From the CT Post:
Bill Finch was supposed to spend Thursday night basking in the warmth of the evening sun, family, close friends and political allies at picturesque Captain’s Cove Marina in the equally charming Black Rock neighborhood.
He would have run down a list of accomplishments from his eight years as mayor, making sure to note “the lowest crime rate in 40 years,” and pumping up the crowd for this summer’s fight for the Democratic nomination and a third term.
That was before a shocking overnight shooting at a public housing project in the North End that killed one and sent eight to the city’s two hospitals.
Full story here.
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One of the comments in the paper had a joke that was spot on.
Question: John Rowland, Ernie Newton and Joseph Ganim are sitting in a car. Who is driving?
Answer: The police.
Steve, that was a nice joke, but I’ve got one for you. If you put your brain in a bird it will fly backwards.
Ernie, are you out already!? Good for you! Are you endorsing Joe Ganim or Mary-Jane Foster?
Personally, I think it should not be political and Mayor Finch as the elected official should be the one speaking for the city. Mary-Jane was respectful and just showing support. Joe Ganim was doing what he does best. Getting his name out there and making it a political moment. I think people respected his efforts and acknowledge it for what it is. A man wants to be Mayor and he needs every vote he can get.
Mayor Finch is campaigning on crime being at a 40-year low but what he is not telling you is why. Mayor Finch wants the voters to think he and the police chief have come up with some type of plan to keep crime down, WRONG. Here is an article from the New York Times about the 40-year low in crime nationwide and it has nothing to do with Finch or the police chief.
www .nytimes.com/2011/05/24/us/24crime.html
Don’t drink the Kool-Aid, you’re being told by the City Fathers they have a plan in place to bolster up the ranks of the sorely depleted Bridgeport Police Department. Let me tell you if they had 30 people, which would be a mere drop in the bucket when you’re down over 150 people at this point, ready to start the Police Academy TODAY, it takes six months to complete the process to graduation, they would graduate in DECEMBER. Your safety and the safety of this city is at risk because of negligence and no plan or foresight, plain and simple. Listen to what you’re being told, but don’t believe it for a minute and the sad truth is prospective recruits are still going through the process of putting a class together, I think some of the first oral exams start next week, as we speak and as people continue to get shot and die on these streets. Ten people being shot in one day in our city is directly related to this lapse in judgement and poor planning. Where there is no VISION surely the people will perish!!!
Apparently, several bloggers have posted comments regarding my absence from OIB. I have been spending countless hours helping a mom and her three elementary school children find a home, furnishings, household items, food and obtaining information to enroll her three children in a free summer program.
Thanks to the help of Joe Ganim, we raised over $1,900 at his last fundraiser for this family. I would also like to especially recognize Joel Gonzalez who made a $500 donation.
An individual assisting this family called the community liaison in Mayor Finch’s office and left a detailed message about the dire need of this family. A week later, she had still not received a return call. The mother was so in need, she called Mayor Finch’s office directly. A woman told her we don’t deal with those types of issues. The Council of Churches, the United Way, individual churches, DSS, and 211 were contacted. Everyone referred her to someone else. She even contacted Senator Blumenthal’s office, and no one returned her call.
This mom and her three daughters moved into their home yesterday with a fully furnished master bedroom, children’s bedroom, kitchen, and a fully stocked bathroom. Only major need is a living room which is in the works. The last issue is stocking their fridge and cupboards.
In the end, it wasn’t a politician, social service agency, a church, etc. that assisted this mom and her three daughters, it was just ordinary citizens who came together to help others in need. I would like to thank the hundreds of Bridgeport residents and former Bridgeport residents who donated money, household items, furniture and food.
The mom screamed and cried when she walked into her bedroom. Her three children grinned ear to ear when they walked into their new bedroom. I snapped a great photo of them in their new home and they chimed “home sweet home” as I took the photo.
The time I spent on this effort was much more valuable than blogging on OIB.
