INNER-CITY NEWS

THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016

IRIS ToJustice Trump: Come Refugees Financial a Key FocusMeet at 2016Our NAACP Convention New Haven, Bridgeport

NEWS INNER-CITY 2209 Volume 21 No. 2194

“DMC”

Malloy To Dems: Malloy To Dems: Literacy Coaches Up

Homeless Get Kids’ Reading Game Zero-Degree Sleeping Bags

Ignore Ignore“Tough “ToughOn OnCrime” Crime”

U.S. Senators Color Struck?

July?

Democrats Demand Snow inShould Pick

Study on Federal Advertising in US Black-owned FOLLOW ON Media 1

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

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Glitches Delay Bus GPS Rollout THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

by PAUL BASS

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

The state has finally put GPS devices on most New Haven public buses. They just don’t work yet.

They might work by the end of the year.

That’s the latest blip in the sad saga of the state Department of Transportation (DOT)‘s promise that, if it can’t improve New Haven’s broken bus system (which DOT’s chief defends as “wonderful” and “convenient”) for now, it can at least let riders know when their buses are running late and where they are.

CT Transit made that promise two years ago. It made the promise following a series of articles in the Independent detailing outdated routes and schedules that prevent many people from reasonably being able to use CT Transit. Mayor Toni Harp declared that better mass transit is a “civil right” and has since repeatedly criticized the state of bus service in New Haven.

Her administration specifically asked for the GPS system in early 2014.

In December 2014, DOT Public Transportation Administrator Michael Sanders promised that by the end of 2015, all New Haven buses would have new technology, including GPS systems, that would let customers find out, via apps (such as Google Transit) on their cell phones, the real-time locations of the buses they’re waiting for.

“We will have a new bus system in New Haven before the end of next year,” Sanders said then.

But by the end of 2015, there was

PAUL BASS PHOTO

The B3, rush hour: 20 minutes late, crammed, no word to riders.

no sign of the new systems in New Haven.

It turned out that DOT decided to test the systems out in Hartford and New Britain instead of New Haven because, according to officials, it was the simplest way to test them. The test runs connected to technology used on the CT Fastrack bus system in that part of the state. And the DOT is based there, with more staff to monitor the test.

In March 2016, Sanders made a new prediction: New Haven buses would have the new systems by September 2016.

It’s now late November. Sanders stated in an email message that 112 of 129 New Haven buses have the new equipment on board; the equipment will not only offer the GPS real-time info on apps, but also post messages inside and outside the bus about upcoming stops. When it’s operational. It’s not operational now.

Why’s that? “You guys caught up in [challenges with] wiring harnesses and multi-agency software,” DOT Transit Manager Lisa Rivers reported in a conversation Monday.

New Haven’s fleet includes

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different kinds of buses of various ages, Rivers explained. “They have different insides of each of them.”

That meant the state needed its vendor, a company called the Trapeze Group, to produce a bunch of different wiring harnesses to support the systems.

That took extra time.

A second problem also emerged, Rivers said: The state needs one central system that enables each district’s dispatch center to access localized information. The DOT discovered that under the current design, dispatchers in New Britain would be seeing information and

talking to buses in not just New Britain, but Waterbury, New Haven, and Hartford. That didn’t make sense. But it also didn’t make sense to install separate servers and software and programming in each part of the state, Sanders said. That’s in part because not all regions operate the same way. For instance, unlike in New Haven, CT Transit buses in New Britain are operated not by the state, but by privately owned companies.

DOT concluded it shouldn’t be installing state equipment in a non-state-owned facility.

So it asked the vendor to design a new statewide multi-agency software system that would enable New Haven, New Britain, Waterbury, and Hartford riders to access real-time info about their local buses without wading through real-time info about other cities’ buses.

“That has taken time for them to develop. It has also taken time to negotiate the scope of work prices,” Rivers said.

Rivers predicted all the buses will have the new antennae and mobile data terminals, and that it will all be turned on and beaming info to waiting riders, by the dawn of 2017. If not a little sooner.

“We’re hoping before the end of the year,” Rivers said, ” so we can say Merry Christmas.”

Meanwhile, the city is working on a state-funded “mobility” study about how to overhaul the bus system so more people can choose to ride it rather than see it as an option of last resort. Stay tuned.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

John P. Thomas Publisher / CEO

Babz Rawls Ivy

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

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

Editorial Team Staff Writers

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

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

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

_______________________

Contributors At-Large

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

Memberships

National Association of Black Journalist National Newspapers Publishers Association Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce Greater New Haven Business & Professional Association Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc.

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Homeless Get Zero-Degree Sleeping Bags

by ALLAN APPEL

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

In addition to eggs, oatmeal, orange juice, yogurt, and granola bars, a special pre-Thanksgiving item appeared on the menu for homeless diners at Wooster Square’s Sunrise Cafe: sleeping bags that can keep them warm when it’s as cold as zero degrees out.

One hundred of the bags were delivered Tuesday morning to the cafe, a free breakfast center run at Chapel and Olive streets by Liberty Community Services.

Wooster Square activist and philanthropist Wendy Hamilton donated $15,000 to enable Liberty to buy 100 Marmot brand bags, with pads, and straps from Trailblazer.

The Trailblazer truck arrived Tuesday morning at the Church of St. Paul & St. James, in whose basement the cafe is located. Homeless diners, who had registered in advance to receive a bag, interrupted their breakfast when they were called alphabetically to receive a bag.

Duane Akins, who’s been homeless and sleeping out doors for the last four months, was among the first. He called the bag a big improvement over his current sleeping conditions, lying on blankets between buildings.

“I know about camping. Anybody would be a fool not to take one,” he said.

Homeless advocate Jesse Hardy was concerned that guys who are not outdoor sleepers might take the bags and sell them. Liberty Service’s executive director, John Bradley, had asked him to come by to help verify that the bags go to those who truly avoid the shelter system, as many homeless do, and are spending the increasingly cold nights outdoors in parks and other encampment areas across the city.

Hardy approved of what he saw.

Only a handful of the bags might end up not being put to their intended use, he concluded.

After surveying the crowd as they received the bags and figured out the stuffing and strapping, he praised Hamilton’s gift.

Hamilton decided to make the gift “because I couldn’t afford [to pay

ALLAN APPEL PHOTO Carlos Alvarado, who sleeps on the back seat of a Honda Civic, picks up his new bag Tuesday.

Hamilton presides as the bag-bearing truck arrives.

for] housing. My goal [ultimately] is to build housing,” she said as she and Liberty Services volunteer staffers kept the breakfasts and the bags coming.

Hardy, whose Jesse’s Homeless Outreach Project (or J-Hop) organizes winter coat giveaways, sneaker drives and haircuts for the homeless, said he has come to a conclusion that the more

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important solution is to “work with people to get services to help them get out of homelsssness.

The answer is services, not just housing.” Still, he spoke to Liberty’s Bradley about obtaining 15 of the Hamilton-bought bags for groups of homeless people he knows who sleep in the woods, or at least outside.

Among those is Gordon W., who

did not want to be photographed and who has worked as one of the volunteer waiters at the cafe for about a year. “This is a godsend right here,” he said of the bag, which he had received, unpacked, and organized for toting through the day. Gordon said he has tried staying in shelters. The bedbugs he encounters there keep him away, he said. Other times he arrives too late after 4 p.m. at filled-up overflow shelters. “How do you get there at that hour if you are “running around looking for a job?” he asked rhetorically.

He said he currently sleeps in a spot behind a friend’s back porch.

Then he goes to another friend’s to shower and clean up. The bag will most definitely come in handy, he said.

