Following a menacing robbery at gun point last week, the Black Rock Community Council at the urging of State Rep. Auden Grogins has organized a forum for Wednesday 7 p.m. at the Burroughs Community Center, 2470 Fairfield Avenue. In addition to Grogins, Mayor Bill Finch, City Council members Sue Brannelly and Marty McCarthy as well as police officials are expected to attend. For details about the robbery see the commentary below by Gabrielle Parisi that precipitated a call to action.
Okay, so we have a pesky little crime problem in Bridgeport. Okay, so we have a treacherous crime problem in Bridgeport. Never has this fact been more apparent to me than at 12:15 AM this morning, September 23, 2012, when I experienced the rudest of awakenings. My young cousin, housemate, and very best friend, woke me up from what was a pretty decent dream, to invite me into the nightmare of her evening. After a fun night out with her besties at Brennan’s Shebeen, she was held up by a thug brandishing a big, shiny, silver semi-automatic weapon.
The thug proceeded to knock one of the women to the ground (a recent cancer survivor, I might add, still limping from the surgery on her bone-cancer stricken knee), and relieve her of her valuables. Cursing and manhandling the three women involved, this sicko conducted himself as if he were entitled to their hard-earned dough, their smart phones and their handbags. After all, this is Bridgeport, right?
Day after day I read about shootings, murders, robberies and other various and sundry sordid and violent Bridgeport events, but now it’s PERSONAL.
How wretched it is that one has to expect to be violated if one chooses to live here, and patronize the small businesses in this city. We pay a ton of taxes, we are active in the community, we care about our neighbors, we keep our yards neat and groomed, and we can’t even use the City that we pay so dearly to live in.
This, for me, as a VERY frustrated citizen, begs the question: What are we going to do about it? And when?
I am of course grateful she was not hurt, but I feel responsible because it’s MY house she lives in, and I chose Bridgeport. I am beginning to think this choice may have been a monumental lapse in judgment. I hope someday someone will convince me otherwise.
Minority children murdered in the city! Not a peep.
Foreign UB student killed! Not a peep.
Gang violence, drug wars, shootings, stabbings, daily incidents of violence in and around her district and Auden Grogins sits silent. But an armed robbery outside a bar in Black Rock and she whines in outrage.
Excuse me Auden, but did you ask Bill for permission before your election-year posturing?
Where is Sully when you really need him?
Reap, what’s your solution?
Good Golly Reap, it almost sounds as though you are implying one needs to have Political connections in this here neck of the woods to garner attention. What do you think this is? Bridgeport? 🙂
How you can rightfully say “not a peep” is a mystery to me. I say good for her for stepping up to the plate. There have been walks and rallies against acts of violence, for example when the little girl was hit by a stray bullet in the Maplewood Ave. area. Three women were terrorized, assaulted and robbed and you think Ms. Grogins is “whining.” Maybe this incident was the last straw for Auden and she’s decided to be proactive on violence in her district. Get your head out of the sand and give her credit when credit is due. Dare I ask why you are so anti-establishment? Anything someone does is always met with a predictably negative outpouring from you.
What was it Chief Gaudett said? I’ll return her call once she makes one?
Really GR? You actually think Auden would grant an interview to the Post without placing that call first? Methinks she may be a smidge smarter.
And talk about self-serving politicians …
Auden Grogins has used every elected position she can find to do the bidding of Joe Ganim, John Fabrizi, Bill Finch and Mario Testa, all in an effort to be named a judge and what does she do about an elected Board of Ed? As she is told … get rid of it! It has served her purposes to need to keep it around now.
All for Audie! Audie for One!!!
*** How about a candlelight march against violence and stickups from Black Rock to City Hall? ***
I wish the people in my district 138th had someone like Grogins representing us. I don’t care if she has an ulterior motive or not, she does speak out for her district.
We in the 138th have NO ONE to speak for us. Curwen and Paoletto are clueless to our crime problem. Musto before his district changed wanted to put a new jail in the district. Stallworth has no idea we exist. Clemons is still trying to start the ferry to Pleasure Beach.
I would not care if Grogins wants to be a judge, don’t we all look to move ahead in our jobs?
I don’t often see eye-to-eye with you Mr. Fardy, but you are absolutely on target with this comment. Crime is on the upswing in Bridgeport and all their elective officials should take a stand, not just Ms. Grogins. Someone had to take the first step and that’s what she did. No one can accuse her of sitting back and waiting for someone else to get the ball rolling. And so what if she aspires to be a judge? As you say, no harm in having ambition.
Grogins is doing the right thing. Reaper is a pinhead.
If we had more elected officials speaking like Grogins maybe the police chief and the mayor would get off their collective asses and do something about the rampant crime here in Bridgeport.
The council passes a feel-good law that covers curfew and teenagers, then they go silent. Why aren’t they speaking out about having only 21 cops on patrol per shift? Why aren’t they asking questions like if you have 105 cops in patrol and 105 supervisors from the chief down WHERE ARE THE OTHER 22O COPS? How many are on extended sick or injury leave? How many work inside?
