Comments (14)

By Kerri Provost, December 6, 2011 10:38 am

The tents are still up at Turning Point Park, but Occupy Hartford has shown few signs of life in recent weeks. After a strong showing at their kickoff march in early October, active participation has waned. There has been high turnover of activists, both those living in the tents, and those dropping by or showing support from afar.

The declaration of its impending death comes from those who have worked closely with the group, saying that those still involved in the encampment “don’t even know they are on a sinking ship.” In recent weeks, there have been hints that Occupy Hartford was on the verge of imploding.

The inexcusable mishandling of the sexual assault on site may have been the final straw for many who had previously offered their support for the local incarnation of the Occupy movement.

The move away from Occupy Hartford appears to be taking two forms Continue reading 'Occupy Hartford: Post Mortem'»

Comments (6)

By Kerri Provost, December 5, 2011 9:05 am

Most violent crime happens between individuals who know each other. Despite statistics showing this, an unreasonable fear about urban violence exists among those who are not involved in circumstances that would most likely lead to violence. Women, especially, have been fed the fear of being ambushed and raped by the stranger in the parking garage or looming in the bushes. And in almost every case, these fears of assault-by-stranger are unfounded. Women are most likely to experience an attempted assault, assault, or worse, at the hands of someone with whom they have had an intimate relationship.

The exception to this is women who are homeless.

According tot he Plan to End Homelessness, “Homeless women experience sexual assault approximately 20 times more than women in general.” Continue reading 'Occupy Hartford: Not Happy Campers'»

Comments (16)

By Kerri Provost, September 8, 2011 7:51 am

The recent totally-unscientific-but-fun poll told me a few things: nobody buys all groceries from one vendor, Whole Foods is very popular, and people want food to be local and fresh. While digesting this data, I visited four stores in Hartford to see which ones most closely met your criteria of the ideal store; I looked at other aspects, including whether or not I could reasonably shop for basic food and household items. I looked at the two most popular grocery stores in the city, along with two that fewer people shopped at. Continue reading 'A Tale of Four Markets'»

Comments (14)

By Kerri Provost, September 6, 2011 10:24 am

A memorial bench has been added to the bridge that connects the Connecticut Science Center side of the Riverfront Plaza with that of the Marriott/Connecticut Convention Center. It invites pedestrians to sit and linger on this walkway which offers a nice view of downtown and the Connecticut River. The bridge extends the space used for strolling and jogging. Rollerblading seems to be making a comeback and fits in with the environment. The bridge itself has already experienced a professional rope skipping demonstration.

But wait! Continue reading 'Mixed Messages'»

Comments (4)

By Kerri Provost, August 26, 2011 9:51 am

On Tuesday, Connecticut residents were preoccupied with the earthquake, which did little damage here. On Twitter, people sounded frantic about the possibility of aftershocks. This concern was rarely for/by those near the epicenter, where some property damage occurred. For perspective, a Richmond news site had no stories about the earthquake “above the fold” that evening, while every mainstream news outlet in Connecticut had it posted as the top story.

As Hurricane Irene became a formidable threat, again, the news jumped on it, making it a top story. Announcements, such as the one that Malloy declared a “state of emergency” are rarely accompanied with information about what this actually means. All people see is the word “emergency” and get their emotions stirred further. When it is declared, it means a disaster is believed to be imminent, or, it has already occurred; but, the intention is to secure funds and temporary powers to assist with the situation. Remember when a State of Emergency was declared last winter after all that snow fall? Nobody was out rioting in the streets, but removing all the snow cost a lot of money. The declaration was to help defray the cost.

Here is an explanation of the Declaration of Emergency, from the Governor’s website:

For those constantly tuned in for news updates, they are barraged with “breaking stories” — often of marginal importance — lots of red, flashing, scrolling data, dramatic music, and even graphics prepared for the occasion. Something that should be treated with attention and concern is converted into a spectacle of obsession. Continue reading 'Preparation without Panic'»

Comments (3)

By Kerri Provost, August 25, 2011 11:32 am

About half the seats were filled at the start of Wednesday’s forum; by the end, only a few dozen people remained, and many of those were candidates’ families, or, candidates running with the Republican and Working Families parties. Two of the ten Democrats running for City Council did not attend. It was a rare event that finished early in spite of many questions from the audience.

