New Haven Independent

posted by: steve on January 15, 2010  6:24pm

Outrageous ! Throw the book at the assailant… How would you feel if you were stopped in your car with a 5 year old child and someone opened your car door and grabbed you by the coat. If I were the prosecutor, I would charge a more serious criminal charge… assault… If this person and others on Everit St. want to live in a private gated community, they should move. Last I checked Everit St. was a public thoroughfare, open to all who have a constitutional right to travel on it.

posted by: Paul Wessel on January 15, 2010  6:25pm

Everit Street gone wild!  If found guilty of the charges, the perpetrator should be forced to write the Robert Frost poem “Mending Walls” three times on a Hooker blackboard.  (Do they still have blackboards?)  Remember:  Good fences make good neighbors, or so we might hope.

posted by: JMS on January 15, 2010  6:33pm

Just a word advice to any future vigilante Everit St. drop off enforcers… traffic rules aside… right or wrong… if you deliberately open some one’s car door, reach in and actually put your hands on them they may just jump out and kick the crap out of you AND probably be able to press assault charges against YOU when they are done. I am very happy to read this incident was settled with far more restraint then I would have shown. In the future I strongly advise you to simply make note of the liscense plate and report it rather then start a confrontation. Just some advice from across town.

JMS

posted by: City Hall Watch on January 15, 2010  6:38pm

It’s nice to know Principal Rifenburg has so little judgement as to call the cops for a cat fight that involved no knockdowns and just a little yelling. What have we come to where two people can’t have an arargumentithout getting the cops involved? I think Joe Avery should push for another ordinance and fine people like Rifenburg for calling the cops for stupid things that are better settled between private parties.

Having said, Stehpanie Brooks clearly can’t follow the rules. What’s her problem anyway? Is she also incapable of respect and responsibility?

posted by: Jonathan Hopkins on January 15, 2010  6:55pm

Why is a person who lives in Westville dropping off a child at an East Rock neighborhood school? Is there no public school within walking distance of this person’s home? Or one that is not completely across town?

posted by: East Rockette on January 15, 2010  7:50pm

Good lord. That really is out of order.

It seems terribly ironic that Dr Higonnet is the author of a book called Pictures of Innocence: The History and Crisis of Ideal Childhood…

posted by: G. Michael on January 15, 2010  8:53pm

Why is this student attending Hooker in the first place? There are many students attending the school who are not even from this district.

posted by: DISORDERLY CONDUCT? on January 15, 2010  9:01pm

With all the craziness these whiny privileged Everit St obstructionists have spewed over the years my instincts have been to escort my children while walking down Everit St. Now one of them has crossed the line and assaulted a fellow African American parent in front of her five year old and other children!
I am at that gate every day and 99% of our drivers use Whitney and no ILLEGAL parkers on Everit. Evidently this isn’t good enough Anne Higonnet, Harvard College B.A, Yale PhD plus nine page Vita. Life too hard honey? It must be horrible to live in a 5,849 square foot million dollar home 11 houses and 958.14 feet away from a gate for public school children.
Dear Sister Brooks, you have our support!
We are afraid for our children’s safety but shall not be moved—there is safety in numbers, EVERYONE across New Haven show solidarity the day after Martin Luther King’s Birthday this Tuesday by parking LEGALLY on Everit.

HOLD ON:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZWdDI_fkns

posted by: VSN on January 15, 2010  9:59pm

Everit Street is a public street. If a person parks according to the ordinance of New Haven, he or she does not violate anything. That person does not deserve to be yelled or assaulted by anyone. WHS has been encouraging parents to use Whitney street entrance as the main place to pick up and drop off children. The majority of students are dropped off and picked up at that location. If some parents use Everit Street and park without violating any traffic laws, that is neither against the law nor are they doing anything immoral nor offensive. Also, the administration and the parents are committed to be courteous and respectful neighbors to the residents of Everit Street. If there are parents who do not follow the laws of using a public street in New Haven, we are committed to correcting that. WHS has a long history of being a residential school in the city of New Haven. The lower school on Canner Street has both buses and parents picking up and dropping of children. Of course, families living in the neighborhood are encouraged to walk. I can assure you that we - the WHS community - have been working hard at keeping Livingston and Canner street near the lower school as safe and properly used streets. The upper school has only been open for a few weeks, and we ask the residents of Everit Street to be patient and courteous with us. We are all interested in having Everit Street as a safe and friendly street for all.