Kenny B. fand a friend were struggling to put it in the bright orange carrying satchel. “I stay positive,” he said. “I’m really grateful” for the bag. Kenny’s been homeless for two years.

He has recently been sleeping in Edgewood Park,utilizing only the thermal blankets he was carrying in his backpack, he said.

Of the approximately 140 people who have breakfast at the Sunrise Cafe, not all are homeless, which is why the cafe’s manager Ellen Gabrielle had organized a sign-up for those receiving bags.

About 35 signed up at the cafe in the run-up to the give-away.

Twenty-five others signed up at Liberty’s other sites. With 15 or so pledged to Jesse Hardy’s program, most of the 100 bags are spoken for.

Hamilton said she will provide more if required.

After the bags had been handed out, Patricia Kane, Hamilton’s lawyer, said the Wooster Square activist was intending to walk straight over to City Hall “to demand that the mayor open the Armory for the winter.”

“We agree [that sleeping bags aren’t a solution] but in the short term people should not sleep in the streets until a political solution [is found]. Wendy’s been an advocate for [what they termed] the Rhode Island model: housing above, services below.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

Political Polarization Challenges City High School Students

by ERICA PANDEY

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

For New Haven high-school students, the results of the presidential election came as a shock because they almost all of the information they heard in the months leading up to it came from left-leaning sources. Now they’re trying to figure out how to adjust to a new reality, and what to do about it.

That theme emerged from a televised panel discussion with 12 high school local students.

The discussion took place this past week about “The Effects of Political Polarization,” which was broadcasted live on the “OneWorld Presents” program on Citizens Television. The discussion was organized by host N’Zinga Shani and facilitated

by Capital Community College professor Antonette Brim and former New Haven Public Schools administrator Marc Palmieri.

The students on the show were asked: What do you want to say to everyone watching tonight?

It’s difficult to find moderate viewpoints in the news and on social media, they said. Many of the

ERICA PANDEY PHOTO Student

Danayit MeKennen on the set.

students said they felt they were in a bubble this campaign season, hearing only from the left. They said that the election result came as a shock because of this. But all

of the panelists said they hoped to hear from the other side and seek compromise, a tack President Barack Obama and Secretary Hillary Clinton have advocated in

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speeches after Election Day. “It’s easy to call people ignorant and racist, but at the end of the day that doesn’t change anything,” said Natalie Cassar, a senior at High School in the Community.

Although they were not eligible to vote in the last presidential election, they will cast ballots supporting progressive policies in the next mid-term elections.

Several students also said they were dissatisfied with the existing political parties. It turns people into one-issue voters, Cassar said.

Rose Silver, a senior at West Haven High School, said one question she has been thinking about is whether it is ethical for people to vote “selfishly” on single issues, such as abortion or gay rights, without considering a given candidate’s other views. “Are you guys going to be the generation that busts up the two-party system?” Brim asked.

Nelson said that the rise of third-party candidates Jill Stein and Gary Johnson in this election might already indicate the twoparty system’s decline. “This discussion confirmed for me that our generation is ready to make a change,” said Andrew Gordon, a

senior at West Haven High School.

Other students stressed the importance of healing before moving on.

Sean Nelson, a high school student who is gay and the son of immigrant parents, looked right into a camera and spoke slowly.

“I want [elected officials] to know that we are people,” he said. “If you make policies against the LGBT community, the immigrant community and the Muslim community, we will come together, and we will take those policies down.” “Politics is personal,” Nelson said. “When someone agrees that our VP-elect is a good choice, that’s personal.”

Vice President-elect Mike Pence is an opponent of gay marriage and has been criticized for supporting conversion therapy. “It’s really hard to love your country and feel proud of your country if you feel like your country isn’t proud of you back,” said Coral Ortiz, a senior at Hillhouse High School. Palmieri said he was impressed with the level of political engagements the panelists demonstrated. He said they are more informed at a young age than generations before them have been.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

Literacy Coaches Up Kids’ Reading Game

by ALLAN APPEL

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

Instructional Literacy Coach Lynn Kelly asked four East Rock Community Magnet School fourth-graders to come up with words like “rain” in which the “ai” vowel pattern makes the sound of a long “a.” With the slightest prompting, the kids came up with, among other examples, “brain,” “drain,” and “jail.”

Earlier Kelly was in a full classroom of first-graders modeling for the teacher and paraprofessional a new systematic phonics program that on this morning helped the kids move Scrabble-like tiles around their desks to pick out the “glued” or extra consonants that stick to words like “wall” and “hill.”

Welcome to the world of Lynn Kelly, one of the Board of Ed’s 32 literacy coaches citywide.

The coaches are the shock troops or the leading edge of the campaign that Mayor Toni Harp inaugurated at this time last year with a “blue ribbon commission” to explore best practices and to coordinate the many non-school literacy programs to get all the city’s kids reading at grade level, and above. They are edging New Haven toward Harp’s goal of becoming “the city that reads” one dipthong at a time. They call themselves “interventionists”: They identify which kids are scoring at or below the “basic” on reading tests. They plan how to boost those scores, then work with those kids in small groups, like the four fourth-graders with whom Kelly intervened this week, using a new phonics-focused program called Fundations.

Kelly used the first five minutes of her 30-minute intervention to have student Sahari Hermida read one of the books in the Fundations program, a story about two pals, Ty and Daniel, who like to build things, sometimes with unintended consequences.

With pencil circling missed or missed pronounced words, Kelly read alongside Sahari, marking on her sheet the number of “selfcorrections” and the numbers and kinds of errors the student made.

ALLAN APPEL PHOTO Coach Kelly with Sarahi.

One self-correction, for example, was at lines in the story that had ellipses.

At first Sahari read right through without pausing. Then she got it, and paused where the ellipsis indicated, showing she understood that point of grammar.

Sahari also several times pronounced “shot” as “shoot.”

Kelly noted that, pausing to teach the the long and short “o” sound She paused only briefly, however, because this was not a teaching session on that point, but a recordmaking activity.

Interventionists Kelly is the lead coach systemwide to help kids in the early grades get the basics of reading or catch up to those fundamentals of decoding and understanding language that they may have missed early on. On an ordinary day this week, about 11 such individualized interventions would be conducted at the East Rock school alone. Kelly did some of the sessions Other small group sessions of kids grouped by data results, were conducted by non-teaching but teacher-certified “interventionists.” They are all under the supervision of Kelley,

the school’s literacy coach, said Lynn Brantley, the system’s supervisory of literacy coaches for the last two years. The coaches all experienced former New Haven classroom teachers — are divided into two groups, 27 who are, like Kelly, assigned to individual K-8 schools. Another five circulate across the system. They coordinate interventions, organize professional development, help transition teaching to Common Core standards, and review the extensive testing data on which basis kids are group for the interventions. “There is a crisis in reading. We have lots of kids not reading at grade level, but we [also] do have forward motion and strategic plans in place and we [also] have a weighted focus on the early grades,” Brantley said.

Those strategic plans include the introduction of the phonics program, which Kelly is in charge of helping to train fellow coaches and teachers in implementing.

Brantley credited recent gains in kids reading at “proficient,” or the acceptable level for their grades to the emphasis that former Schools Superintendent Garth Harries put on interventions in the early

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grades over the past several years.

She made a presentation about the gains at the most recent Board of Education meeting.

One encouraging statistic involved a group of 1,543 students her office monitored since kindergarten. In the 2014-15 school year, in first grade, 51 percent of the group scored “proficient” on reading tests. That number rose to 65 percent in second grade.

