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Monday, February 20, 2017

MORE ON THE OFFICE OF CHILD ADVOCATES REPORT

It is very rare that I post someone else's writing here, but this posting is from Dr. Aaron Lewis, who has been involved in this abuse incident from the beginning.

Dr. Lewis originally called me asking for help reporting this incident, at which time I contacted the Hartford Police Department through Deputy Chief Brian Foley and Chief Rovella. Immediately, Chief Rovella assigned investigators and within two hours, investigators were travelling to New York state , during a snowstorm, to interview the juvenile victim. At least someone took it seriously and moved quickly when the Hartford Schools and the Hartford Board of Education didn't.

Here is Dr. Lewis's posting;







There’s a war going on in Hartford’s Public School District. Several neighborhoods schools are slated to shut down despite persistent parental and community opposition. Governor Dannel Malloy must close a $1.7 billion budget deficit which will result in inevitable funding reductions to education. Malloy has proposed to reduce education aid to wealthier towns in a conscientious effort to redistribute those funds to needy urban school districts. This decision comes against the backdrop of an age old controversial conversation of whether the wealthier towns should fund poor urban districts even if its schools are consistently failing.
Even the most ardent supporters of the “redistribution of wealth formula” cannot deny that funding dysfunctional school models and funding persistently failing schools has created a fiscal nightmare that even the most skilled actuaries would have a difficult time finding a solution to. There simply aren’t enough students to meet the capacity requirements of the school buildings, yet more schools are slated to be built.  Charter schools, magnets schools, neighborhood schools all pull from the same funding sources, which is not only a failed initiative but has created a financial burden on the city, the state, and even the federal government. Yet we continue to do the same thing, expecting different results; Einstein’s formula for insanity.
In the middle of this mess, Dr. Beth Schivano Narvaez, Superintendent of the Hartford School district decides to abandon the ship in arguably the worst crisis in Hartford’s public school history to accept her “dream job” to lead a U.S. government education initiative in Korea and Japan. Her fellow board members, including the chair, Attorney Richard Wareing did not remind her of her inaugural and assuring promises that she vowed when she accepted the more than $250,000.00 annual position that she would faithfully serve the children and families of the City of Hartford. Instead, everyone gave her a well-wishing send off, during a bloody war in our school district. No one held her accountable.
On Friday, February 10, 2017, amidst these dire concerns, the Office of The Child Advocate for the State of Connecticut released a 76-page report of findings regarding compliance of Hartford Public Schools with State Laws Regarding Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect.  What did they find? They discovered that for more than a decade there has been compounded reports of neglect and abusive behavior toward Hartford’s children. This report was sparked by the tip from human rights activist and child advocate Dr. Aaron Lewis concerning alleged sexually implicit behavior between a high-ranking Hartford Public School administrator, Eduardo “Eddie” Genao who subsequently resigned and was arrested on a felony, Risk of Injury to a child for sending sexually explicit text messages to a 13-year-old child.
The recently appointed, since December 9, 2016 acting superintendent Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, has been given the challenge to respond to this report and these multiple abuses many of which began, while she was a college student at UCONN.  Dr. Torres-Rodriguez has fortuitously and continually stated that she will do all that she can to deal with this issue, even to the point of admonishing teachers and school staff that if they “see something” and fail to “say something” they will be held accountable. While, I believe wholeheartedly that Dr. Torres-Rodriguez has the best interest of Hartford’s children at heart, I also see a bloody yet familiar handwriting on these walls, one of which she may not be aware.
When this crime involving Genao was initially committed, Dr. Torres-Rodriguez was not the interim superintendent, and did not have any authority to reprimand high ranking employees. However, Rich Wareing, the board chair, a local attorney and partner at his firm, was fully aware of these allegations as he was given a tip 13 days before things turned criminal, yet chose not to respond or take any solid action to prove to Hartford’s constituents that the safety of the children was his primary concern.  Instead, Wareing deflected and abrogated his responsibility by ignoring the email, apologizing for not seeing the email, and then continuing to cover-up the then Superintendent and her appointed chief of staff, Dr. Gislaine Ngounou for their neglect.