posted by: OES on January 15, 2010  10:48pm

The last time I checked, Everitt St. was a PUBLIC street meaning that anyone can use it, resident or not. The Everitt folks who oppose the gate and the school really need to give it a rest. There is so many more productive things they could be spending their time and energy on. Here’s an idea, instead of staking out the street, why not volunteer at the school as a mentor and get to know the children and families who are such an inconvenience to you.  The air of entitlement displayed by these folks is eembarrassing and quite sickening.

posted by: Anna on January 15, 2010  11:21pm

This is a true embarrassment to the East Rock community.  And a true embarrassment to the other Everit residents.  Everit Street is a public street with a public sidewalk that leads to a public school.  As the mom of a WH student, a life long resident of East Rock and New Haven taxpayer I am insulted by this act.  Everit Street is not YOUR street it is OUR street. This has got to stop.  Enough is enough!  The parents are encouraged to use the Whitney Ave entrance for drop-off and pick-up but every so often there will be a drop-off/pick-up on Everit.  What is the big deal of dropping kids off to school on Everit?  At least the kids are going to school.  15-20 minutes in the morning and then again in the afternoon is not that big of a deal.  Anne with all that passion you have built inside you it would be great to see them being used in a more sensible manner.  Like helping the poor or being a cross guard and seeing that our walking children get across the street safely. Be grateful for what you have! Get a life! These are our children who we encourage on a daily basis to enjoy going to school, to respect their neighbors and to respect their neighborhood.  With neighbors like you it makes it very difficult for that to happen.  And makes you a poor example to them.  Everit is not the only street affected by the schools new location. The school has been built, the children are in and it is now time to focus on getting along like mature adults. GET OVER IT EVERIT STREET WE ARE TIRED OF YOUR SELFISHNESS AND ARROGANCE!

Please keep the Haitians in your prayers.  Pray for the souls that have been lost that they may be at peace, for the families that have lost those loved ones, for the injured and for a future.

posted by: eli on January 16, 2010  12:02am

never shold have been built.  the everitt/ livingston anchor is going to lead way a neighborhood that will not be recoginzalbe to locals in 15 years.
follow me over the bridge whilst time doth still allow!!!

posted by: terrapin on January 16, 2010  12:10am

Is it OK with Ms. Higonnet if I drive on Everit Street when passing through the East Rock neighborhood? I wasn’t aware it was a private street.

posted by: can'tweallgetalong? on January 16, 2010  12:44am

Before, during and after the move, Principal Rifenburg has diligently emphasized no policy more than the policy to only use the pedestrian gate on Everit for walkers during a very short period of the day. It was repeatedly drummed into parents and students alike. If Everit Street folk see parents dropping off kids at the gate they can always call the Principal to report that. But to open a car door and attack a parent with a child on board is beyond absurd. At every juncture the Everit St. folk have been aggressive and over-the-top, proving money and degrees don’t get you common sense or civility.

posted by: Truth on January 16, 2010  1:12am

G Michael and City HAll Watch, Hooker is a magnet school and not a neighborhood school so I’m sure the child attends because of CHOICE. Ms. Brooks was assaulted in front of both her children.  What would have happened if she was unsuccessful putting the car in park as she was being pulled out, her 5 year old could have gotten hurt. The defendant should have been charged with reckless endangerment as her car was moving when she was pulled from it, assault 3 because she applied phyiscal force to pull her from the car, and risk of injury to a minor 2 counts due to her children being present.  Everit Street is not a private street.  Despite the fact that Ms. Brooks lives in Westville, she is a tax payer in this city.  Had the situation been reversed, I’m sure she would not have received the courtesy of a minor charge as disorderly conduct or a Promise to Appear.

posted by: DKR on January 16, 2010  1:25am

as i’ve said time and time again,...you work in civil service long enough and it becomes JERRY SPRINGER LIVE,..everyday,....doesn’t matter how much money you make,..where you live,..or what color your skin is,....entertainment at it’s best and it’s free,..!!!!

posted by: Walt on January 16, 2010  7:56am

Sounds like it should be more than disorderly conduct.