Brantley and her coaches zeroed in on “at risk students” during monthly Roundtable Professional Development meetings. They drew up a plan to intervene, then kept testing the at-risk kids to make sure they were benefiting from the help. She could provide that information handily because her Google Docs program allows her to access not only the scores but the specific reading strengths and weaknesses of every kid in the system from grades K to three, because they are contained in each child’s “monthly running records.” These monthly running records, which Kelly and others at the school create by reading informally with one child at each intervention once a month, Brantley makes sure staff enter in

a timely fashion into the computer system.

That way she and her coaches see what each kid is doing, and design further interventions if necessary; the informally administered monthly running records, one kid at a time, have replaced the more formal, stressful periodic standardized testing the system used to employ throughout the year, which teachers and administrators have been pushing against in recent years.

Starting Out “Effective” Kelly’s coaches are experienced teachers, with a minimum of five years in the classroom, who have been rated “effective,” by the evaluation terms of the teachers’ contract.

Many of them go on to get an advanced reading coaching license, called a “102,” and then work in their assigned schools.

There they spend 40 percent of their time in classes modeling best practices or introducing new approaches, like the systematic phonics in which Kelly was engaged; and 60 percent doing the running-records testing and teaching small groups of students in interventions.

Brantley and her coaches know the reading profile of each and every kid. Some interventions for the kids who are snappy readers are of an enrichment, not a remedial nature.

However, for every kid in the lower grades “who is not moving,” the aim is that “each kid who is a level behind, talk to them, give them the support to get to ‘proficient,’” she said Coaches, Not Evaluators It’s a huge job, and in many ways the role of the literacy coaches has evolved to meet the need.

“They are coaches, not evaluators,” Brantley said, a crucial distinction.

“That’s the key to the model of coaching. Our philosophy is you can’t improve as a teacher if you are being evaluated. The role of the coach is to grow the teacher’s practice without characterizing it as good or bad.”

Kelly, who is in training to teach Fundations to other coaches Con’t on page 12

THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

IRIS To Trump: Come Meet Our Refugees

by MARKESHIA RICKS NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

New Haven’s refugee-resettler in chief invited President-Elect Donald Trump Tuesday to come to town meet the Syrian families who have made a new life in Connecticut.

Chris George executive director of Integrated Refugee & Immigration Services (IRIS), issued the invitation at a pre-Thanksgiving event held at the Jewish Community Center on Amity Road to celebrate the state’s role in resettling refugees even in the face of national calls to shut down the resettlement program for Syrian refugees.

He was joined at the event by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and some of the refugees whom IRIS has helped resettle here. George said that he believes that Connecticut has said yes to refugee resettlement because people here understand the issue. He said that in his first decade of resettlement work he had two community groups approach IRIS about welcoming a refugee family; over the past 12 months 50 groups have stepped forward to help resettle families in their neighborhoods. Those groups include the Danbury Area Refugee Assistance and five greater New Haven synagogues: Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel, Congregation B’nai Jacob, Congregation Mishkan Israel, Congregation Or Shalom, and Temple Emmanuel, which suport the work of the Jewish Community Alliance for Refugee Resettlement.

IRIS resettled 477 refugees, including 279 fleeing the brutal civil war in Syria, in Connecticut during the fiscal year that ended on Sept.

30.

Trump ran for office as an opponent of immigration and accepting refugees from Muslim nations. His vice-president-elect, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, refused entry to his state of Syrian refugees whom Malloy then invited to New Haven, where IRIS helped them resettle. “Why is Connecticut doing this more than other states? What’s so special about this state,” George said he is often asked. “You are probably more informed and there is a tradition of welcoming refugees, and you have an opportunity with this community co-sponsorship program, to do it.

We believe that education is key.

People who know about refugees, if they even know refugees, they love

MARKESHIA RICKS PHOTO

Nedal came to New Haven from Syria with six kids.

them. If they know them they will support resettlement. It’s hard to believe that people recently have been talking about ending the refugee program—suspending the refugee program from Syria. Our response is come meet them.”

That goes for President-Elect Donald Trump. George said he is inviting president-elect Donald Trump to come to the IRIS office to sit down for coffee with refugees.

He said he invites Trump to meet

refugees face to face and listen to their stories.

“Understand why they had to flee their own countries; why they have come to this place for opportunities for freedom, safety and the future of their children,” he said. “All the things that make this country great.”

Wafaa Speaks One of Connecticut’s Syrian refugees, Wafaa, a 45-year-old Syrian refugee, could not speak

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English three months ago. As of Tuesday, she can say that she’s shared the stage with Gov. Malloy and spoke to the public in her new language. Wafaa (her last name is not given to protect her identity) joined Malloy at Tuesday’s celebration. The mother of four told a packed auditorium that she and her family have settled into their new home in Danbury just fine. She has a job as a cafeteria worker and is working on her English every day.

“We’re very happy at everything,” she said.

Malloy said that there is much that the state of Connecticut and its residents, including those who have settled here from war torn countries, have to be thankful for this upcoming holiday season.

One reason to be thankful: The willingness to step up to help others.

“Our state, and much of our nation, steps forward and does do the right thing even when political rhetoric ... otherwise splits us apart,” he said.

“We stand up and we do the right thing.”

Malloy pointed out that the United States had recently reached its target of resettling 10,000 refugees from Syria. He also pointed out that Canada, which has a smaller population, in the same time period has resettled 30,000.

But despite a divisive presidential election fueled in part by talk of cracking down on immigration and halting resettlement from countries like Syria, Malloy said he doesn’t believe that the United States would turn its back on the treaties it has signed, or that federal policy around resettlement would drastically change.

“We need to do our part as a nation,” he said. “To be here amongst people who ban together make life better for those in difficulty is really quite an honor. It is true to our constitution as a written document as to who we are, what we believe and how we act.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

Closing the HIV prevention investment gap UN AIDS

Despite the progress made against HIV over the past 15 years and the availability of proven prevention and treatment methods, the annual number of new HIV infections among adults has remained static, at an estimated 1.9 million a year since 2010. Moreover, there has been resurgence of new HIV infections among key populations in some parts of the world.

Inadequate investments in prevention and unfocused investments that do not reach the most affected populations and locations are among the reasons for the prevention gap. An analysis of four countries in different regions and with different types of epidemic found that the funding of effective and focused primary HIV prevention programmes was low 6% of total HIV investments in Brazil, 4% in Cameroon, 15% in Myanmar and 10% in South Africa.

Country allocations for HIV primary prevention (excluding mother-to-child transmission of HIV and voluntary HIV testing and counselling) by the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis

and Malaria have accounted for roughly 15% of total HIV expenditure.

With funding for prevention falling behind funding for treatment, fewer than one in five people at higher risk of HIV infection today have access to prevention programmes.

UNAIDS modelling has shown that investing around a quarter of

all the resources required for the AIDS response in HIV prevention services would be sufficient to make possible a range of prevention programmes, including condom programmes, preexposure prophylaxis, voluntary medical male circumcision, harm reduction, programmes to empower young women and girls, and mobilizing and providing

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essential service packages for and with key populations.

Investing more in prevention will also support treatment programmes to achieve their targets. Prevention programmes— including providing HIV information, condom distribution and outreach to young people and key populations are often the first entry point for individuals to HIV

testing and treatment. Community peer-led prevention programmes are also critical for reducing stigma and discrimination.

Meanwhile, expanded access to treatment gives people at higher risk choices and encourages them to find out their HIV status; this, in turn, provides the opportunity to retain people who test negative in ongoing prevention programmes.

Reducing the number of people who acquire HIV and will need treatment makes antiretroviral therapy programmes more sustainable.

