The website Black Doctor has released its top 10 list of worst cities to raise black children with Bridgeport listed number six sandwiched by Birmingham and New Orleans. What’s the rationale for this? From Black Doctor:
Last June, we reported on the top worst states to raise Black children based on the Casey Foundation findings (2013-2014). This year, as of July 22, 2015 based on Forbes List of Poverty rates for children under the age of 17 and newly released information about the number of violent crimes against African American children, we have the 2014-2015 worst cities to raise Black children.
Bridgeport, Connecticut–A surprise to some, but the biggest city in Connecticut has a problem with violence, particularly with youth ages 12-17, so the city has introduced a curfew in an attempt to end late-night violence.
Does anyone even discuss this so-called curfew anymore? According to weekly crime statistics release by the city Police Department, crime overall is down in many categories, but violent crime, particularly shootings and murders, up from last year.
Is this Black Doctor report arbitrary or real?
WELL LET’S ELECT A CONVICTED FELON AND WE WILL SEE IF IT WILL CHANGE AS THE INSANE RUN THE INSANE ASYLUM.
This report doesn’t surprise me in the least, it’s what I’ve been saying for awhile. One of the biggest campaign issues that will assure support from the black community is jobs and our need to support a candidate will make this issue a priority.
The unemployment rate among black and Hispanic youths is at crisis levels. Joblessness among all black and Hispanic people in the state is about double the rate of whites, and the effect for youth multiplies.
In Bridgeport for example, the unemployment rate among youth 16 to 19 who are actively looking for jobs is an astounding 50 percent, according to US Labor statistics. It goes on the say the unemployment for black youth between the ages of 16 and 23 is about 40%.
There is a direct correlation between unemployment and crime and a person’s need for a better life. It is said that an idle mind is the playground of the devil and if nothing is done to address this glaring disparity in employment, this feeling of hopelessness that is prevalent in the black community and those city jobs that are transformative being sent to the suburbs, then what you are left with is a self-fulfilling prophecy of being one of the worst places to raise black children.
The question I hear most about this election, what are they going to do to offer hope for a better life for me and mine? My question to the candidates, what are you going to do turn Bridgeport from one of the worst cities to raise black children to one of the best, like it was during my youth here? Black folks, demand your candidate of choice addresses this issue because the future of your children is dependent upon their answer.
Crime and unemployment are universal issues, Donald, civil rights as well. No one community has exclusive rights to sing the blues. The people of the city of Bridgeport have been misruled by the local Democratic Party for the last 25 years. If any political party or organization is to be held responsible for Bridgeport being a lousy place to raise a black child it is the Democratic Town Committee under the leadership of Mario Testa. As Joseph P. Ganim is his preferred candidate for mayor, expect more of the same.
You have said Rick Torres, as a Republican, should be held accountable for the sins of the national party, “Sins of the father being visited upon the son” or some such nonsense. That’s just so much bullshit. It shows you are biased against the Republican candidate for reasons that have nothing to do with him. You may as well say “All Republicans look alike to us Democrats.” Your bigoted and shortsighted world view is offensive.
You are so out of touch, the group who is suffering the most has a right to cry out for help and that help being in the form of employment and not handouts. The Democratic mayor of Bridgeport Bill Finch was defeated because of his inability to provide employment that would help families to provide for their families. Now, what has the Republican Party bought to the voters of Bridgeport with Republican polices to help solve the problems the Democratic mayor didn’t provide?
So who in this group that is suffering the most, Ron? You have a lock on suffering, an exclusive right? Bill Finch was defeated because he is unpopular. Joe Ganim won because he is able to fool some of the people all of the time. Face a few facts: Joseph P. Ganim was convicted of racketeering, public corruption, tax fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud and eleven other counts. It is also documented he lied 22 times over two days of testimony. The judge who presided over his trial added time to his sentence because of his lying. Three Superior Court judges ruled by lying in court he violated the oath all attorneys must swear before being issued a license to practice law and refused to reinstate him to the bar. He never apologized for what he did, never asked for forgiveness of his debts and trespasses. If he did in the confessional it went from his mouth to God’s ear. The rest of us didn’t hear it. For the past ten months Joe Ganim has been presenting himself as a folk hero, as if he were imprisoned by the Soviet authorities for his political dissidence. He is not a folk hero. Should he be forgiven? Yes. Should he be given a second chance? Yes. Should he be trusted? No. He hasn’t earned it.
