The age old question "if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it make a noise ?" took on a different version at Wednesday's Republican Town Committee meeting in Hartford.
If a Republican Councilperson is corrupt but the Republican Town Committee won't discuss it, does that mean she's not corrupt?
The video below shows what happened when Republican Town Committee member John O'Connell and RTC Vice Chair Elyssa Fuchs tried to open a discussion. O'Connell wanted to address the Hartford Courant's editorial calling for Republican Veronica Airey-Wilson's resignation after she was placed on probation for her role in the Perez corruption scandal.That wasn't about to happen under the control of RTC chair Michael McGarry.
McGarry, who is now telling anyone willing to listen that he was the first to call for former Mayor Perez's resignation, refuses to discuss the role of Hartford's highest ranking elected Republican, Veronica Airey-Wilson, in the scandal. The claim that he was the first to call for Perez's resignation is also totally untrue. Only after Perez was arrested, convicted and sentenced to three years in prison did McGarry speak out publicly.
McGarry has consistently refused to address Airey-Wilson's role and apparent violation of the public's trust as an elected official. Airey-Wilson was accused of taking counterops for her home from Carlos Costa and not paying for them. Only after the state began investigating, according to arrest records, did she fabricate a check showing that she thought she had paid a couple hundred dollars for thousands of dollars worth of granite countertop work.
For the Republican party in Hartford, which most agree is all but dead, this would seem like an opportunity for McGarry and the Town Committee to make a strong statement to regain the public's trust. Instead O'Connell and others were refused the opportunity to even discuss the matter publicly.
The video was shot with my i-pod after the argument erupted so the quality isn't great, but you'll get the point how the Republican Town Committee in Hartford handles honest debate regarding important issues.
An "Anonymous" poster made the following comment this afternoon on the blog:
People dont seem to understand, once residents call 311, they refer complaint over to appropriate department. It is not the 311 representative that goes out to take care of the issue. It really upsets me that because the departments are not doing their job the 311 call center is being blamed. Definatley get your facts straight before you start pointing fingers!!!!
I think the poster needs to take a step back and get their facts straight, I'm pretty comfortable with mine.
Last week I called 311 and was on hold for 9 minutes and 32 seconds before before a live person answered and handled the call. The commenter seems to want to place the "blame" on the individual departments rather than the 311 program. If I recall correctly, when 311 was originally shoved down our throats we were told that 311 would force efficiency on Hartford's operations because calls would be tracked and followed up on.
I don't really care about the "blame game", but 311 isn't working. This link will take you to an interactive map that tells the whole story about 311, click to go to hartford.gov's 311 tracking map. I recommend you check out the map quickly though , the link will probably be disabled soon.The map on hartford.gov is a "push pin" type map that has color coded dots indicating 311 complaints or "cases". The green dots are "closed" cases, the orange dots are "open" or unresolved cases. It is hard to see the green dots since they are almost obliterated by the orange dots. The telling part though is that if you click on an orange dot, it shows you the date the complaint was recieved. Many of the cases aren't recent, some date back almost a year, if not more.
A residents issue being unresolved for a year doesn't sound like the height of efficiency to me. Anyone willing to take the time and effort to report a problem deserves that the issue be dealt with in a timely manner. Removing graffiti reported January 12, 2010 does not seem very responsive.
So, to the "Anonymous" poster, "right back at ya". Get your facts straight before you try to justify your 311 job.
I have been accused of being over protective of Mayor Pedro Segarra. Some have even accused me of being a "mouthpiece" for the Mayor.
With that being said, I have to say to Mayor Segarra...WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU THINKING?
Steve Goode at the Hartford Courant and "Cityline" just posted a column regarding "Disgraced former Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez". You can read Steve's column by clicking here
Apparently Mayor Segarra was in attendance at the "State of the Schools" address this morning at SAND School. "Disgraced former Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez" was also in attendance. According to Goode's article, Mayor Segarra's comments included remarks about "Perez, who served for a time as chair of the board of education, for his dedication early reform efforts, including his effort to bring Adamwoski on board and his choice of fellow board members to support Adamowski's vision."
Mayor Segarra, no one can deny that Perez did positive things while in office. No one can deny that he has done some terrible things that have done huge damage to our City and its reputation also.
That Board of Education that you mention is also the same Board of Education that recently approved a lobbying contract for Matt Hennessey for $58,000. I have not heard any comments about that, yet praise is heaped on a Board and a Superintendent that continue to support individuals who played a key role in the corruption scandal.
To have a convicted felon parading around an elementary school and then being praised as some sort of hero is wrong. It sends a terrible message to the very students we are trying to set on the right path in life. Is doing wrong and being sentenced to prison a Hartford value? To a student viewing this fiasco it might seem that way.
This administration has made some large strides in attempting to make people feel good about our City in a short couple of months. I fully anticipate seeing a news story soon showing Mayor Segarra on a ladder rescuing a kitten from a tree. He has that personality that people want to trust and support.
On the other hand though, from the phone calls I get, people also want to hear him setting the tone that business as usual in Hartford will not be tolerated. Sending mixed messages does nothing but confuse people as to what is acceptable. I had a long conversation with Mayor Segarra about this last Saturday.
Mayor Segarra is by no means naive. He knows that City Hall is still full of Perez supporters who would like nothing more than to see him fail. Some of them are quite clearly undermining him every chance they get, and I think the Mayor knows that. The question is then, why are they still there. I fully get the concept that we can't terminate everyone, but we can't sit back and wait for those same people to finally plunge the proverbial knife with the fatal blow as they stab Mayor Segarra in the back.
I'm not going to get into specific names here because I think Mayor Segarra is fully aware of who needs to go.
Sending these mixed messages though is confusing, and in some cases the silence is also confusing. Eddie Perez is hired by a non-profit receiving major funding from the City of Hartford.....silence....nothing said. No comment from the Mayor, no comment from the Council. Former Corporation Counsel John Rose gets a job with a law firm he paid almost a half million dollars to in the last couple years.....silence....nothing said.No comment from the Mayor, no comment from the Council.
Former Chief of Staff to former Mayor Perez gets a $58,000 lobbying contract as part of a deal with the Hartford Public Schools.....silence....nothing said. No comment from the Mayor, no comment from the Council.
In my conversation Saturday with Mayor Segarra, he said that the money had already been approved for the Connecticut AIDS Resource Coalition and there was nothing they could do. I strongly disagree. A clear, unambiguous statement from the Mayor needs to set the tone. I would even be happy to allow the Mayor to "cut and paste" this into a press release, not that anyone pays any attention to press releases coming out of the Mayor's Office due to obvious reasons(speaking of backstabbing and undermining by Perez loyalists).
"The funds were already appropriated to the Connecticut AIDS Resource Coalition for this year, but as Mayor of Hartford I have to say I am extremely disappointed in the decision to hire someone who left Hartford City Hall in disgrace after his conviction on felony charges resulting from a corruption investigation. The people of Hartford deserve to know that their tax dollars are being spent responsibly by any organization receiving those funds. Although our hands are tied to do anything now, rest assured that future funding requests from any organization will be scrutinized to make sure they are being used properly and in a means beyond reproach"
That seems pretty simple, doesn't it? The tone is set, the message is clear and the residents of Hartford are getting what they expect from our Mayor.