In December 2015, the UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé, called for investing a quarter for HIV prevention. In June 2016, United Nations Member States committed in the 2016 Political Declaration on Ending AIDS to ensuring that financial resources for prevention are adequate and constitute no less than a quarter of AIDS spending globally on average.

A number of countries have already taken action to increase their domestic funding for HIV prevention, including Namibia, which has committed to investing 30% of its HIV budget in preventing HIV among adults and children.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

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Prepaid Card mailed to Comcast account holder within 18 weeks of activation of all required services and expires in 180 days. Money-back guarantee applies to one month’s recurring service charge and standard installation charges up to $500. © 2016 Comcast. All rights reserved.

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11/28/16 3:55 PM

THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

Sexual Violence — And Hope — On Stage At Co-Op High

by ALLAN APPEL NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

A girl has been sexually mutilated by a soldier’s bayonet and has a malodorous fistula. She can’t work as a prostitute and must sing for her survival. Think a play with such a subject does not belong in a high school production? Think again.

This weekend Ruined, Lynn Nottage’s 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winning play about gender violence and sexual trafficking during the Congolese civil war of the late 1990s, goes up as the all-school fall production at Co-Op Arts and Humanities High School.

The new arts director at Co-Op, Timothy Jones — himself a 2008 graduate of the school — wanted to challenge his kids with more social-justice oriented plays and with subjects the 75-percent female population of the arts school can connect to.

Ruined fills that bill and then some, and the students and their parents have more than gone along, although it’s the first allschool play with a warning on the poster: for mature audiences. The remaining shows are Friday and Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., with a portion of the modest entry fees at the school’s black box theater $5 for students and $7 for adults being contributed to Love146 and IRIS, two local organizations that deal respectively with sexual trafficking and helping immigrants in New Haven.

Tyra Deboise, who plays the “ruined” Sophie, said that she had been aware that at other times and other places, “men treated women like meat, not as if they were people and precious.” Her involvement with the play taught her that those conditions still existed. Her under-study Tierra Williams-Ranciato who, like Deboise, is a choir student, as the role of Sophie calls for singing four songs in the production said she’d been aware that such things happened also.

But being in the play was a kind of wake up call, a “shock” that she hoped might similarly wake up audiences who come to see the production. The kids are not the only ones who were challenged.

McAfee said it’s the most dif-

Some of the cast before the first performance.

ficult show he’s helmed with the kids. He has a daughter of his own, and reading of the trafficking and brutal gender violence made him “walk away from the research,” he said, to catch his breath at how violent it was during the civil war in the Ituri rain forest of Northeast Congo, where Nottage went to interview survivors for the play’s material. “It’s more than sex, it’s genital mutilation. You have to teach the kids to be in character. How do you talk to kids about fistulas and gang rape?” he said.

The answer was, first, to send out a three-page letter to parents.

Jones and McAfee then convened a meeting of parents so that everyone was on board.Then, representatives from Love146 talked to the students, as did a local judge who presides in sexual trafficking cases. “With this show I didn’t want them [the student actors and crew, numbering in total 40 students], to think these people are far away in the Congo. We deal with all these [issues] in school. It hits a lot close to home,” McAfee said, as he readied the students for the first show before an audience.

Right before that happened, the students showed they were

really prepared in some of their comments to panel members from IRIS, Love146, Collective Consciousness Theater, and Long Wharf Theater, who had come by to compliment them about the courage and relevance of their work.

Rashae Reeves, who plays the central role of Mama Nadi, the bordello keeper, said she was initially scared to play such a complex role, but she has nailed it in her understanding that Mama, as she put it, is “very maternal, but also a pure businesswoman.”

Josh Mamis from Love146 echoed that understanding that in the world of trafficking, even close to home, the players are not all evil; it’s not all black and white. “You can’t look at these people simply,” he said.

Another point the panelists wanted to make was made even better by creative writing junior Lauryn Darden, who plays Selima, the prostitute whom Mama Nadi details to clean up Sophie after she is sold to the house in the beginning scenes of the play. “There are moments in the play of great subtlety. You’ve got to catch them. It’s sad but it’s not always sad. They find a way,” she said.

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The boys who play the soldiers and miners patronizing the girls have perhaps the toughest transformations. As sophomore Shalont Dixon put it: “The men are animals. It’s hard for us [to be in their character],” he said. But Tymothee Harrell, the junior who plays Commander Osembenga, caught an insight that he credited the director with helping him realize: “The hardest thing getting the role is understanding the mental imbalance in one relationship to another. Mr. Mac showed us when the men do this to women, they are dead inside already. It was done to them,” he said.

As W.H. Auden put it in his famous poem, “September 1, 1939,” “Those to whom evil is done do evil in return.”

This tough, bracing, and ultimately hopeful production is very much worth a trip this weekend.

Ruined plays Friday and Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at the Black Box Theater at CoOp High School, 177 College St. Tickets are $5 for students at $7 for adults. They can be purchased at the door. Reservations are also being accepted by contacting Kjerstin.Pugh@new-haven.k12. ct.us.

Con’t from page 8

and teachers district wide, said she loves the job, the variety, the new kids she sees every day, and already she is seeing how the phonics training is making a difference.

“I see students tapping out their words,” she said, meaning a tap for each sound. That is a great plus for the kids in their writing.

Older kids’ spelling, evidenced in their writing, showed mistakes revealing that they never got the fundamentals of phonics, Brantley said. Hence the introduction of phonics.

Brantley, who sits on the mayor’s “blue ribbon commission,” said the work there is ongoing and not all the outside-of-school literacy efforts are yet as coordinated as they might be.

For example, while coordinators of a New Haven Free Public Library tutoring program have asked for data-sharing and received it for kids enrolled in that program, at least 30 kids, Kelly estimated, from East Rock School go across the street for the volunteer tutoring provided at New Haven Reads’ new site in the former Marlin Firearms building across the street.

Officials there have not asked for Brantley’s data on the kids potentially to accelerate the kids’ learning at the after-school sessions.

Brantley said New Haven Reads uses a different system, Lexia.

Volunteers are not trained in the same way.

“We have work to do around literacy,” she concluded. “It’s all encompassing. It’s the school and the community,” she said.

While there should be more coordination among community partners to make advances even faster, what is outstanding is more staff.

Brantley cited the smaller class sizes and greater number of trained teachers in the systems of nearby towns. “We’re scrambling for resources, we’re working with what we have,” she said.

Currently there are openings not for literacy coaches, but interventionists and also for tutors.

The interventionists require state teaching certification and that is preferred as well for the tutors, and both are supervised by the literacy coach.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

Chief Contract’s Approved; Equipment On Hold

by MARKESHIA RICKS NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

The Board of Alders unanimously approved a $2,000 monthly housing stipend for the city’s new fire chief, but he’ll have to wait before he can obtain any new equipment for the department under a master lease.

During its regular biweekly meeting at City Hall Monday night, the alders an amended master lease agreement for $610,000 to include vehicles only for police, public works and building enforcement.

They specifically removed permission for the fire department to participate.

It’s not that alders are against new equipment specifically two new paramedic units for the fire department. They said they just want an audience with Fire Chief John Alston Jr. to hear what equipment he thinks the department needs before they sign off on any agreements, especially in the wake of a standoff between Mayor Toni Harp’s administration and the fire union over proposed

MARKESHIA RICKS PHOTO Fire Chief Alston

changes to the Ellsworth firehouse.

Instead, the money that was initially set aside to make purchases for the fire department in the lease agreement will net the police department 10 more cruisers. The focus this year on

getting cops out of patrol cars that are falling apart will ultimately net the police department 26 new police cruisers—16 have already been delivered. Public works also will get one snow truck/plow and the building and enforcement will

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get two vehicles for inspectors.

