Mayor Joe Ganim was joined by local, state and federal officials on Thursday in the wake of the latest gun violence. Participants included family members of victims.
Mayor Joe Ganim was joined by Police Chief AJ Perez and other law enforcement officers, state’s attorneys, groups like Project Longevity and Connecticut Against Gun Violence, and victim’s families.
They discussed the juvenile justice system and said there aren’t strict enough punishments for kids who commit crimes. They also talked about ways to combat the sale of guns that are brought into Bridgeport from out of the state.
Community leaders say they have been coming together for the past two years to meet twice a month to tackle the issue of youth gun violence in the city.
The initiative started after the death of Jayson Negron.
In light of four killings in the past six weeks, leaders say they are going to need everyone to come to the table to fight gun violence once and for all.
*** Tough situation for law enforcement trying to get a hold on illegal guns coming into the city. First step is to check all legal gun/weapons dealers & owners to see if there up to date on their licenses, registrations & total amounts of weapons they own, registered & where their buying them. Some legal weapons owners go up north or down south on a regular bases to purchase weapons of all types, (legal of course?) only to sell them in Ct. at much higher prices! In regards to gun violence/major Fed. crimes committed by youthful offenders, there’s no doubt that the law penalty’s need to be much stricter than whats on the books now. Violent offenses by juveniles that continue to come back & forth through the justice system must be re-evaluated & looked at on an individual bases rather than just looking to group them all together! No easy answers however something must be done now before its completely out of law enforcement’s hands & the taxpaying citizens are caught in the cross-fire. ***
Mojo makes some good points about the purchase of guns and where they come from. The NRA will fight any law that makes it harder to purchase guns. This killing is nothing new here in Bridgeport but the reaction is like this is the first time. The article states, “Community leaders say they have been coming together for the past two years to meet twice a month to tackle the issue of youth gun violence in the city.
The initiative started after the death of Jayson Negron.” First Jayson Negron was shot by the police and if this group has been meeting for two years, well what have they come up with? Bridgeport just gave Police Chief a new five year contract after having a nationwide search, so what has Chief Perez bought to the table for ideas about these shootings? Most Bridgeport police officers don’t reside in Bridgeport, the have NO real investment in the city except to get there pay check every week with no connection to any neighborhood. How can residents have faith, trust and confidence with the police when they are looked upon as visitors. Below is a news article that sets back everything. Maybe this is the reason why Joe Ganim ran for governor.
“Report ranks Bridgeport in top 50 ‘worst U.S. cities to live in”
By Tara O’Neill Updated 4:43 pm EST, Thursday, February 7, 2019
https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Report-ranks-Bridgeport-in-top-50-worst-U-S-13598955.php
Bridgeport has been ranked among the “worst U.S. cities to live in,” according to a recent report from 24/7 Wall St., which looked at crime rates, poverty levels and job markets.
The report indicated that Bridgeport’s poverty rate was 20.8 percent, though it did not specify what year this data was linked to. Based on FBI data from 2017, the report said, Bridgeport saw 900 violent crimes per 100,000 people. The city’s population in 2017 was 146,579 people, census data shows.
“Bridgeport is the only city in Connecticut — and the broader New England region — to rank among the worst U.S. cities to live in,” the report said. “A relatively poor city, the typical household in Bridgeport earns just $44,841 a year, and more than one in every five city residents live below the poverty line.”
First step is EDUCATION. Has to start at 1st grade and intensive through 4th/5th/6th grade. By 7th/8th grade it’s too late. Forget about High School. However,Mayor Joe Ganim has shown his priorities in his first three years as JG2. Create a “Police State” in the City of Bridgeport and screw the Bridgeport Public School System. Unfortunately,too many City Council Reps went along with this misguided strategy.
with the educational process,we are also looking at drug use(meth,cocaine etc etc etc),cigarette/marijuana(as it may become legal for recreational use in CT),responsible sexual behaviors. Joe Ganim’s and the majority of the City Council’s lack of support for teaching young,impressionable children is a searing indictment of JG2. It may be a cliche now but the words can elucidate some thought;It Takes A Village.
Banned the possession of handguns within the city limits.
Chicago required the registration of all firearms but did not allow handguns to be registered, which had the effect of outlawing their possession, unless they were grandfathered in by being registered before April 16, 1982.[91][92] Additionally, several Chicago suburbs had enacted outright prohibitions on handgun possession.
City Council Ban all hand Guns within the city limits!
