New Haven Independent: Edgewood Patrol Accepts Cell Phones -- & Keeps The Guns

Edgewood Patrol Accepts Cell Phones — & Keeps The Guns

by Melissa Bailey | June 19, 2007 8:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

The new Edgewood Park citizen patrol accepted City Hall’s peace offering of cell phones, but did not bend to the mayor, police chief and Guardian Angels’ new trilateral push to lay down their guns.

“We will still be armed when we go out tonight,” said patrol founder Eliezer Greer Monday night after a powwow with Curtis Sliwa, leader of the New York-based Angels, a group advocating unarmed street patrols. Sliwa came to New Haven last week at the request of Eliezer and his father, Rabbi Daniel Greer, who formed a nightly two-person armed patrol of the Edgewood neighborhood in the wake of an assault on Eliezer’s brother Dov and amid a call for the departure of the police chief.

After a meeting earlier Monday with the mayor and chief of police, Sliwa pledged to “slowly and surely” “convert” the Edgewood Park Defense Patrol to the unarmed ways of the Angels.

Donning characteristic red jackets and berets, Sliwa and three Angels landed at police headquarters Monday afternoon to sit down with Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. and Police Chief Cisco Ortiz. After a roughly 45-minute sit-down, they emerged with a unified message.

“We are all on the same page,” declared Sliwa.

“Community policing involves eyes and ears on the street other than the police. The police can’t do this on their own,” said DeStefano (pictured). He said the Angels are going to work alongside police staff, and called their presence “something positive for the neighborhood.” Chief Ortiz echoed “strong support” for the Angels, but both made it clear they do not support the use of guns on citizen patrols.

Neighborhood Services Officer Joe Avery, who sets up block watches around the city, said the Angels’ efforts will not replace the block watch system as the preferred method of keeping a neighborly eye on the street. “It will be business as usual for us. We are not advocating citizen patrols.”

The Angels won’t be accompanying the Edgewood patrol as long as they carry weapons, said Sliwa, but the group will stick with them in the hopes of “conversion” to an unarmed method of community patrol. Sliwa said his group is here on an entirely volunteer basis, staying in a home provided by the Greers. He’s committed for six to eight Angels to work in New Haven through the summer in effort to train a neighborhood patrol in Edgewood. He said about 12 New Haveners would be needed to be trained, then cover the neighborhood.

“I think the armed patrol is well-intentioned,” Sliwa said. But he pledged to “slowly but surely convince them to do it our [unarmed] way — that is the better and safest way.”

Meanwhile, how have city leaders attempted to mend frayed relations with the Greers? DeStefano said on the same day he heard the Greer group was planning armed patrols, the city sent the group two cell phones, pre-programmed with police emergency numbers, to suggest that they use phones instead of guns.

“They were put into use immediately,” Eliezer Greer said of the gift. They were “extremely constructive.” As much as he feels “community policing is dead,” he said, “they’re still the New Haven police department.”

Comments

Posted by: on whalley | June 19, 2007 10:28 AM

NHPD:"Hello, New Haven Police Department" (if they pick up)

EPDP:"yes, Ive just been shot in the face and my partner is currently being gang raped"

NHPD: "we'll be right there please stay on the line"

45 minutes later the NHPD goes on to describe the two corpses and complete lack of witnesses to staff from the Independent.

I still dont understand this irrational fear everyone around here seems to have toward guns.

Being unarmed is what started all this anyway. If the rabbi was armed whn he was assaulted and chased into his own home and further beaten the assailant would hopefully have been killed or at least hospitalized and the message may have rung loud and clear; 'go rob someone else, I'll shoot you.'

What does the mayor want? He wants these guys to announce to the world 'look at us, we dont like the criminal element and we're unarmed walking around the park at night'? It's like the mayor wants more victims. Gee, where have I heard that before?

They cant stop carrying once theyve announced they will carry. The can stop carrying and not announce it. For all we know they dont carry at all even though they announced they do. Why the push to get a group of citizens to announce their inability to defend themselves?

Completely irrational.

Posted by: packin' | June 19, 2007 10:59 AM

So, if they dropped their guns and picked up their cell phones how would they call for help when the cell phones got stolen at gun point?

From the Independent: "At 12:03 a.m. Sunday, a man was walking home through the Edgewood neighborhood on Maple Avenue when he was accosted by two men on a bicycle. One stuck a gun in the back of his head; they stole a baseball cap, an mp3 player and a cell phone."

LOL

As hard as reality stares people in the face they just cant let go of their little fantasys and wishes like DeStefano and others believing these guys shouldnt be armed. Or anyone for that matter.

As a side note I just bought a real nice new leather holster for my .38. The kydex one I was using just wasnt very comfortable and I felt it printed too much as the shape was very rigid.