The forum provided Democrats with the opportunity to distinguish themselves from the other candidates; few bothered to do so. Instead, candidates were quick to agree with each other, rarely adding anything meaningful to previous comments; a few candidates gave rambling responses to most questions, stumping the audience as to the point being made. Continue reading 'Council Primary Candidates Forum'»

Comments (0)

By Kerri Provost, July 22, 2011 2:12 pm

Because the Hartford Democratic Town Committee convention did not start on time, there was opportunity to check out the fashions. Continue reading 'Is this what Democracy Looks Like?'»

Comments (4)

By Kerri Provost,

A large room crammed full of powerful people (and those aiming to be) dressed in red, white, and blue, with buttons and signs galore. The party casts its votes, maybe some numbers don’t match up and a recount is needed, but the endorsements get made and the evening moves on. Reporters pushing their way through to get to the newly endorsed or to those left behind. That’s the image that comes to mind, and to an extent, that is what happens. But for those who have never been to a convention and who are not politically connected, it might be eye-opening to learn that the behind the scenes “back room deals” are not so secretive after all.

The Hartford Democratic Town Committee’s convention was scheduled to begin at 5:30 on Thursday evening in Bulkeley High School’s air conditioned auditorium. We assumed that this was the fake time, which is told so that events kick off on time about thirty minutes later. Segarra’s supporters were gathered around the building’s entrance with signs and stickers at 4:30 pm. By all accounts, I thought I would be home by ten, latest.

Upon entering, we had our choice of seats. Nothing was roped off. Nobody was serving as an usher. I sat with Emily of Live in Hartford, and near reporters from The Hartford Guardian and The Hartford News, two small, local newspapers that work hard to get the story, like journalists from days of yore. We were in the second row, center, and nobody seemed to mind.

Waiting for the event to begin, we noted who was conversing with whom. Julio Concepcion, an HDTC member, stopped over and we chatted about the waves he made when he publicly questioned the 2-2-2 strategy days prior. In the audience was a young man, a teenager about to enter Hartford Public High School after attending Bellizzi. He began the evening as the embodiment of idealism. We never saw if he looked the same, or disenchanted, when he slipped out later.

At 6pm, we thought the event was going to begin when the committee announced that the little people had to move our seats:

The rationale made sense. Leave room so that HDTC members can easily access the microphone and be heard; one wonders why this was not announced earlier. One also wonders why this was even attempted, as the members were scattered throughout the auditorium, some griping that they could not hear, all the while not moving their seats, despite the vacant ones now reserved for them. Continue reading 'Behind the Scenes at the Hartford Democratic Town Committee Convention'»

Comments (0)

By Kerri Provost, July 10, 2011 8:06 am

Photo by Christopher Brown

Riverfest — which has not actually been held on July 4th for years — drew lots of people into downtown Hartford on Saturday evening. The tradition has become to seek out a new spot for viewing each year. In the past we’ve tried the overlook at Elizabeth Park, the Riverfront Plaza, East Hartford’s Great River Park, and this rooftop, just to name a few. For those with a low tolerance for crowds, I recommend the latter.

Photo by Christopher Brown

Rivaling the fireworks display was the post-show entertainment: watching traffic jams, a safe distance from impatient motorists.

Photo by Christopher Brown

Even with the exodus following the fireworks display, restaurants were doing well hours after the show ended. One establishment that can usually neatly fit all customers into the bar was forced to reopen its formal dining area.

Photo by Christopher Brown

Continue reading 'Riverfest 2011'»

Comments (3)

By Kerri Provost, June 30, 2011 6:12 am

Death and taxes.

That’s all people ever seem to ask candidates about. What will the magic wand look like that they will wave over the city to make violent crime and high taxes disappear.

When I interviewed the four viable mayoral candidates, I began with a question about their favorite things in Hartford. Too often, interviews, forums, and debates are framed in a negative way. Hartford is terrible. It’s broken. It’s unusually violent and should be pitied. Now, who will be the superhero to rescue us? And, who will we blame when this superhero turns out to be merely human? It’s a bogus approach. No place is perfect, including Hartford, but it is not a cesspool either. So, I thought that by framing this differently, I could do two things: (1) encourage candidates to be positive, and (2) find out quickly who lacks civic pride. Using that as a base, I wanted to continue in the positive. Rather than finding out how they would “fix” the city, I asked how they would “boost” it.

The third question is much more specific. It came about by asking a few Real Hartford readers what they would want answered by the candidates. Continue reading 'Five Questions with the Candidates'»