INNER-CITY NEWS

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June - 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

More thanJustice 50 years later andat still soNAACP much to be done Financial a Key Focus 2016 Convention INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016

New Haven, Bridgeport

INNER-CITYNEWS

Volume 27 . No. 2391 Volume 21 No. 2194

5,000 March

“DMC” Color Struck?

Malloy Malloy To To Dems: Dems:

Ignore Ignore“Tough “ToughOn OnCrime” Crime”

Ending Systemic Racism Starts Young, Experts and Parents Say

Snow in July?

Youth Leaders PushUS ON FOLLOW 1

1

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

June 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

5,000 March For Racial Justice

by THOMAS BREEN, MAYA MCFADDEN, COURTNEY LUCIANA & SAM GURWITT New Haven I ndependent

New Haven teens led the way as thousands poured into the streets of New Haven to demand racial justice, an end to police violence, and a move from funding cops to funding schools and communities.

It was the latest protest in New Haven and nationwide sparked by the killing of African-Americans by law enforcement, most recently the Memorial Day death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The event ran four hours, turning out an estimated 5,000 people in a mix of determined demands for change and celebration of peaceful protest with a new generation at the helm.

The crowd gathered on the Green at 3 p.m. Members of the Citywide Youth Coalition read a list of demands that included switching $33 million of police department funding to schools and social needs; eliminating school resource officers (cops); “ending the triple occupation of New Haven” by Yale, Hamden, and New Haven police.

“Y’all are amazing. Look at this city!” declared Ala Ochumare (pictured) of Black Lives Matter New Haven. “This is a peaceful uprising. This is not a riot. We are out here demanding our liberation for all people.”

Veteran protest organizer Norm Clement urged those in the crowd to write the phone number 203-896-7221 on their arms in case they get arrested. The number is for the National Lawyers Guild.

“They will contact the CT Bail Fund. And we will come and get you,” he said.

Then, after a moment of silence, the crowd took to Elm Street down State Street and points beyond. It appeared that hundreds were turning into thousands of marchers.

By the time it reached Cafe Nine at State and Crown, the line of marchers extended back to Elm Street.

“That’s how big this movement has grown!” Ochumare declared as marchers up front sang, “We’re going to be all right!” danced in place, and waited for others to catch up.

“We don’t leave nobody behind!” declared Youth Coalition organizer Addys Castillo“We’ve got plenty of time! ... We’re going to stay here and take up all the space we want to take up. ... We’re shutting this shit down right now!”

Yale medical students stood outside the closed nightclub to distribute face masks to marchers.

“Hands up…” a call-and-response chant began as the march resumed toward the police station ...“... don’t shoot!”

The head of the march arrived outside police headquarters at 1 Union Ave. at 3:57. Ochumare called forward “white folks and marshals” to plan next steps.

The strategy was to put white people up front and throughout the crowd so they

Thousands gather on the Green at the start of the march.

COURTNEY LUCIANA PHOTO

Kharisma Redding in crowd outside police HQ: “This is every black princess’s dream come true.”

COURTNEY LUCIANA PHOTO

2

would share in any attacks.

“Use your privilege!” called one marcher.

Unlike at a protest Sunday, the marchers were not greeted by a phalanx of officers guarding the platform by the station’s entrance.

A tent was set up. And off to the side stood Police Chief Otoniel Reyes and his assistant chiefs.

As the crowd assembled for a rally, people sang Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” for Breonna Taylor.

Mayor Justin Elicker stood among the protesters at police HQ. Last Sunday, he was inside the station most of the time as demonstrators demanded he come outside, then briefly spoke with them before returning to the station. “We reflected on Sunday, and we want to make sure that the police are here to support in solidarity and to keep folks safe,” Elicker said. “We want to do everything we can not to create any sort of situation that might escalate. I think we’ve all got to listen, right?”

Amid speeches, Ochumare reminded the crowd that this was a youth-led peaceful protest. She directed “rabble-rousers” with different agendas to leave.

“This has been a dream come true. This is like every black princess’s little dream coming true,” said Kharisma Redding, who grew up in New Haven and lives in the Hill neighborhood, as she joined in the chanting outside the police station. “We are for the liberation of our people. We are for the freedom of our people. People like me, our ancestors never stopped telling us what the truth was. We belong here.

I know who I am. I know who we are. I’m here.”

Board of Education student member Lihame Arouna (pictured) read aloud the Citywide Youth Coalition’s rally demands again, including prosecution of officers who have killed civilians with the “full weight of the law.”

Claudette Kidd spoke to the crowd about the need for people of color to attend community management team meetings: “Join organizations. Work together. Make change.”

The protest ended shortly after 7 p.m., in a flurry of dancing, singing, and chanting. The crowd left under the overpass at Union Avenue and State Street. “No justice, no peace,” they chanted. “I can’t breathe.”

A group of about 50 protesters peeled off and briefly blocked the 34 connector, chanting “Black lives matter!” Police arrived and explained that they appreciated the protesters’ message, but that the highway needed to be cleared.

“Listen,” a fellow protester shouted to those on the highway through a megaphone. “There’s not too much more we can ask for without getting hurt. Today was a victory.” The protesters dispersed.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June - 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

Bomba Dance Party Ends Day Of Protest

by MAYA MCFADDEN

New Haven I ndependent

Protesters ended Friday’s 5,000-person Black Lives Matter march with an hour of singing, dancing, and celebration set to the sounds of bomba, a music of resistance.

Dozens circled together outside police headquarters at 1 Union Ave. to participate in the dancing, drumming, and singing, as led by Movimiento Cultural Afro-Continental (MCAC), Inc. “Racism dehumanizes all of us. But the one thing that we have as a repellent to that, that brings us light, is culture,” said Citywide Youth Coalition Executive Director Addys Castillo. “There’s no better way than to close out this powerful rally than with us sharing culture.”

Members of MCAC like Jessica Flores performed, then invited the community to join in on the dialogue between the dancer and drummer.

Protesters as young as 15 years old joined in and formed a circle of joyous dancing.

Castillo invited participants to feel the “heartbeat” of the music and the resilience guiding the music while dancing. “The dancer is not dancing to the drum. The drum is beating to the dancer,” she said.

Some protesters opted into wearing the dance skirt as they joined the dance circle.

“Being around so much support is surreal,” said Kim Stagger, 24. “It’s amazing because even when we are scared for our lives we find a way to keep calm and do this, dance and sing the pain into something.”

Zalika Thompson, Valerie Amador, Fili-

OP-ED

SAM GURWITT PHOTO

cia Haggerty, Zakiyyah Muhammad, and Vernetta Holley were a few that participated in the dance circle.

“This is how I protest,” said Whitney Brockenberry (above).

Once the dancing came to an end, Castillo led the group in a song with clapping hands and soulful voices.

“We will get there… God only knows how we’ll get there but we will…” the group sang.

Protesters also sang Happy Birthday to

Breonna Taylor, who was killed by Louisville Metro Police Department officers in March. Friday would have been her 27th birthday.

As protesters peacefully dispersed after an hour, a small group formed just beside the police headquarters to dance some more, with music playing from a Westfalia van.

“It’s not over until we can dance without a target on our backs,” said a protester.

Thank You. Now Let’s Defund the Police

by Jamil Ragland Ct. News Junkie

I recently wrote about the horrific murder of George Floyd where I questioned bothering to write an opinion piece, because better writers had made the same anti-racist points before me and had gone unheeded. This time though, America has not only answered my call, but the call of African Americans across the nation to stand up against the police brutality inflicted on us.

Therefore, I want to say thank you.

Thank you to Caroline Loewald Farnham for your fiery and passionateresponse to my op-ed where you implored white people to “STAND UP NOW, FIGHT against and OBSTRUCT racism EVERY CHANCE YOU GET.” Thank you to the colorful, diverse masses of people who have taken to the streets to demand justice. I felt despair when I wrote my last piece. After seeing the global response to Floyd’s murder and feeling the support of millions of people, I’m hopeful that this is the moment for real and lasting change.

Support authentic, locally owned and operated public service journalism!

JAMIL RAGLAND / CTNEWSJUNKIE

Black Lives Matter protestors march in Glastonbury on Sunday, June 7, 2020.

JAMIL RAGLAND

To secure that lasting change, we need to significantly defund the police. “Defunding” the police sounds like a radical idea, but only if you measure the idea against the oppressive state of policing we accept as normal. Defunding the police is about spending the massive amounts of money that flow into police

departments on other government priorities such as education, housing, mental health and the other programs which have shriveled while police budgets have exploded.

What would defunding the police mean in practice? We would have to start solving some of our own problems. We would be responsible for the welfare check on a neighbor when their door is open, so that men with guns don’t show up. We would be responsible for coordinating the resources to protect our street corners from poor drivers, instead of a system where a routine traffic stop can lead to your death. It would mean taking more responsibility for the safety of our own communities and adding more things to do to our already-busy lives, but that’s the tradeoff. There is nothing free in this world.

At the same time, we will need to demand that our local, state and federal officials spend less money on policing.

That means fewer police officers, fewer jails and prisons, and fewer purchases of military-grade equipment to be deployed against civilians, among many other cuts.

Con’t on page 07

3

DONT LET THEM COUNT YOU OUT!

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

June 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

Elders Rally 6 Feet Apart For Black Lives

by EMILY HAYS

New Haven I ndependent

Around 200 white-haired New Haveners wore face masks and stood on the Green —at least six feet apart from each other — in solidarity Monday with the Black Lives Matter movement “We wanted to offer an opportunity for people to protest who haven’t been involved so far because of the epidemic of Covid-19,” said protest organizer Melinda Tuhus.

Tuhus and fellow activist Sally Connolly came up with the idea as demonstrations have sprung up nationwide in the wake of the killing of George Floyd.

Connolly said that she has been as careful as possible during the Covid-19 pandemic.

She has already seen three friends die of the disease. Despite this, she felt it was important to counter the idea that the elderly are conservative and support President Donald Trump, which she definitely does not, she said.

The longtime activists taped 50 blue crosses on the grass near the intersection of Church and Elm streets to mark where protesters should stand. Protesters assembled in small groups of family members and members of their own household abd otherwise obeyed the social distancing directions.

Sixteen-year-old James Maciel-Andrews (pictured) attended the protest with his grandmother Eileen O’Donnell, age 77.

The Engineering and Science University Magnet School student said that he missed Friday’s march and decided to show up to Monday’s elders rally instead.

“Protesting with my family is something I’ve been doing for as long as I can remember,” Maciel-Andrews said. “Things won’t change overnight, but by showing up, we can end this vicious cycle of disenfranchisement.”

O’Donnell said that she first started thinking about police brutality when a police officer shot 21-year-old Malik Jones in New Haven in 1997.

She has wanted to go to one of the re-

Perry then introduced longtime criminal justice activist Barbara Fair.

cent rallies but worried that tear gas might spread Covid-19. She said that she has personal experience with the tactic, from when she was tear gassed several times during the Black Panther trial protests in 1970.

She is particularly worried now about Maciel-Andrews and her other grandchildren, she said.

“It’s sickening and it’s scary and we have to do something about it,” O’Donnell said, holding a sign that said “I can’t believe I’m still protesting this” in trembling hands.

Shalom United Church of Christ Rev. Allie Perry (pictured above) kicked off the rally speeches.

“I’m speaking as a white woman whose family prided itself on having a Mayflower ancestor. Yet I learned nothing about 1619,” Perry said.

Perry said that even during her political awakening during the Black Panther protests of the 1960s, she did not know the date when enslaved Africans were first brought to the American colonies.

“This speaks to the racism that has shaped

and twisted every aspect of our society,” Perry said.

Perry then handed off the microphone to be wiped down with disinfectant and given to 76-year-old Meg Bloom. Bloom read a list of names of African Americans killed by police officers as a list of activities she could do without fear as a white woman: go running, leave a party, sell CDs, go to church, have car problems or read a book in her own car. “This is reality and enough is enough,” Bloom said.

Perry took back the microphone to announce some of the principles of the protest. She said that as mostly white people, their role is to be present, center the voices of black leaders, be accountable to their agenda and use their privilege wherever possible. An example she offered was to counter lobbying by police unions by showing up to legislative sessions themselves.

“I hope this is a tipping point. It is not just a moment but a movement and we must be clear that we are in it to the end,” Perry

said.

“First of all, it’s hard to stand here,” Fair (pictured above) said. “I come here with a heavy heart.”

Fair described seeing little progress after her years of activism, of seeing only “baby steps to justice” in the legislature and of hearing people talk only about the vandalism in recent waves of protests.

“They forget that America taught all of this to us,” Fair said, describing the theft and violence involved in establishing slavery and assembling the U.S. states and territories. “It’s time we face America for a what it is. There is a chance we can still turn it around.”

Fair spoke with emotion about those killed by police, particularly in Connecticut, and asked the other protesters to feel the pain she feels when she hears the names.

Fair advocated not for the abolition of the New Haven Police Department but for its removal from schools, hospitals and other social work-focused settings.

Other demands of the rally included fully implementing New Haven’s civilian review board, removing the triple policing by Hamden, Yale and New Haven in the city, and directing funds from the police department to other local needs. Tuhus said that these demands came from other New Haven protests led by Citywide Youth Coalition and Black Lives Matter.

When Fair handed the microphone back to Tuhus, Tuhus began an eight-minute and 46-second moment of silence to remember the length of time a white police officer kneeled on George Floyd’s neck, long after he stopped breathing.

Fair and others chose to lie down, as a “die-in” form of demonstration.

Others kneeled, sat in lawn chairs or remained standing.

Mayor Justin Elicker kneeled silently, unannounced, at the back of the crowd.

When the minutes of silence ended, Tuhus said, “That’s a long time to beg for your life.”

With a few air hugs and waves, the elders

Rojas: Segregation Limits Opportunity, Prolongs Inequity In Connecticut

by Emily DiSalvo Ct. News Junkie

Connecticut ranks in the top 15 states for the least racial integration according to a 2020 study from WalletHub, and some state leaders say this divide makes it harder to have conversations about ending racism.

“All of our perspectives are shaped by where we live and where we grew up, and we live in one of the most segregated states in the country and that reflects itself in a lot of the policy that we see out there,” said Rep. Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford.

Support authentic, locally owned and operated public service journalism!

Rojas participated in a virtual forum Tuesday about the effect of systemic rac-

ism on public education hosted by Democrats for Education Reform (DFER). He said it is hard for families of different backgrounds to grow up understanding one another if they live so far apart.

“We can’t pretend to understand each other’s humanity. We don’t live next to each other, if our kids don’t go to school together, if we don’t pray together, we don’t eat in the same restaurants,” Rojas said. “Segregation has a real effective way of keeping us apart and keeping us from really understanding each other’s humanity.”

This lack of understanding of one another’s humanity has thwarted legislative attempts to reduce segregation in schools and neighborhoods in the past, Rojas said.

Con’t on page 07

CTNEWSJUNKIE FILE PHOTO

4

Rep Jason Rojas

Penfield Communications Inc

John P. Thomas Publisher / CEO

Babz Rawls Ivy

Editor-in-Chief Liaison, Corporate Affairs Babz@penfieldcomm.com

Advertising/Sales Team Keith Jackson 10 Delores Alleyne John Thomas, III

Editorial Team

Staff Writers Christian Lewis/Current Affairs Anthony Scott/Sports Arlene Davis-Rudd/Politics

Contributing Writers David Asbery / Tanisha Asbery Jerry Craft / Cartoons / Barbara Fair Dr. Tamiko Jackson-McArthur Michelle Turner / Smita Shrestha William Spivey / Kam Williams Rev. Samuel T. Ross-Lee

Contributors At-Large Christine Stuart www.CTNewsJunkie.com

Paul Bass www.newhavenindependent.org

Memberships National Association of Black Journalist National Newspapers Publishers Association Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce Greater New Haven Business & Professional Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc. The Inner-City Newspaper is published weekly

by Penfield Communications, Inc. from offices located at 50 Fitch Street, 2nd Floor, New Haven, CT 06515. 203-387-0354 phone; 203-3872684 fax. Subscriptions:$260 per year (does not include sales tax for the in State subscriptions). Send name, address, zip code with payment. Postmaster, send address changes to 50 Fitch Street, New Haven, CT 06515. Display ad deadline Friday prior to insertion date at 5:00pm Advertisers are responsible for checking ads for error in publication. Penfield Communications, Inc d.b.a., “The Inner-City Newspaper” , shall not be liable for failure to publish an ad or for typographical errors or errors in publication, except to the extent of the cost of the space in which actual error appeared in the first insertion. The Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication. The entire contents of The Inner-City Newspaper are copyright 2012, Penfield Communications, Inc. and no portion may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June - 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

Police Reformers Eye Long Game

by PAUL BASS

New Haven I ndependent

Over 70 percent of America’s police officers are white. That needs to change — especially at higher ranks.