To praise a convicted felon is wrong and sets back any progress being made. Please , lets move on and start setting a clear tone that all of the good deeds someone may have done do not erase the corruption and damage brought to the people of Hartford.
Feel free to copy this and send it to all of the Council members, they have voices also that they need to start using.
Now that the Perez Gravy train has totally gone off the tracks, those with hopes of a lifelong career as political prostitutes and poverty pimps are showing their true colors.
It was all the angry white guys that dethroned Hartford's High Priest of Corruption, Eddie A. Perez. The conspiracy continued when a jury of his peers found him guilty on 5 felony charges after a trial. The white Judge played along with the setup to tear down the Hispanic Savior of the City and ultimately sentenced the High Priest to 3 years in prison.
At least that is the accurate version if you believe the rantings, I mean writings, of Hartford's favorite yellow jacketed crusader, Cornell Lewis. Lewis, who long ago abandoned the residents of Hartford when he chose to move to the suburbs, still seems to think he has some right to instruct us on how our lives should be lived. His support of former Mayor Eddie A. Perez is admirable considering the investment Perez made in Lewis and his band of "Merry Men". At last count, and this figure is almost a year old, Lewis and his fellow operatives were paid over $2.3 million in taxpayers funds during the course of the "Savior's" administration.
I was in court the day former Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez received a 3- year prison term for conviction on various charges. Inside the courtroom a funeral like atmosphere complete with crying, wailing, and head-shaking took place. I looked at Perez and wondered why it is seen as necessary to incarcerate a man dedicated to serving his community for over 30 years.
The answer can be found in a religious concept of the priest.
He [Eddie] was our priest from the beginning. In Hartford 30 years ago a divine Caucasian power structure sat enthroned in a fortress City Hall. From stories told to me, it seemed impossible for people of color to access any favor or benefit from the divine white gods in City Hall: a priest was needed for intercession, coming to present hopes of a people at this white altar. Perez came forth - a skinny youth - with hubris enough to ask for an audience before whites in power. Eddie organized the masses, spoke at rallies, begged and threatened in order to coax largesse from a white cornucopia.
The people adored Eddie but whites watched him like they did Jesus: “the rulers wanted to strike Jesus, but they were afraid because all the people were with him. They waited for a more opportune time.” We fast-forward 30 years and Perez is now in THE seat of power and still working without ceasing for people of color.
After being in power for 10 years the old white gods were invoked by angry worshippers to rise from musty vaults of hatred, prejudice and discrimination. Their goal seemed clear-topple Perez and insert a person more palatable to white thinking. Perez had to leave office; an example had to be made, and fear inserted into hearts of the masses.
Like a bad Stephen King movie the priest [Perez] came tumbling down with help from angry whites, sold-out black and Puerto Rican leaders, and a community unable to see clearly a threat to the priest. As radio commentator Steve Harvey would say, “and now you know the rest of the story.”
“Yet when we achieved and the new world dawned, the old men came out again and took our victory, to remake in the likeness of the former world they knew.”--- T.E. Lawrence.
The prayer vigils orchestrated by Lewis didn't seem too productive in keeping a corrupt Mayor out of a courtroom and most likely prison eventually. I might suggest that you click your heels together and keep repeating "I believe in Eddie, I believe in Eddie, I believe in Eddie".
And Cornell, Hartford is about a lot more than one person. There are plenty of unsung "Savior's" out there day in and day out trying to make this City a better place. They are actually doing things to unify the community and its neighborhoods. The days of your "divide and conquer" politics need to end.
This is not about race. No one set Eddie Perez up for a fall, not whites, not blacks and not Hispanics. Eddie Perez needs to quit playing the victim of racism and instead accept responsibility for what he has put this city through, take the punishment and move on.
You might have a positive purpose in this city if you tried to unify people of all races and nationalities and end your politics of racial hate.
Today's Hartford Courant had an editorial about "What's Wrong With Hartford". For those that didn't see the editorial or don't read the Courant, here it is in its entirety:
What's Wrong With Hartford Two Examples Public officials take advantage of their positions
Just because former Mayor Eddie Perez has been convicted on felony corruption charges and sentenced to three years in prison doesn't mean city government in Hartford has been completely disinfected.
An internal police investigation found in August that Officer Hector Robles knowingly falsified time cards and bilked the department out of more than $9,000 in overtime. A disciplinary hearing concluded last week, but Police Chief Daryl K. Roberts has yet to decide on a punishment.
Termination has been recommended. That's what he should get, since Mr. Robles has neither the pride nor conscience, apparently, to resign either as a police officer or from his other job of public trust, state representative from the 6th District.
Mr. Robles raises the "everybody does it" defense, claiming that 11 other officers are falsifying their overtime records too. Has he told the chief who they are?
This case should be referred to the state's attorney.
Also last week, city councilwoman Veronica Airey-Wilson was granted accelerated rehabilitation, a special form of probation that will allow her record to be expunged if successfully completed. She had a city contractor — the same one involved in the Perez corruption case — install a granite countertop in her home. She was accused of tampering with evidence to show that she had paid for the installation even though the contractor, Carlos Costa, testified that he did the work for free.
"My biggest regret is that I guess I'm so open and trusting of everyone and in my choice of selecting someone to do the work in my home. I didn't recognize the flaws," she told Judge Julia D. Dewey Thursday. She's got to be kidding. Didn't "recognize the flaws"?
Mr. Costa certainly recognized the flaws of mixing personal and city business. The contractor, whose $5.3 million contract with the city was plagued by delays and shoddy construction, testified that he installed her countertops for free, at her request, because "she was a councilwoman and she was in a position to help me."
Ms. Airey-Wilson's attorney said his client will continue to serve on the city council during her probationary period. She should resign to spare Hartford another embarrassment.
What are Hartford's children to think when a police officer and a council member — let alone a mayor — use their public positions to profit and then won't take ownership of what they did?
end of Courant editorial
If you would like to make your thoughts known on the Robles matter, Chief Roberts office can be reached at 860-757-4010. If you would like to make your feelings known on whether Veronica Airey-Wilson should resign from the Council, the Hartford Republican Town Committee meets tonight at City Hall or call Airey-Wilson's office at City Hall at 860-757-9575. As always, feel free to leave your thoughts and comments here.
The hearing is over, the report should be done and the election is fast approaching.
I have received numerous calls asking if Chief Roberts will make his decision before the November 2nd election that includes Hector Robles as the incumbent candidate for the 6th Legislative District.
The answer to that question is a pretty simple one.....how the heck would I know?
Common sense would say that Chief Roberts is not going to let politics play into his decision. With that being said though, the Chief is well aware of the criticism he received when the initial Internal Affairs Investigation report was released two days after the August primary. The report at that time was out of his hands and I know for a fact that both the Hartford Corporation Counsel's Office and the State's Attorney's Office were both involved in the delay of the report being released.
The timing of the release, 2 days after the primary, raised the suspicions of many that it was done for political reasons to protect Robles, but I feel comfortable saying that wasn't true.
With that being said though, hopefully it shouldn't happen twice. Whether it is the Chief's fault or not, it might be hard to convince City residents that the second delay until after an election is just bad timing.
This has dragged on since August 14th, the hearings were completed a week and a half ago, and from what I understand, the facts and the evidence have not had any real change.