Alders had some initial heartburn over Alston’s employment agreement, which calls for him to receive a salary of $158,500. In addition to that salary, Alston is to receive a retirement contribution

of 7.5 percent of his salary, five weeks vacation per year, up to four weeks of paid training time, and use of a city-owned vehicle.

Thanks to Monday night’s vote, Alston also is to receive his $2,000-a-month housing stipend for his initial term and the first six months of his second term should he be reappointed to the position of fire chief in Feb. 1, 2018. If for some reason he is not reappointed fire chief, the chief would receive a golden parachute in the form of a consulting fee agreement that nets him an amount equal to six months of his annual salary.

To cover the costs associated with Alston’s salary, the full Board of Alders approved a transfer of $103,000. The money comes from a transfer of $51,500 from the fire department’s suppression holiday pay account; $33,500 from the department’s administrative salary account and another $18,000 from the department’s “administrative other contractual” account.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

Why Low Income Families Should Expect Tax Refund Delays in 2017

Every year, nearly eight out of 10 U.S. tax filers get a federal tax refund. The average amount paid over the past few years was roughly $2,800, according to the most recent data from the IRS. Low-income families, in particular, look forward to refunds and file early so they can get their refunds sooner. But they should expect delays in their refunds in 2017. Why?

Additional Child Tax Credit on the return. The IRS states, “This allows additional time to help prevent revenue lost due to identity theft and refund fraud related to fabricated wages and withholdings.”

Preventing fraud According to the IRS, no one claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) should expect refunds any sooner than at least February 15, 2017. Why? Fraud and theft was discovered last year in about 26 million returns claiming $65.6 billion of Earned Income Tax Credits for 2015. So, low-income filers who

are in the habit of filing early in order to get their refund within 21 days will have to wait a little longer in 2017.

No refunds before February 15th

E-filing for 2016 returns begins about January 23. According to the IRS, the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (PATH Act) that was enacted Dec. 18, 2015, made several changes to the tax law to benefit taxpayers

and their families, ensuring they get their full refunds.

No refunds will be made to taxpayers before Feb. 15 if the taxpayer claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit or

It may sound complicated, but it is what it is, and the IRS wants all tax preparers to communicate this change to taxpayers so they do not expect their tax refunds as quickly in 2017 and they received in 2016. More time is needed to ensure that low-income taxpayers are not ripped off by identity theft that would prevent them from getting their full refunds. So, look at the change as a good thing.

For more details about tax credits for low income families, visit www.irs.gov/creditsdeductions/individuals/earnedincome-tax-credit

5 Road Trip Must-Haves For Cross Country Travel With Kids #ReadyForTheRoadAhead Ruthie Hawkins, BlackDoctor.org Contributor

In just a matter of weeks, I’ll load up my car and trek it cross country from VA to AZ with my two minions in tow to visit family for the holidays.

While in the back of my mind I’m dreading a rotation of Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Adele’s “25,” on the flip side, having completed a handful of these long distance trips over the years I’ve compiled a list of ways to survive hitting the highway (for long periods of time) with little ones.

Among those things is a list of must-have “carry-ons” consisting of…

1. Backpack/suitcase –Fill your child’s bag(s) to the brim with their favorite picks: books, coloring supplies, stickers, a deck of cards, a special treat (or two), and what I call a “piece of home” such as a stuffed animal and a wild card – something they just can’t live without.

2. Blankets/pillows –There’s nothing more uncomfortable than sleeping in a car. Multiply that by the number of children for about

10 hours a day and you’ve created the perfect environment for a

sleep-deprived meltdown.

For kids bound to a car seat, try

16

a soft, plush travel neck rest, sure to keep your babe’s head from hanging low. Trust me, you don’t want to experience the tantrum accompanied by a crick in the neck!

For older kids, allow your preteen to grab their go-to pillow or blanket straight off the bed. On the plus side, it’s one less thing to pack.

3. A tablet –While I admit I use to be against small kids having access to electronics, when you’re trapped in a car for three days, you begin to make exceptions.

Since many DVD/Blu-rays have a download option, have your kids select up to five of their favorite films (check your personal device storage limits). Keep them on deck and ready to go for hours when your kids may be eating or ready to slumber. This will keep them entertained, in good spirits and hopefully prevent backseat brawls so you can keep your eyes on the wheel.

Interactive games like Kids Doodle – Color & Draw, Peekaboo Sesame Street ($2.99), iStory Books and How to Make Paper Airplanes are great free (and

affordable) ways to keep them entertained.

4. Goodie bags –Pack as many hearty, healthy snacks as possible.

This will cut down on the time you’ll have to stop for food along the way. Drive thru’s both eat up precious time and rack up extra, unexpected costs. Of course, should you see an unusual ice cream spot or candy shop, feel free to stop and give your children a sweet treat. After all, what’s a road trip without a little something special?

5. A playlist –My daughters and I LOVE to sing – at the top of our lungs – and dance. While we may look cray cruising down the highway – kids’ hands awkwardly flailing in the air and all – nothing sets the mood for a one-of-a-kind memory like a terrific tune.

Allow your kids to select some of their favorite songs, ensuring you have a handful of “turn -up tracks” for when you’re manning the wheel as they sleep.

While this list is just a starting point, hopefully it can assist in creating a tantrum-free, fun filled experience. Happy holidays!

THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

Black-Owned Sneaker Company Overcomes Growing Pains After Selling $250K Worth of Shoes in Its First 9 Months After a brisk year of sales and product re-orders, Atlantabased SneakersCustom.com is now ready to fulfill the growing demand for their most popular selling sneakers. — Atlanta, GA — “Business has been moving faster than expected,” explains Tarik Edmonson, owner & CEO of SneakersCustom.com.

Sales have been strong all over the globe – from Angola, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo to London, England.

The fast growing demand for their shoes has brought with it some minor growing pains for the company. The company had several of their most popular lines temporarily sold out, but demand kept growing despite the inventory shortage. But now, the company is restocked and ready for the upcoming holiday season, with the new Jamaica canvas low top sneaker, the African Running sneaker; a unisex mesh sneaker remix of several popular styles,

Photo:

Tarik Edmonson, founder of SneakersCustom.com

and the very popular leather high top sneaker.

They have a new deal for the holiday season! All customers who purchased an out-of-stock

sneaker, or who had any problems during the re-stocking period will receive 20% off any new orders direct from www.sneakerscustom. com. To redeem the 20% off

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coupon, consumers just need to log on to the website and type in the discount code – nat turner – and they will automatically receive the 20% off on all orders.

“We have 3,000 pairs of the African running shoe in stock for the holiday season,” explains Tarik. In less than a year, this Atlanta-based company made a huge impact with its’ fashionable, athletic footwear by selling worldwide thru its’ own innovative distribution pipeline.

SneakersCustom.com products are available through independent wholesalers and direct from the website. By using today’s technology, anyone with the entrepreneurial drive can be a part of the sneaker industry by becoming a wholesaler of this fast selling, product line. Also, if a consumer just wants to purchase a pair of these unique sneakers, they can order from their cell phone, tablet or laptop. SneakersCustom. com is growing rapidly with new, ambitious people joining

the team. “For 2017, we see the company doing great things in the community and changing the game,” says Tarik Edmonson.

The company has more new sneaker designs ready for 2017 release – a Red, Gold & Green Lion of Judah sneaker, the all green Nigeria sneaker, and several fraternity and sorority designs on deck. To learn more about their line of products, visit www. sneakerscustom.com or connect with them on Facebook at www.