Maria Pereira, I knew you had a good heart. Did you know when I worked for Mayor Moran I purchased the St. John Nepumacene convent on Brooks Street in an attempt to close down the rat-infested homeless shelter on Pembroke street? The entire city came together to fix up the convent and did an amazing Job. I remember on a Sunday before we opened the shelter I planted flowers. Of course the city purchased the property I identified to save the city thousands of dollars a month renting from the Dinan center. When Joe Ganim became Mayor the shelter was closed and Pembroke was reopened. So there you have it. Your story is touching however, and I think it was very generous of Joe Ganim and Joel Gonzalez for sure. I am wondering with the homeless problem in Bridgeport, could the Mayor’s office direct these families, Joe Ganim, or is that love and attention only good for one family???
I am happy you are back on the blog. You did good!
What I now know is there is a major homelessness problem. There was not a single bed available in a Bridgeport shelter. It is my understanding there are 75 BPS students currently living in shelters. This was shocking to me.
It is more shocking than you know! I had worked with the homeless for 12 years volunteering and have met quite a few Bassick students who were in shelters. It is heartbreaking and one of the students was an honors student.
Something needs to be done about this very real issue that is clearly impacting children and families. How are children to focus on their academics when they do not have a stable environment? I have to give this some thought. I don’t have a plan today, however I want to research this and try to develop a plan to help.
And, you got out of your PJ’s last night and drove to Harborview Market after Rick offered food–and delivered it to the family. Good work, Maria!
Maria, what type of items do you need to stock the kitchen? I can drop them off to you tomorrow.
Quentin, she did not have a single item in the freezer. In other words, no meat. She didn’t so much as have a package of hotdogs. If you would be willing to purchase hotdogs, hamburgers and corresponding rolls. A couple of eight-piece packages of chicken would be greatly appreciated. Please purchase what you can. Absolutely no pressure.
I forgot, she has no seasoning. No salt, pepper, garlic, onion, etc.
Maria, where can we drop off stuff? At Ganim headquarters or??? Do you have a refrigerator or freezer there? I’d drop off some chicken, canned goods, seasoning, breakfast stuff, call me 203 373 9396. I know we can’t help everyone, but at least one family can breathe easier. I remember Marilyn Goldstone, may she rest in peace. She performed miracles daily with the help of Bpts Finest as well as her Ambulance company she worked for. I ran the Celebrity tag sale at Captain’s Cove.
Marlyn helped make it a huge success. We raised thousands.
Steve and Quentin, please contact Lennie for my email address. I will be home after 5:00 p.m. tomorrow. Email me so we coordinate drop-off or pick-up. This family does not eat pork.
Maria, I work until 4:00 pm tomorrow and will run to BJ’s after that. I’ll get back to you with contact info so we can meet.
Quentin, I am hoping you have purchased some food for this family in need. Steve and I will be heading over soon.
Thank you, Quentin.
It is Enrique Torres who deserves the credit for packing a generous amount of food for this family in need. I was just the delivery gal.
Maria, good job.
Maria, thank you for helping the mom and her children. I want to believe homelessness is down, but in my personal opinion, even though no one asked, there is still a huge problem. On Goddard Street there is a mother and older son who are homeless. Money is raised, grants are obtained and when individuals go for help, a waiting list surfaces. So where is this money going, for salaries? Just saying!
Thank you to Steve for your generous donations in groceries. Quentin, it was a pleasure meeting you today, and thank you for helping this family in need with groceries also.
I love this string. Maria, first off, nice to see you yesterday. Please let me know what else is needed, I will be happy to help out.
Gabrielle, nice to see you as well. I just texted the mom and she sent me some items she would like. There is absolutely no pressure to purchase all of these. Please purchase what you can. She listed boneless chicken breast, chicken wings, potatoes, peaches, apples, oranges, grapes, french fries and juice.
I am unable to go today, but we can definitely swing by tomorrow.
Thank you for offering to assist this family in need.
I will email you. 🙂