So agreed two criminal-justice reformers who have served in the uniform and written and advised law enforcement nationally about how to diversify policing and weed out racism.

They also agreed that change will take time.

The two reformers, Lorenzo Boyd and Shafiq Abdussabur, shared their thoughts about the long game of reforming policing on an episode of WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven” program, against a backdrop of nationwide protest sparked by the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis officer.

Boyd, a former sheriff and corrections officer, directs the Center for Advanced Policing at University of New Haven. Abdussabur, a retired New Haven cop, runs a contracting business in town. Both have led training for local and federal law enforcement agencies and published books and articles on racial reform of policing.

They agreed on “Dateline” that America needs not only more beat officers of color, but also more top decision-makers, both in police and in government and corporate suites, if it hopes to change the law enforcement culture.

“If we’re going to serious about fixing this,” more African-Americans need to be in the room when decisions are made, Abdussabur argued.

Boyd noted that since 2016 the country has seen an increase of female chiefs and chiefs of color, including in Minneapolis.

But they can’t immediately root out biased culture or practices that go back generations.

“We’re talking four years,” Boyd said. “It

Telehealth.

Care, wherever you are.

THOMAS BREEN PHOTO

Protest march Wednesday in New Haven.

is not going to change overnight. The culture of policing is like a battleship,” and doesn’t “turn on a dime.”

Another key to long-lasting change is holding officers more accountable for misconduct, they agreed. Boyd argued that “police should be held more accountable than the rest of the community” for misdeeds.

Boyd spoke about how his heart drops when he participates in training sessions for local police departments and cops are told how each call might be their last. That sets the wrong tone about how to view the community, he argued.

In New Haven, Boyd’s center has worked with Hillhouse High School to start developing “empowered, impassioned” future cops.

The two also addressed policy questions. Abdussabur called for Connecticut to institute a statewide use of force policy for all local departments, as well as con-

sistent rules for motor vehicle stops, so that African-Americans know what to expect when they travel from town to town.

Boyd spoke of the need to keep a focus on getting cops out of cars to walk neighborhoods and get to know people. He acknowledged that a city like New Haven has trouble doing that when it is down 100 officers and faces budget cuts. Ultimately, though, policing won’t change unless cops become more a part of the community rather than simply respond to 911 calls, he argued.

“Community policing has failed black people” with the continuation of fatal assaults on unarmed citizens, Abdussabur argued. “You can’t sell it to anybody anymore. ... You need a new policing model,” crafted not just for, but by people of color.

Click on the video to watch the full episode of WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven” with Shafiq Abdussabur and Lorenzo Boyd.

Many of the influencers have been sharing their faces on social media to celebrate while also spreading the word about maskwearing to their audiences. The influencers’ shares have ranged from taking pictures in front of the billboards to shooting music videos in front of them.

The campaign used community influenc-

ers of color to pose and spread the word particularly to black and brown residents, whose communities have been hit the hardest by the coronavirus.

“People are excited to see other people that look like them on billboards. It’s not something that happens every day,” Jefferson said.

Using trusted and influential community members for the campaign can spread facts in a respected, powerful, and culturally relevant way, Jefferson said.

The other billboard posters are displayed on Whalley Avenue, Dixwell Avenue, State Street, Humphrey Street, Quinnipiac Avenue, Forbes Avenue, and the Ella T Grasso Boulevard.

“We are seeing the power of using community voices and artist’s voices as activists within their own community,” said Jefferson. “We’re able to say to the intended audience that your life matters, black and brown lives matter, so please mask up.”

Need care?

Call 1-800-230-PLAN Telehealth video visits connect you to the health care providers you know and trust to keep you healthy, no matter what.

8th Billboard “Masked Up”

by MAYA MCFADDEN

New Haven I ndependent

The eighth and final billboard was put on display Tuesday for the city government’s Covid-19 “Mask Up” campaign on Middletown Avenue.

The billboard showcases a masked portrait of local musician and producer Aaron “Y.A” Rogers with the New Haven Covid-19 hotline number and the words: “Any one, any age can get the virus.”

The series of billboards displaying local influencers will stay up four weeks from the date they were posted.

“It shows that not only are they [influencers] proud of helping their community, but it also helps to spread the public health message through different channels and mediums,” said city arts chief Adriane Jefferson, who helped put together the “Mask Up” campaign.Jeff Cronin a bill poster for Outfront Media installed the final billboard Tuesday morning.

5

DONT LET THEM COUNT YOU OUT!

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

June 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

Dozens Protest Outside Good Nature Market trical violations.

On Friday evening at around 6:45, as thousands of anti-police brutality protesters marched peacefully from the Green to police headquarters at 1 Union Ave., someone allegedly threw a brick through the Broadway market’s front window, according to a Yale police officer at the scene.

The roughly 50 protesters who showed up outside the plywood-boarded market Saturday appeared to focus as much on rallying against police brutality and the murder of George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer as they were rallying against Good Nature Market’s recent racist incident in particular.

“This is a very monumental moment in history,” said New Haven native Tanya Foreman. “I feel like we all need to stand up and defend what’s right.”

When asked how she felt when she learned that Good Nature Market had denied serving a group of black customers on Thursday, she replied. “I was hurt. That was wrong.”

“That was really not a cool thing,” she continued. “But that’s part of the society that we live in. That’s what happens to black people, you understand?

“We’ve been going through this for over 400 years, and we want peace. We want to be able to live in society like everybody else. That’s why we’re out here.”

Patricia Williamson said she works in downtown New Haven, and heard about Saturday’s protest when a friend texted her that morning.

by THOMAS BREEN

New Haven I ndependent

Roughly 50 racial justice protesters rallied peacefully outside Good Nature Market on Broadway—two days after a now-fired employee turned away a group of black customers, and one day after someone allegedly threw a brick through the store’s front window.

That protest took place Saturday morning and early afternoon near the corner of Broadway and York Street.

Wearing face masks and holding signs reading “Black Lives Matter” and “Stop Police Brutality,” dozens of protesters rallied outside the shuttered and boarded up 24-hour market located at the center of the primarily Shops at Yale-owned commercial district.

Nearly every car that drove by honked in support, to which the diverse group of protesters responded with cheers.

The midday action took place two days after a now-former Good Nature Market employee turned away a group of black customers at 1 a.m. on Thursday. The group posted on Instagram about how they had been denied service but a white customer who arrived after them was able to go inside and shop.

The market’s owner subsequently fired the employee and issued an apology.

Later that same day, the city Health Department and Building Department, conducting a previously scheduled round of Covid-19-sparked inspections in the area, ordered the market closed because of a variety of health code, plumbing, and elec-

Breathing With

George Floyd

by ALLAN APPEL

Rising early, the day still quiet After a night so stormy and fraught You can almost feel the earth breathing Yet what precisely is the meaning Of that—- one of us breathes and the other cannot?

In the spring I was fearful of your breath and you of mine Now in the summer, the breathe-easier summer time Here’s a new thing each of us can no longer avoid Giving a little of our breath back to George Floyd You think if we all breathed at once beyond shouting and strife You think a new kind of breathing could bring him back to life?

He was an ordinary man struggling to be good Through his last eight minutes we understand where we stood Inhale once for George Floyd, rescue him from the dead That’s all I’m saying, that’s all I’ve said.

Share this story with others.

6

She said she was heartbroken by watching the viral video of now-former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes as he pleaded for his life, and for his mom.

“That got to me,” she said as tears began to roll behind her sunglasses. “That got to me.”

She said she hadn’t heard that Good Nature Market had turned away black customers.

“Now I will be telling all my friends to put it on Facebook,” she said.

Togi Davaa, an employee at Good Nature Market, joined the protesters outside of her now-boarded up store. She held an “All Lives Matter” sign and cheered and waved along with the rest of the group.

“Our one worker made a mistake, a very bad mistake,” she said about Thursday’s incident. “Our store is not like him.”

She said the store quickly fired the employee who denied service to the African American customers.

Just after noon, the group decided to march towards the Green, chanting, “Black Lives Matter!” while walking along the northern sidewalk of Elm Street.

A police cruiser blocked off one lane of traffic to give the marchers room to move safely.

They stopped on the front steps of the state courthouse at 121 Elm St., and collectively took a knee.

Just as when they rallied on Broadway, nearly every car that drove by honked and honked in support as the protesters cheered while looking out on the Green.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June - 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

Probate Court Doesn’t Miss A Beat

by MAYA MCFADDEN

New Haven I ndependent

The New Haven Probate court has remained functioning — while closing physical doors to the public —through the Covid-19 pandemic as it fields an increase in petitions or changes to medical code status for the ill.

This past Thursday, Probate Judge Clifton Graves Jr. had an agenda of five hearings. The hearings were dealt with via telephone while the state continues to work on the installation of the web conferencing and videoconferencing application Cisco Webex for all 54 district probate courts.

State Probate Court Administrator Judge Beverly Streit-Kefalas said a webinar training of Webex for judges was offered in April and a user guide for the public is available on the website.

Graves’s last hearing of the day involved an emergency request hearing for a petition to change the code status of a 70-yearold hospital patient to a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order by the request of the patient’s conservator of 11 years, attorney, and the hospital.

The hearing for the patient was originally scheduled for June 9. Due to the patient’s condition, it was expedited.

After a confidential medical debrief of the patients condition, who remained in the hospital for the past 20 days and is intubated and on ventilator support, Graves granted approval for the petition to change the code status to DNR. While some other courts around the state closed or partially cut back operations at the start of the pandemic, probate courts have been deemed essential to deal with matters under its jurisdiction such as conservatorship proceedings, administration of trusts and estates, name changes, decisions affecting medical treatment, and

claims involving the care and guardianship of minors.

New Haven’s probate court is the state’s busiest, said Graves.

When the pandemic struck, Chief Clerk Patrizia Clark organized a rotating schedule for the staff of 11 at the 200 Orange Street court suite to keep people safe.

The clerk’s office is staffed with a threeon three-off schedule. Each staff member keeps a distance of six feet from each other and wears a mask.

At the start of the pandemic in March the court began seeing an increase in petitions to switch DNR and do-not-incubate (DNI) orders, particularly from nursing homes.

Clark said the office was arranging five to six code status hearing a week.

In addition to cases involving seniors with preexisting illnesses, petitions involving Covid-19 cases were also filed when hospitals were dealing with a shortage of ventilators.

Graves said he keeps a focus on protecting patients’ rights, balanced with supporting public health concerns.

“It’s all about competence, compassion, and connectedness,” said Graves.

Before the pandemic Graves was open to operating as a mobile court of sorts.

At times Graves would have hearings at nursing homes and hospitals. “Now we’re sticking to remotely doing business to keep everyone safe,” Graves said.

Court petitions and supporting documents now must be mailed, electronically filed, or faxed to the court.

Graves receives a hearing list each day.

In addition to the DNR order hearing on Thursday, Graves dealt with a release of funds petition from a special needs trust.

The conservator represented the trustee, a mother seeking a $13,900 reimbursement of medical treatment cost paid out

Drone’s Eye View Of A BLM Message

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Jada and Madison (Maddy) McAulay (pictured) started a neighborhood Black Lives Matter chalk event to turn West Elm Street into “West BLM Street” for a day.

of pocket for her daughter with cerebral palsy. Graves granted permission for the release of funds petition.

Graves was accompanied by Nicholas Zebb, the court’s staff attorney, during the hearings.

The judge’s job to make difficult decisions has continued through the pandemic.

“There are no winners in many of these cases,” he said. “I made a pledge to serve the public with a thoughtful approach.”

There have also been more petitions filed with the court for custody of unclaimed individuals ‘remains by funeral homes and hospitals.

The court’s caseload has also increased because of the reduced schedule of other facilities like the mailroom due to the pandemic. The court’s mail is only picked up twice a week now, said Clark.

“This is a testament to the dedication and commitment of clerks, family specialists, and judges in the system to all people who need probate court services,” said StreitKefalas.

Con’t from page 03

Thank You. Now Let’s Defund the Police What happens to that money is a topic for another time. But the resources which are used to overpolice and harass American citizens need to be dramatically reduced.

Accomplishing this feat will require, to borrow the phrase, maximum pressure over a sustained period of time. It will require that protests continue. It will require us to participate in local government, the state legislature and Congress.

It will require us to do the hard work of civic engagement by engaging with other people’s thoughts and ideas and offering our own solutions.

The fight to end police brutality against black lives, and to ultimately defund the police, is a fight to end police brutality against all lives. The past week has provided mounting visual evidence of the brutal ways many police engage with civilians. These techniques have been practiced against the falsely characterized “violent” communities of color for generations as America buried its head in the sand. Now those techniques are being deployed against peaceful protesters of all races in Lafayette Square; against students in Atlanta; against the elderly in Buffalo. Defunding police is a necessary step to start correcting the abuses we witnessed.

Seeing so many people chant “Black Lives Matter” at protests over the last week has opened my heart to the idea that anything is possible with enough sustained work. Thank you for restoring that hope. Now let’s get to work and defund the police.

7

MAYA MCFADDEN PHOTO The judge remains in court: Graves prepares for phone-call proceedings.

Con’t from page 04

Rojas: Segregation Limits Opportunity, Prolongs Inequity In Connecticut

Senate Bill 454, which was introduced in 2019, sought to regionalize Connecticut school district functions to save state money.

Amy Dowell, Connecticut state director of DFER remembers the protests that ensued at the State Capitol after the regionalization bill was proposed. The movement, which became known as, “Hands Off Our Schools,” demonstrated some Connecticut residents’ discomfort with interacting with those outside of their immediate community.

“The loudness of it took people aback, and from my own experience I think people didn’t think there would be so much vocal pushback or anger around keeping this down,” Dowell said.

Rojas, however, was not surprised at the reaction. He noted that Connecticut, unlike other states, does not operate with county-level government, so most residents are used to operating within the microcosm of their own small town. He agreed that there is some value in local control, but he said the realities of segregation cannot be ignored.

“We are literally limiting something that everybody values, which is opportunity,” Rojas said. “That is not taking place for too many of our students, whether they are black and brown in our cities or poor and white out in eastern Connecticut, and we have to have a very frank and honest discussion about that.”

Dowell said that the local control that the Connecticut government is built on also makes it hard to advance affordable housing legislation that would also help to integrate Connecticut. Rojas said that politically, these are hard changes to make.

“I have been working on affordable housing during my time in the legislature and

we haven’t gotten very far,” Rojas said.

“Perhaps it’s a political failure on my part, perhaps it is a recognition that it is a very emotional and difficult issue to get through the legislature when it is a suburban-dominated legislature.”

He said that his colleagues that represent suburban areas have to listen to their constituents who don’t want to see new affordable housing locations built in their region.

“I am not going to criticize my colleague for recognizing the political realities of their district,” Rojas said. “I am going to reach out to the people who are communicating with their legislators and essentially saying, ‘I am comfortable with segregation. I am comfortable with inequity.’”