The bloody trail continues. Now, “the system” has used a familiar tactic of shifting the blame from whom it squarely belongs to implicate bystanders, to once again cover up their decades-long crimes of child abuse. The system has chosen scapegoat, Dr. Torres-Rodriguez to lead this army as its Commander in Chief, in a bloody war that includes the teachers, the parents, and the ultimate casualties—the children. No one seems to ask the obvious question, why is Dr. Torres-Rodriguez responding to any of these concerns? She was unaware of these reports? When the United States House of Representatives held the Benghazi hearings, President Barack Obama didn’t speak to the matter at all. Secretary Hillary Clinton spoke to the matter as it was her responsibility as Secretary of State to answer for the lives of those lost. That is called accountability.
Neither the two-time board chair, or any board member until now has publicly said one word about the allegations concerning Eddie Genao. Yet, they’ve cleverly chosen Dr. Torres-Rodriguez to become the sacrificial lamb to cover decades of systemic corruption at the Hartford Board of Education, an evil yet clever move. As a scripted speaker, she continues to urge teachers and staff to “report, report, report.” Yet, it is crystal clear that proper reporting has never been the real issue at all. There is no lack in reporting incidents or even filing reports for that matter. If people weren’t reporting there would not be a 76-page report of findings from the OCA. So then, dozens if not hundreds of people are reporting. Dr. Aaron Lewis reported on Eddie Genao.
Watch what happened. Instead of the OCA commending him for stopping child abuse, they alluded that he should have reported sooner, even though the local authorities made it clear that had he reported it sooner, Mr. Genoa would have never been arrested as the evidence a mere 13 days earlier was insufficient to get a judge to approve a search warrant to provide enough evidence for an arrest and a possible conviction. This is a classic tale of “wag the dog.” What happened for more than a decade when reports of incessant abuse were filed? Why weren’t they dealt with? Why didn’t the public hear about these abuses until now? They were obviously written down and filed otherwise the OCA wouldn’t have been able to compile such a sickening report.
What happens when someone abuses or neglects a child? Protocol should be to inform the Department of Children and Families. Unfortunately, that is not the first response for HBOE employees. They choose to deal with all matters internally first as to cover it. It is reported, it reaches the legal department of which Attorney Jill Cutler Hodgman has direct oversight. Hodgman, who has been with the HBOE since 2002 and has been its Chief Labor and Legal Counsel since 2010 has the responsibility of reviewing all reports and issuing appropriate reprimands and consequences for suspect and illegal activity in Hartford Public Schools. In 15 years, under several different Superintendents of Schools Mrs. Hodgman has been the only consistent and permanent figure throughout all of these report of findings, yet no one has questioned her or investigated whether she had appropriately done her job.
No one questions the legal department, not the mayor, certainly not the board chair, or the board. So, consider this, if the corruption stemmed directly from years of illegal covering-up, possibly falsifying and destroying documents and reports from parents and teachers; who then could demand that Mrs. Hodgman and the entire legal department become accountable and truly transparent?  For the past decade and a half, that answer has been no one. The issue is not and has never been lack of reporting! People have been shouting from the rooftops for years. Dr. Torres-Rodriguez must understand that people have been reporting for 20 years or more. According to a Channel 3 News report, a former office secretary at Sports and Science Academy reported that Eddie Geneo was kissing a girl inappropriately and passionately. She was fired. Yet this same system bizarrely continues to encourage people to speak up.
Genoa’s defense concerning his passionate kissing technique was that he used the same technique on all young girls even his own daughters. Perhaps that made the situation better from the legal department’s perspective. When that report was filed, Genao wasn’t fired, but rather promoted by Superintendent Dr. Steven Adamoski. The secretary was fired for reporting and Genao was promoted. Understand, reporting wasn’t the issue. The issue was that the report was inappropriately handled, and swept under the carpet by legal, since the primary interest of the legal department and the board members is NOT the children as they tirelessly claim. Their interest and loyalty is clear—TO PROTECT THE INTERESTS OF THEIR COLLEAGUES, of which, they do a remarkable job.
