State Rep. Charlie Stallworth and Bridgeport Police Union President Chuck Paris, both of whom attended a fundraiser last week as former Mayor Joe Ganim explores a run for his old job, are part of a news release issued by Ganim highlighting communication between clergy and police following violent protests in Baltimore. From Joe Ganim:
In the wake of the unrest in Baltimore and other cities, State Representative Charlie Stallworth (Bridgeport–126th) who is also President of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance and Bridgeport Police Union leaders met today, along with former Mayor Joe Ganim, and issued a proclamation agreeing to facilitate greater dialogue between the community leaders and Bridgeport Police Union to avoid similar (Ferguson, Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia, etc) unrest in Bridgeport.
“As a State Representative, I reached out to the President of the Police Union and former Mayor Ganim after the unrest in Baltimore to continue the dialogue that we began in December following Ferguson,” said State Representative Stallworth.
Attending on behalf of the Bridgeport Police Union were Union President Sergeant Charles Paris; Union Vice-President Sergeant Bernard Webb; Detective Ramon Garcia, and Captain AJ Perez.
“The community and police need to have open lines of communication. With dialogue and outreach to the community, especially to young people, we can avoid situations that put both officers and community members at risk,” said former Mayor Joe Ganim, who has facilitated communication between the parties.
The Proclamation between State Representative Charlie Stallworth and Bridgeport Police Union leaders reads as follows:
Whereas we observe what is going on in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York, we know that no city is immune from unrest and miscommunication between the community and the police;
Whereas we have begun a dialogue about improving the relationship between law enforcement and the Bridgeport community, and
Whereas the leadership of the Bridgeport Police Union, elected officials, and community leaders agree that we need to create a positive dialogue and take action that will curtail and avoid the types of situation we have seen happen in other cities;
We agree to a partnership in order to get other Bridgeport citizens to sign on to this proclamation; and we commit to further meetings and an ongoing dialogue to develop the best possible relationship between the community and law enforcement to make our city safer for everyone.
Next week, Mary-Jane Foster and others will meet with police and clergy. Joe Ganim, Mr. Stallworth can’t help you, he is a sad caricature of Bob’s Furniture … come on down to my church, and he is the President of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance. Great title and you do what exactly? Oh yes, you kiss a convict’s ass. You don’t like Finch? Support Foster or do her high ethical standards run against your bullshit religious standards? You want to discuss Baltimore? Talk with the man who is the Mayor and get off your grandstand, you loser!
Thank you Mayor Joe and State Rep. Charlie Stallworth and Bridgeport Police Union President Chuck Paris.
Some people on this nlog are Finch bobblehead suck-ups.
Isn’t it bizarre? Of all people dealing with the police and Clergy. Is this political maneuvering supposed to elevate Ganim in the eyes of whom???
Stallworth and the Police Union should have met with Finch, he is the leader of this city. I don’t like Finch but he is the mayor. What’s missing is JOBS. No one seems to want to pass laws to keep American companies here in America instead of creating jobs overseas.
Andrew C Fardy, I totally agree with you. Everything starts with jobs. American capitalism is not loyal to America, it’s only loyal to the bottom line no matter if it hurts Americans, if it exports jobs overseas, so what.
Where the hell has Stallworth been? Blacks, Hispanics and females are not even taking the exam with any kind of numbers, plus they are not being hired. Stallworth, where have you been?
Stallworth’s head is stuck up Ganim’s ass with dreams of becoming the next Rev. Moales of a mega church … have you seen his commercials???
Jobs that pay a living wage. We don’t need a Walmart to move in and the company double-dips on the federal dime. 10% of their employees are on public assistance. 15% of the general public on public assistance spends their dollars at Walmart. All that to say we need good-paying jobs to turn things around.
Finch was busy writing talking points for his black appointees and getting ready to shoot another campaign ad … excuse me … press conference.
So true, city hall smoker. Just one big charade.
Just one big charade for Ganim and Stallworth attempting to be relevant.
The hypocrisy continues. I’m glad the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance is involved because politics without hypocrisy is like religion without sin.
Whereas all candidates are rooted in the recent past, only Mayor Finch is concerned with the immediate future.
I don’t see that the IMA is involved, but the gentleman who happens to be president is involved. The IMA’s purpose is to promote unity amongst the varied religious leaders in the city. Just from a political point of view there are pastors in the IMA who for sure support Finch, so why would they agree to allow the organization to publicly support another candidate?
This post is about a meeting. The leader of the IMA was one-third of the group at that meeting.
Eric Alicea, you sir are on the money. Stallworth is definitely taking advantage of his position. Pastors have no place in government. It is absolutely ridiculous!
Really LE, Finch is concerned with the immediate future? Of what or where? The fact is, under Finch fewer blacks and women have been hired for both police and fire departments than under any mayor in the last 40 years. He has fewer blacks in leadership positions in his administration than any mayor in the last 20 years. Now that he is being challenged by Joe, he has become the champion of the black community. Give me a damned break.
Stallworth, where were you and the IMA when we requested a meeting in 2011 to make you aware of the changes implemented by Mayor Finch and David Dunn that would prevent blacks and women from being firefighters and police in Bridgeport? Now you’re concerned, ain’t that a joke. Politically expedient I would say is the root cause for your concerns now. My hope is the black community see you and Finch for what you both are, opportunists who only have your own best interest at heart.
Stallworth is with Ganim!
Every politician who speaks about the Baltimore riots is full of shit, pure and simple. This is not the first riot in the country and it won’t be the last. The city leaders of any city are talking through their asses if they say they will make things better for the poor.
The only politicianswho can make things better for the poor are the Washington politicians. They can create jobs for the poor by stopping companies from moving their operations overseas. That bastard who runs General Electric is building a plant overseas that will cost billions and provide thousands of jobs. GE owns 37 acres here in Bridgeport, what are they building there? NOTHING.
Mayor Finch can do something Monday morning. He can call together the civil service commission and have them change the residency rules for police and fire and all other city jobs. Civil service doesn’t want to do it, then get rid of them. The problem is Finch has no balls.
The problem with that Mr. Fardy is it was ruled in the past as being unconstitutional. I assume giving the candidates who live in the city does give them somewhat of an advantage.
Godiva, you’d better check again. It is not unconstitutional to restrict testing for jobs to residents. The political reason for going out of town is the idea if you come from out of town you will stay out of town and thus do not become a voting bloc in city elections.
Hartford, CT has been hiring Hartford residents for their fire and police departments for years and it’s legal.
Maybe I am mistaken gentlemen, but for some reason I thought years back police and fire personnel had to live in Bridgeport, and there was some sort of legal scuttlebutt that led to that policy being scrapped. I’m sure you gentlemen know better than me since you are both retired firemen. By the way, I agree, the city would be best served by hiring its own residents.
Years ago, police and firefighters had to live in Bridgeport because it was part of their contracts. They both negotiated for the right to move out of town and won.
Godiva, Hartford says to take the test to be a police or firefighter you must be a Hartford resident although after being hired you can move to anywhere you like. This was done because they believed if you hired a Hartford resident they might stay and invest in the city, but if you hired a non-resident they were never going to move to the city, but would take their money to uplift their own communities.
Gentlemen, duly noted, thank you for the clarification.
1965 was the year capital (printed money) started replacing labor in the American economy. Bridgeport was on the losing end of that struggle but I detect a comeback. Capital replacing labor is one of the biggest themes of our lives but it doesn’t have to stay that way.