The root of some of the stigmas that make some residents of Connecticut fear integration may start with inherent biases in school districts, according to Shavar Jeffries, national president of DFER. “With students of color there is a historical statement about what it is they can learn,” Jeffries said. “For black students, the whole explanation of slavery and Jim Crow were that these were not really full human beings so they needed to be dealt with in a different kind of way. We see that stigma even in modern times continues to rear its head in terms of implicit biases and often explicit as well.”

As for the first step Connecticut lawmakers can take to deal with issues of segregation and systemic racism in public education, Rojas said he’d need to think.

“There is no one answer, there are probably 50 different points we need to address that question from and all of them can lead to this collective good of addressing racism in public education,” Rojas said.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

June 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

Protesters Shut Down Wilbur Cross

by SAM GURWITT

New Haven I ndependent

The Wilbur Cross Parkway between Exits 60 and 61 was the site of eight minutes and 45 seconds of silence Sunday to mourn George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Mubarak Soulemane, and other black Americans killed by police.

A group of about 250 protesters packed the highway shoulder to shoulder, marching North in both lanes.

On any other Sunday, the whir of cars would drown out the birds and the crickets. On this Sunday, the only cars on that stretch of highway were those driven by protesters, carrying water and other supplies to keep people marching in the hot sun. Police had directed all traffic off the highway.

For once, it was silent on the Wilbur Cross. Or, nearly silent, save for the birds and crickets singing their pastoral funeral dirge and the sound of 500 sneaker-clad feet drumming dreams of justice into the asphalt.

After eight minutes and 45 seconds, Cassie Meyerhofer broke the silence. “For how many of you did that seem like a long ass time?” she asked. It was the amount of time that a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck to kill him, she said.

Protesters had been out all afternoon for what ended up being a five-hour, entirely peaceful protest. They started on the steps of Hamden Memorial Town Hall for about two hours of speeches. A few minutes before 1 p.m., when the protest was set to start, a little over 200 people were already waiting on the side walk in front of the steps leading up to the building. About half an hour later, after the event had started, the crowd had grown to about 600. People spilled out into the intersection of Dixwell and Whitney Avenues, some standing on the curbs on the other sides of the intersection.

Mayor Curt Leng, Police Chief John Cappiello, Deputy Chief John Sullivan, and Captain Kevin Samperi watched silently from one side. Sometimes Leng clapped with the crowd. Sometimes he just watched.

“I stood on these very steps on April 17 of 2019 and I begged the town of Hamden: Fire Devin Eaton. I begged the town of Hamden: Fix your union contract to hold your officer accountable. What have they done? Nothing!” organizer Rhonda Caldwell called into the microphone to the cheers of the hundreds gathered in front of her.

Caldwell has been a leader of protests over the last year to put pressure on Hamden to fire Officer Devin Eaton, who opened fire on unarmed black couple in New Haven last year. Eaton has been put on unpaid administrative leave, and charged with a felony. A court injunction has stopped the Hamden Police Commission from holding a hearing on his employment until after his court case has concluded.

Rev. Jack Perkins Davidson (pictured) of Spring Glen Church, who was also listed as an organizer, called up the other religious leaders in the crowd. Rabbis, priests, and pastors gathered below where Perkins Davidson was speaking and lowered themselves to one knee. Perkins Davidson said a prayer to a God who, in his faith, “was a brown-skinned radical pacifist from a religious minority who was killed by state-sanctioned violence.”

“God, don’t let us be complacent,” Perkins Davidson prayed. Many had their hands clasped in front of them, their heads lowered, and their eyes closed. “Don’t let this be the only time that we show up. Because justice requires persistence.

Requires that we show up day after day after day. That we don’t let this face into the background until all are free, until all are loved, until all are lifted up, until black lives actually matter in this world!”

The crowd clapped.

“And so we join together shouting words that your prophet Moses shouted. Let my people go!”

The crowd shouted back: “Let my people go!”

A few minutes before the crowd set off down Dixwell Avenue, Hamden High School Senior Meron Campbell (pictured above) took the microphone. She started quietly.

“This Friday, I came downstairs sobbing after seeing everything that we’ve seen in this past week,” she said. “In this past lifetime. Sobbing and sitting in my mother’s arms, crying my eyes out because I’m tired. And I had to hold my five-year-old niece and nephew as my mother explained to all of us the reality of what it means to be black in America. And she had to cry into my hair as I cried into her hair as her mother cried into her hair and for generations and generations we have cried into each other’s hair because it didn’t end.

And I am here to tell you that it is going to end now!”

The crowd erupted into applause.

“The American system is a chameleon.

It has been shape shifting and changing color to fit whatever society deemed the moral code. It’s been binding us in different places and pretending we are free. We are done. I am not going to fight for my freedom anymore. It stops now!”

Again, the intersection filled with the roar of clapping and cheering.

“The system is not broken. It was built this way. And we need to change it. We need to change it. Now!” This time, the cheers and the whoops echoed off the Sacred Heart billboard on the other side of Whitney so that the noise blurred into a thunderous roar of assent.

“Am I Next?”

When the speeches were over, 300-400 people, most of them young, poured into the street and formed a river of signs and fists behind a banner showing the places in Connecticut where people of color have been killed by police. Adjacent with the

Miller Memorial Library parking lot, they stopped for a moment to let the back of the group catch up. Then they continued, filling all four lanes of the road.

“No justice! No Peace!” they chanted as they walked.

They snaked down Dixwell past the middle school and then under the Farmington Canal Trail.

They stopped there again to regroup for a moment. Then they kept going, marching up the gentle slope past the Gulf station just north of Skiff Street on Dixwell. They continued past the gas pumps, and crossed Skiff.

Once they had passed Skiff, they spread

8

out farther, filling all six lanes of the street as they marched past Stop & Shop on one side and Hamden Mart and Hamden Plaza on the other.

Once they reached Hamden High School, they stopped again. They were going to go onto the Merritt Parkway (technically the Wilbur Cross Parkway in Hamden), someone shouted. The front row linked arms.

Then they started again, taking a slightly faster pace, and flowed up onto the on ramp to the Merritt, engulfing a police car that was blocking cars at the entrance, its lights flashing.

At the top of the on ramp, they stopped again as someone shouted into a mega-

phone to keep children on the inside of the group. Then they flooded out onto the highway.

Some stayed in the South-bound lane.

Others hopped the cement barrier to cross into the other lane. Both were free of cars.

Police were around each bend directing traffic off the highway.

Aaron Hawkins (pictured above), a coach for Hamden schools, jumped onto the barrier and shouted into a megaphone so people could hear.

“Please do not let what is going on now be something that is trendy or something that you want to be a part of because everyone else is. Recognize that it’s something that’s been going on since the beginning of time, and will not get better unless we all put in the effort,” he called.

They formed a line facing north, filling out both sides of the highway, and they began to march toward Exit 61.

As they marched, they passed a megaphone between various speakers. Robin Ellington, the mother of People Against Police Brutality Organizer Kerry Ellington, led at some points. At others, Hamden Councilman Justin Farmer, or Perkins Davidson, or others gave speeches and led chants.

They marched for just under a mile until Exit 61, where they turned onto the offramp and followed it down to Whitney Avenue. They turned right to head back to town hall.

By the time they arrived, the marchers had dwindled to about 200. They sat down on the steps in silence.

The silence was broken after a minute or so by Perkins Davidson humming, then singing: “We shall overcome.” The crowd joined.

Most of the parents with young children who had marched down Dixwell with the crowd had not gone up onto the highway.

They had stayed back.

Lamond Battle and his son Ni’rel were one of those parent-child duos. Earlier in the day, when the protesters were marching by Hamden Plaza, they had walked in front of the crowd.

Ni’rel wore a black shirt with a simple question in white: “Am I next?”

About an hour before, back at the steps to town hall, Campbell had spoken some words for Ni’rel, and for the other young people in the crowd.

“You cannot, whatever you do, you cannot stop here. It cannot end here. It cannot end in front of this police department. It cannot end marching in the streets. You need to vote. Young black children, you need to be the change your parents have been praying for. You need to become lawyers. You need to become the mayors.

You need to become the governors, the senators — you need to be president!”

“I don’t want to hear we are going to ‘make America great again,’” she continued. “We are going to make America great for the first time in history.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June - 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

9

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

June 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

Youth Leaders Push For Police “Abolition”

by THOMAS BREEN

New Haven I ndependent

The local youth who led the city’s 5,000-person march for racial justice came prepared — not just with songs, cheers, and posters, but also with specific, explicitly political demands for how to end police brutality.

Such a goal, they said, must be accomplished through “the complete abolition of policing as we know it.”

From the very start of Friday afternoon’s protest, New Haveners in their late teens and early 20s were in control and on the mic.

“As youth, we are not only the leaders of tomorrow, but the leaders of today,” said Jamila, one of the lead organizers with Citywide Youth Coalition, a youth advocacy and anti-violence group that co-organized Friday’s march with Black Lives Matter New Haven.

“As those leaders, it is important to know that we matter and that we have so much power to do revolutionary work today, and to do revolutionary work forever.”

Fellow Citywide Youth Coalition organizer Jeremy Cajigas burned a handful of sage beside her as Jamila stood in front of the flagpole on the Green and read the youth organizers’ eight demands to a crowd of thousands.

Those included switching $33 million of police department funding to schools and social needs; eliminating school resource officers (cops); “ending the triple occupa-

tion of New Haven” by Yale, Hamden, and New Haven police; and pulling $20 million from the city’s police pension budget and redirecting that money toward affordable housing.

Jamila said that the youth leaders of Friday’s rally were not just standing in solidarity with anti-police brutality protesters who have filled the streets of cities around the country since George Floyd’s murder by a white Minneapolis police officer on Memorial Day. “We are making it clear that we will push this city and this state to not only defund our police department, but to completely dismantle it.”

True to Jamila’s promise, nearly every one of the roughly 15 people who addressed the crowd over the course of the four-hour event was under 30—and they all reinforced their stories of personal hurt and historical outrage with a political program for deconstructing law enforcement as it currently exists.

“We are here with simple demands for this city,” said Cajigas (pictured), the 20-year-old lead school organizer for Citywide Youth Coalition.

“We are asking for the disarmament of this police force. We are asking for the divestment of this police force. And lastly we are asking for the dismantling of this police force.”

They said that the youth organizers are fighting for “the complete abolition of policing as we know it, and we have to do

this in order to reimagine a new New Haven without police in this city.”

Cajigas said the organizers are not interested in sitting down with city police for a conversation or photo opportunity. “We don’t do ‘cop-aganda’ around here,” they said. “Disinvest. Disarm. Dismantle. We want abolition.”

Benie N’sumbu, a recent Co-Op grad and an organizer with Students for Educational Justice, explained from the front steps of police headquarters at 1 Union Ave. why Friday’s rally was calling for police abolition, not reform.

“The American police force was never created to protect American citizens,” she said.

“It was created to protect the interest of the rich and to hunt, catch, and punish runaway slaves.”

She accused police of wreaking havoc in black and brown communities for far too much of this country’s history.

“Defund them now!” she called out. “We never needed the police. Put money into our communities. Give our schools money. Pay our teachers what they are worth!”

She said money currently spent on law enforcement could instead be spent on mental and physical health care.

“Defund the police now and then abolish them, because we don’t need them.”

New Haven native and recently minted social worker Simone Davis (pictured) added a bit of her own biography to flesh out some of the personal hurt and histori-

Advice you need for the mortgage you want.

THOMAS BREEN PHOTO Youth organizers at the front of Friday’s march. cal trauma that suffused Friday’s march.

I was.”

“We shouldn’t have to fight for a right to She said that organizing with Citywide Youth Coalition opened her eyes to the survive in a country our ancestors built.”

Mellody Massquoi agreed. “I am tired of “double life” she had been leading while in college at Southern Connecticut State being seen as a criminal everywhere I go,” she said.

University.

In one life, she attended class on campus “I am tired of going to school and being and did her best to excel in school. In an- criminalized when I’m just trying to get other, she came home and witnessed her an education. “community being brutalized.”

“I am tired of seeing all my black friends At Citywide, she said, she began to un- work so hard and can’t get any opportuniderstood “how systematically oppressed ties because of this school system.”

Questions about your bill?

Yale New Haven Hospital is pleased to offer patients and their families financial counseling regarding their hospital bills or the availability of financial assistance, including free care funds.

By appointment, patients can speak one-on-one with a financial counselor during regular business hours. For your convenience, extended hours are available once a month.

Date: Monday, June 15 Time: 5 - 7 pm

Polly Curtin • Loan Officer 860-200-2292 pcurtin@liberty-bank.com NMLS #555684

Chris Stokes • Loan Officer 203-720-6121 cstokes@liberty-bank.com NMLS #1182815

Location: Children’s Hospital, 1 Park St., 1st Floor, Admitting Parking available (handicapped accessible) An appointment is necessary. Please call 203-688-2046.

Spanish-speaking counselors available.

We’ll help you find the mortgage that’s right for you.

Contact us today.

Loans are subject to credit and underwriting approval. Certain fees, restrictions and other terms and conditions may apply.

Ask your loan officer for details.

MEMBER FDIC

EQUAL HOUSING LENDER NMLS #459028

10

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June - 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

Co-Op's RENT Teaches Through Two Pandemics

By Lucy Gellman, Editor, The Arts Paper www.newhavenarts.org

The number isn’t the way Ajibola Tajudeen ever imagined it. He is standing tall for a moment, dressed in skinny jeans, black heels, and a t-shirt tucked in at the waist. A parking lot sprawls and dips behind him where a stage once was. He looks right into the camera. Then his body is in motion: he shimmies, kicks, crouches and vogues until Paris is burning all over again.

Tajudeen, who performed virtually for the Sondheim Awards last week, is one of the dozens of students who would have appeared in this year’s performance of RENT at Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School (Co-Op). After an initial postponement in March, the show was cancelled entirely. Had the postponed show gone on, it would have run Friday through Sunday.

Instead, over 20 cast and crew members have been away from their friends, teachers, and physical classrooms almost 100 days. The set is still sitting inside of the school, where it was primed for a performance in front of the student body on March 13. After a final rehearsal that Thursday, many of the students left books in their lockers that they don’t know if they’ll see again.

In the meantime, many of them have used the lessons they learned from a musical about one global pandemic to live through another.

“I’m trying to remind people to hold on and understand that this is necessary,” said Tajudeen, who hosts the podcast “Konversations with Keeme” and played the character Angel Dumott Schunard. “Even if you may not understand why this is necessary, just trust the process. They have to understand that this is affecting us as a community. We need to come together.”

In some ways, Director Valerie Vollano always intended for RENT to be a learning experience—just not in the way it has been. Written by Jonathan Larson in 1996, the musical follows a group of friends for a little over a year, as they grapple with rising rent, rapid gentrification, and the AIDS crisis in New York City’s East Village. For Vollono, who has directed several shows at Co-Op, it’s was also personal: she has been the director of the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) for years.

RENT would have been the school’s first main stage musical to feature several LGBTQ+ characters.

Just days after the cast list went up in October, Vollono took students to see a performance of the show at the Shubert Theatre, where it also appeared in 2017.

Weeks later, she had a history teacher come to rehearsal and teach the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic from the 1980s to today, with a specific focus on its first 20 years. She arranged visits from local drag queens including Rory Roux Hart, a CoOp grad who came out as a trans man at Dragpalooza last year.

“Some people say RENT is dated because of the AIDS epidemic being in the eighties,” Vollono said at a rehearsal in March. “But I feel like the ideas of it are so timeless. If you think about today, with immigrants, undocumented people, all of these people that are treated as ‘dangerous others’ … they’re treated as less than human because of who they are. That was such an important connection to make.”

RENT - 2 As the play came together, Vollono pushed for a production that merged the music and drama of the work with the history of HIV and AIDS in the 1980s and 1990s. Several of the show’s cast and crew members are also in the school’s GSA, and offered to fill in historical gaps that they were learning for themselves.