If HBOE legal didn’t want OCA to discover these horrific and repeated reports of child abuse, then they should have destroyed the evidence, which of course, would have be illegal. However, that would have made a bit more sense. It’s like a drug dealer who keeps meticulous records of every transaction yet denies that he sells drugs when confronted by the police. This is outrageous! The problem has gone on too long and this war has costed far too many lives. Instead of the board members taking a stand and confronting the evil actions of Mr. Wareing, they continue to meet twice monthly and act like everything is fine, despite witnessing a bloody field of abuse of Hartford students right in front of them.
Accountability is the issue at hand. No one is accountable yet central office uses “accountability” as the buzz word of choice to fool teachers and parents into believing that they care. When the incident with labeling special needs students with stickers happened at SAND school, did Mr. Wareing lose his Chair position? No. Did the then Superintendent Schivano-Narvaez lose her job? No. Did the board hold them accountable for their lack of leadership? No. Did Jill Cutler Hodgman warn the school of the high-stake risks to the district with regards to such discriminatory practices and violating civil rights? No. Why? Because accountability is a farce at the HBOE. It isn’t real. It’s an illusion, one that unassuming parents and teachers have gullibly believed for decades.
OCA report of findings determined Dr. Lewis who is a humanitarian, publisher, child advocate and spiritual leader and has never held a position with Hartford Board of Education, as a mandated reporter. Yet the same report does not charge any high-ranking Chief, Executive Director or Central Office Worker with the same mandate since they do not have direct access to children. This “lack of accountability” created the atmosphere and continues to create the environments conducive for repeated child abuses; sexually, psychologically, physically, and verbally. If the leaders are not mandated, then by virtue of their immunity from such mandates make them the easiest candidates to victimize the children, since they are insulated from indictable consequences. If in fact, they are not mandated to report by law then such a law is unjust in nature and ensures a continuous platform by which these abuses will continue to occur.
The Final Battle
Now the stage has been set for the final battle, one in which no one wins. This battle is the battle that Wareing and his political buddies are allowing to happen because it exempts him and his friends from personal and careful examination. The teachers in the district are not the problem! Yet the language being used in the local media makes it appear that in order to fix the problem in Hartford schools, we must make teachers more accountable. Teachers must snitch on fellow teachers. Students must tell when things are not right. This is another classic “wag the dog” approach to shifting the blame on the teacher, thus creating a hostile environment between teachers and parents while an entire conscious-less board goes free again, failing to address concerns that are crucial to the life of this school district.
In the spirt of the French physician and prophet Michel de Nostredame, widely known as Nostradamus, I predict that if someone does not exercise courage to end this battle ensuing between teacher and parents, and confront the corruption in central office, that that the City of Hartford, will suffer greatly and Mayor Bronin will not be able to contain the situation. Teachers are daily on the frontlines, and to disrespect, dishonor and disguise this problem as one that they produced is a lie and an insult to those who educate our children. To the cowards that hide during times of crisis, the school principals are not the problem either. While there have been incidences of principals who did not properly act in certain matters, as were teachers who improperly acted in certain matters, these incidences are NOT the norm but rather the exception.
The only “constant” that has endured for nearly two decades is the cover up, and the lack of accountability by people who were set in place to protect and serve our children. The Office of the Superintendent since the time of Dr. Schivano-Narvaez going back 10 years ago to the beginning of the OCA report, should be in question. Every board member serving during those superintendent tenures should be in question concerning their response or lack thereof to these findings. An entire legal department who has consistently ignored the hundreds of reports filed with them should not only be investigated but should be charged with neglectfulness and possibly criminally. That is accountability!
My Promise to You
Teachers I’m fighting on the sidelines for you. Principals keep doing what you do. School staff don’t be afraid to bond with the students in fear that you will be charged with inappropriate conduct. Continue to lead, to love, to mentor, and to challenge Hartford’s students to be and become all that they can be. If no one stands up and tells the truth, stop passing off responsibility, stop forcing Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez to speak to issues of which she doesn’t have proper understanding, and stop creating a war between teachers and parents—I predict that this will be the war that ends all wars—A Fight Where No One Wins.
Dr. Aaron Lewis, Ph.D.

