Two weeks from the special general election, a clash between campaign supporters on Saturday, what Mayor Joe Ganim described “individuals associated with the Gomes campaign orchestrated an aggressive ambush targeting a young woman” led to the arrest of Jazmin Cooper, daughter of City Councilwoman Eneida Martinez, who claimed John Gomes mayoral supporters were “stealing ballots” at an East End senior citizen building.
The confrontation captured by Gomes supporters, see video above, led to misdemeanor assault and breach of peace charges against Cooper, according to police. Cooper is seen in the video among a swath of Gomes supporters vehemently protesting their presence at the housing unit parking lot. The day prior Martinez snapped images of Gomes backer Kim McLaughlin outside the complex. Martinez asserted McLaughlin and others were “collecting ballots,” something McLaughlin denies.
Martinez is filing a complaint with the State Elections Enforcement Commission. McLaughlin says she will be filing a SEEC complaint of her own.
The Gomes campaign says Cooper “ripped McLaughlin’s clipboard out of her hand, tore up her papers (including numbered AB applications).”
Cooper is heard on the video shouting “she’s coming into our building taking ballots…She’s stealing ballots.”
McLaughlin is quoted in a Gomes news release:
“I am a 69-year-old first generation Irish American. I will not be bullied, intimidated, pushed aside, silenced, or discouraged from participating in the exercise of my constitutional rights of free speech and voting and participating in the election process. I am now more determined than ever to talk to voters about how we can positively change our city for our children and grandchildren. In the coming week, I will be pursuing SEEC and additional police charges pertaining to this incident.”
The Ganim campaign also issued a news release describing the incident as an “ambush to harass Jazmin Cooper” who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder.
Statement from Ganim:
“It is deeply concerning that individuals associated with the Gomes campaign orchestrated an aggressive ambush targeting a young woman who was by herself in a parking lot, leaving her feeling vulnerable and harassed. The actions of Gomes’ operatives, pursuing her, and chasing her with cameras, prevented her from finding her own phone or seeking assistance. We are grateful to the bystander who intervened by calling 911 to come to her aid. In the photos, the young woman is seen being pursued by older males, she eventually swats away a camera. Such hostile behavior is unacceptable from mayoral candidate Gomes and his team.”
The battle between Ganim and Gomes is deeply personal between respective campaign camps with years of history. The money-challenged Gomes is relying heavily on volunteers to whip up a vote on Feb. 27.
This thing could become extremely messy the final two weeks.
SAD SAD SAD
Sad indeed that a felony assault on a senior citizen in our community who is exercising her constitutional rights should be subjected to this abuse: physical abuse by Jazmin Martínez, and the mental abuse of such LIES by “mayor” Ganim.
Actual events … my wife Kim drove into the parking lot at about one o’clock for an appointment with a resident. She parked and waited in front of the building for another Gomes volunteer who was joining her. As
she drove in, she noticed Jazmin and her buddy driving out. They turned around and came back. Jazmin jumped out of her car, aggressively approached Kim, screaming at her, pushed her violently against a car and grabbed her clip board, went through the documents, tearing some up including numbered AB applications, and threw them around the parking lot (which you can see in the video) …
Fortunately for Kim (and unknown to her) a team of Gomes volunteers showed up moments later, or God only knows what Jazmin would have done to Kim.
You can clearly hear Jazmin on the video saying “we told you not to come back here last night” (see previous story) with expletives, “this is our turf” with more expletives …. Clearly a continuation of the “ambush” of Kim the night before.
As to calls, you can also hear Kim saying “call 911”. A simple check will prove who did that. Jazmin’s buddy called Eneida as she had the night before.
I should point out that we’ve lived in Mill Hill (the neighborhood in question) probably longer than Jazmin’s been alive.
Finally, I know Eneida, spoke with the Police Officer for a while as soon as she arrived, but I believe an assault on a person over 60 is a felony. So, why this got listed as a misdemeanor assault should be explained. Or is this another fine example of how much Ganim doesn’t really care about seniors?
Rob, I double checked with police. They say Jazmin Cooper was charged with misdemeanors.
“Kim has not “always worked:behind the scenes”, though she has been an organizer most of her life (even working with Cesar Chavez when she was young).”
