Maya McFadden Photo
Eicker at Cove meet-the-mayor session.
Mayor Justin Elicker heard from another crowd angry about police — but this one wasn’t talking about defunding the department.
A crowd of about 50 gathered with Elicker at the Pardee Seawall in Morris Cove on late Wednesday afternoon for a meet-the mayor event. This was the second outdoor neighborhood talk Elicker has hosted recently, the first being in Newhallville.
Most of the Morris Covers present raised concerns that led back to the neighborhood’s lack of police patrolling. They asked Elicker why he cut the NHPD’s budget by $4 million when their neighborhood lacks a police presence causing issues like street racing, car break-ins, and youth out late to continue. (Elicker, during the heat of “defund the police” protests, issued a release stating the new city budget cut the department by that figure, based on the decision not to fund empty positions, as part of his efforts to balance the budget before the pandemic hit. This year’s police budget is actually $1 million higher than the previous year’s, although years of retirements and resignations have left patrols short-handed; and the Board of Alders made some of the cuts Elicker cited. Elicker argues the budget is still “cut” because 48 positions no longer exist to be filled in the future and because what would have been an automatic increase in spending was cut. Click here for a story on that.)
“We have problems here too,” said neighbor Phil Craven. “We want to see our tax money put to work.”
One neighbor asked Elicker why he didn’t make small cuts from every department instead of cutting the police’s budget.
“Cutting the police is insane,” said one resident.
“We shouldn’t defund the police we need to support them,” said another resident.
Elicker responded that all city departments’ budgets did get cut except for youth services and homeless services. “I inherited a financial mess,” said Elicker in response to the crowd explaining his budget choices while also mentioning that all police positions cut were vacant.
Craven said he is concerned that residents will take matters into their own hands if the police presence isn’t increased. “These easy fixes are going to turn to something a lot worse,” he said.
Craven suggested that the mayor could look into establishing a curfew for kids 16 and under to deter the young night stalkers in the neighborhood. Elicker told Craven that his team talked about this idea before and concluded it wasn’t necessarily a good idea and it would be complicated to enforce.
“These kids aren’t coming from other places. They are local kids from right here. Not only do we need more police but we need these parents to start paying attention to their kids,” Craven said.
“Untie The Police’s Hand”
Residents gathered by the water in a circle with Elicker, raising their hands with questions. Some brought along lawn chairs and umbrellas.
When called on by Elicker, Toni Criscuolo (above) said that she is concerned about the perception of New Haven for non-locals. Criscuolo asked that Elicker “untie the police’s hand” so that New Haven is not seen as a city where anything goes.
Criscuolo referenced the dirt-bike-riding that continues daily in the Morris Cove.
Elicker responded that current policies are in place for the safety of New Haveners. Elicker said the city is looking to control its illegal dirtbike issues with “creative solutions” like increasing ticketing which he recently proposed to the board of alders.
“If the perception is that the city of New Haven can’t control a few hundred or hundred-fifty people, then we’re in big trouble,” Criscuolo said.
Others agreed that illegal dirt biking is an issue in the area. Along with street racing and youth riding on bikes challenging cars on the road.
“Arrest the parents,” yelled out a person amongst the crowd.
Cedar Hill advocate Camille Ansley urged the frustrated crowd to not take matters into their own hands. “I’ve seen a lot of nasty violent threats online. You have to remember these are someone’s kids,” she said.
Ansley suggested the community fundraise for money to pay for plastic bumpers to be installed during the warmer months and removed in the winter to deter riders from the neighborhood.
A resident living on Dean Street complained that motorcycles and cars race down the street daily. The resident asked Elicker if speed bumps can be put on Dean Street to stop the racing.
Elicker responded that installing rotary circles is much more expensive than speed humps. He said he plans to move ahead with installing more humps, prioritizing them over circles,
Another neighbor argued that speed humps won’t work because bike riders use them as ramps.
“Hoodlums” Harass At Krauszer’s “Dump”
Ann Dielsi (above right) asked the mayor to increase the neighborhood police presence because she doesn’t feel comfortable walking from her Concord Street residence to Krauszer’s Food Store because “the place has become a dump.”
The crowd agreed that the shop is both unsafe and unsanitary. Dielsi said that while at the shop she has been called names by troublemaking youth and “hoodlums.”
A member of the crowd also added that the parking lot has no lights at night, making the shop a hotspot for illegal activities.
Tony Gogliettion asked Elicker if such problems can be fixed by allowing civilians to assist police with neighborhood issues. Elicker said he does not support that idea, out of concerns for safety. Elicker encouraged the residents to continue to call in crime and issues around the neighborhood to the police and other city officials like himself.
Residents yelled out loud from the crowd how long they’ve lived in New Haven. Many’s responses were decades if not lifelong: 33 years. 38. 44. 48,
John McDonough (above) asked Elicker if New Haven high school’s fall sports will continue this season after the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) voted for fall sports to be allowed. The mayor informed McDonough that New Haven sports teams will not be allowed any contact practices or games, at the request of the city health director. Elicker said only no-contact conditioning will be allowed.
McDonough;s son was supposed to start his football season on Monday for Wilbur Cross. “If it’s not safe I understand. But I just don’t get then why are Hamden, North Haven, West Haven playing then?” he said.
Linda McDonough, Morris cove resident and teacher in Bridgeport, urged her neighbors to seek out local learning initiatives for kids for the school year like one Howard Blau of the East Shore management team is organizing, for youth to be read Shakespeare works together via Zoom.
Neighbors also suggested for Elicker to let parents decide if they want to send their kids back to school or keep them home this school year. One resident suggested that the city allow for small neighborhood schools to be formed for students to alternatively attend.
A resident also brought up to Elicker that there was a recent 1,000 person gathering around 1 a.m on Long Wharf. Residents complained that they can hear music and partying from the large gathering from across the water each weekend.
Elicker responded that issues about Long Wharf are on the city’s radar but have been difficult to manage. Elicker said dozens of tickets are issued to those who park illegally on weekends, and the city has asked vendors in the area to close earlier.
“One guy with one sound system can keep 500 people awake,” said a resident.
Elicker added that the city has been focused on dealing with the recent uptick in violence before noise issues.
Bishop Jim Curry joined the gathering to share about the organization Swords into Plowshares, which turns guns into gardening tools to stop gun violence. Curry offered Elicker a gardening spade made form a shotgun barrel. (Read more about that effort here.) Curry said he hopes to share about the organization at other neighborhood gatherings around New Haven in the near future.