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

IT'S OFFICIAL ,OFF INTO THE SUNSET

Despite  some half -hearted efforts to salvage the HPD Mounted Unit, tomorrow is the unit's final day. As the old saying goes, where there is a will, there is a way, but apparently the will wasn't there by the Bronin Administration to save what may be HPD's best public relations tool.

How much more our identity as a City are we willing to sacrifice, Riverfest, cultural events and now the HPD mounted unit. How many of our corporations had been contacted for help. One high ranking official from a local corporation that I spoke with stated they would have been more than willing to help but they had "virtually no communications from Mayor Bronin or his staff", Sad.

According to sources at HPD, the remaining two horses, Daley and Toohey have been donated to the Connecticut Governor's Horse Guard unit, who will take over the maintenance and care of the horses. Apparently, the other equipment (saddles, trailers, vehicles, etc)as well as the stables will be kept by HPD on the hopes that if and when police staffing  gets back to proper levels, the unit can be reconstituted.

Despite campaign promises by Mayor Luke Bronin to hire as many as 70 officers in his first year, no officers have been hired yet. Bronin is now in his second year as Mayor. As of June of this year, HPD may be short more than 145 officers


DUI CHECKPOINT FRIDAY

BEATING THE WRONG DRUM

Let me say this right up front, police corruption and abuse in any form is wrong, no matter what the reason. Let me also say this,  I think I can honestly claim that very few people in Hartford have done more to expose and get the facts on police misconduct in our City than I have. It also seems unusual that many Hartford Police Officers are in my circle of friends because they appreciate what I do.

Just go back and read the archives of this blog to find numerous examples. One example is the police officer who had no problem running around the Foxwoods Casino yelling the "N"  word. That one took some work to eventually get the videos and incident reports from the Mashantucket Police, but I finally did and that officer was terminated from HPD. The lobster thief Police Officer was another one. But I get my facts and look at those facts objectively, and try to get the right thing done.

No self respecting police officer condones bad behavior. When I recently posted video of the June 4, 2016 incident I showed it to a few police officers first before I posted it. Not to get their approval, but more to see what their thoughts were. I was surprised that all of the officers urged me to post the video because the behavior was over the top of acceptable force to effect an arrest.

One officer even went so far as to say that those officers that would engage in such behavior were a liability to every good officer that conducts themselves properly and they did not want to be drawn into a mess created by officers that cross the line.

I was somewhat dismayed, and yes aggravated , by the behavior of one Hartford City Councilwoman last night and the audience comments.

I fully understand it is popular to bash all police officers now a days, and it also isn't popular to defend good cops. But where will we be without their efforts and full cooperation with the community?

I said I was dismayed and aggravated by the actions at Monday's Council meeting, not because of what was being said, but more of what was not being said. Not one person acknowledged that the entire investigation into the June 4th incident was started by Chief Rovella and others at HPD after they were clearly concerned by evidence of the potential force used during the arrest. It wasn't a member of the community, it wasn't the arrestee, it was members of the very police department that were questioning the actions of some of their own. That doesn't sound like the makings of a conspiracy or cover-up to me

 It was more about creating more mistrust in our police officers by unleashing a phony conspiracy theory that Mayor Bronin and HPD were getting rid of members of the Civilian Police Review Board and trying to portray abuse and corruption as running rampant in HPD..

The fact is that a group of lapdogs that couldn't even make enough noise over the years to get their ranks fully filled, maybe don't have the organizational skills needed to be productive. Why is it that they could find their way to the media, and at least one Councilwoman, when they felt they were being targeted for dismissal, but couldn't use those same means to get moving in a positive direction? Politics pure and simple and politics at its worst.

And where is the complaint on the June 4th incident for the Civilian Review Board to investigate? The answer is that there isn't one. The CPRB is overstepping its bounds and creating an incident to bring relevance to themselves. If there is such a backlog of cases as they claim, then what are they doing to bring justice to the people who have actually taken the time and effort to  file complaints with them?

 And what authority does the CPRB have to follow through on an investigation? Do they have powers of arrest? Can they file charges above and beyond what the State's Attorney, the Connecticut State Police and potentially HPD Internal affairs can do? The answer is NO.

And as to the issue of the Police Officers who did not volunteer statements during the investigation, go back and read the Constiitution. Although we may not agree with it, Police Officer's do not give up their protection and their Constitutional rights when they accept a badge and a gun.