Hopefully Chief Roberts, who is out of town this week at the International Association of Chiefs of Police annual meeting in Orlando, has made sure that the hearing officers report will be sitting in the center of his desk when he returns at the end of this week.
Political pressure should not play into this decision, but a large part of the confidence that the public has in Chief Roberts and his leadership will be challenged by any unnecessary or unjustified delays.
In the meantime, bring your pencils to the polls, three "write-in" candidates have qualified for the ballot to challenge Robles. Democrats Alyssa Peterson and Kathy Evans as well as Republican Mike Lupo will all be on the ballot in the 6th District.
At the risk of being accused of bashing Richard Blumenthal again, I think it is only fair to post these You-tube videos. Doesn't it seem somewhat hypocritical to now be denouncing Linda McMahon and the WWE when politicians, both Democrat's and Republican's, had no trouble using the WWE to further their campaigns in 2008.
In this age of video, it is interesting the video you can find on the internet. Whether it is a politician who "misspoke" about serving in Vietnam or other politicians using the "evil" WWE to further their campaigns, it is all there for public view.
PRESIDENT OBAMA ON WWE, SENATOR OBAMA AT THE TIME IN 2008
Have you ever laid your keys down and then a few minutes later can't recall exactly where you put them? Then add some stress to that, you have a doctor's appointment that it took months to schedule and you can't find that ring of keys to head to the appointment. You begin stressing and wonder why you can't remember everything exactly as it happens, your brain is supposed to be a perfect "video recorder" of your actions, right.
Now imagine that you are a police officer on a poorly lit, snowy street in an industrial area of Hartford in a high stress situation with a convicted felon intent on escaping. If that escape involves taking your life, he's going to do what he has to do, and the car he is in comes hurtling toward you. As a police officer you draw your gun and try to stop the deadly weapon, also known as the felon driving toward you at high speed, in an effort to protect yourself from possible death.
You do what you have to do, do what you were trained to do, you make the decision to use deadly force and you fire at the vehicle. In firing at the vehicle you strike the driver and he is wounded, but not killed. The end result though is that the convicted felon intent on escaping has been stopped and as you check yourself you are still intact, breathing, heart beating, so far so good.
Now the hard part begins. You couldn't remember where you put your car keys earlier but you are going to be expected to give a complete description as to what happened, second by second, inch by inch. And if you thought it was stressful trying to remember where you set your car keys down, then try having to be able to remember every detail in your decision to fight for your life and use potentially deadly force.
That begins the eight year plight of Hartford Police Officer Robert Murtha.
I'll post some of the documents here as they are available, but several big questions remain.
The first being is why does the City of Hartford continue to appeal this case? Is it a personal or political agenda being pushed by someone?
The only hearing that has seemed to be decided against Murtha was the Hartford Police Department's internal disciplinary hearing. That hearing is ripe with questions and would most likely raise the suspicions of any reasonable jury that may eventually hear the case. Both the Arbitration award and the Hartford Police Union's attorneys brief raise some real questions.
The hearing should have been conducted by an "impartial" Captain assigned by the Chief of Police. Newly hired Police Chief Patrick Harnett assigned Captain Joseph Buyak as the hearing officer. Coincidentally, Captain Buyak at the time of the Murtha incident was also the Commander of the Investigative division of HPD. Essentially that means that Buyak was responsible for the overall results of the Internal Investigation into the shooting.Then, Captain Buyak was also called upon to oversee the discipline hearing and decide on the actual legitimacy of the investigation and the same report that he was responsible for supervising.
That would seem pretty close to a police officer making an arrest and then also serving as the Judge for the trial. Why Chief Harnett didn't see this as a conflict of interest should be a very interesting question to be put before a Jury.
Eventually, due in part to Captain Buyak's hearing and the original investigation and acting on Chief Harnett's recommendations, Murtha was arrested on criminal charges related to the incident. After a criminal trial, Murtha was acquitted by a Jury and found not guilty of the criminal charges.
Murtha subsequently filed a lawsuit against the City of Hartford.This lawsuit was brought by Murtha to enforce Connecticut General Statute 53-39a, which provides economic recovery to any police officer who is acquitted after being prosecuted for criminal charges arising in the performance of police duties.
Before the end of the trial in Murtha's suit for damages, former Corporation Counsel John Rose recommended to the Hartford City Council settling Murtha's suit. In the memo, dated June 22, 2009 Rose urges the Council to settle with Murtha and he states "There is no question that Murtha will recover against the City. The only question is how much the jury/a court will award him.The damages claimed by Murtha are NOT covered by insurance." The Council disregarded Rose's advice and Judge Thomas Corradino rendered his decision on February 24, 2010 and agreed with Murtha's claim and awarded Murtha damages that could total $1,019,478.03.
Subsequent to that decision, the State Board of Mediation and Arbitration issued their decision in Murtha's Labor Board hearing. An Arbitration award ordered Murtha reinstated to his position and ordered that he "shall be made whole for all losses incurred including back pay and other benefits".
Although Rose had warned the Council that they would lose the original suit, which they did, the City is now also appealing that decision. That decision could potentially more than double the original award since the City chooses to gamble on the appeal. If the City should lose this next round, they are once again liable for all of Murtha's legal expenses as well as the costs incurred by the City defending the appeal.
In the meantime, the dollars are still adding up on the original award at the rate of approximately $1210.00 per week. That figure does not include any legal fees. Attorney Helen Apostolidis, a retired City of Hartford Senior Assistant Corporation Counsel who is now a partner in her own private law firm based in Middletown (Bird & Apostolidis), has been hired by the City to defend the case. The city is paying Attorney Apostolidis in addition to paying Assistant Corporation Counsel Nathalie Feola-Guerreri to be co-counsel in this matter.
There is much more to come on this, but the attached documents should provide some interesting reading to start with.
Since I can't text anymore while I driving, I tend to amuse myself thinking about potential blog entries. And for those about to scream at me about texting while driving, I was only kidding, I actually surf the Internet with my laptop propped on my dash. I find the laptop is much quicker than typing with my thumbs.
Seriously though, I was thinking today what would our political system be like with actual individuals rather than party puppets?
I amused myself thinking how different the race for US Senate would be if the party affiliations were reversed. Democrat Linda McMahon would probably be a shining example of the Democratic Party where even women can excel and build a multi-million dollar business. Democrat McMahon would be held up as an example of what America should be and could be if only the voters would give her a chance.
And imagine if Richard Blumenthal were a Republican. I know, I know, the thought alone would scare the heck out of him, but for the sake of argument, just imagine Dick as a proud member of the GOP. Blumenthal, the law and order Republican, standing up for the people of Connecticut, fighting for the little guy. A formidable candidate racking up votes on the campaign trail.
Then, when everything was looking good for Republican Blumenthal, a video appeared where he claims he "misspoke". The media and public opinion turned on him overnight. How could a Republican candidate lie about his military service and claim he served in Vietnam when he didn't? Don't those Republican's remember how many young American men went to Vietnam and died for their country?