The people of the city of Bridgeport have every right to demand higher moral and ethical standards from our elected officials. I’m out of touch? You’re not one to talk. You are so misinformed and ignorant of the political realities of Bridgeport, you would actually be okay with a convicted felon as mayor.
Tell us what the Republican Party plan is to resolve these problems?
Ron–I cant speak for the national party (yuck) but I can tell you Enrique Torres employs approximately 20 people and aside from his wife, I can think of only one young white girl. The rest? Black and Hispanic. PLEASE Ron, talk to him. You and he will agree much more than disagree. I promise you. In the meantime, what about the others? Can they say the same?
Ron,
As to Torre, he starts at home regarding employment of minority youth, and his education plan includes lobbying the BOE to enhance the trade schools curriculum and work/study with the private sector. Hire Bridgeport residents at living wages. Do not put off the reevaluation for another two years! Rick has discovered 52% of city homeowners are being overtaxed by as much as 800%. His plan is to train our tax assessor’s office to do their jobs correctly so revaluations of property is not delayed so the 52% do not carry unfair tax burdens for the rest of us. Did you know People’s Bank pays about $60,000 per year in property taxes, while vacant land, such as Remington Woods pays about $700 per acre, including a tax credit for the pollution they have not cleaned up? Owned by the DuPont family, yet another reason homeowners are overly burdened and land is not developed. Getting all properties assessed at their real and fair values is the right thing to do for every citizen of this city. Example, 39 Jane Street sold in May for $35,500 yet are still paying taxes on a property valued assessed by the city at $126,210 for taxes of $5,321. What is right or fair about this? Foster is on record she wants to extend the re-val for two more years, putting the greater tax burden on the poorest neighbors in the city. Until the neighborhoods and business and land is taxed fairly and equitably by the tax assessors office, everyone suffers. Children who live with families who can barely afford to feed them, because of their tax burdens and in neighborhoods with boarded-up houses street after street because of foreclosures, how do we expect anyone to be able to learn, and earn?
$60,000 per acre per year for People’s Bank. And they had a five-year tax abatement which was 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% increase per year to 100% after five years. This is the kind of details Rick has uncovered in his brief time on city council, and has educated and united other council members to really examine how this city has Given Away our tax base in their development plans.
Derek, I don’t tailor comments to make sure they aren’t offensive to you as you aren’t my friend and I’m not yours, you aren’t coming to my house and I’m not going to yours. So let’s be clear, if what I say you find offensive, OH WELL. I never said Rick ‘should’ be held accountable for the sins of his party; I said most blacks do hold the Republican Party accountable for the sins of the party and its mistreatment of President Obama whether it’s local or national. That’s a reality and you and Rick should take it as constructive criticism and do what you can do to change the narrative and the perception of the black community about the man. If you know the problem, wouldn’t it be in your best interest to fix it?
You say no community has exclusive rights to sing the blues, well I would beg to differ. Did you read my post, black Bridgeport youth from the ages of 16 to 19 have an unemployment rate of 50% and for black youth aged 16 to 23 an unemployment rate of 40%? What community do you know would not be singing the blues if those numbers were representative of said community? I bet your community isn’t like that. Until you’ve walk a mile in the shoes of the impoverished then your time would be better spent working on your music, which is something you probably know a little about.
I have nothing personal against Rick Torres, but I am absolutely sure the black community will not vote for him this election, not because of what Donald Day said on OIB, nor because of the hype of Derek Brown. Every response on OIB is preaching to their choir and the other people’s opinions are wrong. I support Mary-Jane Foster simply because I think she is just what Bridgeport needs at this time, this year and this election. I will never say anything negative about Joe Ganim because of the respect I hold for the man and I will never say anything negative about Rick Torres because I don’t know the man. What I will do is offer MY opinion from an Afrocentric perspective on any topic I feel passionate about, without the need for explanation, unless I deem fit or having to worry about whether someone finds my observations offensive. That’s your problem, not mine. If you don’t know where you’re going any road will take you there.