Sophomores Piper Zschack and Emma Hatjopoulou, for instance, designed a timeline of the HIV/AIDS epidemic from April 1981 (San Franciscan Ken Horne is the first confirmed case in April of that year) to 2020 (the statistic that 1.1 million Americans are still living with HIV, and 14 percent are unaware that they are infected).

In between, the two found markers for over 100 milestones in HIV history, including Rock Hudson’s public announcement of his AIDS diagnosis (1985), Tony Kushner’s Angels In America (1993), and the 25-year anniversary mark of the first reported case (2006).

“There’s a lot of misinformation that’s still out there,” Zschack said. “I think it’s nice to feel seen, and to see yourself represented.”

They finished it just before March 12, the last day they set foot in the school. At the time, Zschack said he couldn’t help thinking about commonalities between the HIV epidemic and the panic that was spreading around COVID-19. In the first weeks of March, he recalled seeing the a similar kind of discrimination around Asians and Asian-Americans that members of the LGBTQ+ community faced decades ago—and still sometimes face today.

With the school closed, several of his classmates have taken that same message on. Naiyara Diaz, who played the headstrong and big-voiced performance artist Maureen Johnson, recalled feeling a deep, immediate sense of loss when she heard the performance was cancelled. Separated from each other, students made a group chat where they could stay in touch. It wasn’t the same, but it was something.

“The cast, we were like a family,” she said. “Not getting to see people you saw is very rough. They’re all like brothers and sisters to me.”

As Co-Op closed its doors, the COVID-19 pandemic became her new reality.

Instead of attending school, she was at home with her brother, trying to navigate distance learning while “being barricaded in with four other humans.” She started thinking about the history that she’d learned at Co-Op, about a different virus decades ago.

“The amount of judgement is almost exactly alike to me,” she said. “People suddenly don’t want to come in contact with each other. They don’t want to touch each other. They aren’t sure what’s happening.”

She’s also been taking what she learned as Maureen, and using it to stay sane— and keep her family safe to the best of her ability. At home, Diaz’ mom is at higher risk of COVID-19 due to limited lung capacity. Much of her day-to-day has been making sure no one brings the virus back into the house after grocery runs or trips outside. She joked that she’s also been working extra hard to get along with her brother.

“I learned a lot from Maureen,” she said.

“I took away that like, your community and family is very important. If one of us is struggling, all of us are struggling. We all love each other and have to keep each other afloat.”

“We’re all in this pandemic together,” she added. “We need to stay united and connected.”

Rising junior Autymn Brown, who played Mimi Marquez, said that she’s used the play’s libretto and script as a sort of user’s manual meets coping mechanism.

For the six months leading up to March, she had been working to make Mimi her own. Then overnight, the stage went dark.

The character had her demons, she said— Mimi is an exotic dancer, fighting both substance use disorder and an HIV diagnosis—but Brown could also see in her a tenacious will to survive. In conversations with her family, she learned that both of her mother’s parents had lived with HIV for years, until complications from the virus took their lives.

When she stepped onto the school’s stage earlier this year, she summoned them.

That strength still helps her get through warmups and vocal practice that she now does at home, including in a virtual, recorded performance for the annual Sond-

11

heim Awards earlier this month.

“My grandparents were very strong,” she said. “They fought through everything.

When I’m performing, I try to step into my grandmother’s life. I wanted to put this show on for her, and her memory.”

She has also been thinking about the similarities between early cases of HIV and those of COVID-19. Earlier this year, she watched waves of anti-Asian and Asian American discrimination sweep through the country in February and March, as schools and businesses began to close in New Haven. She watched a national response to the virus that some have compared to Ronald Reagan’s failure to address and respond to the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.

Within weeks, she learned that coronavirus was killing Black Americans at a rate three times higher than their white counterparts. The news hit home: this spring, two of her aunts died due to complications from the virus. She couldn’t help but see a connection between the HIV epidemic, COVID-19, and the way racism wove it-

self into the fabric of public health.

“You don’t realize how real this is until it sadly affects your family,” she said. “They were beautiful souls. It hits really hard.”

“When HIV was starting, people were looking at them [patients] like they were poisoned,” she continued. “This is what’s happening right now with Asians and Asian-Americans. You don’t want a disease to define you. These are not the people who started it.”

Through that grief, she’s been singing.

With Tajudeen, she was chosen to perform for the Stephen Sondheim awards, which were presented virtually this year. Instead of taking a stage, she belted a piece from her bedroom, a Bluetooth mic ready to go in the absence of a mic pack. She’s been returning to the lyrics of the song “Another Day” and “No Day But Today,” in which her character sings through her own memento mori moment.

“The message matters,” she said. “There are people that we don’t know, and that we do know, who may be going through

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

COMMENTARY:

NFL Comments on George Floyd and Gets Roasted on Kaepernick

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor

NFL Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, 32, hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2016 season. He was blackballed by the NFL after silently protesting police brutality by silently taking a knee on the sidelines during the national anthem at the start of NFL games.

Kaepernick became a free agent after the 2017 season but was not signed. In November 2017, he filed a grievance against the owners of the NFL and accused them of colluding against him. In Feb. 2019, Kaepernick withdrew the grievance after reaching a confidential settlement.

On the night of May 30, after three nights of protest around the country following the death of George Floyd, 47, recorded on video showing former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin kneeing him in the neck — the NFL released a statement.

“The NFL family is greatly saddened by the tragic events across our country,” stated NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

“The protesters’ reactions to these incidents reflect the pain, anger and frustration that so many of us feel. Our deepest condolences go out to the family of Mr. George Floyd and to those who have lost loved ones, including the families of Ms. Breonna Taylor in Louisville, and Mr. Ahmaud Arbery, the cousin of Tracy Walker

Relief:

June 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

of the Detroit Lions,” the NFL statement continued.

“As current events dramatically underscore, there remains much more to do as a country and as a league. These tragedies inform the NFL’s commitment and our ongoing efforts. There remains an urgent need for action. We recognize the power of our platform in communities and as part of the fabric of American society,” the NFL statement also read.

The reaction that followed, which recognized the deep irony of a league that ostracized and blackballed a player protesting police brutality and the statement was not lost. Kaepernick often made the point that his protest was focused on police brutality and racism in America. Other players joined Kaepernick in protest during his last year in the league and his momentum was building “Wow I can’t believe all the NFL owners turned out to be colluding racists and Kaepernick was right the whole time. It’s almost as if this is a systemic issue in America,” wrote Justin Horwitz on twitter.

“Where were you when Colin Kaepernick was peacefully protesting racial injustice by taking a knee? Oh, that’s right your entire league and its racist owners were conspiring against him,” wrote Ryan Knight on social media.

“Michael Vick served more time in jail for killing a dog than all the cops combined who have killed the last 493 unarmed black MEN. Let that sink in,” wrote Adam Webber on twitter.

On May 28, Kaepernick wrote the following from his twitter account: “When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction. The cries for peace will rain down, and when they do, they will land on deaf ears, because your violence has brought this resistance. We have the right to fight back! Rest in Power George Floyd.”

“Two knees. One protesting in the grass, one pressing on the back of a man’s neck.

Choose. You have to choose which knee you will defend. There are no half choices; there is no room for indifference. There is

only the knee of protest or the knee on the neck,” wrote Sally Jenkins in The Washington Post in a widely read article.

A GoFundMe for Floyd’s family reached $4.4 million as of the night of May, 30 as protests raged across the nation.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist for NNPA and the host of the podcast BURKEFILE. She is also a political strategist as Principal of Win Digital Media LLC. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke

Tools and Resources to Navigate Today’s Financial Crisis

Wells Fargo is committed to providing the information necessary to help address your unique financial needs and concerns, starting with the tools and resources to find relief. Wells Fargo is committed to providing information necessary to help address your unique financial needs and concerns, starting with the tools and resources to find relief.

How can I protect my credit report if I can’t keep up with my loans?

The best way to protect your credit report is to make arrangements directly with your lender. Try asking your bank/lender about deferring payments and interest on your loans/credit lines and having fees waived. On a case-by-case basis, Wells Fargo is offering fee waivers, payment deferrals, and other expanded assistance for credit card, auto, mortgage, small business lending, and personal lending customers who contact us.

Can I apply for a credit limit increase for disaster relief?

In this time of crisis, increasing the limit on your credit card could be a way to help alleviate some financial strain and increase your purchasing power. We’re currently reviewing credit card line increases on an individual basis over the phone. To find out your options, reach out to your bank directly.

What are some programs that can help me

get by?

The government has designed programs to provide support and relief to those in need during this time. Here are some highlights of the CARES Act that may impact your finances: Unemployment There have been temporary changes made to unemployment eligibility. Today, workers who are furloughed, but haven’t been fully laid off, are eligible. This special program also extends to those who are

CARES Act

typically self-employed and/or part of the gig economy.

Paid Leave The Families First Coronavirus Response Act is now covering up to 12 weeks of family leave for families who have faced school/daycare closure because of the pandemic and must stay home with their children.

Small Business Wells Fargo is committed to helping as many small business customers as pos-

12

sible through programs like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) established by the CARES Act. Wells Fargo mobilized thousands of employees and introduced new automation to rapidly process as many PPP applications for submission to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

Wells Fargo is with you as you embark on your road to recovery. To learn more about our COVID-19 relief efforts visit wellsfargo.com/heretohelp.

Com’t from page 11

Teaches Through

something. We have to live life to the fullest, with love and equality and acceptance.”

Tajudeen has also been pulling from the show as he navigates quarantine and distance learning in Bridgeport. While he is not a fan of the musical—he recalled running through a classroom, screaming, and hiding under a desk when it was first announced at Co-Op—Angel was “one of the hardest roles I’ve ever had to play.”

Originally, Tajudeen found himself making an entire backstory for the character, who gets the musical moving in highheeled boots and red-and-white Christmas frock, throwing dollar bills into the air to the drag number “Today 4U” (video above).

The longer rehearsals went on, the more he saw parallels to his own life: Angel often put the needs of others in front of his own. Tajudeen understood the character— and himself—as the glue holding the parts of the play together.

Now, the character has also helped him get through the isolation and personal loss of COVID-19. In the play, Angel dies of AIDS in the arms of his love, Tom Collins (Tomas Echevarria). It is a gut wrenching sequence: Angel grows frail, sprawls out on a hospital bed, and then ascends to heaven with a balletic, surreal ensemble number titled “Contact.” When he was rehearsing, Tajudeen recalled the emotional stress of dying onstage over and over again.

“They experienced this love in what was more than a pandemic,” he said. “Us as African-Americans, we understand that we are the ones that are being affected the most [by coronavirus]. This is a time when we’re not only thinking about politics and celebrating those who are on the front lines, but we have to think about our community.”

It was the power of a different song that he looked to this spring, when he received the news that his aunt had passed away from coronavirus. In act two of RENT, Tom Collins commemorates Angel’s life with a reprise of the song “I’ll Cover You,” which the two sing together on a city street in act one. His voice rises to the rafters, then breaks with grief. Tajudeen found himself summoning the character when his family asked him to sing at a small, socially distanced celebration of her life.

“It was the hardest thing ever,” he said.

Now, he is trying to use the character’s message to spread awareness of the virus—and of the compassion needed to combat it—as he heads into summer. With summer performances cancelled, he said he is also taking the time to do something Angel was never able to, and focus on his own work for the first time in a long time.

“His storyline can connect to so many people in and out of my school,” he said.

“He’s having to fight through the fact that love needs to liberate. A lot of time, you have to tell that story.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June - 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

Have you lost your health insurance coverage?

We have quality health insurance plans that are just right for your right now.

If you have lost your health insurance due to one of these reasons (also called Qualifying Life Events) • Losing your coverage due to job change/loss • Losing coverage through your employer • Rolling off of COBRA coverage

• Losing coverage through your spouse or parent • Recently moved to CT

… you may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. For a full list of Qualifying Life Events visit: Learn.AccessHealthCT.com

To enroll in coverage after a Qualifying Life Event, you must • start your application with Access Health CT within 60 days of your event • verify your Qualifying Life Event and any other application details if requested

Have questions? All help is FREE.

AccessHealthCT.com 1-855-805-4235 (TTY: 1-855-789-2428) Monday through Friday 8:00AM to 4:00PM

At Access Health Connecticut (AHCT), Individuals, Families & Small Businesses can shop, compare and enroll in quality healthcare plans from brand-name insurance companies. And it’s the only place where you could qualify for financial help, to lower your costs.

37573 SEP ad 925x105 English_925x105_ICN.indd 1

13

5/5/20 3:11 PM

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

June 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

Adam Matlock Navigates by the Light of Your Star

by Leah Andelsmith, The Arts Paper www.newhavenarts.org

Thawing begins by summing it all up.

The first sounds are a grumbling bass line, a sharp synth etching out tight little riffs and wordless vocals pulsing underneath. Then singer Adam Matlock delivers a short lyric that is a reclaiming of confidence, a bit of an artist’s manifesto.

I keep it right-brained, surrealist No fascists, no cheap hits In every song I produce I put a bit of myself If I was summing it all up “Summing It All Up” is the opening track on Thawing, the latest album from An Historic, a songwriting alias of New Haven musician Adam Matlock. Released last month on Bandcamp, this collection of 12 songs finds Matlock searching forests and city streets alike to find seemingly disparate elements and make them treasured parts of an interconnected system.

In “Wondering,” Matlock sings: Listen, listen/Remember, what we hear is just the sound of friction.

It’s an apt description of the sonic feel of Thawing: The complex counter-melodies in the backing vocals and the spoken words and whispers woven into the tracks. The bass lines feel almost off kilter, but still manage to hold the song together. The synths alternately sound like harpsichords and 1980s video games.

Some songs play like an epic, musical hero’s journey. Some songs are a brooding passage through a winter forest in a dark fairy tale. And, as promised, there are moments of thawing, when the music feels as warm as the first day of spring. But even on songs that feel lighter or smoother, the off-kilter elements are still present in the mix, like a chef’s signature spice rub. On Thawing, the “sound of friction” has a harmony and balance to it.

Coming toward the end of the album, the song “D.C.” starts with a series of eerie, plodding chords that could accompany a classic silent horror film, but morphs into something that’s far more bubble gum than Transylvanian. After the verse, that same Dracula organ riff comes back with the bubble gum beat behind it, and, inconceivably, your toe starts to tap.

“D.C.” is the fun side of the darker songs that precede it. There’s a franticness to the song because it wants to be bouncy and fun, but it also wants to be goth. It comes out sounding like a B-side from the Rocky Horror Picture Show in the very best of ways, and Matlock leans into it, singing of “chattering teeth” and “sunken, riffraff eyes.”He rhymes “messianic panic” with “if I was tyrannic” and backs it all with a rollicking accordion accompaniment.

In the following and final track, “Write Your Name,” Matlock again pivots, opening the song with a smooth jazz, slow jam feel. It only takes a few bars for a jagged, fluttering accordion line to come in, keeping the song firmly tied to

Woodcut,” the synth is bright and lighthearted, with a rhythm that’s almost dizzying. It’s the same complex, interlocking rhythms that are his trademark, but with lighter instruments. The accordion takes a supporting role, with quick, staccato chords that round out the track, and Matlock’s voice comes in big and low and round on the verses.

In the wilder wander Walk a wall and then you Roll and show your ankle Dare the bugs to come and get you

the other tracks on the album.

Everyone was afraid of the ruin You planted a tree in the rubble…

Never seen someone who looked so much like a leader Your watering can was a manifesto As you went back to the rubble to tend

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR JULY 1, 2020 PLEASE CALL Dr. Acabbo at 203-710-2102 Email: drashsp@yahoo.com or

Judy Thompson at 203-892-8191 Email: jfreyerthompson@gmail.com

for an application **Our program is Full Day/Full Year/Open from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm **NAEYC Accredited **Care4Kids accepted **State mandated sliding scale fee based on income and family size

St. Aedan Pre School 351 McKinley Avenue New Haven CT 06515

The narrator wants to champion this shovel-toting hero who’s creating life in a desolate landscape, but they can’t. “If I could only write your name,” the narrator laments. “Every pod of seeds needs a gust of wind to help it grow.”