Republican Blumenthal was forced to drop out of the race due to the outrage over his lies. That's the way Republicans are handled, just ask former Senator
At last nights debate between the candidates for the 1st Congressional District, neither major party candidate was willing to speak about corruption, especially in Hartford, even when the opportunity was presented to them on a silver platter.Only one candidate, Ken Krayeske of the Green Party was willing to talk about the blind eye turned to corruption by Hartford's politicians. He spoke of the corruption of Eddie Perez and his conviction and the current allegations and investigation of Hector Robles.
It would have been a perfect opportunity for Congressman Larson to state clearly that he doesn't condone corruption, even in a "generic" type of message, but he remained silent when it came to his buddies Eddie and Hector.
I wonder how our elected officials would change if they weren't chained to a symbol of a donkey or an elephant. Imagine if they actually had to prove to us who they were and what they stood for rather than just proclaiming their allegiance to Republican or Democrat party machines.
One perfect example is in Hartford's south-end for the 1st State Senate District Race. Probably one of the best candidates running for the Connecticut Legislature has almost no chance of winning. As much as I hate saying it, Barbara Ruhe, a Republican, is running in a heavily Democratic district and she will unfortunately most likely be steamrolled by someone who has lost his "leadership" compass and has no business in the Senate. John Fonfara has lost sight of why he is there and who his constituents are.
Barbara Ruhe seems to realize exactly what the role of a Senator should be. Yesterday a southend resident and a Democrat called me complaining that she has left eleven messages (yes, you read that right, eleven) for Senator Fonfara, and not one has been returned.
With Barbara Ruhe, you really don't need to call her because the odds are good that you would see her somewhere in the community within a few days and be able to speak with her personally. And it is not only at election time you see her. She really seems to share the interests of the people in her district and beyond and it is a shame she won't get elected. Not because she isn't qualified. Not because she doesn't know how to campaign. Not because she can't be found. Simply because she has an "R" after her name she most likely won't have the title "Senator" after November 2nd.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could get rid of the tunnel vision and actually look at our candidates for who they are and what they actually do and who has the most potential. Instead we continue for the worst candidates only because they are the right party or the right nationality or the right race.
It would also be nice if we chose our candidates based on who knows how to remain civil to their opponents. In this election cycle, only a handful can say that. There is a big difference between pointing out facts and going into the gutter politics.
Denise Nappier, Jerry Farrell and Denise Merrill (I might have missed a couple others) should all be commended for their upbeat commercials and letting us know what they are about as opposed to showing us how much they can bruise their opponents.
I think most people are tired of the finger pointing. We don't care if it is the Democrats or Republicans that created the mess, we just want elected officials who care more about fixing the problem than continuing to be part of the problem.
Imagine a Senate full of Barbara Ruhe's, maybe some Republican, maybe some Democrat and maybe even a couple of Green or Working Family members to keep them all honest.
This past Friday night, numerous calls were received by Hartford's 911 Center regarding gunshots being fired in the area of Capitol Avenue and Orange Street. The victim was found in the street and was eventually pronounced dead. The "victim", who hasn't been "officially" named by Hartford Police, has a fairly extensive arrest record for drug, weapon and assault charges. The 32 year old has spent several years in and out of prison.
Saturday nights homicide was a sharp contrast. Even though several shots were fired, some of them recorded on nearby video recordings, not one call was received by the 911 Dispatch Center. No one called regarding the body laying in the street in the area of 1830 Broad Street. This is near a fairly busy intersection of Broad Street and New Britain Avenue.
Eventually a police officer on patrol noticed the man laying at the curb about a half hour after the murder. According to police sources, the officer first thought was that the man might be intoxicated, but after approaching the body he realized that was not the case.
This victim has not been "officially" named yet either, but he did have a passport on him from another country.
I'm just wondering how several gunshots can be fired in close proximity to residential neighborhoods and not one call is made to the Police. Are we that immune to Hartford's violence?
The Hartford Courant is reporting that outgoing Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz is urging a "ban" on WWE clothing at polling places on November 2nd. Due to Republican Linda McMahon's involvement with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) this may prove to be an unfair advantage for McMahon. You can read the Courant story here.
In a surprising move this afternoon, sources are telling me that a ban on any USMC or military clothing will also be put into effect. Apparently the thinking is that any Marine Corp insignia or military clothing may actually remind voters of those who went to war and fought and of Attorney General Blumenthal's "mis-spoke" comments when he lied about serving in Vietnam.
It seems fair, doesn't it?
MORE BREAKING NEWS.....
Hartford, CT.- In a further move today, Connecticut Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz has moved to place a ban on anyone entering a polling place wearing sneakers. The reasoning is that campaign commercials being aired by Republican candidate for Secretary of the State Jerry Farrell prominently show him lacing up sneakers. The Secretary said this about Farrell's sneakers "Even though it doesn't say his name directly...the sneaker is so ubiquitously associated with Farrell's campaign".
A spokesman for the Secretary, who announced the sneaker ban, acknowledged that any discussion about voter's apparel is a "very, very delicate issue."
"We have a candidate who is very very well known, who is a celebrity to millions of fans throughout the country," he said. "This has been a very contentious, hard-fought campaign but the sanctity of the polling place is sacrosanct."
A couple weeks ago we found out that Former Hartford Mayor, and now convicted felon,Eddie A. Perez had landed a job at the Connecticut AIDS Resource Coalition (CARC). During Perez's tenure as Mayor CARC has received millions of dollars in City funding. Last year alone the City provided funding to CARC of over half a million dollars.
This week, WNPR's Jeff Cohen reported that Perez's former Chief of Staff Matthew Hennessy has just received a $58,000 lobbying contract as a result of an agreement with the Hartford Public Schools and Connecticut Public Broadcasting to find federal funding for the Hartford Journalism and Media Academy.
I thought the icing on the cake would be Perez's former Corporation Counsel John Rose landing a job with the Crumbie Law Group. Rose had used the Crumbie Law Group as "outside counsel" while he was in office. WNPR's Jeff Cohen got the actual numbers, and today reported on Crumbie's billing to the taxpayers of Hartford.
In Fiscal year 2009, Crumbie’s firm made $155,599.44; in FY 2010, the firm made $252,580.24; and so far in 2011, the firm has made $22,564.80, according to Cohen.
In Cohen's report he quotes a statement from the Crumbie Law Group touting Rose's expertise. Too bad he didn't have that same expertise before he hired the Crumbie Law Group as outside counsel, he could have saved the taxpayers of Hartford almost a half a million dollars. I guess that is what they call job security on Rose's part though.
Like I said, I thought that would be the icing on the cake. Nope, not in Hartford.
I received several calls today regarding last nights Hartford 2000 meeting. For those not aware, Hartford 2000 is the parent organization that oversees Hartford's neighborhood groups, or "NRZ's". Apparently, the position of Executive Director is open. The position had tentatively been filled by a person from West Hartford. That's a discussion for another day as to why a Hartford resident couldn't be found, but I digress.
The callers were upset that the City of Hartford's COO David Panagore was in attendance at the meeting and was advocating for a potential new Executive Director. Low and behold, "drumroll please", ta daaaaa, Panagore's choice for Executive Director is no other than former Perez Chief of Staff Susan McMullen.
Ok, hopefully by now you have picked yourself up off the floor and are coming out of that fit of laughter or fit of anger. Both of those would be appropriate reactions depending on how much you know about Susan McMullen.