Let me make two points perfectly clear. One, I am not a Republican, and two, I do not work for the Torres Campaign, not even as a volunteer. I believe only that he is the one with the right combination of experience, compassion, expertise, honesty and moral fitness to move the city forward. Joe Ganim comes up lacking in the last two qualities. Mary-Jane Foster compromised her integrity by aligning herself with Bill Finch and John Stafstrom, two parts of a corrupt machine that has run this city into the ground. End of story.
If the unemployment rate is so high, we have only to thank the Democratic administrations of the past 25 years, including The Crook. Bill Finch was fond of crowing “I’ve created thousands of jobs” but who did he create them for? A very small fraction went to local residents. The construction unions endorsed him for the primary; it was a big “thank you” for all the jobs he created for THEM.
The school system is a failure, not providing the students with the skills needed to compete in an increasingly sophisticated world. But a shitty public education system is only half the problem. If the children are not encouraged at home to pursue a good education and employment that affords a better lifestyle, then what’s the point? The teachers can teach but the students will only learn if they know the importance of learning, only if parents discipline them to do homework. (Instead of taking away the kid’s iPhone as punishment mom or dad should take away the phone charger.)
Derek, that’s the problem, each party wants to blame the other for the problems facing the black youth of Bridgeport, but no one wants to offer a solution.
So true, Donald. Kids who cannot find work and want some spending money in their pockets will unfortunately create their own economy, and in most cases based on selling drugs and petty theft for example. I would argue, getting the city administration and BOE on the same page to offer more skilled training for kids who do not want to or cannot afford to go to college, and partnering with business for work/study programs to both give students some on-the-job training, skills and money. While there are some programs available, I have heard few candidates who understand the importance of these programs and the need to not only tap into them, but to also enhance and focus on them.
www .usafunds.org/PhilanthropyNationalEngagement/Pages/TalentPipeline.aspx
Of course, except for Torres in his education video just released.
Jennifer, we need to start right here at home in Bridgeport by hiring Bridgeport residents for City jobs, this becomes a win-win by proving a job to someone who lives here, who shops here, who raises their children, who has a vested interest in the good and welfare of Bridgeport and pays taxes here and who votes here in Bridgeport.
Next, have developers provide a percentage of their jobs to Bridgeport residents.
I agree. Rick also proposes to lobby hard and fight diligently at the state and federal level as mayor to stop punishing people who currently receive public assistance. As soon as a person gets a job, their benefits are reduced, it’s a very defeating game this government plays for those who find jobs. Rick believes they deserve to have job stability and a pay raise while receiving full benefits, and have the benefits more gradually reduced. What a disgrace to the Republican party this man is.
And Rick believes in Living Wages, and for someone receiving assistance right now, it is most likely they will have a minimum-wage job, so keeping the assistance in place until they earn a living wage does allow a person to have a living wage.
Ron, the jobs in Bridgeport are few. A developer needs to have workers with the skill sets to get the job done. They som what have that now with the city signing project labor agreement that states a certain number of workers are from the city. At Roosevelt school one ironworker from Bridgeport worked on that site. There are seven union ironworkers in Bridgeport. Ron, all our citizens or at least most are on I-95 heading south to work and that sucks.
The one thing Rick can bring in as a Republican is: wealthy Fairfield County Republicans who would have never ever set foot in, or considered investment in Bridgeport. But if Rick gets in, the floodgates will eventually open with investors from all political stripes, because the opportunity to finally have an overtly honest broker of the “diamond in the rough” city; and Rick is the only candidate who will demand opportunity for his poorest and most vulnerable neighbors, not for his inner circle. Rick is a doer and rational pragmatist in some senses, but when you talk with him you know he has a very unique vision of what is possible. That vision is centered around honesty, integrity and personal accountability, from his own actions and everyone around him. He doesn’t just preach those principles on a stump for applause.
The employment opportunities in this area are almost nonexistent. There are some minimum-wage jobs but that is it. I stopped at a local tool and equipment dealer in Stratford and was surprised to learn they are closing their store and all the employees will be laid off. I guess the question is where are the jobs going to come from? We outsource just about everything. How about a nationally known chicken business grows its chickens here and ships them to China to be processed and then brought back to the USA? It is time for the politicians to answer for all the outsourcing.