In the liner notes for Thawing, Matlock thanks a long list of New Haven musicians and adds “If I’ve played music with you more than once over the last five years, you have a guest spot on this record. I’m sorry/Thank you.”

In a recent phone interview, the musician explained what he meant, revealing a creative process much like those seeds on the wind, influenced by gusts of inspiration from his musical community.

“I have the habit of unconsciously stealing things from musicians I admire, and especially those that I’ve played music with,” he said. “I have the Duke Ellington model of when you’re writing

14

a line you hear not just the line, but you hear it being played by a particular person, so you hear their identity in it.”

“Sometimes as composers we have this notion of all the struggle and all the hard work happening completely in a vacuum, and I would like to contest that notion wherever possible,” he added.

Folding in the influences of his peers and co-collaborators was an impressive feat given that Matlock recorded Thawing solo last November, using a no-frills home-recording set up. It was an experience that broadened his creative process from always knowing “exactly how they go” before even beginning to record his songs, to “grabbing whatever keyboard was available” in order to finish writing several songs as he recorded them. He called it a “crucible approach.”

“The pressure of working on [these songs] all more or less at the same time, I feel like that changed me a little bit,” he said. “It was cool to be able to work a little more objectively with stuff I wrote, rather than just being so attached to the first draft that I can’t change anything about it.”

Matlock’s new studio tools also allowed him to incorporate more electronic and “dancey” elements into his acoustic songwriting style. In “The

It’s a description so concrete and physical it’s almost abstract. There’s the feeling of ferns brushing across your skin.

There’s the sense of holding the memory of winter like a woodcut in your hands as you walk through the summer woods where “the wind can’t get you.”

Matlock said his recent pursuits of mushroom hunting and forest bathing, as well as his interest in permaculture, have inspired him as a person. That natural inspiration made its way deeply into Thawing.

Permaculture is an agricultural and cultural philosophy which centers sustainability and seeks to emulate natural ecosystems like forests: complex, interlocking systems of life forms in which nothing is wasted and each piece feeds and is fed by another.

“I feel like now that’s our way through to some degree,” he said. “Tto rekindle a sense of communication with our environment, not just in terms of hugging trees, but understanding the systems that are going on around us. That kind of thinking applies to how I think about music and how I think about the world.”

The idea of permaculture is present when Matlock shows the listener how disparate melodies and rhythms can actually become harmony. It’s present in the way that Matlock allows his community of fellow musicians and collaborators to inform his private writing process.

One can’t help but think of this community when listening to “Nicer in this World,” a song that’s about not just choosing, but building hope in this world, and using permaculture to do it.

The track has a dreamy feel to it, and in the verses the lyrics tumble over themselves, rolling like a wheel on the smooth melody: You’re starting to like all the time you spend Out there in nature Digging a crater for all your friends And their intentions…I’m Starting to see you for what you are…

And when I get lost I can Make my way home by the light of your star

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June - 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

The stuff of Dreams — MLK goes right on marching More than 50 years later and still so much to be done OP-ED:

By Ray Curry, Secretary-Treasurer, UAW “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

— Martin Luther King Jr. The citizens of this country are in the midst of a battle that we have been fighting for a very long time. A battle of racial inequality, systemic abuse, and injustice.

It is time to win this battle once and for all.

Across the nation over the past weeks, protesters are saying they have had enough. They are weary of the ongoing struggle for equality and equity, of the battle against systemic injustice, and the fear of being a person of color in America. The horrific, needless death of George Floyd on May 25 at the hands of four police officers in Minneapolis is tragically all too familiar. And we are seeing our nation cry out in pain. It is the pain of generations of inequality and the pain of a nation divided.

It is shocking that in 2020, mothers in African American and minority communities still have to worry about the safety of their sons and daughters when simply going off to the store, going out for a jog and or being stopped at a traffic light.

This must end.

Generations of misery George Floyd is sadly one of many, many African Americans who have been the victim of racial profiling and brutality.

The larger tragedy of our society is that this criminal activity did not start with Mr. Floyd. Or with Breona Taylor or Tony Mc-

Dade, who also lost their lives in the past month for similar reasons. Nor did it start with Eric Garner, killed in 2014 due to a police strangle hold — or Rodney King’s brutal beating in 1991. The names and stories stretch back generations and are part of the ongoing racial disparity and injustice that permeates our system. A product of 400 years of oppression, prejudice and fear.

How many stories like George Floyd’s must we hear? How many lives cut tragically, brutally short?

At the UAW, we have been fighting for generations against systemic racism.

Think back to August 28, 1968, when more than 200,000 demonstrators took part in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in the nation’s capital. Two men participating in that march — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and UAW President Walter Reuther — were dedicated to breaking the color lines and fighting for equality in wages, opportunities, housing, healthcare and fair societal treatment.

A wound that will not heal The 1968 March on Washington succeeded in getting those in power to sit up and take action. It was successful in pressuring the administration to initiate a strong federal civil rights bill in Congress. It was a time that gave Americans — especially minorities — hope. But how far have we come since then if we still are marching, if we are still protesting?

Not nearly far enough.

It is time for this country to transform from the ways of the past. To turn our backs on the prejudices, fear and hate of our past. To vote in local and federal elections for leaders that will represent men and women of this country and no longer their self-interest.

I truly worry if we cannot do this, this wound will continue to tear our nation

apart.

underlie them.

In today’s marches across the country, we are seeing history repeating itself. Again, our community members are joining together, young people especially, and taking up the cause to demand change. And the UAW, with its long history of supporting and fighting for civil and human rights, is right beside them.

It is not just police brutality that affects the African American community.

Because of socioeconomic and environmental factors — many due to continued disparity in opportunities — when COVID-19 struck this country it hit people of color especially hard.

Currently, the UAW is working with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s office serving on the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities.

The task force will act in an advisory capacity to the Governor and study the causes of racial disparities in the impact of COVID-19 and recommend actions to immediately address such disparities and the historical and systemic inequities that

We need real change But we cannot just talk about it. We must DO something about it. Just like we saw civil rights legislation that came out of the demonstrations in the past, this tragedy and these demonstrations and clashes will need to result in legislation and reforms passed. PASSED and ENFORCED. And while I do not want to vilify all men and women in blue — we cannot not turn away from the horror of George Floyd’s death. An American citizen begging for his life on an American city street for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

This is not an on-the-sidelines hurt for me. I am an African American man born in raised in the south and now living in an urban center, but I am speaking here as an American, as a union member, and I am speaking to all of us.

When we look at the many tragic incidents over the past decades, most recently Mr. Floyd’s horrific death, I can only think that we as a nation failed this young man,

as we have failed so many others. This cannot continue.

As Americans, we need to serve a warning to all who have the power — our representatives, our law enforcement officers, our leaders, our detractors — we are watching. And we are all committed to the safety and personal rights of ALL Americans.

We will hold those accountable, regardless of who they are, if they put any of us in peril. While doing so we must remember the legacy of two men, two friends, who worked tirelessly for so many years.

We must honor that relationship, as well as our fellow men and women, as we address the challenges that we still face today.

But we must take action now — and we must make permanent change — for all of us.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mathew Ahmann at the Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. (National Archives)

Professor Robert Yawson of Wallingford receives James Marshall Award for Service to the Quinnipiac University Community

Robert Yawson of Wallingford, associate professor of management, was named the 2020 recipient of the James Marshall Award for Service to the Quinnipiac University Community.

The award recognizes faculty who exhibit qualities of unselfish service and dedication to the Quinnipiac community.

The Faculty Senate created the award following the sudden death of James Marshall, a health management professor, in 2002.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Robert for the past two years and can attest to his unwavering commitment to the university through his work as a senator and chair of the University Education

Robert Yawson of Wallingford, associate professor of management at Quinnipiac University.

Photo by Autumn Driscoll of Quinnipiac University.

Committee,” said Faculty Senate Chair Bernadette Mele, clinical associate professor of diagnostic imaging. “On behalf of the Faculty Senate, I am honored to have presented this award to Dr. Robert Yawson for his extensive service contributions, particularly the positive impact he has had on peers and students from across the university.”

Yawson said he didn’t set out to win awards.

“I don’t think any of my faculty colleagues do, but when you receive an award such as the James Marshall Award, it’s an affirmation,” Yawson said. “It means that your colleagues appreciate what you do.

The James Marshall Award is a testament

15

to my humanity and the humanity of us all. I was brought up with the belief that service to fellow humans and society in general, is service to God. Having been born and raised in a communal living society where everyone is the neighbor’s keeper has instilled in me the value of service and volunteerism. I see service as a valuable and meaningful component of my academic responsibilities, and thus being recognized this way is humbling.”

Angela Mattie, professor of health management, nominated Yawson for the award.

“In my 16 years with Quinnipiac, Rob-

ert’s commitment and passion for service, in my opinion, is in the top 1 percent of faculty,” Mattie said. “Robert sets an example for all of us and his ethical and moral commitment to service serves as an exemplar for the university. He is an asset to the university, school, department, students and profession.”

Yawson has a doctorate degree in organizational leadership, policy and development and a master’s degree in science, technology and environmental policy from the University of Minnesota. He also has a master’s degree in biochemistry and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Ghana.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

June 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

Oprah Winfrey Donates $12 Million for COVID-19 Relief in Five Cities

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent

During a recent virtual address to the class of 2020 college graduates, Oprah Winfrey spoke of the need to provide for those impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

“What this pandemic has done is made me think about giving differently. How I give and who’s on the receiving end of that, and how do you do that in such a way that sustains people? I’ve ultimately always believed that you teach people to fish. But sometimes people just need fish and a piece of bread,” the media mogul stated. “Sometimes you need some fish, OK? Sometimes you don’t have time to learn to fish. I just need some fish today!”

Winfrey made sure that there was plenty of “fish” in the places she’s called home. Through the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation, the OWN Net-

Oprah Winfrey work boss announced she was donating $12 million to organizations dedicated

HOW LONG O LORD, HOW LONG?

By Oscar H. Blayton The words of King David that appear in Psalm 13 of the Old Testament echo in the hearts of American people of color today: “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?”

Despite its self-aggrandizement, America is an ugly, hateful place, filled with pain.

The building blocks of this nation were not freedom and democracy, but genocide, enslavement and race hatred. The historical record is clear.

For more than 400 years since we were dragged here, existence in this country for African Americans has been heartwrenching.

For more than a century before that, people of the first nations suffered systematic attempts at extermination at the hands of European invaders bent on

genocide.

Spanish-speaking people, whose ancestors inhabited this land for many decades before the arrival of English speakers, have been robbed and abused at almost every point of contact with the oppressive forces of “Manifest Destiny.”

Asian immigrants and their descendants, who bent their backs to build this nation’s wealth, have at different times been unjustly barred entry into this country, deported for no legitimate reason and interned in concentration camps merely because of their cultural ancestry.

The perverse notion of white supremacy has done all of this. There are those who believe that, because of their “whiteness,” they are more deserving of the fruits of the labor of our community garden than are people of color.

This evil notion of white supremacy can be tracked through the ages.

There no longer can be any pretext that America is populated with only kind and caring people who abide by the rule of law and respect the sanctity of human life.

We live in a country that placed a pernicious and perverse human being in the highest seat of authority. And in so doing, all the minions of the worst demons of this country were let loose to victimize the most vulnerable segments of our national community.

African Americans are not the only people bearing the brunt of white supremacy, but we see our humanity denied and cry out for justice for: Con’t from page 16

to helping underserved communities in Chicago, Baltimore, Nashville, Milwaukee and Kosciusko, Mississippi.

Born in Kosciusko, Winfrey has lived in each of the cities where she’s donating money.

“This thing is not going away. Even when the virus is gone, the devastation left by people not being able to work for months who were holding on paycheck to paycheck, who have used up their savings — people are going to be in need,” Winfrey told the Associated Press.

“So, my thing is, look in your own neighborhood, in your own backyard to see how you can serve and where your service is most essential. That is the real essential work, I think, for people of means.”

Of the $12 million donations, Winfrey gave $5 million to Live Healthy Chicago, which provides immediate support to seniors and high-risk residents

affected by the coronavirus.

She gave $2 million to Nashville Nurtures, a collaboration with Mount Zion Baptist Church and Tennessee State University (TSU). Winfrey graduated from TSU and began her career in Nashville. She later lived in Milwaukee, where she announced a $100,000 gift to SaintA and the Nia Imani Family, Inc., which assists those in need of housing and mental health care.

In Baltimore, where she once worked, Winfrey is donating money to Living Classrooms Foundation and Center for Urban Families. Winfrey also said she’s giving $115,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of East Mississippi.

“I want to be able to reach people who have been incarcerated and are coming out of prison,” Winfrey noted.

“I want to reach mothers of domestic violence. I want to reach people. I want to feed people. I want to help people get access to testing.

“Justice on Trial!” New Movie Launches on July 4!

On July 4, a powerful, thought-provoking new movie titled “Justice on Trial” will be released. Prominent actors star in the movie and former Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Lubbie Harper Jr. superbly makes his acting debut on the big screen, along with his son, Lane Harper, who plays Medgar Evers!

“Justice on Trial” is timely in light of the recent incidents in Brunswick, Georgia, Central Park, New York and Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the long history of lynchings and police brutality against African Americans. The film is historically

16

accurate and educationally significant.

Chad Lawson Cooper is the screenwriter for the film. Attorney John Gesmonde plays the role of a civil rights lawyer who brings the suit on behalf of the ‘African American People.’ This film is compelling, entertaining and worthwhile.

The movie directly addresses the criminal justice system and raises the issue of reparations in a powerful manner.

Here is the trailer to the movie. https:// www.justiceontrialthemovie.com/

Sisters' Journey Survivor of the Month- Mozelle Myra Murray

Mozelle Myra Murray

My name is Mozelle Myra Murray. I am originally from Mount Holly, New Jersey.

I was raised in Harlem, New York.

In 1988, I relocated with my three children, LaFlor, Paul, and Vermont to New Haven, Connecticut. Early in life I dedicated my life to the Lord. I continually minister at Bread of Life Fellowship Center, doing a variety of works in God’s name, including community and prison ministry in the name of Jesus Christ. “All in one accord, one mind, one passion, one purpose.”

Three years ago at the age of 69, I noticed a pea size lump in my right breast. I dismissed it, assuming it was hormonal. Three months later, it seemed to have grown to almost the size of a golf ball. I immediately called my physician for an appointment.

When the doctor examined me in the office she also felt the lump and set up appointments for a mammogram, ultrasound, and ultimately a biopsy.

Less than a week later I received the call. My doctor was very concerned about where I was and if I was alone. I insisted that the doctor please just tell me what she had found. I remember vividly, I was at work and I told myself I had to stay focused and positive, no matter what. It was confirmed I had Stage III breast cancer and it was aggressive. I remained calm. My thoughts were: “My God is going to bring me through this. He is an almighty healer.”

I started chemotherapy in October 2016, and continued for six grueling months. Its effects were traumatic. I lost my appetite, hair and fingernails. I also experienced nausea. One month after I finished chemo, I prepared for surgery and had a mastectomy to remove my right breast.

Five weeks after my mastectomy I would begin radiation, five days a week for six weeks. Every step of my journey my Lord and Savior was by my side. My children walked the walk as well, especially my daughter, LeFlor, who took me to all my appointments. She never let me feel alone.

To my family, my church and friends, I am ever so grateful for your love and support and encouragement. My surgeon, Anees Chagpar, is remarkable. And Dr. Sarah Mougalian, my oncologist, guided me at such a difficult time in my life. Her expertise helped me to defeat this awful disease.