We should expect our politicians and so called "community leaders" to be doing everything they can to build relationships and trust between our community and the police, not tearing  them down

Saturday, February 11, 2017

CLOSING IN ON 2 MILLION VISITS

That little counter on the right is clicking away, and it looks like this may be the week We The People hits 2 million visits.

Thank you for your continued support, readership and information that has made this blog so popular.

HERE WE GO AGAIN

PARKING BAN:
A City wide on street parking ban will be implemented for the approaching winter storm. The Parking Ban begins Sunday, February 12th at 11:00 a.m. and continues to Monday, February 13th at 8:00 a.m. Coordinated Police enforcement will begin Sunday, February 12th at 3:30 p.m. Parking tickets issued during the parking ban will reflect a charge of $97.00 SNOW EMERGENCY., (plus towing fees)
During this event, the Department of Public Works will again use the “Blue Light” notification system. Blue strobe lights mounted near control signals will be activated at intersections throughout the City six hours prior to a parking ban, remaining on until the parking ban is over. In the near future, additional signs will be erected indicating a parking ban is in effect when blue light is illuminated. (Thank you to We the People for pointing this omission out)
Below is a list of off street parking areas provided by the Department of Public Works where motorists are encouraged to park while the parking ban is in effect. Also listed are school lots. Please note that vehicles parked in school lots must be removed within the three hours following the end of the parking ban to allow snow removal from schools.

130 Sisson Ave.
2404 Main St.
135 Main St.
50 Curcombe St.
20 Francis Court
60 Chadwick St.
11 Flower St.
Colt Park - Warwarme St. Lot
Elizabeth Park - Asylum St. Lot
Elizabeth Park - Prospect Ave. Lot
Goodwin Park - Hubbard Ave, Lot
Goodwin Park - Maple Ave. Golf Course Lot
Keney Park - Woodland St. Lot
Keney Park - Ridgefield St. Lot
Rocky Ridge Park - Zion St, Lot
Thomas J. Hyland Memorial Park - Ansonia St. Lot
Foster Heights Park - Amherst St. Lot
Holcomb Health Services Campus - 2 Holcomb St. Lot
North End Senior Center - 80 Coventry St. Lot
Parker Memorial Community Center - 2621 Main St. Lot
Metzner Recreation Center - 680 Franklin Ave. Lot
School Lots:
Barbour School (J&MA) 150 Tower Ave.
Bulkeley 300 Wethersfield Ave
Bellizzi (Asian studies) 215 South Main Street
Batchelder School 757 New Britain Ave
Betances School 42 Charter Oak Ave
Breakthrough 1 290 Brookfield Street
Burns Elementary 195 Putnam Street
Burr 400 Wethersfield Ave
Capital Prep 1304 Main street
Clark 75 Clark Street
Classical Magnet 85 Woodland Street
Dwight 585 Wethersfield Ave.
Lewis Fox Middle School 305 Greenfield Street
Fisher 280 Plainfield Street
Hartford Magnet Middle School 43 Vernon Street
High School Inc. 275 Asylum Street
HPHS 55 Forrest Street
Hooker 200 Sherbrooke Ave.
Kennelly 180 White Street
ML King 25 Ridgefield Street
Kinsella 65 Van Block Ave
Mark Twain 395 Lyme Street
McDonough 111 Hillside Ave
MD Fox 470 Maple Ave
MD Fox Swing 245 Locust Street
Milner 104 Vine Street
Mt. Laurel 121 Cornwall Street
Moylan 101 Catherine Street
Naylor 639 Franklin Ave
Opportunity 875 Asylum Ave
Parkville 1755 Park street
Pathways 184 Windsor Ave
Quirk 85 Edwards Street
Rawson 260 Holcomb Street
Sanchez 176 Babcock Street
Sand 1750 Main street
Simpson Waverly 55 Waverly Street
Sports Medicine 280 Huyshope Ave.
Univ. Sci & Eng. 351 Mark Twain Dr.
Webster 5 Cone Street
West Middle/ Annex 927 Asylum Ave
Wish 350 Barbour Street
Weaver 415 Granby Street
Adult Ed. South 110 Washington St.