The cops had progress to report on crime, but others at a Dwight community meeting, like West River Alderman Yusuf Ibn Shah (pictured), focused on the continuing “chaos.”
“We can’t live in chaos and disarray, — ¬ù Shah said at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Dwight Central Management Team at Timothy Dwight Elementary School. Shah’s comments, in reference to Dwight neighborhood’s quest to find a workable solution to violent youth crime, came as a response to the suggestions of some at the meeting that an ordinance calling for a city-wide youth curfew was only a temporary and incomplete solution to the problem. Shah recognized the need for a more holistic approach that took into account the opinions of the city’s youth. But absent any realistic alternatives, he admitted, tough decisions would have to be made.
Nevertheless, Shah remarked, while the mayor had not yet abandoned the idea of a curfew, the Board of Aldermen would likely not pass a measure that did not have the support of the majority of New Haven’s residents. Shah was hopeful that the Street Outreach Workers Program, another initiative designed to reduce youth crime, would prove a viable alternative. The program is designed to pair professionals trained in mediation and counseling with youth in the community who, in Shah’s words, are “prone to pick up a gun or cause chaos in the neighborhood. — ¬ù
In response, Gina Calder, head of the team’s Youth Committee, stressed the importance of community input into issues involving the neighborhood’s youth. Leaving everything in the hands of elected officials and the police, she remarked, encourages people to ignore the complexities of the issues the neighborhood’s youth face and to view these issues solely in terms of public safety.
While others spoke of violence in the community, Lt. Ray Hassett told a different story. He reported that the neighborhood was in good shape and that robberies were down. The police had made important arrests and were generally experiencing cooperation from the community in tackling crime.
“[We have] gotten control of major issues, — ¬ù Hassett declared. “Now we’re doing maintenance work. — ¬ù
Bill Bixby, head of the team’s Public Safety Committee, reflected Hasset’s optimism that the neighborhood was taking effective steps to reduce crime, reporting on progress made putting together a board of directors for the community’s block-watch program, set to meet sometime later this month.
But their optimism was followed by expressions of frustration from Tracy Claxton, neighborhood representative from City Hall’s Livable City Initiative. While boasting impressive figures for the number of clean-ups for which the group was responsible, Claxton reported that there were still far too many illegal dumpings of furniture occurring in the neighborhood. “Everywhere I go, there’s a dresser or a side table, — ¬ù she declared. “It’s getting crazy. — ¬ù
The meeting wrapped up with Chairwoman Florita Gillespie asking the group for suggestions on possible neighborhood projects to be funded with the team’s budget. While there was discussion of a community festival in May and a possible project to design a website, the group was relatively silent on how to spend the $2,500 at its disposal. Finally, the group voted overwhelmingly to give a letter of support for Literacy Volunteer’s request for funding. The organization, whose program and development assistant Denise Codianne delivered a presentation at the meeting, has been active in the community working to improve the literacy skills of adults with below average reading abilities.