Tyriek’s Murder Sparks Organizing Effort

Last week they shouted their frustration in public. Tuesday night they put their heads together in private and formed a new organization to figure out how to prevent other Newhallville teens from meeting the fate of 14-year-old Tyriek Keyes.

The 75 activists, social service workers, cops, and neighbors who gathered in the Lincoln-Bassett School cafeteria to launch a ​“Newhallville Grassroots Action Plan.”

Some of them had shown up the previous week at a city press conference at the juncture of Dixwell Avenue and Munson and Orchard Streets held to discuss official response to the July 16 killing of 14-year-old Tyriek Keyes. Members of that crowd interrupted the press conference with shouted criticism of the city for not doing more. Afterwards they convened across the street for a more private confrontation/confrontation with school system youth development chief Kermit Carolina, a former Hillhouse High principal with deep roots in the community. He challenged them to become part of a solution.

“I’m proud that this is being led by the family of Newhallville residents,” Carolina said as the 75 solution-seekers got to work Tuesday night. ​“It’s not being led by [the city or] a messiah.”

Newhallville residents with expertise in various fields —including psychotherapist and restorative justice advocate Kyesha Velazquez and Gary Gates, president of the Newhallville Neighborhood Corporation — led five break-out discussion sessions. (Click here to view a copy of the group’s specific goals.)

Their findings included the need for more and stronger job mentorship programs, especially for kids in that dangerous gap between the end of school, when structure falls away and before a job is obtained.

Nijija-Ife Waters, from the citywide parent teacher organization, helmed the education group. It honed in on the need to increase the attendance of Newhallville kids in the Saturday Academies schools program. She and her interlocutors also called for a return to the ​“village” concept of parenting, in which adults each other look after the other neighborhood kids.

While there were also calls for a better Newhallville community website and better door-knocking and leafleting to get people to attend the continuing meetings — ​“You need to act like the Jehova’s Witnesses,” joked Patricia Jenkins-Simmons of Youth Continuum — participants returned to the recurring theme of connecting with kids in more and more meaningful ways.

“Talk and listen to our young people. If you say good morning two or three times, they’ll respond,” Jenkins-Simmons said.

Carolina promised that more active follow-up, with many of the participants already tasked with initiating some of the ideas articulated at the gathering.

Velazquez and Samera Reid, for example, are taking the lead in creating new forums for kids. They promised to report via email to the group within two weeks. Others in the gathering committed to bringing a group of kids to Camp Farnam. ​“The kids [in Newhallville] are hurting, and they need some healing circles,” Velazquez said.

And at the table where police Lt. Herb Johnson and Lt. Karl Jacobson sat, the idea emerged to have local Newhallville people visit the police academy and make one-on-one contact with the cadets. Johnson, who is in charge of the detective bureau, and Jacobson, who oversees the narcotics and intelligence unit, were at the meeting on their own time.

“We’re just here to help. We have the same goals as people in Newhallville. We want to reduce violence,” said Jacobson.

Tyriek’s mother, Demethra Telford, addressed the group at the beginning of the meeting. ​“I will not give up until justice is done,” she said, appealing to anyone with information about her son’s murder to come forward.

Johnson reported that the investigation into Tyriek’s shooting is ongoing. ​“We’re following all leads, and there are some good ones. We need all the help people can provide,” he said. People can all him 203 – 946-6304.

Carolina said Tuesday night’s session was just the beginning: ​“We have all been in a room where we talked and nothing was done. That will not be the case here. The facilitators have all the numbers for follow up. This is just the start of the conversation.”