FORWARD TO THE YEAR 2024:
Kim working from behind a steering wheel.
“She parked and waited in front of the building for another Gomes volunteer who was joining her.”
Let me get this straight! “…another Gomes volunteer…” But, a dozen Dominicans show up? You motherfuckers planned to go in that building and Harvest Absentee Ballots like you were all Illegal migrants working the field like back in the Ceasar Chavez days. Your wife was their assigned supervisor and Jorge Cruz was acting as Ceasar Chavez. Talk about Fantazy Island.
Just when I thought you couldn’t get more absurd Joel … most of the folks in the video are Puerto Rican, tho there is a Dominican citizen. I guess you’re just a plain old BIGOT, dumb like all of them.
Puerto Rican, Dominican, not much of a difference. My comment is specific to those Hispanics drinking and offering others the Gomes Kool-Aid.
Joel are you PR and is Rob calling all PRs dumb like yuo. 🤣
I think we are going to need more popcorn 🍿 people. 🤪
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnDAxtCRsIU
I mean, bigots. 🙃
Open up the champagne 🍾
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo35R9zQsAI
Robert Teixeira, I don’t have a clue who you are or why you would say that, but I referred to BIGOTS (like Joel) as dumb!
Joel makes his bigoted reference to the Gomes people present, people I’m proud to have known and worked with for decades as illegal immigrants, when in fact they are Puerto Rican citizens. So, I called Joel a bigot, and yes I think bigots are dumb, not the Puerto Rican People.
I said it because that’s how yours and Speedy’s convo made it look like base in the use of the word THEM. 🙂 Though it was more facetious than anything. You did see my funny faces. 🙂
Not sure why you feel the need to use the word “immigrant” Can’t immigrants be dumb too? Besides aren’t we all immigrants in some way? 🙂
Though it can be factually stated it was the ancestors of those PRs and Ceasar Chaves’ who you wife worked with that conquered and “stole” the land from the indigenous people. They speak a form of Spanish for a reason. Let’s try to remember that on Columbus Day people. 🙂
PS As for who I am, You got to go in deep and pull out the thing. 🤣
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3YL83Qy778
Mr. Traber be honest and tell the truth. On Friday your wife Kimberly McLaughlin jumped out of her car on me. She was in the building knocking on doors asking the seniors if they received their ballots. (WHY)? Perhaps you can explain that one. Not to mention that the Gomes operatives were hitting all the senior building completing the ballots, bubbling in a vote for VOTE for GOMES, then leaving the ballot for the senior to mail as well after they complete it. Can you respond to that? All these years that Mr. Traber, and Mrs. McLaughlin have lived at 110 Hale Terrace neither one of you two ever entered the seniors buildings on the East End. NEVER! We have a relationship with the seniors in our community and it is not simply politics. For the September, November and January elections Kimberly McLaughlin NEVER entered that building. Your wife called all of them there to jump on my daughter. Kimberly had a whole lot to say to me Friday while she was Intoxicated, while are you not sharing that. You all are trying to make a mockery out of this to make it look like senior abuse. This is the tactic that you all play. You all presented to that location like a GANG and ready to attack my daughter. One vehicle had about 7 Dominican ladies in it. WHY? Another vehicle had 3 ladies in it WHY? You guys had about 3 Dominican men there, you all even called Jorge Cruz. This was the same tactic you all did at JFK to Samia. Willie Medina did the same exact thing. Stop the sympathy tactic. As for the seniors of the 139th 01/02 we don’t deal with them only for political reasons. We see them all year around. Can you say that about yourself or your WIFE? I bet you can’t tell me what the building looks like, when was it remodeled and how many times you have sat to play bingo with the seniors. HELLO!!!!!! Of course you will make it an act of the police being in Ganim favor, that is farthest from what the police did. The officer as well as the SGT did their job. All you people try to do is keep bashing anyone that is supporting Ganim. Take accountability for the flaws, and other level of distasteful ACTIONS you all do.
Those Dominicans are lucky I wasn’t there. I would’ve ran them all over like a set of Cooper Tires.
Joe Ganim is not the Mayor of Bridgeport, he’s not even the acting mayor
The president of the city council is the acting mayor !
And three (3) times the Council President’s district voted for JOE GANIM.
Section 3. – Term of mayor.