Knowing that any change or improvements have to come from the top- we would have to know what happens at the “round” table. Not the one you may think of mentioned in the earlier blog. I mean the one at Suburban and Brooklawn. The one in the morning where Bridgeport’s brain trust meet for espresso in the morning. Sometimes not everyone is there. Seamus goes. Ricci is there. Joe of course visits. Joe T may not go anymore since he’s lawyered up. Do you thing they sit around and try to figure out how to make Bridgeport a better place? Fix the crime situation, help the needy, protect the citizens? Maybe they’ll entrust Mario’s bartender with some important tasks. The one with the 3 year vacant liquor store. I had said weeks ago that there would be some interesting reading coming up. I didn’t mean the bloggers I meant the news. I said that the feds were here before it was made public. I hope the outcome is what we hope it is, once it’s all said and done. Bridgeport will be better off for it. More to come. Cheers!!!
From your mouth to God’s ears.
Hey…. I think it was Nelson Mandela who said: “fools multiply when wise men are silent.”
For decades the experts have commented on violence in the black community. It’s not as popular a topic now because it is politically expedient to blame the proliferation of unregistered guns rather than the behavior of people.
Tom White, please tell us what those experts have been saying for decades about the violence in the black community? Tom White, what did those experts say about violence in the white community?
Tom (Being) White, in America, whites commit the majority of crimes. What’s even more troubling is that they are also responsible for a vast majority of violent crimes. In 2016, whites led all other groups in aggravated assault, larceny-theft, arson, weapons-carrying, and vandalism. When it comes to sexual assault, whites take the forcible rape cake. They are also more likely to kill children, the elderly, family members, their significant others, and even themselves! You need to get our own house in order before we criticize other races for having unacceptably high rates of intra-racial murders.
After watching the brief video from news 12 and hearing the mayor clearly state “violence will not be tolerated at any level” after his round table, I’m absolutely shocked to think that it was actually tolerated before!! ????
I mean didn’t he say something like that about corruption when he ran his last campaign? He went so far as to appoint a new position for the former FBI guy. So as I said before: how’s that working out????
Now we learn, we’ll at least those who may not have known learn- that the DTC’s guy to oversee contract projects is kind of related.
I thought that was Ricci’s job? Oh wait that’s right, the money to pay for the many $100,000 newly created jobs which were handed out come from tax payers so it’s to no ones detriment!! How about salaries for “spokesmen and women” for the mayors office, the police department and others? First of all when have we heard from them and secondly are there not any talented existing employees that could do that job if that job is really necessary? Why isn’t the head of a department fired if corruption or violence which “won’t be tolerated” occurs under their purview? No public statements by spokes persons regarding the reported continual problems in the city OR city hall. The FBI guy says nothing! Oh that’s right, these items haven’t come up yet at the “round table” at Brooklawn & Suburban. Onward and forward for the people- we’ll, at least for the connected ones! Cheers……more to come….
A damn joke! Another forum. How many are you going to have. Lets get together and see if we can come up with an idea to stop the gun violence. Bla Bla Bla. The laws have to be stricker. If a person gets caught selling illegal guns 30 minimum. If you get caught with an unregistered gun 25 yrs. You commit a murder,LIFE. The laws have to have teeth.
Agreed. Unfortunately it will NEVER happen.
Oh and if anyone believes that Ganim was put on a no pasta diet by his friend and mentor then you should know that the bridge in Brooklyn is still for sale.
Ron Mackey.
You asked for an example of what experts have been saying about violence in the black community.
Below is a link to a recent peer-reviewed article from the National Medical Association entitled:
‘The Violence Epidemic in the African American Community. A Call by the National Medical Association for Comprehensive Reform’.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnma.2017.08.009
Tom White, when did this part of your link address this issue, “While much progress has occurred since the civil rights act of 1964, minorities have continued to suffer disparate and discriminatory access to economic opportunities, education, housing, health care and criminal justice?
“Community leaders say they have been coming together for the past two years to meet twice a month to tackle the issue of youth gun violence in the city.”
Is that the report from Channel 12. Dig into it. Which community leaders meeting with whom that has authority and police powers and what agenda? Minutes? Accomplishments?
NAACP was part of a coalition along with Council of Churches that met on multiple occasions less than once per month for up to 18 months. Unless Captain Mark Straubel kept his notes private, there was never a Police Department genuine address of what “community policing” means in this community or how if more successfully pressed and promoted, along with sever penalties for illegal carry, might reduce some of the the deaths and fears among our population. So we have audio, video, shot spotter technology, but young knuckleheads in multiple neighborhoods still think that the gun with bullets is a track to power and ?????? Efforts at extending gun free zones in other cities has worked at least for a time, and subsequent reports indicate that gun arrests continue to stay lower. Big penalties for carrying unregistered, unlicensed, weapons into the streets needs legislative action. Perhaps it can be limited to cities?? How many innocent lives need to be sacrificed to get this civic action corrected, practiced, and adhered to? Maybe some savings too, because if gun shots are reduced maybe the need for Shot Spotter systems at $1.5 Million, or whatever, is reduced? Time will tell.