If you aren't familiar with some of McMullen's better efforts on the part of the people of Hartford, one of her best that comes to mind was Eddie Perez's "dyslexia defense". McMullen might have been one of the number one reasons for the conviction of Perez as a crook and a fraud when she tried to convince the jury that Perez suffered from being unable to read properly and that is why committed illegal acts.
I think that helped the jury see him and his staff for what they actually were (and by the actions detailed above, what they still are), a group of ethically and morally challenged people.
Requests for comment from Panagore have not been returned.
I have received numerous calls from people asking "Where is the Mayor on these things?" and "Why aren't we hearing anything from the Council on this?". The simple answer is, quite frankly, that I can't figure it out. The underlying acceptance of corruption in Hartford City government has to change. With our so called "leaders" turning a blind eye to these activities it sends a message that business as usual, business as conducted during the Perez years, is OK.
I am sure that is not the message Mayor Segarra wants to send. He has done too many positive things since taking office to be tainted by the stench of these actions. But by remaining silent, he is condoning these actions. A strong statement needs to be made that these fine examples of more cronyism are not acceptable to the Mayor or the people of Hartford.
Do we really think that we need Hennessy to lobby Washington politicians for money? We have the number three or four Congressman in the country representing Hartford. I would hope that a phone call from Congressman Larson would do more than any $58,000 contract given to Hennessy. Not to mention the question, what honest self respecting politician would go anywhere near a "lobbyist" that just came from a stint in what is most likely the most corrupt administration that the City of Hartford has ever seen?
And an open message to Mayor Segarra and even Council President Winch: you have an opportunity to show us and everyone else that Hartford does have a conscience and we are getting back on track. End this nonsense now with prompt and decisive actions. The people of Hartford I'm sure will thank you for cracking down on the political prostitutes leeching off our city.
How long will the stench of the Perez Administration continue to linger over our City? I know that is a strongly worded statement, but I think it is a fair question.
Eddie Perez leaves office in disgrace after being convicted of 5 felony counts related to his corruption investigation. He promptly lands a job with a non-profit, the Connecticut AIDS Resource Coalition. The City of Hartford was ,and still is, a major funder of CARC.
Former Corporation Counsel John Rose was terminated by Perez's successor, Mayor Pedro Segarra. Rose promptly lands a job with a law firm, the Crumbie Law Group. Rose paid tens of thousands of City dollars to the Crumbie Law Group during his time as Corporation Counsel for outside legal advice.
And now, Jeff Cohen from WNPR is reporting that Perez's former Chief of Staff Matt Hennessy has landed a deal for a new Hartford Public Schools project that will pay him at least $58,000.00. Hennessy will be working as a lobbyist for a new Journalism and Media Academy project trying to obtain Federal funding for the project.
I'm just wondering what Washington politician would go near any of the players from the Perez Administration? And when is the City Council and the Mayor going to refuse funding to anything or anyone even remotely connected to Perez and his other corrupt players?
According to sources, the third day of hearings for Hartford Police Officer Hector Robles has been completed. Today was apparently the third and final day of testimony.
The hearing Officer assigned to the process, Captain Achilles Rethis, will now prepare his synopsis of the hearing and forward that to the departments advocate, Lieutenant James Bernier and Chief Daryl Roberts.
The process may take a week or so depending on the report, at which time Chief Roberts will decide on the action to take. Corrective action can be anywhere from no action up to termination. Lt. Bernier had originally recommended termination if the allegations are upheld.
In the meantime, Inspectors from the Office of the Chief States Attorney's Office are working to prepare a potenttial criminal case against Robles that could result in his arrest.
Robles, who also serves as a State Representative in the Connecticut Legislature for the 6th District is running for re-election on November 2nd.
A couple weeks ago I had a few people call me regarding lighting in Barry Square. One business owner claimed he had had called 311 repeatedly for weeks and the issue had not been resolved. Another resident also claimed to have been calling 311 numerous times to no avail.
I still think 311 is a huge waste of the taxpayers money and I have yet to hear anyone sing the praises of 311. I constantly hear from people that claim they call and call and call with nothing being done. I still firmly believe that 311 was created by the Perez Administration as a data mining operation and used more for political purposes than a service to residents.
I called the Department of Public Works and spoke to Rhonda Carroll regarding the lighting issue and asked if she could look into it. She assured me that she would and actually called back the next day and told me that the bulbs that the people had thought were burned out had been replaced. The day they went out was two Thursday's ago and was a day that we had extremely heavy rain. I was a little surprised that they would be out in that kind of weather, but I was pleasantly surprised at their prompt response.
Rhonda Carroll also told me that replacing the bulbs didn't correct the problem and it appeared to be a wiring issue. She informed me that they had requested the blueprints for the project to trace out the wiring and they were working to correct the problem.
A few days later I received a voice mail from Rhonda Carroll that I should save to show people how business should be done in Hartford. She left a message that said "Mr. Brookman, this is Rhonda Carroll from Public Works for the City of Hartford. We Have found the wiring problem and the issue has been corrected. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.".
I was happy and the people who complained to me were thrilled that someone had actually taken action and the issue was resolved. That's not common in Hartford government.
She probably regrets that she asked me to let her know if there was anything else she could help me with. The next request from a resident came a few short days later. A resident complained to me about a dead tree on City property in front of their home. The resident had called 311 and the City repeatedly with little response or results. They felt the tree was in danger of falling and causing injury or damage to vehicles parked on the street.
I was impressed with Rhonda Carroll's response the previous week so I called her again last Wednesday about the tree. She took the information down, called me the next day to verify the address. I spoke to the homeowner today and he was very happy that the tree had been cut down Monday and the problem was addressed. Even though he had tried for a while to get it done, he was impressed with the quick response from Rhonda and the DPW. Three days from the call to problem solved.
Rhonda Carroll is not only a City of Hartford employee, but she is also a City of Hartford resident. I'm not sure what makes her so responsive, but just maybe she gets it and realizes that residents of the City deserve a timely, prompt and most importantly a polite and courteous response. These are her neighbors she is helping, the same neighbors she meets on the street, in the grocery store and at city restaurants.
Maybe we should disband 311 and find a few more Rhonda Carroll's.
Jason Negron was profiled in Sunday's Hartford Courant as a person wanted by the Hartford Police Department for allegedly sexually assaulting a 14 year old family member.
The Courant reported that:
HARTFORD — — Police are looking for a man who they believe raped a 14-year-old family member in the fall of 2009 and is evading arrest.
Police say that Jason Negron, aka "Drops," 30, of Hartford is addicted to crack cocaine and heroin and knows that police have an active felony warrant for his arrest.
Negron is 5-feet-10, 175 pounds and has noticeable teardrops tattooed on his left check, near the corner of his left eye.
Police say that he frequents the Frog Hollow, Barry Square and Bellevue Square neighborhoods to buy drugs, but that he may be in New York, where he has family members.
Negron has suicidal ideations and a history of firearms and drug arrests, according to police. Extreme caution should be taken by anyone coming into contact with him.
Police ask anyone with information about Negron's whereabouts to call 860-757-4342.
On Monday afternoon, community members called the Hartford Police to report that Negron was walking north on Maple Avenue. Officers responded and according to sources, Negron was located inside a bodega with a hoodie pulled over his head trying to keep himself from being recognized. Apparently that "clever disguise" combined with the teardrop tattoos didn't work too well and officers promptly took him into custody
Another good example of the community and the police working together.
