2011 petitioning candidate for mayor Jeff Kohut issues this blistering commentary against the city’s political establishment following the attack of an elderly woman in Lake Forest. From Kohut:
On Thursday, June 25th, at about 11 AM, an elderly woman was attacked in her home in the Lake Forest neighborhood, in Bridgeport’s North End, by a male attacker in an apparent robbery attempt. The woman was severely injured, suffering severe head trauma.
This is just one more example of how “crime is lower than it’s been in 40 years in Bridgeport” and of how “Bridgeport is getting better and better.”
This criminal episode is a symptom of the type of predatory psychopath that is being produced in a Bridgeport that has been “redlined” in every sense of the word by the political and social-economic forces that control the Fairfield County sea of wealth surrounding the island of crime and poverty known as Bridgeport.
Truly, there needs to an accounting for the sorry state of our city by the leadership of Bridgeport for the abusive neglect of their municipal charge and its populace:
· Depression-level unemployment
· Dangerously understaffed police force
· Mass shootings and the murder of peaceful people enjoying a social gathering on a warm early morning in an area that should have had permanent, 24-7 police presence 25 years ago, as well as coverage by a citywide, Internet-accessible video-surveillance system, 15 years ago, when it was first proposed.
· Home invasions and near-deadly attacks of the elderly in the middle of the day.Yes, “Bridgeport is getting better and better”–if you’re a writer of horror stories or a student of post-traumatic stress syndrome.
Someone needs to account for the abusive neglect of this city and its people. I would name Bill Finch, Governor Dan Malloy, Congressman Jim Himes, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Senator Chris Murphy, BCFC President Chris Bruhl, and BRBC President Paul Timpanelli, as well as the Connecticut Post (for protecting responsible politicians and sanitizing much of the local and state news) as the first-tier of culprits that should be called to account for this situation. From there, we can follow the money to the others responsible.
Bridgeporters; it’s a propitious election season for starting a cathartic, full-blown political revolt in Bridgeport. We need to pass our present, local, state, and federal, waste product political representation through our political bowels and replace them with capable, conscientious leadership and representation that values the people of Connecticut’s urban centers for more than their election-day vote margins.
It’s time to put big-time political change in motion in Bridgeport.
Jeff, this is sad. I am sorry for your neighbor. Blaming Mayor Finch is ludicrous. Seriously. That being said Jeff, any suggestions on who that candidate should be? Are you running again? Home invasions are happening in wealthy communities by local teenagers. It is not enough to say we need jobs or sing the song about bringing back manufacturing jobs to Bridgeport. We have a great labor force. Everything in manufacturing is automated. We need to get ahead of the curve in this city. We need green jobs because that is the wave of the future. We have a green mayor. What jobs in the realm of green create high-paying jobs? Construction jobs and training programs to fill those jobs for Steelpointe and Remington Woods. We live in tough times. There are things within the mayor’s power and others that are not. We need to address those that fall within his realm of responsibilities. A woman getting mugged in the Lake Forest area is sad but not the Mayor’s fault.
Steve, technically it is the mayor’s fault as he is in charge of the whole city. In reality it is the fault of Chief Gaudett and the police commission for letting the police department fall so far below its mandated number. You can also blame the police union who should have been screaming about these shortages and how this puts the street cop in jeopardy but of course the union has their ulterior motives. With the manpower shortage they get to work OT and fatten up their pension thanks to their new contract.
The shortage of manpower leaves the street cop overworked. The street cop is rarely able to patrol in neighborhoods like Lake Forest, Beardsley Park and Black Rock. The criminals know this and can go about their business without fear of arrest. Will they catch the person who hurt this women? NO.
Andy, honestly that is a stretch. Fifty more cops on the force would not have changed that woman’s reality. So no matter how many times you try to attack Finch and Gaudett, you are just being silly. Next, you’ll have a Republican stating if she had a gun maybe she would not have been mugged. Sometimes no matter what, you can’t win.
Jesus Steve, do you understand anything? Would you restate your post if the women who was attacked was related to you? Patrols roaming through a neighborhood are noticed by all good and bad people. When you don’t see patrol cars on a regular basis, thieves get bold.
Steve, who allowed the force to run down to over 70 vacancies You? Me ? No, Gaudett and his band of old men known as deputy chiefs.
Andy, my mother was mugged five years ago. The condo put better lighting in. The Bridgeport police were there in two minutes. I do not know what the Mayor could have done. Not even Jesus. It is convenient to blame the Mayor. But in this case, Gaudett and Finch get a pass, sorry. This has absolutely nothing to do with the support of a candidate, it is common sense.
Sorry Steve, again you are wrong. You seem to think having a shortage of over 70 cops does not affect coverage, well it does. I am blaming Gaudett more than Finch. The mayor should have known ABOUT THIS SHORTAGE.
Another example of the importance of the Second Amendment, although this lady chose not to exercise this right. Even though a constant police presence in the neighborhood is a deterrent, they cannot be everywhere all the time.
Quentin Dreher, a possible answer for those in Trumbull Garden where nine people were shot and one died would be for everyone in Trumbull Gardens to carry a gun. This is a high-crime area with a slow response by police so let’s arm everyone there to protect their property and their lives.
Jeff, some persuasive points. Your knowledge, experience, and passion regularly elevate the discussion for me. Thank you.
Quentin: How do you know the victim does not own a registered firearm?
Even in shoot-’em-up westerns, the good guys don’t always outshoot the bad guys, right? Although according to the NRA, they do.
Maybe check out some of the issues that come into play before calling for universal heat-packing by the elderly:
Current Considerations About the Elderly and Firearms
www .ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3487668/
Great points, Pete.
Steve, I put as much blame on our governor, congressional delegation, business council leadership, and our journalistic institution(s) as on the mayor, et al.
If you read my commentary thoroughly, you would see I’m distributing responsibility among parties that need to take real action on all the issues that come into play in spawning psychopathic predators and fueling their predatory activities in our community.
There is no way to sugar-coat things. Our mayor and all others named/alluded to in my commentary have failed us, and there is no excuse for their refusal to address Bridgeport’s problems in a comprehensive, effective manner.
It is a good thing to be positive in one’s outlook in regard to the future of our city, but good things can’t happen if all we do is whistle in the wind–or use our waterfront for parking-lot-intensive strip malls (e.g. Steal Point). (Our band is playing while our Titanic sinks.)
The other side of this coin is this incident would not be known outside the immediate neighborhood if the commentary hadn’t been printed by OIB. How much serious, unreported crime is going on in Bridgeport? What is our real risk, in Bridgeport, of being the victim of a violent crime?
Better every day?! Really?!
Jeff, I loved this! In my opinion, you are exactly on point.
Thanks, Maria, Pete, et al..
I wish we could moderate our obsessive introspection and direct a major portion of our electoral anger at the giant external thumb that has been squeezing the life out of our city since the end of county government in 1960. A significant portion of our electoral anger also has to be directed at the federal policies that are making us a pariah in the global community and re-routing resources away from dire domestic needs.
Jeff, great commentary. You just forgot to add one more person to the list. The most incompetent Chief of police this city has ever seen, Joseph Gaudett.
I agree with Vale la Pena!!!