Comments (0) It has been reported that a sharp increase in crime is the reason for the controversial discussions about possible security measures at Trinity College .
Statistics provided by the Hartford Police Department suggest a slight increase — rather than spike — in crime for the district this campus is in:
Yesterday James Jones, the President of Trinity College, sent a message directed at Trinity students, staff, faculty, and parents, and potentially, to Hartford residents.
While careful to say Trinity does not want to cut itself off from the community, administrators described how the college may add cameras, fencing and police to the periphery, along with potential changes to the landscape:
January 25, 2012
Dear Trinity Students, Faculty, Staff, and Parents,
We write to update you on our efforts to improve campus safety at Trinity. As mentioned in our previous message to the campus community, we want to be deliberate in our efforts to make changes that are effective and lasting. We have visited other campuses in the Bronx, Boston, New Haven, and Bridgeport to examine best practices at other urban institutions. We have met with private security consultants and will, as mentioned in our previous email, host a visiting team of campus safety professionals who will do an external review of our staffing, protocols, training programs, and allocation of resources. We have also heard many constructive ideas from students, staff, and parents. While we want to make sure we factor in all the expert advice we can get, it is increasingly evident that we need to make some critical changes.
Back in December we told you that we would increase the number of officers on patrol and improve lighting. Under the leadership of Director Charles Morris, the Campus Safety staff has organized a tactical patrol of five additional officers during the hours of 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. who will focus on the periphery of campus in the areas of Summit Street, Crescent Street, and College property on Allen Place. We will be hiring five additional officers to permanently staff this team and rely on overtime until we are able to hire additional officers. We have, working with students from the Campus Climate Council, identified several areas on campus where we are adding new lighting and we have replaced or upgraded 275 lights across campus. We have also put in place an auditing program to ensure prompt repair when a light is not working. These efforts will increase the visibility of our Campus Safety patrols and provide better and more lighting. But we realize these efforts alone are not sufficient to make our community feel as safe as we would like.
We have received a formal proposal from the SGA and have heard from some faculty and staff and numerous parents and students that we need to do more to monitor access to the campus at certain times of the day. We have no intention of withdrawing our welcome to the local community to enjoy the benefits we extend to them, but we need to do more to discourage criminal activity that undermines safety and creates resentment and fear instead of appreciation for the assets of Hartford. At its meeting last week, the Board of Trustees authorized us to explore strategies for how we can do more to manage the routes of access to the campus. We are in the process of selecting a security consulting firm to help us determine the feasibility of such a plan. It would most likely require some additional fencing, landscaping, and cameras in critical areas and could mean providing internal access to some of the parking areas on the periphery of campus that are currently accessed from the city streets to allow for controlled access.
We want to hear from the campus community as we develop our plans. We also want to assure you that we have no intention of separating ourselves from Hartford and diminishing the mutually beneficial relationship we have with our neighborhood and the city. That is a relationship we want to see grow. Our focus remains on providing the highest level of safety and security for all members of our campus community.
We will write again to update you on our planning process as soon as we have the recommendations of the consultant and our visiting team. In the meantime we wish all of you the best for the new semester.
Very truly yours,
James F. Jones, Jr.
President and Trinity College
Professor in the Humanities
Frederick Alford
Dean of Students
None of the added safety measures address the most common types of crimes that occur on college campuses, which involve students violating the rights of other students, nor does it address how students are violating their own safety through binge drinking. Continue reading 'More Safety Measures at Trinity Fortress'»
Thought the new year moved civilization forward, toward more compassion, mindfulness, and understanding? Headlines from this week demand we rethink how those in Connecticut view ourselves.
First, we have two examples of blaming a murder victim for his death. The Republican American headline reads:
In the rehashed version of the story published by the Courant, the title remained equally distasteful:
screenshots taken because headlines change
Words matter.
Headlines are first impressions and frame the story. The message here is not that the person who brutally murdered another is to blame, but that the victim’s alleged sexual advance triggered this. The headlines announce that a perceived or real advance is the cause, not someone’s homophobia.
Then, when we wonder what kind of climate would permit such crime and thoughtless use of language to describe it, we gain some answers by reading about compassion in sheep’s clothing, Continue reading 'Welcome to 1912 Connecticut'»
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'»
Making 'Of Lamb' on display at Real Art Ways through December 11th
December tends to be a whirlwind of activity, between festive events, office parties, and the gatherings for family and friends. Here are just a few of December’s open-to-the-public highlights:
December 1, 2011
December 1st is World AIDS Day, which means it is also The Day With(out) Art. Real Art Ways will be participating by screening Untitled all day. This is free. While there, check out the “Making ‘Of Lamb’” exhibit.
In the evening, there is the opening reception for Andres Chaparro’s artwork at Theatreworks (233 Pearl Street) from 5-7:30pm. Continue reading 'Your Guide to December'»
Though it only takes seconds for the police to reach Main and Asylum from the current substation across from the Hartford Public Library, a new substation was approved for this location, which is across from a major bus stop.
The following letter from Mayor Segarra was submitted to the City Council:
This kiosk was formerly a newsstand.
While the area could use police presence more than others — go stand at that bus stop for ten minutes and see (or smell) the range of activities going on — it seems to duplicate services provided just blocks away.
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'»
Local activists began a rolling fast at the beginning of this month to show solidarity with prisoners in the California state system; 6,600 prisoners had been on a hunger strike to urge officials to change conditions in prisons, including the indefinite solitary confinement at Pelican Bay State Prison.
The rolling fast will be ending tomorrow, August 23rd. From 6:30-8:30 pm there will be a speak-out at La Paloma Sabanera. On this National Day of Action and Solidarity, local activists will be sharing their own stories about fasting. They will provide education about prison conditions, not just in California, but here in Connecticut as well.
This event is free and sponsored by Connecticut in Solidarity with California Prisoners.
Last month, 6,600 prisoners in California participated in a protest against indefinite solitary confinement. It began at the Pelican Bay State Prison; eventually, inmates at a total of thirteen prisons participated. On the twentieth day of action, the state government agreed to reassess the use of solitary confinement (in which prisoners might be kept for years) in its prisons. The protests — which also included lawyers, family members, and community members – involved marching, petitioning, chanting, and fasting. There have been conflicting reports about when the prisoner hunger strike ended, partly because the media had been refused permission to interview prisoners participating in the action.
Now, locals are fasting in solidarity to keep the pressure on the State of California. Connecticut in Solidarity with California Prisoners has organized this action. So far, thirteen people have committed to participating, three of whom will be fasting twice. One activist — a diabetic — will be fasting on the same day as another person. Continue reading 'Rolling Fast'»
Nearly a year ago, we wrote about the MDC public hearing regarding the potential closing of West Hartford Reservoir to recreation. The impetus for this discussion was a frivolous lawsuit, filed and won, by a cyclist who had been seriously injured at the reservoir. As a result, the MDC had to hand over $2.9 million.
On Wednesday, Governor Malloy signed into law the Recreational Liability Protection for Muncipalities bill (HB 6557 / PL 11-211). The purpose of this law is to protect cities against frivolous personal injury lawsuits. This law goes into effect on October 1, 2011.
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