To God Be the Glory, I am here and zero cancer free.

Ecclesiastes 7:8 “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning of it, and the patient in the spirit is better than the proud in spirit.”

I agree with this word of God. Amen.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June - 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

Black-Owned Laboratory Uses Artificial Intelligence-Based Drug Discovery Platform to Develop Treatment for COVID-19

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent

The novel coronavirus has ravaged most of the globe, but in the U.S., African Americans and other communities of color have disproportionately born the lethal impact of the pandemic.

Darnisha Harrison, a Louisiana State University grad and founder and CEO of Georgia-based Ennaid Therapeutics, says that scientists working for her company are developing a drug-based therapy whose laboratory tests continue to show promise. If successful, her scientists’ solution could be instrumental in blocking the continued spread of COVID-19.

Ennaid Therapeutics uses artificial intelligence (AI)-based drug discovery platforms to develop antiviral drugs.

The drug that shows so much promise has been labeled ENU200, a repurposed, patent-pending, and orally deliverable antiviral drug that was previously approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a different indication. The development of ENU200, as a therapeutic, is targeted to treat the up to 80% of asymptomatic, mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 viral infections.

“Our science strongly suggests that ENU200, a repurposed drug with a wellestablished clinical and safety profile, has the potential to be a broad solution to address the COVID-19 pandemic and, specifically, the near 80 percent of coronavirus cases that are asymptomatic,

mild to moderate,” said Harrison. “Key to ENU200 is its target of two proteins on the SARS-CoV-2 virus that interfere with the virus’ ability to enter healthy cells and its replication. Additionally, unlike other COVID-19 drugs in development, which must be administered via injection or intravenously under the care of a physician, ENU200 can be administered orally, thus enabling in-home treatment for COVID-19 infections.”

“The FDA has been very supportive at fast-tracking review every step of the way, and that is true around the world,” Harrison told WBRZ-TV in Baton Rouge.

“We anticipate the clinical trials could start within 90 days. The clinical trial itself could take a month. We feel quite optimistic that in the 120-day window, when our clinical material would be ready, we could have a drug that could be safe and effective at treating COVID-19.”

In a statement posted on the company’s website on Monday, April 27, Harrison noted that the rationale for developing ENU200 arose from a bioinformatic search for in-silico identification of priorapproved chemical compounds blocking the CoV proteins, spike S glycoprotein and Mpro. A Mpro is a key CoV enzyme.

The results suggest the use of ENU200 as a current, viable treatment for COVID-19 and other CoV infections, Harrison stated.

“ENU200 blocks the S glycoprotein of CoV, which is responsible for host cell attachment and mediating host cell membrane and viral membrane fusion during

Con’t from page 16

HOW LONG O LORD, HOW LONG?

Ahmaud Arbery, killed while jogging in a Georgia suburb, Atatiana Jefferson, killed in her home in Fort Worth, Texas, Breonna Taylor, killed in her bed in Louisville, George Floyd, killed on a Minneapolis street.

These are just a few of the Black victims murdered in the name of law enforcement in America.

But let us not forget the suffering of other people of color in America.

Let us not forget the daughters and mothers of the first nations, whose murders and disappearances at an alarming rate cause little concern among most Americans and get little attention in the country’s media.

Let us not forget the Latinx children locked up in cages like animals because they tried to enter this country in the same manner as countless Europeans who came without passports or papers two centuries earlier.

Let us not forget the Asian Americans who are spat on, punched and kicked

by bigots who believe Donald Trump when he lies about China bringing COVID-19 to U.S. shores, rekindling old fears and intolerance toward anyone with Asian ancestry.

There must be responses to these injustices. These transgressions must stop. Americans of all stripes must make a legitimate effort to stop them.

King David prayed for a cure to injustice thousands of years ago when he wrote: “Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed over him,’ lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.”

We must open our eyes and not sleep the sleep of death. We must not let the enemies of justice prevail over us. We must march on, ‘til Victory is won.

Oscar H. Blayton is a former Marine Corps combat pilot and human rights activist who practices law in Virginia.

infection.”

“The in-silico predictions hint that ENU200 matches the receptor-binding domain (RDB) by simultaneously blocking the key residues for binding to ACE2, e.g., Gln493 and Asn501. This function is key to the viral life cycle and a major target for antiviral drugs, such as ENU200 and vaccines,” said Harrison.

All available data demonstrate that Mpros are largely conserved structures, Harrison added. “The combination of such unique features reveals that ENU200 blocks COVID-19 and other coronavirus action by specifically targeting the Mpro active site. Before showing specific blocking/ antiviral activity against S glycoprotein and Mpro of COVID-19, ENU200 had previously shown protease inhibition of a different virus, indicating that ENU200 interacts with two targets.”

The in-silico drug discovery platform applied state-of-the-art codes by combining virus targets and a wide range of libraries of compounds, Harrison added.

Computational steps include:

• A first geometrical and electronic optimization of the drug-candidates based on quantum chemistry within density functional theory (DFT) methods.

• The resulting refined structures were next implemented in blind docking calculations, an approach that allows to scan the whole protein surface in the search of main binding pockets.

Darnisha Harrison, a Louisiana State University grad and founder and CEO of Georgia-based Ennaid Therapeutics

• Only the best poses are retained for the analysis, so that the provided structures correspond to the drug-target interaction with the largest affinity.

Harrison said in vitro work is now being completed.

“Currently, we have in vitro and in vivo data supporting ENU200’s inhibition of a viral protease in a different viral infection. Both viruses are RNA viruses. We think it is noteworthy to mention as proof that ENU200 is indeed an antiviral,” she stated.

Since ENU200 has a well-tolerated safety profile, Ennaid is confident that being allowed to treat the up to 80 percent asymptomatic, mild/moderate cases of

COVID-19 infections will reduce COVID-19 viral shedding and severity, Harrison noted.

Ennaid believes it can quickly bring ENU200 to market by treating patients with COVID-19 in a Phase 3 in-home, self-dosing clinical trial of patients with asymptomatic, mild to moderate coronavirus infections utilizing their iClickCare®️ secure clinical reporting software service to monitor the in-home trials.

“ENU200 would also reduce worldwide fear and allow continued economic and operational development worldwide.

ENU200 can mitigate COVID-19 and may even cure coronavirus,” she said.

Congresswoman Karen Bass Says CBC Wants Federal Dollars to Aid the Black Press

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-Calif.) joined the Black Press of America for a live interview to discuss the plight of African Americans during the coronavirus pandemic.

Congresswoman Bass, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), called the pandemic a “double-punch” to African Americans.

She also called out President Donald Trump for what she stated was his lack of leadership as the virus has claimed more than 100,000 lives, including as many as 40,000 black people and the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd.

Arbery, an African American Georgia resident, was shot and killed while jogging by a former law enforcement officer and his son.

Floyd died after a police officer inexplicably and aggressively pressed his knee into the handcuffed Minneapolis resident’s neck.

Bass also warned that Republicans led

by Lindsay Graham (R-SC) are trying to get certain federal judges off the bench so that the GOP can shape the judicial branch for generations to come.

She said the Trump administration’s failure to act and to lead during the pan-

17

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-Calif.)

demic has damaged America’s reputation on the world stage and the president’s obsession with former President Barack Obama is in large part because Obama was superior in every way.

“The man [Trump] has a very serious inferiority complex, I think he knows that President Barack Obama is superior to him intellectually, morally, physically, and I think that’s very troubling to him,” Bass stated.

“How dare this black man be better than him. Obama’s popularity around the

world is off the charts. Trump has never been able to arrive at the same standard, quality, effectiveness, honesty, moral character of Barack Obama.”

During the 30-minute exclusive interview, Bass said the Black Press and local newspapers were essential, and she and the CBC continue to press for a financial set-aside for publishers.

“It’s not only discussions, and it was on our priority list. It still is,” Bass said of efforts to assist struggling African American newspaper publishers financially.

“The best way to come at it is that the CBC has been calling for specific intervention in areas where COVID-19 specifically is killing black people,” Bass stated, adding that it’s a four-pronged effort.

“One is testing, one is treatment, one is tracing, and one is a public education campaign,” she said.

“The way we have packaged this; we think the public education campaign should provide direct resources to black newspapers, and that’s part of our plan.

The Census needs to invest in our (blackowned) newspapers heavily. There’s no reason the federal government doesn’t do business with our newspapers. Of the billions of dollars they spend in advertising, some of it should be spent with our newspapers,” Bass stated.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

June 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

Temptations’ Otis Williams Talks Music, History, and the Temps’ 60th Anniversary

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent

Otis Williams, the founding and only surviving original member of the legendary super-group, The Temptations, joined BlackPressUSA for an exclusive live interview to discuss music and social change.

Named the No. 1 R&B Artists of AllTime with hits like “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” and “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” The Temptations have sold tens of millions of albums, and they’ve earned four Grammy Awards.

The group has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and have earned stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Apollo Theater’s Walk of Fame.

Williams’ journey from Texarkana, Texas

COMMENTARY:

to Motown and global superstardom, is chronicled in his acclaimed autobiography, “Temptations,” written with The New York Times best-selling author Patricia Romanowski, as well as “The Temptations,” an Emmy Award-Winning television mini-series.

Williams is unlike any other musical artist in American culture.

The cultural significance of his life achievements, along with his success musical career and longevity have ensured his status as an icon for millions of fans all over the world.

“I have to give accolades to the late great Paul Williams. He started our choreography,” Williams shared during the live interview. Cheryl Smith, publisher of the Texas Metro News and I Messenger Me-

dia, co-hosted the interview. Williams also graciously answered questions from the livestream’s viewers.

“Smokey Robinson got us started with ‘The Way You Do the Things You Do.’

He looked at us and said, ‘you guys are fantastic. I love what you do on stage,’” Williams recalled.

His story is also chronicled in the Tony Award-Winning Broadway Musical,

“Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations.” Williams revealed that he isn’t among the millions who’ve watched the television min-series. “Too emotional,” Williams stated, noting that Robinson has encouraged him to “Break out the Kleenex and watch it.”

This year, The Temptations plan to record and release a new album, and, in 2021, the group will mark its 60th anniversary with a tour and other celebrations.

“As I look back in the rear-view mirror of my life, Motown was no happenstance,” Williams stated about the famed record label responsible for the Temptations, Robinson, Marvin Gaye, and so many others.

“Motown sent its artists to school. They schooled us about being artists in show business. They took on another kind of dimension.”

The Black Church Faces an Atypical Crisis

Lisa Olivia Fitch, Editor in Chief, Our Weekly News

If a Tsunami happens on the other side of the world, some may be unaware and unaffected. Others may hear the news and be aware of the disaster, but still be unaffected. Still others may be aware and only inconvenienced by the tsunami, cancelling plans to visit that part of the world.

But then there are those affected by the crisis and those who are deeply impacted.

Relatives are lost, homes are lost, friends are lost, income is lost. During the coronavirus crisis, essentially everyone in the entire world has been affected.

Blacks in the U.S. have been disproportionately affected during the pandemic.

Although African Americans only compose 6 percent of the population in the state of California, Blacks comprise 10.6 percent of the COVID-19 deaths. This has been attributed to the fact that a number of Blacks have underlying and sometimes untreated conditions — cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, etc. — which compound problems, when paired with the coronavirus.

“Some of us are only two degrees away from a COVID death — we know someone who knows someone,” said Dr. Erica Holmes, executive director of the Champion Counseling Center at Faithful Central Bible Church. “The church is now being called back into the role of meeting the needs of the entire church body.”

During a recent meeting organized by Anchor of Hope Ministries, a local, faithbased nonprofit assisting the formerly incarcerated, Holmes stated that the Black church has historically been centered to meet the community’s needs in a variety of ways.

“Often, Blacks could not access governmental services,” Holmes said. “The church was the entity in the black community that met the needs of the oppressed.”

After slavery and during the civil rights

era and beyond, Black churches gave rise to community businesses, schools, banks insurance companies and the like.

“Black churches were ‘one-stop shops’ because other means of access to community services were off limits,” Holmes said.

Holmes pointed to a recent Pew Research Center study that concluded that Blacks still have close ties to churches, as 47 percent of Black adults surveyed said that they attended religious services, compared to 39 percent of Latinx and 34 percent of Whites.

An additional Pew poll showed that 43 percent of Black adults say they look to their religion for guidance on right and wrong.

“It speaks to the power of the pulpit,” Holmes said. “It’s important for the church to have accurate information to keep their congregations safe. How are those individuals who visit the pews one, two, or three times a week impacted?”

“They are looking to you to help them understand,” Holmes said. “Maybe they need to hear that the governor of California said it’s not safe yet, so sit back. You must be able to address the realities of life right now.”

Holmes also noted a silver lining, in that the crisis brought technology to some churches.

“With this pandemic, there has been a major reorganization, but we must see the opportunities as well,” she said. “Like being able to use things like zoom, Facebook and telephone trees, where members are calling at least two other members per day. Those people are interacting with people they hadn’t interacted with in the sanctuary.”

Additionally, persons who already had difficulties surviving day-to-day before the crisis, may have those difficulties exacerbated, Holmes explained.

“Because their equilibrium is thrown off, they can’t usually find a way of coping and dealing with these new feelings,” she said. “It’s important for us in the faith community to pay attention to things we might see.”

Holmes explained that even though church leaders are not face-to-face with members, they should still be on the watch — via phone calls or internet services — for any signs of abuse that may be triggered by the current stay-at-home order.

“Does the child have on a turtleneck shirt when it’s 80 degrees outside?” Holmes asked. “Are the parents yelling at the kids in the background? These individuals don’t feel that the safer at home order accurately describes their situation.”

Holmes attends debriefing meetings with the County Department of Public Health each Thursday.

The Los Angeles County Department

18

of Public Health has guidelines for faithbased communities at http://ph.lacounty. gov/media/Coronavirus/GuidanceFaithBasedOrgsEnglish.pdf.

Limited attendance at funerals and weddings is allowed following the guidelines.

All other in-person gatherings are prohibited. Worship service must be livestreamed, recorded, or taped. Baptisms, infant dedications, bar and bat mitzvahs, and confirmations must be postponed.

When feasible, ceremonial gatherings can be conducted virtually.

Cemeteries and crematoriums are able to provide direct burials and cremation services but without a gathering of people.

Immediate family members who live together and a faith leader may gather in person at a cemetery but are encouraged to reach out directly to the funeral home to understand specific protocols and whether they provide livestream services. Memo-

rial services should be postponed and can be scheduled for a later date.

“Faith leaders clearly have a key role to play in offering comfort and care to Los Angeles County at a time when illness, isolation and economic hardship come together to burden so many residents and communities,” the department writes in its “Guidance for Faith-Based Organizations” piece. “We ask for your support and leadership in helping us mitigate those burdens by reducing the spread of COVID-19, assuring optimal care for those who become ill, and speeding community recovery.”

Holmes encouraged her fellow church leaders to speak life into the current situation.

“The parishioners need to hear how the church is planning for the future,” Holmes said. “What is our next step? How are we going to address the ‘new normal.’”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June - 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016

Elm City Communities

RequestNOTICE for Proposals Asset Management Consulting Services

MACRIofRENTAL PRE-d/b/a APPLICATIONS AVAILABLEis TheVALENTINA Housing Authority the CityHOUSING of New Haven Elm City Communities currently seeking Proposals for Asset Management Consulting Services. A complete HOME INC, on behalf ofmay Columbus Housefrom and Elm the New Haven Housing Authority, copy of the requirements be obtained City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this develMay 27,Haven.

2020 atMaximum 3:00PM income limitations apopment located at 108Wednesday, Frank Street, New ply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have Centrally Located in Connecticut has a position been received at the Construction offices of HOMECompany INC. Applications will be mailied upon reavailable for experienced Full-Time Offi ce assistant / Bookkeeper.