Yesterday I got one of those "chain" type e-mails regarding Congressional reform. Normally I would just have deleted it, but it actually seemed to make sense.
With the approval ratings for Congress at an all time low, and the "anti-incumbent" backlash seeming ready to take its toll November 2nd, these ideas really make sense.
Since this would affect politicians, the same politicians who make our laws, I doubt it would go anywhere, but it just seems to make sense.What do you think?
This is the text of the e-mail below:
If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.
THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!
**********************************
CONGRESSIONAL REFORM ACT OF 2010:
1. Term Limits. 12 years only, one of three possible options below:
A. Two Six-year Senate terms B. Six Two-year House terms C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms
2. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when he/she is out of office.
3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.
4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/11. The American people did not make these contracts with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators who serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.
The Hartford Courant and Fox CT have teamed up to help in the fight against breast cancer. You can help out by becoming a fan on their Facebook Pages. For every new Fan that signs up during the month of October the Courant and FoxCT will donate $1 to the Connecticut Chapter of Susan G. Komen. They have increased their maximum donation to $2,000.
Become a Fan and let your friends know about this by sharing the link.
UPDATE: 4:15 pm MONDAY- I tried the link to sign up on Facebook and can't seem to find the usual "send friend request". If anyone can figure how to sign up as a friend on Facebook for the Courant or Fox CT, please feel free to post it here. I tried calling the Courant and couldn't reach a human who answered the phone.
Two innocent women have been murdered as the result of gun violence in Hartford's streets over the last couple weeks. Several other women have been shot as a result of gun violence, one of them resulting in the loss of an unborn child.
If that isn't enough to spark outrage, which it doesn't seem to have done yet, the other end of the spectrum is just as troubling, if not more so.
The number of shooting attempts and people firing at Hartford Police Officers has also seen a large increase. The number of innocent women shot alarms me but the fact that some think nothing of firing at our police officers should really worry us. What does that say about our society that the thugs running our streets with guns are also willing to take the life of a police officer.
Would they think twice about shooting any of us, would they have a second thought about shooting a mother holding a baby in her arms? It seems as though the answer would be no.
I also have to say that I am troubled by the responses to these shootings also.
I realize that under the previous administration any requests for outside assistance were thought to be seen as a sign of weakness. But how much are we willing to tolerate. I would think that the areas experiencing these troubles would be blanketed with a strong police presence and enforcement of every violation seen.
Hartford has gained a reputation as a criminal free for all zone where everything goes. Shooting mothers in the head and slaughtering them in the street on Franklin Avenue to firing on a police officer with a machine gun after a robbery spree. You would think that a random bullet through another mothers heart killing her instantly as she exited a convenience store would demand a strong response from our city.
Anyone that drives in Hartford has to look no further than our city streets to realize that there is obviously little respect for traffic laws as well as gun laws and that lack of respect shows through in the lack of respect for law enforcement officials also.
If only we had some strong political leadership, especially on the State and Federal level, we could start asking for more help. But how do you ask for help when our state legislative delegation is more concerned about traveling to Paris while Hartford is in critical crisis mode. Or maybe they are too worried about saving their own skins because they are caught up in their hearings regarding their own alleged wrongdoing.
The areas of the City generating these gun crimes should be blanketed with a strong law enforcement presence. Local, State and Federal officers should be working hand in hand to take back our city. It involves relationships with the community also, but I am pretty sure that the law abiding residents of the troubled neighborhoods would welcome the police presence.
I am also sure that some would say that a heavy, no nonsense police presence is a violation of their rights. But what about the rights of people like Altanese Walker who was shot through the heart on Enfield Street and died almost instantly. Didn't she have the right to walk to the corner store and make her purchases without fear of death? What about the right of her four year old son to grow up with a mother to teach and help him become an adult?
The leadership of Hartford should be asking for help from anyone and everyone they can solicit. The Firearms Task Force, the Fugitive Task Force, The Narcotics Task Force and any other task forces currently working in Hartford should at the very least be doubled or tripled to make a stronger impact on crime in our streets.
Every effort needs to be made to get every uniformed body on the streets to patrol our streets. Too many supervisors and "white shirts" sit inside the walls of Jennings Road working Monday through Friday typical daytime hours. These people need to be on the streets overseeing what is happening. When is the last time a Deputy Chief or an Assistant Chief has been assigned to an evening or midnight shift or even a weekend shift?
Another novel idea could be implemented by our Governor. The Connecticut State Police can operate anywhere in the state that they wish, providing that they do not establish regular patrols in a city or town without an agreement. Essentially that means that the State Police could blanket Hartford with traffic enforcement and most likely find more weapons. persons with drugs and wanted persons. This makes a lot more sense than pairing troopers with Hartford Officers.
Hartford Officers know the streets and neighborhoods and who the key players are. Let Hartford Officers do what they are good at and clean up our streets. A strong message needs to be sent, but that starts with our City leaders admitting we have a problem and getting help from every corner possible, including its residents.
The outrage needs to be channeled into results, and not wait until after a police officer or another innocent mother is shot.
According to police sources, a Hispanic male reported last night that he was the victim of a mugging by two "large" black males on Baldwin Street in Hartford. The victim, who apparently didn't wish to co-operate with police or provide much information regarding the incident, also had a finger cut off during the alleged mugging.
Earlier today a resident of Cowles Street, which backs up to Baldwin Street, called the Hartford Police Department to report finding a finger in their yard.
Somehow I tend to think that there is a lot more to this story than just a simple mugging.
Sometimes we don't realize what we have in our midst, even though we drive by it a few times a day. I'm talking about the amazing facility called the Connecticut Science Center.
Tonight they held their "Green Gala" fundraiser, and it was great. The center itself is a great venue. Add to that a few hundred donors making their programs possible, food stations with everything from sushi to sliced Angus beef sliders and appletinis with dry ice added for a smoking effect( it is science , you know)and that is only the start. Performance actors dressed as birch trees, ( I know, you had to be there to appreciate it), but just imagine a large tree motioning and welcoming you into the venue and then you realize there is a human behind the outfit.
Other artists performed, reminiscent of the famous group "Stomp" except all of their music was performed on recycled buckets and construction cones. Again, you had to be there, but it had everyone in the hall gyrating to the bass and the rhythm and the sound was great. "Street Beats" performs at the Connecticut Science Center
The DJ was also incredible. DJ Kered had the crowd moving all night, young and umm, not so young, packed the main concourse to dance to the beat. And if the night wasn't interesting enough, me dancing with Hartford Council President rJo Winch had to mean the planets were in alignment or something, or maybe it was a full moon. If that wasn't enough, dancing with Hartford's Mayor Pedro Segarra to Lady Gaga was worth the price of admission in itself.
Council President rJo Winch and myself dancing, I know ,the pic is a collectors item
Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra dancing to the tones of Lady Gaga
The whole night just highlighted everything that is possible for Hartford if we come together and accentuate the positive. Many of the people weren't from Hartford, but the fact that they were willing to donate to one of Hartford's gems and spend the night downtown says something positive.
A presentation by the Connecticut Science Center's CEO and President Matt Fleury welcomed everyone to the event, but a couple of key numbers also caught my attention. Since the Center opened, over 500,000 visitors have come through the doors. I would gamble and say that is probably the highest drawing attraction in Hartford.