These reports offer very trite and uncontextualized ratings. Interestingly, poverty is one of the criteria used. Using poverty as a criterion then Bridgeport looks bad but there is no understanding of the surrounding region. If instead the report focused on “Worse Regions for Black Children (for the sake of argument)” then it could perhaps focus on economic disparity and how Bridgeport’s poverty abuts some of the wealthiest towns. So just focusing on poverty sort of blames the victim whereas a broader contextualized view of disparity would have shown how Bridgeport’s poverty is linked to economic disparities. The unfortunate thing is then the words “Black Children” are included within this narrow portrayal which simply reinforces stigma.
I think a more compelling rating would have been an examination of how Bridgeport’s children beat the odds. That is, despite living in poverty and in one of the most economically segregated regions of the country, many African American children move on to college and beyond. And how about the single mother or grandmother raising children, working, making ends meet, and is still civically engaged.
In sum, we can’t allow us to put value into these tabloid ratings that are poorly constructed, lack context, reinforce stigma, and fail to acknowledge the heroes who exist within urban and impoverished communities.
Jennifer, here is a portion of the problem. The Republican Party and blacks. If you want a sense of how much black voters dislike the GOP, consider this: Both Mitt Romney and John McCain scored single digits with blacks, 6 percent and 4 percent, respectively. The last time this happened, it was 1964 and the Republican presidential nominee–Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater–had pledged his opposition to the bulk of the Civil Rights Act, driving blacks out of the party just four years after they gave Richard Nixon a sizable minority in his presidential bid.
As for the information you post about Rick’s policy, take that information over to the East End and to the East Side and hear what they say about his plan, then listen to them say what they want and you will hear a large difference.
Either the East Side/East End are misleading Rick, or you.
Jennifer, then if they are missing it then that tells me Rick is not talking to those voters in the East End and the East Side. How many black churches has he visited, how many black pastors has he sat down with to talk about his plan, how many black social organizations has he spoken to, how many black community groups has he spoken to?
The video will be launched in a day or so, then you will have a peak at who has come knocking on our campaign door. The reach has been both ways.
There was a black pastor and his wife who I spoke at length with at an event for Rick who is completely on board with Rick. His name escapes me, but he lives in an old Victorian at Washington Square park, and he had been a martial arts teacher, Kung Fu. He’s a lifelong liberal Democrat and had that look in his eye when he spoke of Rick, it was like a light turned on when he suddenly realized it’s Rick and only Rick who can do this. Rick knows “he” won’t transform the city, nor will “his team” transform the city. Rick is the only candidate who will get out of the way to allow the city to transform itself. When people know Rick, they know exactly what I mean.
Ron/Don–here is an interactive graph of Minority unemployment.
research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=V0F
It shows minority unemployment to be low now but generally high during Obama. Low during Bush, high during Clinton and low for Reagan. Look for yourself.
You can do better than that. What did Obama face when he came into office, the financial crisis Bush 43 left him. Bush 43 never vetoed any spending bill and he cut taxes for the rich and he gave us two wars overseas that were never funded or paid for. Reagan had 11 tax increases that hurt the economy along with an oil crisis all the way to Clinton. In fact now unemployment is at one of the lowest during the time of war.
it was not just those in the Bush White House who were responsible for the wars, but leading members of Congress as well, some of whom are now in senior positions in the Obama administration.
Ron–I was addressing your questions regarding Republicans and minority employment. Do you want to change the question now? Republicans, in general, cut entitlements and people go to work. Obama’s job numbers are skewed because he changed the way he counts unemployment. Many unemployed people are not counted because their unemployment benefits ran out. This does not mean they have a job. Obama is just cheating with his numbers. The south has seen their economy pick up but California and New England are still lagging.
The comments here seem to suggest the next mayor must cure the social ills of Bridgeport. At the federal and state level, the Democratic party has championed social programs and entitlements that have made blacks and others dependent and unproductive as a group in our society. The next mayor must focus on managing the city, not addressing perceived injustices. In my opinion based on first-hand observation, the problem with the education system in Bridgeport is primarily the students and the lack of interest in education instilled in them by the people who brought them into the world. Let’s hope a better-managed city will provide education and library resources to motivate children to embrace learning in spite the message of despair they are subjected to.
Tom White, so who is to address perceived injustices?
We are, Ron. We constantly tell you, you believe in things that are not true. Then, you do not believe us. The minority unemployment graph is a good example.
