Volume LXXII, Number 15
“Trolleys, Trains, and Transit” at PPL . . . . . . . 5 PU Engineering and Arts Symposium . . . . . . . . . 7 Once Upon a Time in Memphis . . . . . . . . . . 16 PU Men’s Lax Tops Stony Brook to End Skid . . . 32 Incoming PU Freshman Crane Rows Across Atlantic . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Jake Bennett Helps PDS Boys’ Lax Defeat Lawrenceville . . . . . . . 35 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . .22, 23
www.towntopics.com
Princeton Schools Explore Reform Efforts for Discipline, Conflict Prevention, Equity
Inequity in school punishment and persistently high rates of suspension and expulsion for students of color and students with special needs have been a problem at many schools across the country and a controversial issue locally, including a complaint filed with the Princeton Civil Rights Commission just last January. Rutgers University Psychology Professor Anne Gregory, a national expert on the subject of restorative justice, equity in school discipline, and community-building will speak to a gathering Thursday, April 12 at 7 p.m. in the John Witherspoon Middle School (JWMS) auditorium. In a presentation co-sponsored by Princeton Public Schools, Princeton Special Ed PTO, Princeton High School PTO, JWMS PTO, Committed & Faithful Princetonians, Not in Our Town Princeton, Princeton Civil Rights Commission, Princeton Youth Advisory Committee, and Minority Student Achievement network, Gregory will discuss reform efforts in school discipline and programming to prevent conflict and intervene constructively once conflict has occurred. Gregory has focused her research on Continued on Page 10
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Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Surveillance Footage Shows Troopers Shot Mielentz in Panera The New Jersey Attorney General’s office released footage Monday related to the March 20 shooting incident at the Panera Bread restaurant on Nassau Street. The video shows state troopers firing the shots that killed Scott L. Mielentz, the 56-year-old Lawrenceville man who entered the eatery that morning, wielding a BB pistol. “The shooting remains under investigation by the Attorney General’s Shooting Response Team (SRT),” reads a statement from the office. “However, certain records were released today in response to formal requests under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act and common law.” The records include footage from Panera’s surveillance system, 911 recordings, Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) reports, and information about the weapons involved. The video is posted online at http://bit.ly/2JvGpUk. On the tape, a man calls the Princeton Police Department at 10:28 a.m. saying, “There’s a guy with a gun at Panera.” Law enforcement officers from the local police department, the New Jersey State Police, and the FBI responded and attempted to negotiate with Mielentz for nearly five
hours. But he continued to hold the black pistol in his hand. In the video from Panera’s surveillance system, Mielentz pointed the pistol at officers. Two members of the State Police Technical Emergency and Mission Specialists (TEAMS) Unit, armed with M4 rifles, fired at him, striking him in the head and upper torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The weapon Mielentz was holding was later determined to be a black Crosman PFM BB pistol.
Mielentz was a former IT worker who is said to have suffered from medical, psychological, and financial problems. His motive in entering the restaurant with a gun has not been disclosed, but Princeton Police Chief Nick Sutter said after the incident that Mielentz was “a person in crisis.” After he entered the restaurant, which has since reopened, customers and staff were able to flee the building through a back door. Police secured the perimeter during the standoff, which lasted until just before 3 p.m. Continued on Page 8
Council Approves Budget for 2018, Hears Comments on Affordable Housing Princeton Council voted to adopt the $65 million budget for 2018 at its meeting on Monday night, April 9, first approving an amendment that would increase the use of surplus funds by $1 million. Of that $1 million, $626,000 is to pay down debt that was authorized in 2018. The remaining $372,000 reduces the tax levy, with no increase from last year to this year. Following the unanimous vote, Mayor Liz Lempert thanked members of the municipal staff and the Citizens Finance Advisory Committee (CFAC) for their work.
“Everybody always wants to put together a budget with no tax increase,” she said. “It’s easy to do that. It’s harder to put one together that’s responsible, and this is a responsible budget this year.” During the public comment period of the meeting, three residents urged Council to include the public in plans for how it is going to meet a court-ordered affordable housing requirement of 753 units. The town must submit its plans to the court by June 22. Mercer County Superior Court Judge Mary C. Jacobson ruled last month on Princeton’s requirement, also setting Continued on Page 10
Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 30 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Classified Ads . . . . . . 40 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Music/Theater . . . . . . 24 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 39 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
IS IT SPRING YET?: Shoppers were bundled up as they strolled through Palmer Square on Sunday. Warmer weather is predicted for later this week. Downtown Princeton merchants discuss spring trends in this week’s Town Talk on page 6. (Photo by Erica M. Cardenas)
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