All the elected officials EXCEPT Grogins have kept quiet, shame on them.
OK, let’s start with eliminating all of the nonsense on the BPD. End the mounted police and their wasted OT, end the bicycle patrols and the Segways and all of the man-hours wasted on feel-good policing and get back to tactical policing.
Attack the gangs with force. Come down big time on drug dealing. Get more cops actively on the streets dealing with where the crime is and not responding to a PR stack in one of the safest neighborhoods in town.
What is Auden doing about getting state resources to fight crime in Bridgeport?
Additional funding for police OT?
Additional manpower from state police?
Auden should use her state office to get help from Hartford, not to schedule meetings in Bridgeport.
Do something besides whining, which is all she is really good at.
Speaking of whining … nobody does it better than you!
I think Reaper is Winning with his above solutions. Want some cheese with that whine?
2011 was a very good vintage of chocolate. Anybody seen our old friend, Mary Cho_en?
Judging by his posts, reads like Reaper consumed lots of cheese and wine tonight.
I didn’t see where Danny Roach was taking part in this forum. Democratic District Leader (?) in Black Rock. Black Rock homeowner, Black Rock businessman, member of the Police Commission and I believe still President of the Police Commission. Why is that?
Because the Police Commission is a joke. The Police Commission should have been grilling the Chief about the crime problem but they think they work for Gaudett.
But this is what happens when you have an appointed board in the city.
How many cops does it take for a traffic stop in this city?
I have no problem with backup but once the scene’s deemed safe can we turn off the flashing lights and get back to work?
These two or three police cars on the scene is supposed to give the impression real police work is getting done but it is all for show.
Hey Lennie, is Honis back on the job? I am not a big fan of his but if I were Gaudett I would tell him to take over this project and I want to see real action on the streets cracking down on crime. Better yet Lennie, if Honis isn’t back on the force why don’t you ask him what he would do?
Deputy Chief Honis is not back on the job, but still receiving a city check. I dare say Honis will have a lot to say when he’s ready. That will be fun.
Oh and talk about wasted police time and effort, let’s stop babysitting the SHU students. The police get called in and beer is being served and underage students are present … arrests are made. Plain and simple. You would see an end to the SHU problem once and for all.
So Lennie, those are just a couple of things I would suggest happen before wasting everybody’s time on another f’ing crime forum in this city. But what do I know?
I know it’s been a frustrating few years for you, Reap. Your candidates keep getting their asses kicked. Bob Keeley, ass kicked. Ned Lamont, ass kicked. Ed Gomes, ass kicked.
Grin Reaper is a good reason for millionaires in Bridgeport to avoid this blog. He waters down the content while offering foolish solutions. Lennie Grimaldi hurts his own advertisers by coddling and encouraging him into writing his next post.
Banshee Bucks For Burroughs Center
April 27th, 2012 · 10 Comments · Best of Bridgeport, News and Events
State Rep. Auden Grogins, the blonde banshee from Black Rock, announces state dough for the Burroughs Community Center: Representative Auden Grogins (D-Bridgeport) is pleased to announce the approval of $106,000 for renovations of the Burroughs Community Center (BCC).
The Bridgeport Kid // Apr 27, 2012 at 8:17 pm
This is all wonderful, Grogins getting jing to maintain the Burroughs Center. How about getting some help getting the illegal firearms off the streets of Bridgeport? There was a shooting earlier today at a Citgo station on Reservoir Avenue. The victim is in critical condition at Saint Vincent’s. And the BPD took a loaded 9-millimeter Glock from a punk hanging around the Mini Rite Market on Bird Street, right across from P.T. And let’s not forget there have been seven homicides in Bridgeport this year and it ain’t even Cinco de Mayo.
Who the Fluck is Danny Roach anyway?
Always remember, this government serves itself.
The word on the street is one of the victims got a call at 11:15 PM tonight to ID a suspect on King Street. Interesting …
These comments are hilarious. “How dare the people of Black Rock care about their own neighborhood?”
Maybe if the citizens in the rest of the city cared as much as the citizens of Black Rock, their neighborhoods would be better.
*** The right person with lots of money could turn this Zombie-minded city into a fun, sports-interested, middle class living, circus excitement, wine & dine things to do town! Which would in turn attract good businesses and jobs to the city. And Black Rock is the perfect district area to start, however crime has to be controlled big time first in order to make residents and visitors alike feel safe anytime of the day or night. You start with a weekend neighborhood police precinct that’s mobile by walking or riding bikes in different parts of the district along with P/D cruisers that patrol the outer perimeters of the district, like St. Mary’s, cinemas, Bpt/Fairfield lines, etc. Where’s the money come from, you ask; the small and large businesses to start, with fundraisers by the residents and places of worship. With trained block watch residents, maybe a hired weekend security firm along with info and suggestion boxes at the area schools could all be helpful in controlling and fighting crime in Black Rock! Help by being on the same fight crime page by your local representatives is a must for government funds and grants, etc. *** CRIME IS EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS ***