Even if the Board of Trustees wanted to fence off Trinity, President Jones said, it is not going to happen. Jones described fencing as physically impossible, noting that the Allen and Summit are City streets, and not privately-owned by the college.
This was the message he gave to the approximately 30 people — mostly politicians and community activists — at a breakfast held at the Studio at Billings Forge yesterday morning. Media had been given the message that they were unwelcome at this event; the general public was not given notification of this meeting.
Several in attendance described Jones as seeming nervous, but honest. He admitted that communication between Trinity and Hartford could be better.
In a message that Jones wrote for the Trinity community as recent as last Friday, it sounded like the possibility of fencing the campus was still being entertained:
We anticipate that Margolis will use an approach called Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), which can involve using a variety of approaches, including landscaping, lighting, fencing, and other devices to help manage campus access. This firm will also assess campus lighting, security cameras, frequency and styles of patrols, and the full range of campus safety techniques that characterize campus communities that are safe and secure.
There was no explanation given about this apparent inconsistency; there was no mention of whether or not the new interim director of campus safety had an impact on Trinity’s decision regarding fencing. Did the administration’s stance toward fencing evolve in a week’s time, or are two different communities being told different stories?
She does not deny rolling through the three-way intersection of Summit Street and Vernon Street in her 1990 Honda five-speed.
In her letter to the Central Infractions Bureau she admits the officer had a right to pull her over, but with 28 years of driving in the city and no moving violations, she expected nothing more than a warning. Instead, on that day in early March, she was issued a $129 ticket.
Her “not guilty” plea, she writes, is “the most efficient way to officially present to official parties,” her “outrage at decisions made by official parties after the crime committed March 4 on Allen Place near Summit Street.”
On the day of her ticket, Hartford resident Elizabeth Davis noted that there were two patrol cars and one motorcycle officer assigned to this area. In her complaint, she writes:
I submit their presence had nothing to do with traffic safety in Hartford. I submit it had everything to do with Trinity College’s demand for police resources after the March 4 early morning assault on a student.
She called this a “waste of my town’s police budget,” and noted that on her way to take photos of fourteen illegally parked vehicles — including one Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes — which were not receiving tickets, she was passed by a Four Wheeler ATV “doing wheelies” up New Britain Avenue. Continue reading 'Resident Says Resources Wasted on Traffic Stop'»
1985: Through excavating historical remnants and making educated guesses, that was the last time I thought seriously about dinosaurs. They became extinct; what more could one possibly know?
At some time between me last paying attention and now, one of my favorite dinosaurs was determined to not even exist. Thanks, Connecticut Science Center. Continue reading 'Dinosaurs Unearthed Unveiled'»
387 Capitol Avenue
One objective of the Livable & Sustainable Neighborhoods Initiative is to crack down on blight.
Still waiting for that crack. Continue reading 'Movement on Blight'»
Frog Hollow, Hartford, Urban Renewal, access, architecture/design, blight, commentary, housing, photos, quality of life, tax money in action
You don’t spray Pledge on 17th-century furniture. Instead, as tedious as it may be, you use a soft rag to remove dust. The Connecticut “Sunflower” Chests — one created last year, the other in the period from 1680-1710 — proved to be time-consuming in this way. This style of furniture is actually misnamed, as the flowers carved on the front are thought to be marigolds, a symbol of the Huguenots. Continue reading 'A Tradition of Craft: Original, Reproduction, and Adaptation Furniture'»
Photo of Trayvon Martin provided by rally organizers
Hartford will be joining cities across Connecticut and the nation in protesting the murder of 17-year old Trayvon Martin.
At ten on the morning of March 31st, activists including Cornell Lewis and LaResse Harvey will gather at Albany and Main to demand justice for the killing of an unarmed youth.
Solidarity rallies are also planned for UConn (Storrs) and the University of New Haven. Another solidarity action is planned for Trinity College.
The public hearing at City Hall on March 19th provides an opportunity to let one’s thoughts be known before decisions are made by the City Council. One agenda item is the creation of two non-voting positions on the Board of Education which would be reserved for students from the Hartford Public Schools. Currently, students have little-to-no input on the decisions being made which impact their educations. With the passage of this ordinance, student BOE members would have one-year terms and would be appointed by the mayor. This ordinance has been introduced by Councilpersons Anderson, DeJesus, Deutsch, Kennedy, MacDonald, and Wooden.
Other items on Monday’s agenda include Continue reading 'Hear! Hear!'»
Transcending Boundaries will be holding monthly discussions for those within the “bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer, transgender, transsexual, genderqueer, asexual, intersex, polyamorous, kink, questioning, unlabeled and allies” communities. Even if you do not identify in any of those ways, you are still invited to take part in the free discussions; the first meeting, at 6:30 on the evening of March 14th, will be about labels.
At this inaugural discussion, there will be a brainstorming period about topics for future sessions.
These meetings are considered to be safe spaces, where any personal information shared is considered confidential. Continue reading 'New Discussion Group at the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective'»
As Governor Malloy’s approach to education reform receives criticism, some proponents of the bill rush to its defense, leaning on false dichotomy to alienate those who do want youth to experience more quality education, but do not believe that SB 24 is the way to best achieve this.
The result: the lobbyists’ message — promoted heavily through social media and slick email blasts — is the one readily taken as factual information by lazy and/or understaffed news outlets.
The Office of Legislative Research, in its analysis of the bill, pointed out many ambiguities and potential legal challenges. One such issue, they wrote, could arise from disenfranchising voters by replacing elected local board of education members with those of the State’s choosing.
This potential legal challenge became very real yesterday when the Supreme Court ruled that the state’s takeover of the Bridgeport Board of Education was in violation of the law.
Despite the clear legal challenge to the section of the bill which would reduce local control of public schools, Malloy himself will be embarking on a statewide promotional tour for his bill, beginning with a stop in Hartford on March 1, 2012. His one-hour engagement at the Village South: Center for Community Life (331 Wethersfield Avenue) will begin at 7pm. Continue reading 'In Hartford, Officials to Promote Education Bill'»
Sidewalk mattress clutter — been there, done that.
Last night was “trash night,” which is often the beginning of larger objects’ indefinite stays at the curb. Months ago, a neighbor set out several of those glorified paper bags filled with leaves. For an unknown reason, one bag was never removed until weeks later. There was nothing sketchy about what was in the bag. It was placed at curb when the City announced leaf recycling time.
Items that are not being disposed of properly have a worse outlook.
The normal curb life of bulky items is an ugly one. They tend to be slowly disassembled. They might get pushed or kicked into the gutter. Migration is not out of the realm of possibility.
I have seen cabinets set out in salvageable condition get rendered completely useless. The drawers are pulled out. A loose handle will get separated. That handle will wind up in the gutter, two houses down. A week passes. That piece of hardware will turn up two blocks away. Continue reading 'Scenes from the Sidewalk: Installment 40'»
Comments (7) 