Job Support A/P, quest by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preA/R Payroll. QuickBooks experience required, MS Office, Internet / Emails. Salary applications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third depending on experience.

Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

This company is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer M/F. Females and Minorities are encouraged to apply.

Please fax resume to ATTN: Mike to 860-669-7004.

NOTICIA

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES Phase II Selective BoilerDEReplacement at Cambridge Park INVITATION TO BID HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está Bristol, aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios yConnecticut apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos

The Bristol Housing Authority will receive sealed bids on or before 1:00 p.m. EDT, Friday, máximos. pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 June 24, 2020Las at their offices at 164 Jerome Avenue, Bristol, Connecticut 06010 and said bids 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) willjulio, be opened and read aloud during a Zoom video meeting.

The meeting ID and password oficinas de HOME Lasin pre-solicitudes serán enviadas porRoom. correo a petición for en thislas Zoom meeting will beINC. posted the Advance Reprographic Plan

llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse

Bids willoficinas be received for furnishing labor, Street, materials, tools equipment necessary a las de HOME INC en 171allOrange tercer piso,and New Haven , CT 06510 . to complete “Phase II Selective Boiler Replacements at Cambridge Park,” Bristol, Connecticut 06010. The scope of work shall include but is not limited to Boiler replacements, new gyp. bd. ceilings and door replacements. Sealed bid packages to be clearly marked “Phase II Selective Boiler Replacement at Cambridge Park. Attention: Mitzy Rowe, CEO.” A pre-bid video Zoom meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. The meeting ID and Password will be posted in the Advance Reprographic Plan Room. Attendance at this meeting is strongly recommended for all bidders. Two Boiler Rooms will be open for review and inspection for 1 hr. after the video meeting.

NEW HAVEN

242-258 Fairmont Ave 2BR Townhouse, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA ARContact Documents including Plans and 1.5 SpecifiBA, cations, as prepared

by J ASSOCIATES

CHITECTS, 84 Market Square,new Suiteappliances, 3, Newington, CTcarpet, 06111, will be to on I-91 file at&the Bristol All new apartments, new close I-95 Housing Authority, highways, near bus stop & shopping center 164 Jerome Avenue, Bristol, Connecticut. Contract Documents can be reviewed and purPet under 40lb allowed.

Interested partiesReprographics, contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 chased within the online plan room of Advanced Plainville, CT at www. advancedrepro.net or by calling (860) 410-1020. Project information can also be obtained online at Projectdog.com.

CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates TheinBristol Authority reserves thecost rightis $125. to reject anystart or all bids and/or any responseHousing to the Church’s Ministry needs. The Classes Saturday, August to 20,waive 2016 1:303:30 Contact:in Chairman, J. Davis, M.S., informalities bidding,Deacon whenJoe such action is B.S. deemed to be in the best interest of the Bristol (203) 996-4517 Host,All General Bishop Elijah must Davis, be D.D.fiPastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. 64 Brewster Housing Authority. bid documents lled out completely when Church submitted.

St. New Haven, CT

A satisfactory Bid Bond or Certified Check in an amount equal to five percent (5%) of the base bid, shall be submitted with each bid. The Bid Bond shall be made payable to the Bristol Housing Authority and shall be properly executed by the Bidder. A 100% Performance, Labor and Material Bond is also required. All sureties must be listed on the most recent IRS circular 570.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour

“Attention of bidders directed toAugust certain requirements contract which require payuntil 3:00 pm onisTuesday, 2, 2016 at ofitsthis office at 28 Smith Street, ment of Davis-Bacon wages, and compliance with certain local, state and federal requireSeymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the ments. This is a Federally funded project.”

Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

No bids shall be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) days after the opening of bids without the consent of the Bristol Housing Authority.

A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith ForStreet furtherSeymour, information, contact Johnson, Bristol Housing Authority, Director CTplease at 10:00 am,Carl on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. of Capital Funds at (860) 585-2028 or Jay R. Victorick, J ASSOCIATES ARCHITECTS at (860) 665-7063.

Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority OfAFFIRMATIVE MBE’s, WBE’s, fice,SBE’s 28“AN Smith Street, ACTION/EQUAL Seymour, CTOPPORTUNITY 06483 (203)EMPOLYER 888-4579.

AND SECTION 3 DESIGNATED ENTERPRISES ARE ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT”

The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any

The Town of East Haven is currently accepting applications for the position of Firefighter D/Paramedic. Salary-$58,057/year. Candidates must possess a valid Driver’s License from the State of Connecticut; a High School Diploma or GED; Paramedic License from the State of Connecticut or be enrolled in a Paramedic Program that can be completed within 2 years; must be 18 years of age; and have a valid CPAT Card submitted

by July 1, 2019 to be eligible for employment in the first round of hiring or must submit a valid CPAT card anytime with in the 2 year life of the Eligibility List; pass a physical examination, drug screening and background check in addition to Civil Service Testing.

Candidate must not use tobacco products. The application for testing is available online at www.FirefighterApp.com/EastHavenFD. The deadline for submission is June 30, 2020.

The Town of East Haven is committed to building a workforce of diverse individuals. Minorities, Females, Handicapped and Veterans are encouraged to apply. The Town of East Haven is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport Request for Qualification (RFQ) Co-Developer Solicitation Number: 142-PD-20-S

The Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport d/b/a Park City Communities (PCC) is seeking Statements of Qualifications from interested and qualified real estate developers for the Replacement Housing site C.F. Greene Homes and Various Mixed Finance Development Projects. Solicitation package will be available on June 8, 2020 to obtain a copy of the solicitation you must send your request to bids@parkcitycommunities.org, please reference solicitation number and title on the subject line. A pre-proposal conference will be held via conference call on June 23, 2020, @ 11:00 a.m. Although attendance is not mandatory, submitting a bid for the project without attending conference is not in the best interest of the Offeror. Additional questions should be emailed only to bids@parkcitycommunities.org no later than June 30, 2020 @ 3:00 p.m. Answers to all the questions will be posted on PCC’s Website: www.parkcitycommunities.org. Proposals shall be mailed, or hand delivered by July 8, 2020 @ 3:00 PM, to Ms. Caroline Sanchez, Director of Procurement, 150 Highland Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604. Late proposals will not be accepted.

Listing: Commercial Driver Immediate need for a full time Class A driver for petroleum deliveries for days and weekends. Previous experience required. Competitive wage, 401(k) and benefits. Send Invitation to 388, Bid: Guilford, CT 06437. resume to: HR Manager, P. O. Box

2nd Notice

********An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**********

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Old Saybrook, CT (4 Buildings, 17 Units) Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project INVITATION TO BID

HARTFORD PRESERVATION PORTFOLIO New Construction, Wood Framed,HARTFORD, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, CastCT in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, This is a renovation project consisting of 5 Hartford properties.

Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Total of 21 buildings, 206 units, project is taxable and there are no wage rates.

Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.

The set-aside five properties are: This contract is subject to state and contract compliance requirements.

Barbour Gardens, Sigourney Square, Casa Verde Sur, Vine Street and Enfield Magnolia

Extended, Dueplans Date:andAugust 5, 2016 LinkBid to access project specifications: http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=hartfordpreservation Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 available via ftp link below: This contractProject is subjectdocuments to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements. http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage BIDS ARE DUE JUNE 19, 2020 @ 5pm

All Questions andQuestions bids must& be submitted written form and directed to the appropriate estimator: Fax or Email Bids to: Dawn in Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com Eric Facchini: HCC encourages the participation of allefacchini@haynesct.com Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses For Site, Concrete, Masonry and MEP trades.

Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 John Simmons: jsimmons@haynesct.com AA/EEO EMPLOYER For all trades in Divisions 6 through 14.

HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 AA/EEO EMPLOYER

19

Town of Bloomfield Director of Public Works Full Time - Benefited

$96,755 to $149,345

Pre-employment drug testing.

For more details, visit our website – www.bloomfieldct.org

State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Lead Planning Analyst position.

Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions for this position is available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/ CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1= 200521&R2=0007AR&R3=001 The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

APPLY NOW!

Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders Top pay for top performers. Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

DELIVERY PERSON

NEEDED Part Time Delivery Needed

One/Two Day a Week,

Must Have your Own Vehicle

If Interested call

(203) 387-0354 CITY OF MILFORD

Seeking qualified condidates to fill numerous vacancies to include, Director of Operations Milford Landing Marina, Recreation Director, and more. For information and detailed application instructions, visit WWW.ci.milford.ct.us

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016

Equipment Operator - Town of Groton Public Works, CDL-B license, with two years

related experience in equipment operation. Full-time, 40 hours, $22.67/hour. Applications at Groton Town Hall, Human Resources, 45 Fort Hill Road, Groton, CT 06340 or www.groton-ct.gov and must be returned by 6/16/20. EOE m/f

NOTICE

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE Willard DiLoreto Parking Garage – CCSU – New Britain, CT

HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this develO&G Industries is looking for DAS-certified minorities to bid the above-referenced projopment located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apectply. as Pre-applications a subcontractor material. will beMonday bid toJu;y the State of Connectiwillorbesupplier availableof from 9AM TO Project 5PM beginning cut25, DAS Services June 24, 2020.

Set Aside100) Requirements: 25% SBE 2016Construction and ending when sufficientonpre-applications (approximately have Subcontractors &/or Suppliers; 6.25% Subcontractors &/or Suppliers.

Please e-mail been received at the offices of HOME INC.MBE Applications will be mailied upon request by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663for during those hours. Completed Mark Carroll markcarroll@ogind.com more information and topregain applications be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third access to the must plans.

Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

O&G is an Affirmative Action Equal Opportunity Employer seeking all subcontractors/suppliers/vendors - MBE/WBE/SBE/DBE/Veterans/Disabled.

NOTICIA

360 Management Group Company 360 Management Group Company is currently accepting applications for currently accepting applications forJustice WaverlyisTownhouses, Fulton Park and Stanley

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está HOUSING AUTHORITY OFde unTHE CITYen OF DANBURY aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos dormitorio este desarrollo

Waverly Townhouses, Fulton Park and Stanley Justice Located in revitalized neighborhoods, our newly renovated townhouses

Located in revitalized neighborhoods, newly renovated townhouses feature two, three and four bedrooms,our all with convenient access to feature two, three and four bedrooms, all with convenient access to transportation, great schools and amenities. Community features include transportation, great maintenance, schools and amenities.

Community include 24-hour emergency resident activities and features access to playgrounds.

Families who qualify for Housing Choice and Voucher (Section 8) 24-hour emergency maintenance, resident activities access to assistance willFamilies pay nowho morequalify than 30% of their adjusted annual income for8) playgrounds. for Housing Choice Voucher (Section rent. assistance will pay no more than 30% of their adjusted annual income for rent.

& Planning ubicado en la calle 109Modernization Frank Street, NewManagement Haven. Se aplican limitacionesServices de ingresos máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 RFP 09 No. P20001 julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) SCOPE: en lasThe oficinas de HOME INC.ofLas seránand enviadas correo a petición Housing Authority thepre-solicitudes City of Danbury its affipor liates hereby issue this Request for llamandofrom a HOME INCedalProposers 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberánand remitirse Proposal qualifi to provide Modernization Management Planning Services and act as Orange the agency Modernization Specialist. a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Street, tercer piso, New Haven , CT 06510 .

PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL RETURN:

REQUIREMENTS:

Housing Authority of the City of Danbury, 2 Mill Ridge Rd, Danbury, CT 06811 Envelope Must be Marked: RFP No. P20001 Modernization Management

Earnings must be between 0%-60% of the Area REQUIREMENTS: Medium Income Earnings must be between 0%-60% of the Area (AMI). Please see the table below for specific income and household Medium Income requirements.

Selections will be made via a lottery system.

Invitation to the Bid: table (AMI). Please see below for specific income and household nd 2 Notice requirements.

Selections will be made via a lottery system.

NEW HAVEN DEADLINE SUBMITTAL

242-258 June 19,Fairmont 2020 atAve 2:00pm (EST) 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA

# People

All new apartments, new appliances, new FOR carpet,RFP close DOCUMENT: to I-91 & I-95 CONTACT PERSON highways, near busof stop & shopping center Ms. Devin Marra, Director Procurement,Telephone: 203-744-2500 x141 Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 E-Mail: dmarra@hacdct.org [Minority- and/or women-owned businesses are encouraged to respond]

in 2VILLAGE 3 SAYEBROOKE

Minimum

5

6

7

5

6

7

$29,77 5

5

0

0

$27,72 5

$20,52

$23,10

$25,65

$27,72

0

0

$49,26 $61,56 Cast$66,54 New Construction, WoodMaximum Framed, Housing, Selective $55,44 Demolition, Site-work, 0 5

5 0 Certificate Program. is a 10 month program designed to in the intellectual formation of Candidates 0 Laborer: The This Town of East Haven isassist currently accepting applications for the position of Laborer in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl0 Siding, in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:30in its Public Works Department. Qualified candidates must possess a High School Diploma or GED, some CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s

4

#Househol People Old Saybrook, CT ind 2 3 4 (4 Buildings, 17 Units) Househol Minimum $20,52 $23,10 Tax Exempt Wage Rate Project $25,65 d& Not Prevailing

$29,77

$71,46 5 0

$31,82 5

$31,82

$76,38 5 0

3:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. Maximum $49,26 $55,44 $61,56 $66,54 $71,46 $76,38 (203) 996-4517 Host, General Elijah D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapelof U.F.W.B. Churchand 64 Brewster experience in heavy manualBishop labor; anyDavis, equivalent combination education experience and aFlooring, valid andPainting, Division 10 Specialties,0Appliances,0Residential Casework, 0 0 0 0 Apply online at https://ecc.myhousing.com appropriate driver’s license from the State of Connecticut. Base pay for this position is $43,275.00 per year Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.

St. New Haven, CT or download an application at: (July 1, 2020)/year. The application is available at http://www.townofeasthavenct.org/civil-service-commisThis contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements. http://www.cthcvp.org/ sion/pages/job-notices-and-tests and must be returned to the Civil Service Commission, 250 Main Street, East Apply online at https://ecc.myhousing.com Haven CT 06512. The Town of East Haven is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Minorities, Females, Veterans http://www.elmcitycommunities.org or download an application at: Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 and Handicapped are encouraged to apply.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

8

8 $33,87 5

$33,87

$81,30 5 0

$81,30 0

http://www.cthcvp.org/

ToAnticipated receiveStart: an application August 15, 2016by mail, please call 475-355-7289 or send a http://www.elmcitycommunities.org Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour written request to Attention: Waitlist Coordinator, Elm City Communities, PO Project documents available via ftp link below: Electric until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, Box 1912, New Haven, CT 06509 http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage To receive an application by mail, please call 475-355-7289 or send a Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the Chief Meterman – The Town of Wallingford Electric Division is seeking a qualified individual to assign and written to Attention: Waitlist Coordinator, Elm City Communities, PO Submitrequest paper applications Smithfield Assisted Living 26 Smith Streetand Seymour. direct the workGardens of a group of Meterman in Facility, the diagnosing, repairing, requisitioning of all types meterFax orofEmail QuestionsBox & Bids1912, to: Dawn New Lang @ 203-881-8372 Haven, dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com CT 06509 • In person at 360 Orange St, New Haven, CT 06511 ing. Must have H.S. Diploma or trade/technical school with course of study in an electrical field and (6) the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses HCC six encourages (via the drop box located at the front door); or years of experience with atwill leastbe three of experience as a Meterman electric utility metering. One HaynesSubmit Constructionpaper Company, Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 A pre-bid conference held(3)atyears the Housing Authority Office 28inSmith • 32applications Mail to PO Box 1912, New Haven, CT 06509 (1) year experience as a supervisor preferred. An equivalent combination of experience and training may AA/EEO EMPLOYER • In Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. person at 360 Orange St, New Haven, CT 06511 substitute on a year for year basis up to two (2) years. the dropaccommodation box located at the front door); If you need a(via reasonable to complete theorapplication: Must possess and maintain a valid State of Connecticut Motor Vehicle Operator's License. Hourly Rate • Mail to PO Box 1912, New Haven, CT 06509 Call 203-498-8800 ext.