Facebook.com/nagastfootwear About SneakersCustom.com SneakersCustom.com designs, manufactures and distributes custom sneakers and athletic footwear for men and women.

Started in 2015, consumers can order direct from the company website or become authorized wholesalers. For more information or wholesale orders, contact Tarik Edmonson at (770) 255-9333 or visit www.sneakerscustom.com/ products/rbgs

THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

Elm City Communities Request for Proposals Energy Consultant Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm city Communities is currently seeking Proposals for Energy Consultant. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https:// newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Wednesday, November 23, 2016 at 9:00AM

Housing Authority of the City of New Haven Invitation for Bids Carting, Rubbish & Recycling Removal Services Agency Wide The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Bids for Carting, Rubbish & Recycling Removal Services Agency Wide. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Wednesday, November 23, 2016 @ 3:00 PM. NOTICE OF INVITATION FOR BID HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF DANBURY Landscaping/Glen Apartments IFB No. B16003

CONTACT PERSON HOW TO OBTAIN THE IFB DOCUMENTS:

BID SUBMITTAL RETURN PRE-BID WALK THROUGH BID SUBMITTAL DEADLINE/BID OPENING

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

Housing Authority of the City of Danbury 2 Mill Ridge Rd, Danbury, CT 06811 Envelope Must be Marked: IFB No. B16003 Landscaping Glen Apartments 25 Memorial Drive, Danbury, CT 06811 November 3, 2016 by 2:00pm EST November 09, 2016 at 10:00am EST

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

NOTICE OF INVITATION FOR BID HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF DANBURY Snow Removal/Glen Apartments IFB No. B16004

CONTACT PERSON HOW TO OBTAIN THE IFB DOCUMENTS:

BID SUBMITTAL RETURN PRE-BID WALK THROUGH BID SUBMITTAL DEADLINE/BID OPENING

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

Housing Authority of the City of Danbury 2 Mill Ridge Rd, Danbury, CT 06811 Envelope Must be Marked: IFB No. B16004 Snow Removal Glen Apartments 25 Memorial Drive, Danbury, CT 06811 November 3, 2016 by 2:00pm EST November 09, 2016 at 10:15am EST

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

The GUILFORD HOUSING AUTHORITY is currently accepting applications for COUPLES ONLY for its one bedroom apartments at Guilford Court and Boston Terrace in Guilford CT. Applicants must be age 62 and over or on 100% social security or federal disability and over the age of 18. Applications may be obtained by calling the application line at 203-453-6262, ext.107. An information packet will also be provided with the application. Applications will be accepted until March 31, 2017. Credit, police and landlord checks are procured by the authority. Smoke free housing.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY HOUSING

The Glendower Group, Inc

Request for Proposals Master Planner for the Redevelopment of Westville Manor and Surrounding Area The Glendower Group, Inc an affiliate of Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm city Communities is currently seeking Proposals for Master Planner for the Redevelopment of Westville Manor and Surrounding Area. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Thursday, November 17, 2016 @ 9:00 AM.

ELECTRICIANS

JOB FAIR CONSTRUCTION POSITIONS PROJECT: FARNAM COURTS SPONSORED BY: HAYNES CONSTRUCTION COMPANY HOUSING AUTHORITY OF NEW HAVEN COMMISSION ON EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PLACE: FARNAM COMMUNITY ROOM/ADMIN. BLDG 177 FRANKLIN STREET NEW HAVEN, CT DATE: MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016 TIME: 2:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT - Portland Proficient in Microsoft Office. Knowledge of Haz. Waste Regs., & Manifests a +. RED Technologies, LLC, 173 Pickering Street, Portland, CT 06480; Fax 860.342.1042; or Email to HR@redtechllc.com RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

Class A Driver

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

RED Technologies, LLC is An EOE.

Semac Electric is seeking Electricians (CT Licensed Journeymen & Foremen, E1 and E2) to join our team for medium & large commercial construction projects thru out the State of CT: Hartford, Fairfield & New Haven Counties. We have excellent wages and benefits. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applications available at our main office at 45 Peter Court, New Britain, CT or send resume to P.O. Box 638, New Britain, CT 06050 or via fax to 860-229-0406 or email: careers@semacelectric.com

Dispatcher - Portland Candidate must have 2-5 years relevant experience in hazardous waste transportation. Must have completed 40 HAZWOPER Certification, Asbestos Awareness Certification a plus.

Forward resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 173 Pickering Street, Portland, CT 06480; Fax 860.342.1042; or Email to HR@redtechllc.com RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

Project Manager Environmental Remediation Division 3-5 years exp. and Bachelor’s Degree, 40-Hr. Hazwoper Training Req. Forward resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 10 Northwood Dr., Bloomfield, CT 06002; Fax 860.218.2433; or Email to HR@redtechllc.com RED Technologies, LLC is an

EOE.

Elm City Communities Request for Proposals

Lenders or Investors for Selected RAD (Rental Assistance Demonstration) Projects Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm city Communities is currently seeking Proposals for Lenders or Investors for Selected RAD Projects. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Monday, October 31, 2016 @ 9:00 AM.

19

THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

Union Company seeks:

Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equipment. Must have a CDL License, clean driving record, capable of operating heavy equipment; be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. Contact Greg at 860-243-2300.

We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits Contact: Dana Briere Phone: 860-243-2300 Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Grants Administration

Program Planning Administrator-Seeking a highly qualified professional to administer, manages, and oversees the Town’s Grants and Economic Development Programs. Serves as a representative on various intergovernmental and interagency organizations. The minimum qualifications: Bachelor’s degree from a recognized college or university in government or public administration plus three years (3) of progressively responsible public administration and at least two years (2) of grant writing experience or an equivalent combination of education and qualifying experience substituting on a year-for-year basis. $77,695-$99,410 plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Apply to: Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Closing date will be December 15, 2016. EOE.

ELECTRICIANS

Semac Electric is seeking Electricians (CT Licensed Journeymen & Foremen, E1 and E2) to join our team for medium & large commercial construction projects thru out the State of CT: Hartford, Fairfield & New Haven Counties. We have excellent wages and benefits. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applications available at our main office at 45 Peter Court, New Britain, CT or send resume to P.O. Box 638, New Britain, CT 06050 or via fax to 860-229-0406 or email: careers@ semacelectric.com

Public Notice

The Manchester Housing Authority will close the waiting list for the Federal Low Income Public Housing (LIPH) program (Elderly/Disabled, 0/1 BR units) at 4:00 PM October 31, 2016. Applications are available in person and on the MHA website at http://manchesterha.org and will be accepted until 4:00 PM October 31, 2016. There is no scheduled date to re-open the waiting list. When the MHA is prepared to re-open the waiting list a public notice will be issued in order to give proper notice to interested parties.

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

Maintainer II Must have 2 yrs. exp. as laborer in field of construction work involving the operation and care of mechanical equipment or 2 yrs. in a skilled trade and 1 yr. exp. in construction operations or and equiv combination of experience and training. A valid Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Class B and a clean driving record. Pay rate: $21.33 to $25.00 hourly plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Apply Personnel Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. The closing date will be that date the 50th application form/resume is received, or August 17, 2016, whichever occurs first. Candidates without a valid CDL should not apply. A copy of your license will be required when applying. EOE

Town of Bloomfield Town Assessor - Reposted $77,881 - $120,209

For details and how to apply, go to www.bloomfieldct.org. Pre-employment drug testing.