A second great number given by Fleury is that over 10,000 Hartford school students have visited the Center free of charge due to corporate donations.
I only wish it was possible for tonight's event to be open to everyone from Hartford. After all that we have been through and the negatives we have faced, it is great to see something positive in our midst. If nothing else we do have some great dancers from Hartford hitting the dance floor, Mayor Pedro Segarra, WFSB's Mark Dixon and Irene O'Connor, Southend leader Hyacinth Yennie, Hartford Council President rJo Winch and former Democratic Town Chair Sean Arena were just a few strutting their stuff and seemingly having a great time in our great city.
Hartford's version of Fred and Ginger, Council President rJo Winch and Sean Arena dancing the night away
It may just be a coincidence, but there seems to be a lot of positive energy happening in the last couple months and positive signs of more to come.
Maybe Hartford's motto is true "After the clouds, the sun", and maybe a good time along the way.
The Maple Avenue Revitalization Group (MARG) will meet tonight, October 14th, at 6:00PM in the basement of St. Augustine Church at 10 Campfield Avenue.
Police Chief Daryl Roberts and Public Works Director Kevin Burnham are expected to attend.
For further information, contact Hyacinth Yennie at 860-296-5543
I'm not sure if that is an attempt at a smile or the result of something bad for lunch in the picture above, but Hartford's former Corporation Counsel John Rose has landed a new job after being terminated by Mayor Pedro Sagarra after he took office in June.
Surprise, surprise, surprise though. In true Hartford style, Rose has been hired by one of the very firms he paid tens of thousands of dollars to as "outside counsel" to through the Corporation Counsel's office. Rose has been hired by the Crumbie Law Group, LLC.
Apparently Mr. Rose may have been taking some night courses though because he now claims to be proficient in areas where he was a huge failure for the people of Hartford when he was Corporation Counsel - * Municipal Litigation * Commercial Litigation * Real Estate Law * Premises and Retail Property * Personal Injury * Municipal Services * Corporate Governance * Labor and Employment Law
He seems to have overlooked "Freedom of Information" related areas. I guess he still may not be comfortable with FOI cases.
It will be interesting if Mr. Rose plays as free and loose with the resources of the Crumbie Law Group as he did with the resources of the people of Hartford. For some reason I doubt that will happen when the money actually counts.
I will eventually get to more details of the HPD Union sponsored seminar, but one of the main things discussed was the importance of police/community relationships.
The amount of mistrust between the community and the police always has surprised me. This has been a topic of conversation between myself and Chief Daryl Roberts on many occasions. The residents don't trust the cops, the cops don't trust the residents and everyone suffers.
One of my constant gripes are officers that constantly miss huge opportunities to interact with the community and let those opportunities slip by. I'm not sure if it is something that needs to be taught because it just seems like common sense.
A perfect example are the vigils held by Rev. Henry Brown after just about every homicide. I try to support Rev. Brown by attending as many vigils as possible. I would almost assure anyone that at just about every vigil there is a wealth of knowledge that could be gained into the crimes by some in attendance. Many of the vigils are attended by people that live within a couple hundred feet of the crime scenes.
The same people that live in the neighborhood and look out their windows when they hear noise or gunfire. The same people that hear the talk on the streets and know who is doing what. The same people that are afraid of the police and have no trust that they can talk to the unknown officer in the uniform.
At so many of these vigils, police officers are in attendance but they sit in their cruisers, most times with the windows rolled up. Parked at the curb while numerous potential witnesses, potential crime solvers stand feet away from them waiting to do the right thing. Unfortunately they can't do the right thing because they are afraid. Afraid of the dangerous streets and afraid to approach or even trust the unknown officer in the uniform.
At tonight's vigil at Enfield and Greenfield Streets a glimmering ray of hope was shining huge. Several officers were present. They had flyers, they were standing on the yellow line in traffic stopping vehicles, talking to people, looking for information. Other officers were walking up and down the streets going up to porches and talking to people. The television news cameras were eating it up, everyone was focused on the interaction between the police and the community.
One reporter asked me if the police always did that and I told her I had never seen it before, but I thought it was great. It was a great effort, but the bottom fell out quickly.
The vigil started and the five or six officers regrouped on an opposite corner away from the residents in attendance. They probably didn't even realize how it looked to those in attendance. What they had just made look so good a few minutes earlier now looked like business as usual once again. Maybe it isn't just common sense, but crossing the street, meeting the residents, just mingling would make a huge difference in how the police are perceived.
It isn't going to change things overnight, but we need to start working toward the mutual respect and relationships that will benefit everyone, especially Hartford as a city.
Hartford is a city with, I think, an amazing untapped resource in its residents. It is also a city that never ceases to amaze me. So far this week has been a series of emotional ups and downs when you stand back and look at what Hartford has to offer. Realizing that baby steps get things started, the HPD Union this week took quite a few steps in the seminar they offered. I wrote a little about it last night, and I have a lot more to write later.
The sad part though is that many of the Hartford officers we were sitting with at the seminar had started their work day several hours earlier. They had been called in to investigate after a 27 year old woman became Hartford's latest homicide victim. A 27 year old woman who had no thoughts of violence as she spent the evening at a newly opened club on Franklin Avenue. A 27 year old woman who from all indications was fleeing from a bar after a fight broke out inside. A 27 year old woman who was not an instigator or a drug dealer or a gang member.
Simply enough, she was a 27 year old woman shot dead in the street as the result of two thugs settling a fight after one of the thugs ran to his car to retrieve a weapon. The total disregard for human life was exhibited as a 27 year old woman had the extreme misfortune of being an innocent victim of Hartford's gun violence. A 27 year old woman who had a bullet fired by a cowardly thug strike her in the head, ending her life almost immediately.
A bullet fired as the result of a gunfight between two cowards who chose to settle their differences at the barrel of a gun. A 27 year old woman who has the misfortune of being Hartford's 18th homicide victim for 2010.
The sad part though is in asking where is the outrage? Last week a 25 year old mother of a 4 year old son was victim number 17 as she exited a convenience store in the middle of a gunfight orchestrated by more gun toting cowards. A blip on the 11 o'clock news on Channel 3, a couple inches in a column of the Courant, but still no outrage. Try that in Farmington or Avon or Vernon and see what the response would be.
The really sad part though is that postings about predator politicians dancing in their blue boxers or how many women can a potential Mayoral candidate impregnate generate all types of responses. Shoot a 27 year old woman in the head or a 25 year old mother through the heart and nothing, no outrage...nothing.
I'm just wondering, do endorsements and polls really sway voters?
It surprises me that a candidate who has said that he is not a Washington D.C. insider is trying to stand shoulder to shoulder with just about every Washington D.C. insider willing to take a trip to Connecticut. First Lady Michelle Obama has apparently announced that she will be making a campaign trip to Connecticut to support the "D.C outsider", Richard Blumenthal.
Do voters really make their decision based upon the candidate or are they swayed by who is willing to stump for them. And if Blumenthal is really not a D.C. insider, then how does the President, former President Clinton or even the First Lady feel comfortable talking about him. I know President Clinton apparently spent time with him at Yale, but those may not be the clearest memories.