1507 Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority Of$39.80 - $43.86 plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Applications can be printed from the Town’s Webpage Las solicitudes estarán disponibles el 6/08/2020 fice, 28http://www.wallingford.ct.us/Content/Personnel_Department.asp Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

Fax (203)-294-2084. Phone: (203)-294-2080. The closing date will be June 23, 2020. EOE If you need a reasonable accommodation to complete Las solicitudes deben presentarse antes del 7/3/2020 the application:

The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any

20

Call 203-498-8800 ext. 1507

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June - 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES NOTICE

Request for Proposals Indefinite Quantities Contract for Certified

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Hazardous Materials Abatement & General Contractor Services

HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority, The Housing Authority of the City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Prois accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this develposals for Indefinite Quantities Contract for Certified Hazardous Materials Abatement & General Contracopment located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations aptor Services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City Communities’ Vendor ply.Collaboration Pre-applications will https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y Portal beginning on 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have Monday, May 11, 2020 at 3:00PM. been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon request by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preapplications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF NEW BRITAIN 16 ARMISTICE STREET * NEW BRITAIN, CT 06053

NOTICIA MAINTAINER I

360 Management Group Company is currently accepting applications for Waverly Townhouses, Fulton Park and Stanley Justice

VALENTINA MACRIofVIVIENDAS ALQUILER DISPONIBLES The Housing Authority the City of DE New Britain isPRE-SOLICITUDES seeking a highly motivated individual to become a member of our team in our Operations Department as Maintainer I. For more detailed information and the complete job HOME INC, en nombre deAuthority’s la Columbuswebsite House yatdewww.nbhact.org la New Haven Housing estáfor this positon is description, please visit the . The Authority, closing date

Located in revitalized neighborhoods, our newly renovated townhouses feature two, three and four bedrooms, all with convenient access to transportation, great schools and amenities. Community features include 24-hour emergency maintenance, resident activities and access to playgrounds. Families who qualify for Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) assistance will pay no more than 30% of their adjusted annual income for rent.

aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo ubicado en la calle June 109 Frank Street, New Haven. aplicanCALLS limitaciones ingresos 12, 2020 at 2:30 p.m. NOSePHONE WILL BEdeACCEPTED. máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponiblesAn09EEO/AAA a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, New Haven , CTand 06510 .

Seeking to employ experienced individuals in thetercer labor,piso, foreman, operator teamster trades for a heavy outside work statewide. Reliable personal transportation and a valid drivers license required. To apply please call (860) 621-1720 or send resume to: Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410.

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V Drug Free Workforce

Construction

NEW HAVENof the City of Norwalk, CT The Housing Authority is requesting proposals 242-258 Fairmont Ave for Construction/Permanent 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 levelLender. , 1BA Request for Proposal documents can be viewed and printed at www.norwalkha.org under the Business secAll new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, I-91 & I-95Employer. tion RFP’s/RFQ’s.

Norwalk Housing is an close Equalto Opportunity highways, nearAdam bus stop & shopping center Bovilsky, Executive Director.

Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258

The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT

REQUIREMENTS: Earnings must be between 0%-60% of the Area Medium Income Invitation to Bid: (AMI). Please see the table below for specific income and household 2nd Notice requirements.

Selections will be made via a lottery system.

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

# People 2 CT 3 inOld Saybrook, (4 Buildings, 17 Units) Househol Tax Exempt &dNot Prevailing Wage Rate Project Minimum

CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer Deacon’s is arequesting proposals for Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. Request for Proposal documents canDavis, be viewed and printed atU.F.W.B. www.norwalkha.org (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel Church 64 Brewsterunder

$20,52

$23,10

4

5

6

7

8

$25,65

$27,72

$29,77 5

$31,82 5

$33,87 5

$71,46 0

$76,38 0

$81,30 0

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Cast- 5 5 0 0 in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, Web Site Redevelopment and Rebranding.

Maximum $49,26 $55,44 $61,56 $66,54 Flooring, secPainting, Division 10 Specialties, 0Appliances, Residential Casework, the Business 0 0 0 Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.

St. New Haven, CT tion RFP’s/RFQ’s. Norwalk Housing is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Adam Bovilsky, Executive Director.

This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

SEYMOURDiesel HOUSINGMechanic AUTHORITY

Sealed bids are invited by the Housing Authority of the Town of Seymour

Apply online at https://ecc.myhousing.com or download an application at: Bid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 http://www.cthcvp.org/ Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 http://www.elmcitycommunities.org

Project documents available via ftp link below:

Our team is currently looking for an experienced Mechanic keep up our level of commitment to until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 atDiesel its office at 28toSmith Street, http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage To receive an application by mail, please call 475-355-7289 or send a safety and customer service. this role,Sidewalk the successful candidate will perform truck Seymour, CT 06483 for In Concrete Repairs and Replacement at therepair and maintenance written request to Attention: Waitlist Coordinator, Elm City Communities, PO work in accordance with factory and industry standards, run diagnostics on vehicles and work closely with Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

1912, New Haven,dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com CT 06509 FaxtoorperformEmail Questions Box & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 other team members to meet company goals. Responsibilities may include but not be limited encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses ing minor and major repairs on trucks and trailers, conduct regular preventative maintenance HCC on service Haynes Construction Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 trucks, perform regular diagnostic tests at on the trucks and maintain accurate records of each repair performed on A pre-bid conference will be held Housing Authority Office 28 Smith Submit Company, paper32applications • EMPLOYER AA/EEO vehicles.

ExperienceCT is at a plus, willing to train the right candidates.

In person at 360 Orange St, New Haven, CT 06511 Street Seymour, 10:00butam, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. Apply in person or apply online at americanind.net. American Industries, Inc. is an AA/EOE. (via the drop box located at the front door); or

•

Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority OfAmerican Industries, Inc. fice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203)Jewett 888-4579.

630 Plainfi eld Road, City, CT 06351 The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any

Mail to PO Box 1912, New Haven, CT 06509 Applications will be available on 6/08/2020

21

If you need a reasonable accommodation tobycomplete the application: Applications must be submitted 7/3/2020 Call 203-498-8800 ext. 1507

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020 INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

THE GLENDOWER GROUP

Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory Invitation for Bids training on equipment we operate. Location: Bloomfield CT Charles T. McQueeney Towers Commercial Floor We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PREAPPLICATIONS AVAILABLE Renovations Contact: Tom Dunay

NOTICE

Phone: 243-2300 The Glendower HOME INC, on behalf of860Columbus House and the New Haven Housing Authority,Group is currently seeking Bids for commerEmail: tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com cial at floor at Charles T. McQueeney Towesrs. A is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments this renovations develWomen Minority Applicants are New encouraged to apply income complete copyapof the requirement may be obtained from Glenopment & located at 108 Frank Street, Haven. Maximum limitations dower’s Vendor rmative Action/ Opportunity Employer ply.Affi Pre-applications willEqual be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have June re8, 2020 at 3:00PM. been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be Monday, mailied upon quest by calling HOME Reclaiming, INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preGarrity Asphalt Inc seeks: applications must be to HOMEwith INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third Reclaimer Operators andreturned Milling Operators current licensing Haven, CTbe06510. andFloor, cleanNew driving record, willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits

NOTICIA

Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300

Willard DiLoreto Parking Garage – CCSU – New Britain, CT

Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS DE ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES

O&G Industries is looking for DAS-certified minorities to bid Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply the above-referenced project as a subcontractor or supplier of Affi rmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer HOME INC, en nombre de la Columbus House y de la New Haven Housing Authority, está

material. Project will be bid to the State of Connecticut DAS aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorioConstruction en este desarrollo Services on June 24, 2020. Set Aside Requireubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones ingresos ments:de25% SBE Subcontractors &/or Suppliers; 6.25% MBE máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25&/or Suppliers. Please e-mail Mark Carroll Subcontractors Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equipjulio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) markcarroll@ogind.com for more information and to gain ment. Must have a CDL License, clean driving record, capable of en las oficinas HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas correotoa the petición plans. operating heavydeequipment; be willing to travel throughout the poraccess llamando&a NY. HOME 203-562-4663 horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse Northeast We INC offeralexcellent hourlydurante rate &esas excellent benefits is an Affi. rmative Action Equal Opportunity Employer seeking all a las oficinas de HOME INC en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, New Haven ,O&G CT 06510

Union Company seeks:

Contact Dana at 860-243-2300

Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

HELP WANTED:

NEW HAVEN

subcontractors/suppliers/vendors - MBE/WBE/SBE/DBE/Veterans/Disabled.

STAIN/PAINT CREW:

THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF MIDDLETOWN Request for Qualifications from Architects/Engineers to Assist the Housing Authority in Preparation of Plans, Specifications & Contract Documents for Window and Entry Door Replacement at Maplewood Terrace and Entry Door Replacement at Traverse Square

The Housing Authority of the City of Middletown extends an invitation to architects/engineers to submit a statement of their qualifications to the Authority. The architect's/engineer’s qualifications should indicate the ability to perform work required in a timely and sufficient manner. The architect/engineer must be licensed to perform services in the State of Connecticut.

The services being required by the Housing Authority will include but shall not be limited to preliminary studies, schematic design, preparation and design of construction documents, work write-ups, cost estimates, evaluation of construction bids, inspection of materials and workmanship during construction, and post completion documents for the window and door improvements projects scheduled to be completed at Traverse Square (60 residential units, entry doors only) and Maplewood Terrace (47 Residential units, doors and windows). The project will include but is not limited to: apartment window and door replacement, and exterior/interior window and door trim.

The entire procurement procedure and contract award will be subject to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and any and all applicable Federal/State Laws and Regulations. The architect/engineer selected shall comply with: a) the Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Requirements adopted by the Authority in compliance with said order, and b) Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 and the regulations issued thereunder.

Profiles of the firm's principals, staff and facilities must be submitted along with a list of completed projects, especially projects completed with H.U.D. funds. The architect/ engineer should specify any work performed under the Comprehensive Grant Program and/or the Comprehensive Improvements Assistance Program. A certified statement that the architect/engineer is not debarred, suspended or otherwise prohibited from professional practice by any Federal, State or local agency must also be submitted. In addition, the following insurance will be required:

1. Professional Liability including Errors and Omissions, Large CT fence contractor seeking experienced painters. Must Invitation2.toComprehensive Bid: General Liability, have at least 5 years’ experience staining and/or painting woodnd 3. Automobile Liability, 242-258 Fairmont Ave 2 Notice and cellular products. Work available 10-12 months per year. 4. Valuable Papers Destruction policy, Townhouse, BA, for 3BR, 1 level All , 1BA necessary equipment provided. Medical, holiday, sick 5. Workers’ Compensation and Employer Liability policy.

Large CT2BR guardrail company 1.5 looking Laborer/ drug new valid apartments, new appliances, newand carpet, I-91vacation & I-95 pay provided. Must pass a physical andOld DriverAllwith CT CDL Class A license ableclose to toand Saybrook, CT a The Architect/Engineer should have previous experience in providing professional serhighways, busto stop & shopping center test, have a valid CT driver’s license and be able to obtain get a medical card.

Must near be able pass a drug test (4 Buildings, 17 Units) DOT medical card.

Rates from $18.00 $22.00 per hour plus vices to public housing authorities and must display evidence of knowledge of H.U.D. and physical.

Compensation based on contact experience.

Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties Maria @ 860-985-8258 Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project current federal GSA Form 330 must be submitted. benefits. OSHA 10 training required. Please email resume to regulations.

Completed Email resume to dmastracchio@atlasoutdoor.com gforshee@atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE/M-F

AA/EOE M-F

CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016 1:303:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster

NOTICE OF INVITATION FOR BID HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF DANBURY St. New Haven, CT Plumbing Services IFB No. B20001

SEYMOUR HOUSING SCOPE: AUTHORITY

The Housing Authority of theby City Danbury and its affiliates hereby issue InvitaSealed bids are invited theofHousing Authority of the Town of this Seymour tion for until 3:00Bidpmfrom on professional, Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, qualified, licensed plumbing companies.

Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26RETURN: Smith Street Seymour.

Housing Authority of the City of Danbury, 2 Mill Ridge Rd, Danbury, CT 06811 Envelope Must be Marked: IFB No. B20001 Plumbing Services

A pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday,OPENING July 20, 2016.

SUBMITTAL DEADLINE/BID

July 9, 2020 at 10:00am (EST)

Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority OfCONTACT PERSON FOR IFB DOCUMENT: fice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579.

Ms. Devin Marra, Director of Procurement,Telephone: 203-744-2500 x141 E-Mail: dmarra@hacdct.org The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to [Minority- and/or women-owned businesses are encouraged to respond]

reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any informalities in the bidding, if such actions are in the best interest of the Housing Authority.

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, Cast- Criteria: Evaluation

Firm’s qualifi in-place Concrete, Asphalt1.Shingles, Vinylcations Siding,- history and resource capability to perform required services in Centrally Located Construction Company a timely manner (20 Points).

Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, 2. Evaluation of staff personnel (20 Points). in Connecticut has positions available Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection.

3. H.U.D. experience, including the Comprehensive Grant Program and/or the Capital for experienced project managers, laborThis contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

Fund Program (25 Points). ers and truck drivers.

4. Other experience (20 Points).

This company is an Affirmative Action / 5. Overall response to RFQ (15 Points).

Bid Extended, Equal Opportunity Employer M/F. Females andDue

Date: August 5, 2016

Minorities are encouraged to apply.Start: August 15, 2016 Anticipated All interested firms shall submit proposals to: Please fax resume to ATTN: Mike to available via ftp link below: Project documents

Window & Entry Door Replacement Qualifications at http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage 860-669-7004.

Maplewood Terrace & Traverse Square Middletown Housing Authority 40 Broad Street Middletown, CT 06457 HCC encourages in the Crane/Pile participation ofDrivall Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses borer with experience Construction Company, ing operations. WeHaynes will consider those with 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483

by June 26, 2020 on or before 4:00 PM no prior experience. Required skills/qualiAA/EEO EMPLOYER Further information may be obtained by calling the Housing Authority at (860) 346-8671 fications include: OTC 105 OSHA10 hour ext. 112 Certification, Valid Drivers License, Must be able to lift over 50 pounds, Minimum The Housing Authority of the City of Middletown is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative age of 18, Must Provide personal transporAction Employer and conducts its business in accordance with all Federal, State and tation to and from the jobsite.

Local laws, regulations and guidelines. Section 3, Small, Minority, Women Business Please contact: Eric Bombaci Bombaci Construction Enterprises and Disabled are encouraged to participate in this process.

Constuction for aLang La- @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com Fax or EmailLaborer QuestionsLooking & Bids to: Dawn

8605754519 Bombaciconst@aol.com

22

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - June - 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

VIRUS PREVENTION

AVOID

AVOID

COVER

close contact with people who are sick.

touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

CLEAN

WASH

STAY HOME

and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

23

when you are sick.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

June 10, 2020 - June 16, 2020

Let the summer play.

Celebrate all the legends and soon-to-be legendary music that heats up summer with Xfinity. This Black Music Month, whether you’re summering in or celebrating out, catch music-themed movies, enjoy your favorite music networks, and stream top apps like Pandora, Music Choice and more right to your TV. This is what summer sounds like. And no matter what it brings, Xfinity Black Film & TV has your soundtrack. Simple. Easy. Awesome.

Visit xfinity.com/discovermore to learn more.

Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Xfinity TV service subscription required. NPA231658-0001 NED AA BMM V8

137327_NPA231658-0001 BMM 9.25x10.5 NewHaven V8.indd 1

24

5/19/20 3:21 PM