New Haven Independent

Posted by: Rick Jones | September 26, 2006 12:53 PM

Having been raised in the Newhallville,Dixwell neighborhoods this is very good for the community.I have seen the transition of these communities go from bad to good and the back to bad.But,I have one thing to say, and that is YOU!!!young BLACK folk that are out there,Instead of carrying guns,selling drugs,killing and fighting over turf that you don't own.You should be carrying tee squares,triangles,engineers and architects scales,and trying come up with a design for the neighborhood that will benefit all who live there.
You guys should be breaking down the doors at the School of Architecture at Yale trying to get the knowledge that these Yale students have. If you don't wake up and take charge of your community then WHO WILL? The future is not drugs,guns or killing.The future is computers,and getting a technical,medical,business education.Employed as a cad techincian,I witness technology everyday
YOU ARE THE NEXT GENERATION THAT FOLLOWS. REMBEMBER IF YOU FAIL TO PLAN THAT YOU PLAN TO FAIL.
rfjones_cadtech@hotmail.com

Posted by: THREEFIFTHS | September 26, 2006 6:31 PM

If What you say is True RICK,How Come Wendell Harp can not get a Job In This Town.People Are Comming Out Of Collage In Debt With High Student
Loan Payments And Can Not Find Work And Capital to
Even Start A Busness intill The Loans Are Pay In Full.As I Have Said In The Past, We Must Go After
The Political Crooks In Hartford Who Pockets Are
Line With NRA Money!!Last Have We Forgot The
$49,000 That Was Enron From The Same People Who You Are Talking About.That Money Could Have Payed
for a Lot Of Programs to Help These People.

Posted by: Richard F. Jones | September 27, 2006 12:38 PM

Good Afternoon to the Gentleman of threefifths:
I am well aware that there are political crooks all over that are lining their pockets.But,the young black youth must have a strong example to follow.Carrying guns,killing over drugs,turf that doesn't belong to you,etc is not going to put any knowledge in your heads.In this day and age one needs to have an education to suceed.I was not aware that Wendell Harp could not get a job in New Haven. This is a prime example of black folk not supporting each other. Perhaps the black folk of New Haven need to put pressure on the city gov't to ensure that minority architects and engineers get a fair share of the work,and to employ minorities.I understand that the new Gateway Community college will be designed by an architect in New York.Again, there needs pressure on the city gov't to insure that minority general contractors get a fair share of the work.There is no reason why Wendell should not have a joint venture with another architect in the city.

Now as far as the youth that are ready for college,has any one sat down with them and talk with them about college loans? and how to avoid having a huge debt upon graduation?

I appreciate your comments,but as stated before,all of this killing over drugs,turf,etc.
just where will lead to? A GENERATION LOST!!!!

Are there any programs like O.I.C. that could teach young black folks about getting a trade such as plumbing,electrician,carpenters,etc? in New Haven.? That is how I got my start,by enrolling in O.I.C. in architectural drafting.

Posted by: TRACEY SUGGS | September 27, 2006 3:16 PM

i agree with rick. children need to be picking up books and gaining knowledge to succeed. not guns, selling drugs or trying to claim whats not theirs to claim .i have been a long time resident of new haven and i have yet to own a piece of it. there are doors that can be knocked on to help the youth to get ahead. but the youth have to be willing to knock at them. nobody is saying its easy these days and it wont be easy tommorow. but will there be a tomorrow if the youth keep killing each other? no one can stop you from getting ahead but you. if your running around here gaining a police record instead of an education to be that next top offical in goverment to push the crooks out of it whos to blame? not me not your parents not society. your to blame. because you know who you are and what you can do to pull yourself above the rest. i had a 13 yr old son who was gunned down july 29th 2006 in a drive by shooting here in new have because that shooter lost a fight on the green that my son had nothing to do with or was no where near. my son had a plan at 13 he was good with mechanics and electronics he had his future planned out. he wanted to go to a trade school and gain what he needed to put that plan into action. he came to me at 12 and said ma how old you have to be to go to school to get a license to own a garage to fix cars and dirt bikes that was his passion. since he was a toddler he had been taking apart things and putting them back together. now do to the senseless violence on the streets he will never get to forfill that dream or even attempt to because his life was cut short by nonsence. incase your wondering my son was justus suggs. my life is hell right now and wasnt easy before all this. but i didnt blame nobody but my self. because i know who i am and what i can do to push ahead. we all fall on hard times and feel like we have no hope but you cant stop believing in yourself and blaming others for what you dont have. i thank god my kids had more respect for themselves and others not to be in the streets surrounding themselves with negative people and things. not saying they where and are perfect but they had self respect and respect for life. i taught my kids to never worry about what people say or think of you worry about how you live and before my son was killed he passed it on to another lil girl and i couldnt be more proud of him then i already was. to read up on it go to the home page and read white dove for teen violence read and listen to what i had to say. and think about what you said here. may god keep you safe and bring good unto you.