AA/EOE

Public Safety Dispatcher: The Town of East Haven seeks to fill 2 permanent part-time positions. The hourly rate of pay is $24/hour. The work schedule is Saturday and Sunday, 8:00 am-4:00 pm or Sunday and Monday, 4:00 pm -12:00 am. Candidates must possess a High School diploma or GED, State of Connecticut Telecommunication Certification, Priority Dispatch EMD Certification, Priority Dispatch EPD and EFD Certification is preferred, Nexgen LEAS Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) experience is preferred, prior COLLECT/NCIC certification is preferred, and Next Generation 911 System is preferred. Candidate must successfully pass a background investigation, fingerprinting, and a Medical exam including a drug screening as well as have the ability to distinguish and identify different colors and pass a hearing test and NCIC Training. Only qualified applicants should apply at www.PoliceApp.com/EastHavenCT. The fee to apply is $40 and the deadline is December 16, 2016.

The Town of East Haven is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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

Housing Authority of the City of New Haven Invitation for Bids

Carting, Rubbish & Recycling Removal Services Agency Wide The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Bids for Carting, Rubbish & Recycling Removal Services Agency Wide. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Wednesday, November 23, 2016 @ 3:00 PM.

Mechanical Insulator

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Please forward resume to P.O. Box 475, North Haven, CT 06473 This company is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer ELECTRICIANS

Semac Electric is seeking Electricians (CT Licensed Journeymen & Foremen, E1 and E2) to join our team for medium & large commercial construction projects thru out the State of CT: Hartford, Fairfield & New Haven Counties.

We have excellent wages and benefits. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applications available at our main office at 45 Peter Court, New Britain, CT or send resume to P.O. Box 638, New Britain, CT 06050 or via fax to 860-229-0406 or email: careers@ semacelectric.com

Special Projects Manager Immediate opening in a fast-paced petroleum environment For a degreed manager with a BA Degree required, MBA Preferred with 5+ years of oil industry experience.

Proficient in oil, logistics software and solutions, IT Knowledge needed with assistance managing network and System projects. Strong Excel and analytical skills a must. Candidate must possess a high level of accuracy and

attention to detail. Petroleum and energy industry knowledge experience a plus. Send resume to: Human Resource Dept., P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437. **An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**

Welder: Large CT fence & guardrail contractor looking for a shop welder. Duties include welding & fabricating chain link gates, steel gates and aluminum; some welding on road and equipment repair work. Must be able to weld steel and aluminum. All necessary equipment provided. Must have a valid driver’s license and be able to get a DOT medical card. Required to pass a physical and drug test. Medical, vacation & other benefits included.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

U.S. Senators Demand Study on Federal Advertising in Black-owned Media

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Contributor

Five U.S. Senators have joined the fight for accountability in the federal government’s advertising practices – or lack thereof when it comes to minority-owned news outlets.

A letter penned by the senators demands that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigate the advertising habits of federal agencies.

Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) each signed the letter.

In the new letter sent this month on United States Senate letterhead to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro, a request is made that the GAO issue a report on federal advertising contracts and subcontracts with minorityowned publications, public relations firms, advertising agencies, and media companies.

“News outlets and media companies owned or published by people of color are critical to ensuring that diverse viewpoints are presented to the American people,” the letter stated.

The letter continued: “As one of the largest advertisers in the United States, the federal

government should play an active role in ensuring that minorityowned media outlets have fair opportunities to compete for and be awarded federal advertising contracts.”

“As minority entrepreneurs continue to open businesses at faster rates than their counterparts, having access to contracting opportunities through the federal marketplace has proven to be a valuable way for any firm seeking to stay competitive,” Menendez said.

Dr. Benjamin Chavis, the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), applauded the new letter by the senators.

He noted the joint effort between NNPA and the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) in pushing for a new federal advertising study. “The NNPA and NAHP thank Senators Booker, Schumer, Menendez, Hirono and Gillibrand for helping to push for this strategically important GAO

inquiry,” Chavis said. “2017 should be the year of greater economic equity and parity with respect to more inclusiveness in the billions of dollars spent annually by government departments and agencies on advertising.”

Earlier this year, Democratic Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and many of her colleagues in the House formally requested an investigation into how federal government agencies spend advertising dollars.

Jonathan Sanchez, the associate publisher and chief operating officer of the East Los Angeles-based Eastern Group Publications, Inc., which boast a loyal readership of about 500,000 subscribers, the news is more than welcome.

Earlier this year, after Norton’s letter, Sanchez said he was appreciative that action was finally being taken. “I have been working on this issue for years and I am glad this is finally becoming a reality,” said Sanchez.

Sanchez has supported efforts

by NNPA and NAHP that calls lawmakers to sponsor a new report that will help determine why minority media companies have been excluded from the lucrative advertising deals government agencies have made with other news organizations.

Norton’s letter came a little more than one month after she held a press conference on Capitol Hill with leaders from the NNPA and NAHP. At that press conference, Norton called on the GAO to perform a new study and update a 2007 report that revealed government agencies spent $4.3 billion in advertising but just a pittance of that amount was spent with minority media publications.

The Congresswoman also Con’t from page 8

African-American “Graffiti Superstar,” Known For His Murals Around the World, Releases New Book Entitled “Say Word”

Nationwide — Hailing from Yonkers, NYC but currently residing in Rosarito, Mexico, Daniel Hopkins, aka Mr. Maxx Moses, is a world-renowned artist and “graffiti superstar” that creates large scale spray-painted murals across the globe. In his travels, he also forges deep connections with communities to examine the depth of his learning and the quality of his art.

His new book, Say Word, is his latest effort to bring positivity and creativity into global communities.

The book of Art & Affirmation sends a message that words and images can propel lives towards goodness. It’s a natural extension of the message that comes through the his murals, workshops and activism, which can be reviewed

at his official web site www. maxxmoses.com.

“Affirmations are here as reminders, for we are forgetful.

We’ve forgotten the beauty from which we’ve been created.

We need constant reminders of

our oneness with everything in creation to alleviate the pain of loneliness,” says Daniel. “I hope that people will use Say Word to help visualize and affirm their inner strength and mental magnetism.”

22

Remaining uncomfortable is a life practice for the artist Daniel Hopkins His formal education and exile from his beloved NY was at SUNY Brockport College, where he fused Subway Art with surrealism creating his own artistic identities. Creating large scale spray-painted murals across the globe and forging deep connections with communities is how he examines the depth of his learning and the quality of his art.

He currently resides in Rosarito, Mexico and many of his local murals can be seen throughout the border region.

His most current persona, Mr. Maxx Moses is a Concrete Alchemist whose mission is to transform blank walls into contrasting ideas of beauty.

Ultimately he recognizes that real beauty is generated from the inside out. Thus the reason for creating his book Say Word.

“Until we extract the negative dialog infiltrating our thought process and replace our mental repetition with words of power, we are powerless,” he says.

In 2012, Daniel traveled to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe as part of a U.S. Embassy program to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS through street art. His travels have also taken him to England, United Arab Emirates, Brazil, all across the United States, and more.

Say Word is self-published and can be purchased online at CreateSpace.com and Amazon. com

THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

Democrats Should Pick a Leader From Their Strongest Voting Bloc: Black Women

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor

The leadership of the Democratic Party, at the highest levels, has consisted of mostly White men and women and a handful of Latinos.

What Democratic leadership in the United States Congress, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) doesn’t have and has never had is a representative from its most loyal voting bloc over the last three presidential elections: Black women. To say that all quarters of Democratic Party leadership is in need of change is a vast understatement.

The numbers don’t lie. The Democratic Party has lost a historic number of seats across the board from federal representatives to statehouse races. Part of that shift is due to a realignment caused by the appearance of the first Black president. But another part of it is a lack of strategy and misallocation of millions of dollars in resources focused on the wrong voters. While Democrats roll out the same old leaders who employ the same old losing consultants and staff, they ignore members of their most consistently loyal voting group: Black women.

The 2016 election was, in

some ways, a powerful statement on who remains loyal to the Democratic Party and who doesn’t. On that note, Latino voters shocked and confused everyone by giving Donald “build a wall” Trump nearly 30 percent of their votes.

In 2012, more than 70 percent of Black women voted, while

White women voted at 65.6 percent. Black women continue to make up a larger proportion of Democratic votes than any other subgroup. Given all the research, the Democratic Party continues to chase and reward other groups.

One would think that ensuring that African Americans get to the polls would become a number

one priority at the DNC and DCCC or to anyone campaigning for the White House. Instead, the party continues to chase voters who seem to have less loyalty to the party than Black women, spending millions, while losing elections.

More than half of White women (53 percent) voted for Donald

Trump. Meanwhile, just 4 percent of African American women and 26 percent of Hispanic women voted for the reality TV star.

Why shouldn’t Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Marcia Fudge (D-OH), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Alma Adams and Rep-Elect Val Demings (D-Fla.) serve in leadership? They’re part of the most reliable voting bloc for the Democratic Party and Fudge, Beatty, Adams and Demings are from key swing states. Who better to figure out how to win voters in other sectors than the members of the sector who’ve already shown support? Who better to lead than a former college administrator, a former mayor in a swing state or a former police chief in a battleground state?

Instead it appears as if the Democrats are about to embark on yet another wild goose chase for voters who have either turned their back on them, vote against their interests or who are completely unpredictable. that’s where million of dollars will likely be wasted again in the future just as it was by the DNC in 2016.

Lauren Victoria Burke is a political analyst who speaks on politics and African American leadership. She can be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on Twitter at @LVBurke.

Cash-Strapped Businessman Touched by Homeless Boy in Heartwarming, Holiday Morality Play Film Review by Kam Williams It’s late November in Grundy, Virginia, a tiny town whose economy revolves around Peyton Automotive, a family business inherited by Matthew Peyton (Ryan O’Quinn) from his late grandfather. Because the company has fallen on hard times in recent days, the overwhelmed CEO is considering cancelling the annual Christmas pageant the corporation has sponsored since the Seventies.

In fact, Matthew finds himself being pressured by his financial advisor, Albert Bagley (Kevin Sizemore) either to lay off or lower the salaries of some of his 115 employees. Needless to say, the prospect of cutbacks doesn’t sit

well with union rep Bob Alexander (James C. Burns) who proceeds to

call for a strike.

Matthew, in turn, testifies before Grundy’s City Council that he can no longer afford to stage the holiday festival because the funds in the trust have been totally exhausted. Trouble is, his grandfather’s specifically stipulated in his will that Peyton Automotive must continue the tradition.

Nevertheless, Matthew asserts that the business has been losing money for a couple of years and that, given the situation, he has no choice but to shut it down.

Meanwhile, he’s warned by the Mayor (Lance E. Nichols), “You keep going in this direction, you will get crucified.”

Soon enough, Matthew finds himself the victim of escalating

violence. First his BMW is egged and has a tire slashed, before being torched entirely. Then, he’s beaten to within an inch of his life and left for dead by a gang of union goons.

Coming to his rescue is a most unlikely hero, a precocious homeless kid named CJ Joseph (Issac Ryan Brown). CJ and his mom Sharon (Danielle Nicolet) nurse Matthew back to health while giving him a priceless lesson about what really matters most in life. For, despite their dire circumstances, the Josephs both fervently believe that better days are coming. “I wish I had that kind of faith,” Matthew admits.

Upon recovering, the grateful heir informs Sharon and son that “You took care of me, now I’ll take care of you.”

That is the point of departure of Believe, a modern morality play marking the feature film directorial debut of Billy Dickson. Although the picture is ostensibly aimed at the Christian demographic, it has a complicated enough storyline, including a love triangle and intriguing plot twists, to appeal to more than merely Bible-thumping Evangelicals.

A thought-provoking parable as entertaining as it is a message movie.

Very Good (3 stars) Rated PG for violence, mature themes and mild epithets.

Running time: 118 minutes Distributor: Power of 3

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

Gun Store Owners Report That More African Americans Are Buying Guns Since Donald Trump’s Win Nationwide — Gun store owners are reporting that since the election on November 8th, up to four times as many Black and minority customers are buying guns. In addition, gun groups (such as the National African American Gun Association and the Huey P. Newton Gun Club) are reporting double the normal number of attendees at their meetings since the election.

The reason for the spike in gun sales has been attributed to recent police brutality cases across the country, and an increasing amount of white supremecists that have become more aggressive since Trump’s win. Many of the new gun buyers have told reporters that they just want to protect themselves.

What kind of guns are they buying?

Philip Smith, founder of the National African American Gun Association (which has 14,000 members), says his members are buying all kinds of guns – from Glock handguns to AR-15 rifles to AK-47 semi and automatic weapons.

He said, however, that most first-time buyers tend to gravitate toward a nine-millimeter pistol or .38 revolver. He told NBC News, “Most folks are pretty nervous

Con’t from page 8

Advertising in Black-owned Media

Photo: Members of the Huey P. Newton Gun Club in Dallas, Texas

about what kind of America we’re going to see over the next 5-10 years.”

The future of gun ownership Even before the election back in 2015, the Pew Research Center conducted a study and found that African Americans’ attitudes were changing towards gun ownership.

Regarding the study, Reuters reported: “To be sure, attitudes toward guns are still deeply divided along

racial lines, with 60 percent of blacks prioritizing controls on gun ownership over protecting gun rights, while 61 percent of whites say they consider gun rights more important than gun controls, according to a December poll by the Pew Research Center.

But the level of African American support for gun control has fallen by 14 percentage points since 1993, when it stood at 74 percent according to the Pew data.”

Breaking records

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Whether or not the increase in gun sales among African American will continues remains unknown. But the FBI says that in October 2016, they ran 2.3 million background checks for gun sales, an all-time record; and November could be on pace to break that record.

Meanwhile, the shares of publicly-owned gun companies have not risen, but instead have fallen as much as 20 percent after Trump’s win.

secured the support of many others in the House of Representatives.

Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G.K. Butterfield, California Rep. Karen Bass, New York Rep. Yvette Clarke, Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge, Michigan Rep. John Conyers, Georgia Rep. John Lewis, and California Rep. Maxine Waters – all Democrats – were among those who signed Norton’s letter and called for action. “We believe that this request is particularly timely, because GAO will be conducting an audit of spending by federal agencies on public relations and advertising,” Norton said.

“We ask [the GAO] to take this opportunity to consider how much is spent with newspapers and other media companies that are owned by people of color and whose audiences are largely African-American or Hispanic.”

In 2007, GAO considered spending on advertising contracts with minority-owned businesses by five agencies – the Department of Defense, Department of the Treasury, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of the Interior, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration – and found that just five percent of the $4.3 billion available for advertising campaigns went to minorityowned businesses.

Norton and others have asked for an update from the GAO as well as more accountability.

The federal government is the largest advertiser in the nation and it plays an important role in supporting minority-focused publications that reach AfricanAmerican, Latino, AsianAmerican and Pacific Islander communities, said Rep. Barbara Lee, D-California.

“Historically, there has been a lack of adequate federal government funding granted to disadvantaged and minority-owned advertising agencies,” said Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G.K. Butterfield, (D-N.C.). “This issue shows the systemic problems that exists across numerous arenas in both the public and private sector.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS November 30, 2016 - December 06, 2016

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