And what about the debates? Is anyone really listening or is it just a good break from Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune?
And does a neck in neck poll influence your vote for or against a candidate?
Last week I received a call from Hartford Police Union President Richard Rodriguez late one evening. Now I haven't always been friendly to the Union's stance on some issues, and the call actually caught me off guard.
Rodriguez explained that he was calling to invite me to a seminar that they were offering this week and the Unions Executive Committee had discussed it and wanted me to attend. I agreed to attend.
The seminar was hosted and paid for by the Union and started yesterday at Aetna and is being attended by probably 150-200 police officers from across Connecticut and as far away as Boston PD and Cape Cod. Numerous Hartford Officers are attending as well as a large contingent from the Connecticut State Police and many municipalities. The purpose of the seminar is for police officers that investigate police related shootings.
I am one of four civilians attending and it has definitely been an eye opener. The course outlines the science behind addressing evidence and the questions police shootings usually raise in the community.
I think this is the type of course that should be offered to any community group or residents that want to learn more about what probably is one of the most inflammatory incidents that can take place in any town.
I'll post more on the course itself after we finish the seminar tomorrow, but it definitely points out a major need for some bridge building in our community and probably cities across our country. No one I have talked to has denied that a huge mistrust exists between the police and the community.
The greater question is how to we start building that trust. I think a big part of it needs to start with the Police Department and the way they communicate with the residents. It seems like the Hartford Police Union is taking a major step to be part of the solution and even though there are only a handful of us "civilians" there, it is a start.
During lunch today, myself, Hyacinth Yennie, Stan McCauley, Jackie Maldonado and Richard Rodriguez had a conversation about how to keep the process that the Union started moving forward. Some good ideas came up and we are going to start building on those ideas. Hyacinth and Jackie are also members of the Firearms Review Board.
I think it is important to start the conversation going now and start building the trust, on both sides of the issue. It is going to take the cops to understand residents and the residents need to understand the cops also. The video and materials they have presented have been an eyeopener for me and the others, and I'm already usually pretty supportive of our Police Department.
As an example, most people usually immediately make up their mind in a police shooting that a suspect shot in the back must be an execution. The suspect was running away, the threat no longer existed so why did the cop shoot? I know I'm probably not going to change minds here, but when you see the "science", it is convincing. And this isn't just propaganda to exonerate "rogue" cops, it's documented science and studies.
It is also an eyeopener to the threats Police Officers face daily. With the introduction of dash cams in cruisers and video recording almost constantly everywhere else, documentation is everywhere when a shooting takes place. If a suspect decides to shoot a cop, the officer may not even have the chance to draw his weapon in the time it takes his brain to process the threat to him. The "science" breaks these actions down in to fractions of a second, not even 2 , 3 or 4 seconds but 0.10's of a second.
Like I said, I'll post a lot more after the seminar is done, LAPD shooting investigators are up tomorrow and it should be interesting.
In the meantime, where is the media? Where is the Police Department communications people? This is something positive being done to better educate police officers and we shouldn't only hear about Hartford cops in trouble. The bridges need to be built and it starts with education like this.
I think I was as surprised as anyone as the polls keep coming out showing strong Democratic candidates losing ground and the Republicans surging ahead. I would think all the Democratic "consultants" would be huddled and strategizing and rethinking their game plans. The Republican "consultants" must all be thanking the Democrats and urging them to keep doing what they are doing.
Maybe I just don't understand this political gamesmanship, but most people I talk to are turned off by the way these campaigns work.
I have to say the Malloy/Foley numbers are a huge surprise to me. I really like Malloy and the conversations I have had with him just make you feel that he is genuine and sincere and someone that is willing to listen. I know that the majority of the time that persona can change after the election, but I think with Malloy, what you see is what you get, now and after November 2nd.
I've never met Tom Foley and have never seen him anywhere on the streets of Hartford. Maybe a wise choice on his part to avoid the political arena in Hartford without a good supply of bleach to cleanse with afterward.
Hopefully the upcoming debates will shed some more light on Foley, and Malloy for that matter, and we can see what they are about and their vision for Connecticut. I really don't care how big Dan Malloy's house is or what people in Georgia think about Foley 20 years ago. A newsflash for those that are trying to crucify McMahon and Foley for private business decisions- try to build a business and you will quickly learn that a safe government job living off the taxpayers is definitely the easier way to go.
Even the media has seemed to jump on the crucifixion. Today the Courant(among others) was hyping a story that Linda McMahon had laid off 10% percent of her employees at one point. Would it be better if she shut down and fired them all?
It was ironic that these stories were right along side another headline "Sikorsky Aircraft Eliminates 200 Jobs". Maybe Sikorsky was forced to cut American jobs because our Washington politicians allowed a huge helicopter contract for US forces in Afghanistan to go to a Russian company recently.
And let me ask an honest question here, do you really think Dick Blumenthal knew what the minimum wage amount was before they embarrassed McMahon about it yesterday? I strongly doubt it.
Then tonight I got one of the numerous negative e-mails that are sent out several times a day by "ctdems.org". If I wasn't still laughing over the earlier Hartford DTC e-mail about the fundraiser, I would have been chuckling out loud. The e-mail was entitled "Linda McMahon's Very Bad week".
Are "ctdems.org" reading the same newspapers I am? I don't think Linda McMahon could have had a much better week except if the headlines read "Blumenthal Drops Out". Blumenthal a few months ago was considered the unstoppable "heir apparent" to Dodd's seat. Now the polls show that Blumenthal has slipped so badly that he is in a statistical dead heat with that "awful" Republican wrestling lady. That sure doesn't sound like a "Very Bad Week" to me.
Then the headlines today that "WWE Defends Accepting Tax Credits". How is that bad that WWE, or any business, takes advantage of a government program that they are obviously entitled to? The article did not mention anywhere the millions of dollars that were pumped back into Connecticut's economy as a result of the WWE operations that qualified them for those same credits.I guess we should be prouder of our Financial Institutions and Wall Street that damn near sucked the life out of our economy until they received billions in bail out money, almost bringing our country crashing to its knees.
I just think people are fed up with politics in general and specifically negative campaigning. As one candidate lobs the first negative ad, the opponent retaliates with even more venom until it is totally out of control. In the end we know nothing about the candidates, what they stand for, what is their vision, why are they qualified. All we eventually know is which one can slide lower in the gutter.
I'll avoid any wrestling analogies here, I'm frankly tired of those also. (If wrestling is so bad, why would anyone know what the term "smackdown" meant, unless you were a follower). Maybe the better way to go would be a duel with pistols on the lawn of the Capitol at high noon. It would end the need for term limits and we would know that the candidates really wanted the job in the end.
Lets see some positive ads and learn what the candidates are about, not why their opponents are bad. Hopefully the poll numbers have shown the "consultants" that like politicians, they have lost touch with what is important to voters.
THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ON THIS BLOG ARE STRICTLY THAT, MY OPINIONS.After getting fed up with the lack of openness in Hartford City Hall, I decided to begin a program on Hartford Public Access Television called "WE THE PEOPLE". Through tips received we have been able to expose numerous issues that the Perez Administration would prefer to keep quiet.
Any information received is kept in strict confidence, feel free to e-mail me at krbrookman@earthlink.net or call me at 860-883-2297 with any information.