Posted by: WEBbloger 1 | June 19, 2007 12:00 PM

THE CENTRAL PROBLEM REMAINS, New Haven police have been soft on the criminal elements for far too long, in hopes they would go away. The chief even admitted that he could not arrest his way out of the problem. He also has a don't ask don't tell policy. Is there any wonder that the criminals have become more emboldened. Sgt. Joe Avery does not endorse citizen patrols. Well how about police patrols, according to the Edgewood citizens increased police patrols are not advocated either. The blue and whites are seen constantly performing drive-byes, right by extreme noise, street dealing, a absolute hands off the top tier drug dealers.
Loitering by large groups, at all times of the night, cars running stop signs, and speeding thru the neighborhoods. Edgewood patrols.. do would you gotta do!

Posted by: packin' | June 19, 2007 12:55 PM

"DeStefano said on the same day he heard the Greer group was planning armed patrols, the city sent the group two cell phones, pre-programmed with police emergency numbers, to suggest that they use phones instead of guns."

Ive been carrying for years now. Where's my cellphone mayor?

Posted by: motherof2 | June 19, 2007 1:26 PM

It takes one of their own (Jewish Community) to get assaulted in order for them to make all this noise. It is great to have community members active in their neighborhoods but let the police do their job. Wasting all this time and energy is taking from the real police work and time that Ortiz and DeStefano can be doing something else. Its weird how we welcome the presense of the Guardian Angels but let the Black Panters in the building in order to "save the community" and it will be a whole nother song and dance. Where were these armed community patrolees when the last 5 people have been murdered in the city over the past 2 months? Right in their own back yard. Is this patrol only for the selected streets? Get Real!!!! Where were they last year and the year before that? Are they working with women in safe havens that are suffering from domestic violence? Are they willing to work with the children that are left behind due to this ridiculous violence? Now that's what the city needs. But like I said, it takes one of their own to be slapped up a little bit in order for them to be "involved." All I'm gonna say is, will their ability to carry guns give them the right to be use their own prejudices and assumptions of who the criminals are? Have they been trained to identify someone "suspicious". Where is the crow bar because someone just opened Pandora's Box!!! Get ready New Haven - We can't drink and drive or use a cell phone while behind the wheel, but have given untrained normal New Haven citizens the ability to ride bikes, suspect someone of something and shot. Let's see how the criminals like that one. I'm already defensive and I'm not a criminal by any means.......how do you think an unbalanced criminals feels. But at the end of the day they will be the ones in the wrong (criminals), I guarantee. New Haven where's the balance?

Posted by: on whalley | June 19, 2007 2:18 PM

MOTHEROF2, you seem a little crazy to say the least.

The Black Panthers were/are a militant black power group. Just like the Klan and fringe Neo-Nazis are to the white race. Are the Guardian Angels? Are they a militant anything group?

It's been DeStefano's and Ortiz's choices to occupy their time on this. Everyday 100's if not thousands of New Haven residents are carrying firearms legally. This is a convenient distraction for the mayor and the police. Get people like you all worked up over nothing so the ineptitude of the police and the local government goes ignored.

Have you been 'trained' to identify suspicious behavior? Im guessing no. But I'm sure you can still recognize it when you see it. Amazing huh?

This statement is simply the most idiotic thing Ive ever read: "suspect someone of something and shot".

How many of you out there honestly believe a permit to carry a concealed pistol allows the holder to just shoot at anything they want? Is this really a popular belief? The laws for use of deadly force are clear and apply to everyone. Of course some guy who hits a thief with a stick will get arrested from time to time (Ron Copeland) but nobody is allowed with any permit to simply start shooting at things that scare them not myself, not the EPDP, not the police not anyone. Well, except the Feds, they can shoot and kill whoever they want (Vicki Weaver).

I beg you to not raise your children with the same irrational fear and ignorance you were apparently raised with.

Posted by: mountebank | June 19, 2007 2:36 PM

Motherof2:

You said: "It takes one of their own (Jewish Community) to get assaulted in order for them to make all this noise. It is great to have community members active in their neighborhoods but let the police do their job."

1. As far as it taking "one of their own" to get attacked for the group to do something, how does that make them different from 95% of other people on the planet? Ever notice how people who go on crusades to raise money/awareness for say, breast cancer, childhood leukemia, MS, whatever else afflicts the human race, almost always started their campaigns based on something that happened to them personally or their family? Human nature 101. It doesn't devalue what the defense patrol is trying to do one iota.

2." It is great to have community members active in their neighborhoods but let the police do their job. Wasting all this time and energy is taking from the real police work and time that Ortiz and DeStefano can be doing something else."

The whole point is that the police are doing a thoroughly miserable job.

3. " Where were these armed community patrolees when the when the last 5 people have been murdered in the city over the past 2 months?"

Where were the NEW HAVEN POLICE, who you seem to have so much faith in, and who obviously have vastly more resources than the Edgewood defense patrol "when the when the last 5 people have been murdered in the city over the past 2 months?"?????

New Haven Independent

Edgewood Patrol Accepts Cell Phones — & Keeps The Guns

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