From Steve Krauchick, Doing It Local
Another man was shot on the East Side tonight, this time at East Main and Arctic Street. He was shot in the leg and transported to Bridgeport Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Earlier tonight an innocent bystander was shot by two males at Shelton and Kossuth Street matching the description of this shooting. Last night a two people were shot on East Main and Stillman Street. Police are investigating.
City public safety spokesman Kevin Coughlin reports on another East Side shooting:
Bridgeport Police responded to a non-fatal shooting last night near the corner of Jane St. and Brooks St. The Bridgeport Police Department received a call regarding shots fired at 10:23 p.m. on August 19, 2015.
Upon arrival Bridgeport Police secured the area.
The victim, a 26 year-old male, sustained a single gunshot wound to his upper left leg.
The victim stated he was attacked by two black males dressed in all black on Jane St.
The victim was transported to Bridgeport Hospital in a private vehicle. He is currently in stable condition.
Detectives recovered multiple shell casings and are investigating the incident.
Anyone with information regarding this incident should contact the Bridgeport Detective Bureau at (203) 581-5201.
“Taking action against gun violence–and the use or trafficking of illegal guns–has always been, and remains, a top priority for me and my administration,” said Mayor Finch.
“Our Gun Buyback program has proven to be successful, taking in more than 1,000 guns since we initiated the program several years ago. Guns that are purchased as part of this program can never be used to hurt or kill ever again. I strongly believe that this effort has saved lives and has made Bridgeport a safer place for kids and families. Even if this program saves one life, it is money well spent.”
The city is offering $200 for a handgun, $100 for a rifle. As a Glock 17 9mm retails for $499 brand new, a measly two hundred dollars is not going to persuade a criminal to give up his primary business tool. He can make more money using it to commit armed robbery.
Bill Finch and Chief Gaudett must think the rest of us are as stupid as they are. Gaudett should be reminded he took an oath to secure the public trust and uphold the law, not maintain the job security of a lame-duck politician.
Another sad moment. The guy was attacked by two black males dressed in black. Well does anyone really expect they will find them? Is the Mayor to blame? Not enough cops? I don’t think so. I do not think any effort made to take guns off the street is a waste. Desperate times demand desperate measures. Maybe offer a $3000 reward for every arrest made in a shooting to the individual who gives the information leading to the arrest.
By the way Steve,
This is a blog. That means it is interactive. We all communicate here, respond to each other’s comments. The common perception is you are off your meds. Please run to the pharmacy to refill your bipolar medication. We’re tired of putting up with your psychosis and pathology.
If you don’t want anyone to respond to your creepy comments, don’t post the fucking things in a public place.
Now run along. The Beavis and Butthead chat room is down the hall.
Thank you Bridgeport Kid for your kind words.
Yes, the Mayor is to blame. If the Mayor can take credit for safety then the Mayor can take credit for lack of safety. Otherwise don’t take credit for either. You can’t just take credit when things are good. It’s all about TAXES and JOBS. People are desperate. People have no money or jobs or work minimum-wage jobs. When people are desperate they do desperate things.
The Finch administration has sought to criminalize the people living in public housing and low-income neighborhoods. Those residents face discrimination in employment and education opportunities, in housing. Jesus H. Christ, the city of Bridgeport is confiscating their automobiles. Is it any wonder, with so much overt oppression coming from City Hall, the people are resorting to criminal activity to survive? The general mood in the city’s subsidized housing projects, in its impoverished neighborhoods, is one of hopelessness, desperation and resignation. The mayor’s office could be located on an island in the Sound for all they know, so uncaring and insensitive to urban decay and socioeconomic problems is the Finch administration.
Government is intended to work for ALL the people. It’s all fine and good there are shovels in the ground and cranes in the air. It’s supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Bill Finch has created millions of low-paying jobs for Bridgeport’s untapped unskilled labor pool. Good for him. Maybe he’ll treat all of us to a half-double-decaf-decaffeinated latte at Starbucks.
It’s time for the administration to hire experts to survey the police department and their practices and procedures. There seems to be a problem in management and in supervision. The police department has hardly made a dent in the shootings and murders in this city. Why is that? When is the last time the Bridgeport police made a major drug bust? Just what are the members of the Narc unit doing? We already know the police department does not respond to quality of life issues and we know they find very few stolen cars. Who is at fault? Well I blame Gaudett and his four deputies who have a combined 200 years on the force. This police department is sadly lacking and maybe it should be taken over by the State Police.
What is needed is a chief of police who is career law-enforcement professional, not a man or woman too beholden to pressure from the mayor’s office. The office of Bill Finch was exposed for withholding important data including crime statistics and police reports “until after the election” to hide the truth. The police department enforces and upholds the law, serves and protects public safety. Too many people bitch and moan about cops, profess hatred of them. In a few cases this hostility is the result of an arrest. The best way to avoid being hassled by the police is simple: DON’T BREAK THE LAW. When you are mugged, when your home is burglarized, when you’re involved in an automobile accident, who’re you going to call, Ghost Busters?!
Before we can attack a problem, we need to understand what is causing the problem. In the manufacturing/business world we use a process called RCCA, Root Cause Corrective Action. Part of that process is to ask the “Five Whys” that may be the root cause of a particular problem/issue. There are intelligent/reasonable people on this blog and I’m sure we can come up with some of these “whys.” It can be more than five, but you don’t what to water it down or make it a monumental task. This is a serious issue and we’ve seen where relying on this administration to solve this life or death issue has gotten us. Let’s seriously put down what we feel are the top root causes for this spike in violence in our neighborhoods. If this works let’s present this to our city leaders. I’ll start:
Issue: Spike in violence in Bridgeport’s neighborhoods this summer.
Root Causes:
1) High unemployment rate.
Bingo. Sociologists and forensic psychologists will beg to differ, providing all sorts of long-winded explanations. The problem is high unemployment. Not the weather, not too many bars and liquor stores, none of those excuses. Those are for defense attorneys to use when trying to score a lenient sentence for their clients.
QD, you hit the problem right on the head. Most of these young brothers on the street just want a good job. I haven’t talked to one who said they’re happy with life on the street and would rather be there than at work. Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.
Bingo Donald Day, teach a man to fish. It’s not being done in Bridgeport. Below Basic at all grade levels.
Let’s add some more. How about:
2) Broken family structure
3) Boredom
Most of these shootings are gang related. These kids are not looking for a job. They are school dropouts, the kids were raised in single-parent households, there are very few positive role models, they all display antisocial behavior. Men like Ted Meekins lead by example and try to reach out to these kids and young adults. Most unfortunately will be in and out of jail their whole lives and if they really want, they can run for mayor.
Speaking about running for mayor, David Daniels has also touched the lives of many on the streets of Bridgeport. Mentors are very important.
If we can come to a consensus with the top five root causes, we can put a candidate questionnaire together from OIB to be used either in the primary, November election or both. We can do it in a debate or a mailer. There are some great ideas coming from this site. Let’s share them.
Steve, so what you’re saying is #4 is “gangs?”
4) Gang Affiliation
Quentin, in Bridgeport it is mostly about gangs. Basic crime is about jobs. Shootings are generally premeditated gang and turf wars. The young people today are also extremely disconnected socially. Their electronics mean more than the life of a friend. They do not want to work for a pair of sneakers but have no problem shooting someone for them.
Root Cause Update:
1) High unemployment rate
2) Broken Family structure
3) Boredom
4) Gang Affiliation
5) Addiction