demonstrated the uselessness of a cloth gag submitted as evidence. Koskoff recalled how he, personally, had represented the Black Panthers in New Haven, defended Bridgeport’s black police and firefighters associations.

“I know the territory,” he said. “The case chose me. I know the courtroom. I’ve tried cases in the same courtroom. It’s about Bridgeport—it’s right where I live.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS October 18, 2017 - October 24, 2017

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Offer ends 10/29/17, and is limited to new residential customers. Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Limited to Starter XF Triple Play with Digital Starter TV, Performance Pro Internet and XFINITY Voice Unlimited services. Early termination fee applies if all XFINITY services (except XFINITY Mobile) are cancelled during the agreement term. Equipment, installation, taxes and fees, including regulatory recovery fees, Broadcast TV Fee (up to $7.00/mo.), Regional Sports Network Fee (up to $5.00/mo.) and other applicable charges extra and subject to change during and after the promo. After promo, or if any service is cancelled or downgraded, regular charges apply (subject to change). Service limited to a single outlet.

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