The good and welfare.
The U.S. Preamble
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
There is quite possibly no such thing as a child who does not enjoy school and learning when it is presented in a way that satisfies their normal curiosity. The children do not know anything about the social schisms and developed hatreds and dangers they will be subjected to by the world in its ills. Fortunately there is opportunity when people who can see through the difficulties work to bring young people along into a path that can provide a basis for developing self-awareness and fulfillment of their talents and aspirations. This often happens on a one-on-one basis with pivotal individuals, teachers, role models who make an impact one life at a time. I’m sure I am not reading that correctly where you say the students are to blame. At what age would you start blaming the students? Pre-school, kindergarten?
Tom, I agree with your thoughts very often, and your independent thinking, but I respectfully disagree with the statement “the problem with the education system in Bridgeport is primarily the students and the lack of interest in education instilled in them by [their parents].”
Using myself as an example, my parents never went to college and although they wanted me to succeed, they had absolutely no clue about the other nuances of getting into college (beyond good grades). My parents learned how to read English from my first grade textbooks and there came a point where what I was learning exceeded what they learned. Their intentions were there, but to the observer, they did not care. Your statement reminds me of the underlying perceptions behind the same crippling statements and prejudice I experienced as a student. I attended an affluent high school and while I received much encouragement, in some cases I was was told I could be placed on a bus back to Bridgeport, I would fail all my classes in my first semester of college, and I did not belong at the school. Teachers told me this (mind you I was not a bad student nor did I once get in trouble). So, your “observations” remind me of these teachers and their lack of effort to simply talk and get to know students. When I complete my doctoral degree I am going to Xerox it and send it to the teacher who said “you will flunk all of your courses in your freshman year of college” and the message will say “don’t ever tell your students they will fail.”
This is one of the first times on this forum I feel my heart actually a bit broken. I do think the tone of conversation can change between you, Bridge Kid, Mr. Day and Mr. Mackey. I find both of you to be highly respectable men, Mr. Day and Mr. Mackey, who are quite over the lack of response to the needs of the black community for basic respect and quality of life. In fact, in my life, I have known a few black men of your approximate ages and I think you have weathered the storm of some of the preceding decades with dignity. That is general to the age bracket. In fact, I am rather good friends with one of your firefighter brothers, who had a very difficult upbringing and yet brought his children through to become outstanding and educated people. He went through the racial discrimination on the force, this after his days as a Black Panther and before heading the Bridgeport NAACP chapter for a time. He is a historian, slave artifact collector and deeply knowledgeable person in American history as it relates to blacks trying to be allowed to live. As a white person, my life is enriched by association and I feel a sense of loss when our historical differences become personal differences as people. I do sense a trend in black society of pulling away from engagement with white society, to generalize, having decided it is a dead-end conversation. I think this trend, if it is real in my view, is unfortunate and can only be good if it allowed black society to regroup, collect its soul and fend for themselves. I think the country by and large, through its youth, has been moving past racial divides more than this isolating trend I think is there to some degree. The police war in the urban centers has not helped recently. Back to your age group. I think there was something noble there, that tried, through the churches and civic groups and in personal ways, to find a working ground. In Bridgeport, I hope that is a possibility. I hope that for the children and families. I know that is a possibility as I have lived it in many ways with many people over the years. I support Rick Torres, out of the candidates, because I believe he shares these thoughts. I only bring it back to the political realm, because that is the point of these discussions and it is only a few weeks away. Thank you and I hope we can reset the conversation on here. Peace.
Ron, Reagan never increased taxes. What he did was streamline the code, which cut the tax levels in half, thus raising the taxes on some of the wealthier Americans and lowering taxes on the rest. History has proven the Reagan years were the most prosperous non-wartime ever. Clinton inherited the economic success from Reagan. The oil embargoes were during the Carter years. And today’s unemployment numbers are squired because they do not count those who have dropped out of the work force. 94 million (1/3 of the workforce) is not working.
President Ronald Reagan, following that initial tax cut, Reagan actually ended up raising taxes, eleven times. That’s according to former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson, a longtime Reagan friend who co-chaired President Obama’s fiscal commission that last year offered a deficit reduction proposal.
www .cbsnews.com/news/ronald-reagan-myth-doesnt-square-with-reality/