The term of office of the mayor shall begin at 12:01 a.m., local time, on the first day of December following each mayoral election.
Ms. Martinez, I am being honest and telling the truth. It is you that lie. It seems to run in the DTC and its supporters (long before you showed up)!
On Friday, my wife went to the building at the request of a resident to leave some information outside her door. That is all that she did until she was told by two woman that they were management and that she had to leave. When she asked for proof of their management status they got attitude because like you, they were lying. My wife realized that they were the two that she had previously filed SEEC charges on in the fall for taking residents’ ballots. So they called in their backup, YOU. You created your whole set of lies, which you do so often.
Kim allowed you to take your pics and challenged you to file charges because you have nothing. Y’all do your intimidation and false accusations so easily, almost as easily as intimidate and cheat the voters.
On Saturday, my wife arrived for an appointment with a resident. She waited out front. She passed the same two women (your daughter and her management friend) driving out as she drove in. They turned around and followed her back in. Your daughter charged my wife, screaming at her, assaulted her, grabbed and destroyed her property, and threw it around the parking lot. Luckily, a Gomes Team arrived to prevent further harm being done, though your daughter did go back and take photos of my wife’s records.
Your description of the Gomes Team is another LIE, which can be seen in the video. The Police were called by us. The recording will prove it was my wife using the phone of a Gomes supporter.
Contrary to your daughters’ outrageous remarks, y’all do NOT have the right to tell us or anybody who we can talk with or to declare those residents as your “turf”. My wife has visited residents in that building (and other buildings in OUR NEIGHBORHOOD) for over 30 years. We sure aren’t going to let you and them stop us.
As to flaws: an illegal club; a young man’s death, voting fraud in 2019; your weddings; voting fraud in 2023; and now this! If I were you, stop trying to intimidate us and the voters. Worry about your own flaws.
Wow. Some really irrational, inflammatory, bigoted — dangerous!!! — commentary here… Really. This is not just “Bridgeport,” hardball politics; this type of described activity and post-activity commentary resembles a buildup to gang warfare! It really wouldn’t be inappropriate to have state and federal law enforcement presence in Bridgeport through 2/27/24 to make sure that people in pursuit of the democratic process don’t get physically-injured/traumatized or intimidated into inaction… The BPD seems to be — besides being short-staffed — administratively hobbled by essential policy conflicts related to this Bridgeport “civil war.” This is why Governor Ned didn’t want this election to happen — it’s going to expose the darkness of Connecticut State Democratic politics via the scandalous chaos being perpetrated in Bridgeport in that regard…
This stuff doesn’t just make alarming nightly news; it sets the tone for larger elections… The state and feds had better get here and make sure that the “usual suspects” from the “other” side of the law in Bridgeport don’t draw blood as they seek to suppress the dissident Democrat vote and independent vote in the coming election…
No room for prompts to violence or ill-conceived humor here… Senior-citizen campaigners being jacked-up against cars and threats to run down people in cars are not a scenario to be ignored!… No room for threatening commentary in this election atmosphere, irrespective of any buried, intended innocuousness of interpretation… There are some “impressionable” minds operating out there that might be motivated to dangerous actions by any suggestions of violence — humorous intention/”obvious” absurdity, or not…
Send in the State Police, et al., Ned. The worn, frayed, fabric of neglected/exploited Bridgeport society is shredding under political strain and needs real public safety and election-oversite intervention, in a hurry! You can’t sweep Bridgeport under the rug any longer…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNh3ZWw9MJg
Piece of garbage just like her trashy mother. Sad for the city
Mr. Traber enjoy your fishing trip. You can pretend in your delusional mind all you want. One thing for sure two for certain is that I am substance free speaking facts, you on the other hand speak with a nip every other word, and think that your respond is going to open a new lane. That whole ordeal showed the Bridgeport resident
what they are up against if John Gomes is
elected. And for the record Dominicans are nowhere Puerto Ricians, two different cultures, learn history. You people are trying to make the community make a decision on a video. In fact after walking today, the community were speaking negative about your great candidate, not my daughter. Constituents stated just what they saw a crowd of disgruntled GOMES GANGSTERS trying to intimidate workers with body numbers. With all that being said take a nip shot to my name. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣…have a good night.