New Haven Independent

Declaring 2007 the Year of the Youth, caucus president and Alderman Jorge Perez Monday night proposed creating a “coordinated strategy to deal with youth violence that does not have the curfew as a centerpiece of the puzzle.”

Perez proposed, and the caucus approved, drafting a plan that would make sure goals set by the 2000 Comprehensive Citywide Youth Plan come to fruition, with amendments where necessary.

“I believe that the year 2007 is going to be Youth Year, it’s going to be cool, it’s going to be hip” to talk about youth, said Perez. He predicted there will be “politicians tripping over each other to” draft initiatives in response to a spike in teen gun violence. The city should seize the opportunity to appeal to state and federal legislators for funds for youth programming, he said.

Meanwhile, the mayor’s office is drafting its own plans, with a press conference planned Tuesday to announce more youth programming a la CTRIBAT.

First on the caucus’ list is visiting successful youth programs as potential models for New Haven. Perez picked out three: The Door Program, the Harlem Children’s Zone and KIPP Academy, all in NYC. Such a program would go beyond even the Q House — it would be a “super-center” where youth could earn a GED, learn to paint, get help finding a job, eat dinner with friends, or even learn about conflict resolution.

“They keep saying they’ve got nowhere to go … we’ve gotta give them somewhere to go!” said Fair Haven Alderman Robert Lee. Lee suggested building a big YMCA in place of the soon-to-be-demolished Coliseum.

Aldermen hoped to organize a field trip to the model youth centers in the next month or so and draft a proposal before February, in time to appeal to state legislators for funds.

The caucus opted not to take a vote on the proposed youth curfew itself. With its main supporters, Aldermen Joyce Chen and Yusuf Shah, absent from the meeting, the proposal met scant support. One person, West Rock Alderwoman Michelle Edmonds-Sepulveda, said she’d support the proposal, but only for kids 15 years old and under, not 17 and under, as proposed.

The caucus agreed to withhold final judgment until the final curfew hearing on Wednesday.

Also Monday, caucus members met with top police brass to continue a dialogue that began in a boiling September meeting where they declared community policing “dead.” After that meeting, Police Chief Cisco Ortiz embarked on a campaign to restate the department’s commitment to community policing, and strengthen ties between residents and police.

As promised, Ortiz brought nearly every district manager, as well as other high-ranking cops, to respond to alders’ concerns. The decidedly less vitriolic meeting featured praise for hard-working district managers, as well as outstanding concerns on a few topics: school security, guns and communication.

Schools

Mayor John DeStefano’s plan to renovate or rebuild every school in the city will turn most schools into K-8. The idea is to give middle-schoolers a more intimate setting than a 4-8 middle school, hopefully improving behavior.

Alderman Gerald Antunes, a former city cop himself, said the school renovation poses a new twist for school security. With more schools with middle-school-aged kids, where will the school resource officers (“SROs,” cops who walk the halls in middle and high schools) go?

Ortiz said there are only 12 SROs now. He asks the schools chief where they’re needed most, and there they go. While he’s open to suggestion, Ortiz suggested “thinking out of the box” by using retired cops, retired teachers or parents in the hallways to perform a similar role to the SRO.

Meanwhile, Hill Alderwoman Jackie James reported daily drug dealing on the streetcorners near the John Daniels School. She goes by every day and asks people hanging out on the corners to get lost, and she’s getting tired of it. She suggested SROs help out. “I can’t do it every day — I can’t.”

Gun Buyback

Ortiz revealed the department had trouble getting any of its business partners to provide a discount on gift cards for the city’s gun buyback program, which kicks off today. In return for a working gun, residents will get a $100 gift card to Wal-Mart, Stop ‘n’ Shop or Shaw’s. Walgreens is expected to join as a fourth partner later this week.

Ortiz said the department had hoped companies would offer gift cards to the city at a reduced rate, say a $150 gift card for $100, but none would give the city “one dollar” in discount.

“It just totally blows my mind that the business community did not come on board with this buyback program,” said James.

The chief noted the sponsors of the $9,500 program were private companies.