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Wednesday, April 6, 2011

HOW DO WE CHANGE THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE?

The "you tube" link below was sent to me by a regular reader of "We the People". I hadn't heard of the documentary previously or when it was produced.Unfortunately it was filmed right here in Hartford, not Detroit, not Los Angeles, but here on the streets of Hartford.

I think too many of our leaders have their heads buried in the sand when it comes to what is going on in our City. Anyone watching this video would have to question the rationale behind possibly cutting the next class for the Hartford Police Department as the number of police officers on the street continues to decrease.

We should also be questioning the dollars that are continuously dumped into programs run by Hartford's "poverty pimps" without any, or very little,results in return.

Something is wrong when a 14 year old girl has to tell her 11 year old brother that their mother was gunned down on the street in front of their home. Where are the adults in their lives, besides their dead mother? No child should have that burden on their shoulders.

10 comments:

Billy said...

After watching this trailer it has only increased my desire to join the HPD and help the community that much more. This is the first I've heard of the city considering not following through with the 2011 academy class. The last I've seen was a pdf on the HPD website of the budget for the fiscal year 2010-11 including the funds for an academy class of 30. What a shame, I certainly hope this isn't the case.

Anonymous said...

It makes me extremely proud to live in a city where there are great organizations, hospitals, families, and communities, who are all courageous, trusting and compassionate enough to tell this story. It is a complicated, nationwide dilemma that Hartford, from a recovery, human and policy perspective, (by telling these stories) is taking leadership on. That is the beginning of improvement - of meaningful opportunity and political competency.

THE SWEETEST LAND

Anonymous said...

I agree that it would be wonderful to have more police officers on duty in the City of Hartford. I question whether having more police officers will result in a decrease in crime. The reasons for crime - joblessness, hopelessness, lack of education, poverty, and a myriad of other factors are what really need to be addressed. The Police officers Assoc. of Michigan found that the average # of officers for a city of Hartford's size is one officer for every 526 residents. For Hartford that means we should have apprx 233 officers. Does anyone really believe that by solely increasing the number of officers that the underlying problems will be put in check?

Anonymous said...

I think it is great to have more police officers on the street. However I question whether that is what is REALLY needed to curtail crime. Joblessness, hopelessness, lack of education and myriad other factors which contribute to criminal activity need to be truly addressed. The Police Officers Assoc of Michigan found that a city the size of Hartford should have one officer for every 526 residents. For Hartford that means a total of 214 officers. While it would be nice to have more officers, does anyone really believe that adding 50 more officers will curtail crime?

Anonymous said...

This is in response to Anonymous at 8:25 and 8:36's comments on a study showing how many police officers are optimum for a city the size of Hartford. The International Association of Chiefs of Police says the following:

"Ratios, such as officers-per-thousand population, are totally inappropriate as a basis for staffing decisions. Accordingly, they have no place in the IACP methodology. Defining patrol staffing allocation and deployment requirements is a complex endeavor which requires consideration of an extensive series of factors and a sizable body of reliable, current data.”

http://www.theiacp.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=LF7xdWl1tPk%3D&tabid=87

This Michigan study is of little use.

peter brush said...

Short of it: "we" can't "change the cycle of violence." Steve Goode at "CityLine" reports (http://blogs.courant.com/cityline/)that there will be a vigil tonight. Such gestures won't stop the violence, but are harmless, may serve to bolster civil society, and don't cost anything.

Mothers United Against Violence and the Rev. Henry Brown are holding another prayer vigil and anti-violence rally Friday night, beginning at 6 p.m,

This one will be held at 13-15 Thomaston St., near Keney Park. That's where Anthony Parker, 30, was found shot in a car parked in the driveway Wednesday morning. Parker died a short time later at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center. He is the city's 10th homicide this year.

Brown can be reached at 860-461-2403
--------------------------------
On the other hand, item 12. on Monday's Council agenda is pointless and costs money. Municipal government can't fix "cycle of violence," and should stop using our dough to pretend that it can.

12. Grant. Approval to grant $5,000 to the Office of Youth Services for youth violence prevention activities. (Kennedy)

(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FCjBtM9WXq7FMfTlcDset-J-IADWnHR28bomp7B2D0g/edit#)

Billy said...

Having more police officers doesn't really mean more on the street at once. It simply makes the job that every officer has a little easier. Being short 50+ officers is a major strain on the officers and can reflect in their performance and additude. I'm not saying this is why the last officer who was suspended did what he did, but it could have played a part.

Anonymous said...

Stop and think what they did in Manhattan. They put a cop on practically every corner. They busted people for everything, from jaywalking on up. And the crime rate went down to the point that tourists could feel safe. Hartford is a small city -- how hard would it be to at least put cops on the corners downtown, where the merchants want people to come after dark to shop or dine? It's about FEELING safe, and visible cops make people feel that way.

Billy said...

I agree one hundred percent. The city only has a few cops per zone (8 zones) at a time including walkbeats. If the city allowed more funds to go to the PD rather than taking funds from them, then a 'cop at every corner' could is in the realm of possibility.

Tutor Mentor Connections said...

This trailer shows a problem that is part of other big cities, not just Hartford. Today the headline in Chicago papers was of a 6-year old girl shot while sleeping in her home. I have created maps of Chicago poverty and overlay them with information showing volunteer based tutoring and/or mentoring programs available in some places but not most places. Such maps can be tools used by anyone wanting to build a wide range of prevention and employment programs or to bring people together to brainstorm ways to stem this cycle of violence. See these and other information at http://www.tutormentorexchange.net