Ron Mackey,
Your point is not clear.
Perhaps you should take some time and read the paper.
In the Introduction, for example, it makes some statements of fact, including the following:
“Overall rates of homicide have decreased in the United States since 1999. Despite this decline, a significant increase in the homicide rate continues to be observed in the African American community and is a major concern for the NMA.”
Tom White, these are the major issues that have NOT been address that leads to bigger problems, “While much progress has occurred since the civil rights act of 1964, minorities have continued to suffer disparate and discriminatory access to economic opportunities, education, housing, health care and criminal justice?
Ron Mackey.
Give it some thought.
Maybe it is the violent behavior in the black community that has hindered their rise in socio-economic status.
Laws going back to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 have established equality. Many blacks have thrived in recent generations. Why have some chosen to complain and give excuses for the behavior that limits their participation in mainstream society?
Tom White, here is the key statement from the 1968 Kerner Commission, the commission’s report asserted that “our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white — separate and unequal.” It called for expanded aid to African-American communities as a means of preventing further racial violence. Unless drastic and costly remedies were undertaken at once, the report argued, there would be a “continuing polarization of the American community and, ultimately, the destruction of basic democratic values.”
The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, known as the Kerner Commission after its chair, Governor Otto Kerner, Jr. of Illinois, was an 11-member Presidential Commission established by President Lyndon B. Johnson in Executive Order 11365 to investigate the causes of the 1967 race riots in the United States and to provide recommendations for the future.
“The 1968 Kerner Commission Got It Right, But Nobody Listened”
Released 50 years ago, the infamous report found that poverty and institutional racism were driving inner-city violence
Many Americans blamed the riots on outside agitators or young black men, who represented the largest and most visible group of rioters. But, in March 1968, the Kerner Commission turned those assumptions upside-down, declaring white racism—not black anger—turned the key that unlocked urban American turmoil.
Bad policing practices, a flawed justice system, unscrupulous consumer credit practices, poor or inadequate housing, high unemployment, voter suppression, and other culturally embedded forms of racial discrimination all converged to propel violent upheaval on the streets of African-American neighborhoods in American cities, north and south, east and west. And as black unrest arose, inadequately trained police officers and National Guard troops entered affected neighborhoods, often worsening the violence.
This situation — deadly violence related to the proliferation of firearms in Bridgeport — is perceived as deadly serious by just about anyone registering any brain activity in Bridgeport…. Children are being gunned down by their peers, and mothers are being gunned down while observing their children’s comings and goings from their homes… GUNNED DOWN WHILE OBESERVING THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS FROM THE “SAFETY” OF THEIR HOMES!!!…
(Per salient example, I would refer to a shoot-out on Lakeside Drive last May –2018 — as one example of how no-one in Bridgeport is safe from tis violence: Two cars speeding down Lakeside Drive, side-by-side, the drivers shooting it out in broad daylight as people worked in their gardens and on their cars or occupied themselves peacefully in their homes — all exposed to the indiscriminate, deadly violence made possible only through the proliferation of unregulated/illegal firearms in the hands of brainless, soul-less criminals allowed to run rampant in Bridgeport…)
Four homicides in Bridgeport in almost as many weeks, and all that City Hall and BPD can do is wring their hands and offer lame commentary by way of a thirty-year-old Bridgeport “echo”… Bridgeport history has been repeating itself for three generations — despite forum, after forum, after forum, and march after march, after march… At this point, the people of just about any other city on earth would say BULL SHIT!! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
The only elected official to say this, in Bridgeport, so far, is Councilperson Ernie Newton. He has called for “extreme” measures and has been shouted-down as an “extremist”… But logically; who is correct? Are the people who want a “measured” response correct? Such “measured” responding has done nothing by way of tragedy abatement for three generations of Bridgeport youth and their parents. It is time to implement Councilman Newton’s “stop-and-frisk”… While such policy might seem draconian and contrary to the values of a free society, it might not seem so much so in light of 12-year-olds being gunned down on their front porches, and mothers being gunned down while observing their children from the “safety” of their HOMES(!)
Other cities, in most parts of the world, would have done what it takes to get such a situation — as has come to be nearly accepted as “normal” by some within and outside of Bridgeport — under control.
It’s obviously time to try “stop-and-frisk,” a la Councilman Newton — and try it in the context of Jim Fox’s citywide, handgun ban…
I will be succinct. Joe Ganim does not care ZERO percent about Bridgeport. This is all show. This is Joe’s re-election campaign on a daily dose regimen.
Little Joe Ganim couldn’t give two shits about gun violence in the city. Unless there are some political points to be scored, that is.
The community steps forward when the mayor is unable and/or unwilling to do so, yet again.