Paul Bass Photo
Cops and social workers were at the door.
“No one’s in trouble!” one called out.
Thomas Westphall (at left in above photo), the Yale Child Study Center clinician who said that, had already seen the fear flashing on faces of people who answered the previous Winthrop Avenue doors he’d knocked on with police Sgts. Jasmine Sanders and Jarrell Lowery.
“I wish there was a badge we could wear: ‘No one’s in trouble,’ ” he remarked.
Westphall took part Monday afternoon in a two-hour canvass of Winthrop north of Whalley to check in with neighbors two weeks after a double homicide occurred on their street.
Police immediately captured a “person of interest” — i.e., someone they believe might turn out to be responsible — immediately after the incident.
Monday’s canvass aimed at helping people navigate the fallout. Officers asked neighbors how they’re feeling in the wake of the homicide. They asked specifically about the impact on people’s children. Westphall and Clifford Beers Community Care Center administrator Jacqueline Beirne spoke about services available for kids and left leaflets. Alder Tom Ficklin listened to neighbors’ quality-of-life concerns.
The police have been organizing similar canvasses in other neighborhoods recently after major violent crimes. District managers (aka top cops) come from different neighborhoods to pitch in. In addition to bringing a human face to policing, the canvasses provide officers with feedback about problems neighbors want more help with.
Top Beaver Hills cop Lt. Ryan Przybylski (at right in photo) gathered everyone outside the former Paramount Package Store (which he and neighbors organized to shut down) at the corner of Whalley to set off in two teams at 3 p.m. to knock on doors on each side of Winthrop and pop the question.
“You remember the homicide that happened a couple of weeks ago?“
Nod.
“You good?”
“I’m good.”
“The kids good?”
“My kids are good.”
A surprising number of people were home. No one specifically reported specific problems from the homicide; Westphall said people rarely do, but often follow up for help with kids being especially clingy or having trouble eating or sleeping. Pretty much of all of them, like Reagan Ryan (pictured with daughter Jordan), thanked the police for showing concern, for caring. “I think it’s wonderful you guys are checking on everyone,” Ryan said. “I love this street. All my neighbors are wonderful. I’ve never felt unsafe. At the same time, it was pretty close to home.”
Diane Curtis (at left in photo with Sgt. Sanders) told the crew about her efforts to help stabilize the block over the 31 years since she bought her home, a former drug house, through Neighborhood Housing Services. She attends community management team meetings, gets involved in community initiatives. She doesn’t feel comfortable sending her kids to the corner store because of people selling drugs and hanging out and blocking the street. “I don’t know what it’s really going to take to make it feel safe,” she said. She still sees reason to hang in and keep trying. “I feel good that we’re being proactive,” she said of Monday’s canvass.
Democratic mayoral primary candidate Liam Brennan, who tagged along after learning online about the canvass, pitched in with Spanish translation help when the canvassers couldn’t otherwise communicate with parents like Colombian immigrant Jose Luis Rodriguez (watch the translation in the above video) …
and Dominican Republican-born Vannessa Feliz (pictured), who has children aged 16, 11, 12, 4, and 5.
One of the longest chats took place with Erin Ramirez, who spoke not about the homicide, but about the challenges she has had raising her son Dominick, who was just recently finally diagnosed as autistic at the age of 13. Beirne, who also is raising an autistic child, told Ramirez about a program at Clifford Beers that will help her son while making it easier for Ramirez to get to work. Dubbing Beirne “this wonderful lady,” Ramirez said she intends to follow up with the program. Ramirez was in high spirits when the crew finally moved on. So was Dominick, pictured above with Assistant Chief David Zannelli, after he got to sit in the police cruiser and see the flashing lights.
“I get you’ve got to pick and choose your battles” when responding to citizens’ calls, and that means responding to, say, shootings before responding to complaints about dirt bikes or people changing license plates to obviously stolen cars, Alexandra Taylor-Mendez, one of the street’s active neighbors (she recognized “Zannelli” by face and name), told the officers. “But people stop calling” when they’re frustrated over a lack of response to calls.
“Your call is just as important as a shooting” even if “it might not seem like it,” Sgt. Lowery assured her.
Taylor-Mendez spoke about trying to revive the block watch, which disappeared over the pandemic. “That’s the only way this is going to be solved.”
Great idea, Sgt. Sanders told her. Zannelli suggested they stay in touch by email to keep the process going.