Posted by: THREEFIFTHS | September 28, 2006 1:29 AM

Mr. Jones One Of he Reason That Mr. Harp Can Not
Get Work Is, It Was Not That Black Folk Did Not
Supporting Him, It was a vendetta That The Good Mayor John Destefano Has Against Him Because He
Ran Shri Killings For Mayor Against Him. Also you
Had Brother Darrell Draughn who Had A Computor Busines On Whally Ave Who Also Is A Victim Of The Politcal Crooked Machine In New Haven. As Far as The Kids, I donot DisAgree With You, I only say That They Is Blame to Go Around, As the saying
Go Take The Head and the Body Will Fall!! The Head
Is The Gun Manufactures And Politician Who Make These Gun Laws In which people Can Easily Get Hand
Guns,Also We must ask why Is There A gun Epidemic
In Urban Black American?Also This Gun Problem is
Now be coming A Problem Around the World, Also If you study this You Will see That Drug Selling And
Guns Which Are sold To These Kids Illegal go Hand
And Hand. Now as Far as the Youth Going to College And Programs As You Stated like OIC This
sounds Good, But You Must look At most Of These Jobs Are Being Out source to Third world Countries
Architect Being One Of These Jobs, You said Plumbing,Electrician,Carpenters,These Jobs Are also Being Done At Low Wages.Ford Motor Company
Is Also Laying Off 75,0000 Workers!! This is your New Breed Of Poor People In This Country.So Until
Not Just Black Folk, But The American People as A
Hold Do Something To Stop This, It will Get Bigger
And will Be Past On To The Next Generation.

Posted by: Rick Jones | September 28, 2006 12:55 PM

Gentlemen of three fifths,I was not aware of the vendetta that your good mayor has against Wendell Harp.Because I no longer live in New Haven,I am some what out of the loop when it comes to New Haven politics.But,lets deal with first things first. The youth,and the community. I believe that a lot of stuff happens in the community simply because we let it happen. Don't you know that if this country wanted to stop guns and drugs they could.Therefore,I believe that the community should hold the present city gov't and the politicians accountable.I just simply refuse to believe that this problem can't be stopped.

The Newhallville,Dixwell,Hill,Dwight and other communities must take an active stand against drugs,guns,killings,etc.

At this point,the community needs to be concerned about its self. No one will take care of the community,but the community it self.Therefore, I believe that neighborhood patrols are needed.

I was very surprized about the Q house being in the (fnancial condition) that it is.This would have been an ideal place that youth could have come to learn about getting into trades,college,receive toutering,etc. Has anyone in the community taken steps to save the Q house?

Malcome X made a very interesting point. If every black person in america could donate $1 a week towards a national war chest,at the end of one year Black America would have enough money to control it's own destiny. (HELLO)!!!,just a dollar a week.

Yes,we have been taken advantage of by others and our own kind. But,do keep crying foul and do nothing or do we start to put a plan in motion,and leave a legacy for the young black youth to follow.?

Yes,some jobs have been out sourced to other countries,but that is no excuse.There are people that come here from other countries that take the lowest paying jobs,learn the language,go to school, doing whatever it takes to get ahead,and the next thing you know,they get the good jobs.It's all about mind set and determination.

Being in the Architectural industry for as long as I have,I don't think that there many jobs that are being out sourced as you think. The key is having the right skill set so when the opportunity presents itself you will be ready.

So,in conclusion, lets take a good long look at ourselves,begin to put a plan in action that will be owned,operated by the community so that we can leave a positive legacy for the black youth to follow.

GENTLEMEN OF THREE FIFTHS: Please feel free to respond with me directly. rfjones_cadtech@hotmail.com
Thank You
Have a Blessed Day!!!

Posted by: charlie | September 28, 2006 3:54 PM

What war chest do you propose donating to?

With $1 a week for each black person, that's only $1.8 billion per year. Not enough to really shape America's destiny if you ask me, considering it's the price of one battleship.

Also, with all due respects to Wendell Harp, who may be a nice person, his architecture is horrendous. Career High School is only a few years old but is already falling apart, and almost everyone agrees that it looks horrible. It will have to be replaced soon, at great cost. I support smaller firms being teamed up with other local architects in order to help train and encourage their growth (and think that architecture education, like arts education, should be much better-funded), but in the case of major public buildings, we shouldn't award projects based on minority representation. We should award them based on design skills, track record, knowledge of the local community and overall capability.

Posted by: Short Memory | September 28, 2006 4:39 PM

Um, Didn't Wendell Harp use his political influence to get personally lucrative deals? Didn't he get caught and draw the mayor's admonistration into a shady scandal? Maybe that's why he can't get a job.

http://www.yaledailynews.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=15910

Posted by: nfjanette | September 28, 2006 9:23 PM

The issue, as another posted commented, is not whether a firm is minority-owned, but rather whether they are "in" or "out" with the mayor's office. Competency is only one part of the evaluation performed in city hall when doling out contracts - just ask the architects that are forced to work with incompetent hand-picked firms that are connected to the political process and are being rewarded.