Sure as hell would be an assault, and most likely with an added charge of putting a minor at risk,  if I did it.

Dr.  Higonnet should spend a few days at least, in the jug.

posted by: Little Rock on January 16, 2010  9:50am

Jonathan Hopkins and G. Michael,

Do you both live under the same rock?

Children attend this school from across town as Everit St. children attend schools across town. A key difference being that the people coming from Everit haven’t been physically assaulted…yet.

posted by: Taggrboyz on January 16, 2010  12:33pm

Shame on you Anne Higonnet.
(Im)‘moral Action in Historical Context:’
http://picasaweb.google.com/TAGGRBOYZ/EveritStreetGraffitiProject#5427316833134948898

Now can you understand the most important reason why we students need to walk to & from school with cellpones? Panic button/911 + gps locater.

posted by: Kumbaya on January 16, 2010  12:42pm

City Hall Watch: “Having said, Stehpanie Brooks clearly can’t follow the rules. What’s her problem anyway? Is she also incapable of respect and responsibility??”

Just to be clear there is no RULE that one cannot drop off on Everit Street.  The school has asked parents that drop off by car to use the Whitney gate, and most of us do.  But it is a public street, and parents are not obliged to follow this advice—so City Hall Watches comment is not only uninformed, but blames the victim of this interaction for what happened.

I drop my child of WH most days (and we will probably bike once the weather improves), and the Everit Street gate would be more convenient for us. Like most parents, our of courtesy, I have used the Whitney entrance until now, but I have to admit I am wondering why I bothered.

But this whole incident underlines the entirely irrational response of some Everit Street residents to the new WH site, and could not have happened if they had not lost all sense of proportion about the prospect of a few extra cars passing down their street each day.

posted by: Ray's View on January 16, 2010  12:47pm

The private Foote School operates four blocks from the new Worthington Hooker School. If possible, the Foote School neighborhood is even more upscale, with homes selling for 50% more than Everit Street. Every morning and afternoon, Loomis Place is filled with cars stopped, engines running, traffic stalled, children being dropped off and picked up. Children from across New Haven and Fairfield Counties attend Foote School. No pretension of a neighborhood school.
Curious, isn’t it, that the home prices haven’t fallen, no neighbors accost parents, no lawsuits are filed.
The difference? You can figure it out. But Dr. King weeps.

posted by: Katie Rohner on January 16, 2010  12:59pm

This is sad more than anything else.  The Everit Street residents who oppose the gate have spent the past few months stirring the cauldron of discontent over perceived fears of the ensuing mayhem and chaos that would result from parents using the gate to drop off their kids.  Although those fears were unfounded, the predicted dire consequences became something of a self-fulfilling prophesy as one of their own found it necessary to lie in wait and accost drivers attempting to drop their kids off and then to assault (yes, that would be the correct charge) a parent in front of her children.  (We won’t even examine the respective races of the perpetrator and victim at this point.)  I am confident that the outraged resident, who lives far down the street from the school, was never harassed in such a manner in all the years she dropped her children off at their private school on another bucolic New Haven street.  The Everit Street gate opponents should really reflect on this today.

Mr. Rifenberg erred only in omitting the fact that no one has the authority to “direct” parents not to use Everit Street and the gate for drop off.  Hooker parents have used it sparingly and courteously (although no one on Everit Street has the right to demand that we behavior in any particular way), in an effort to assuage the ill-conceived predictions of horrific traffic jams and unbearable inconvenience.  Mr. Rifenberg acted appropriately in summoning the police to what was quite clearly more than a “misunderstanding”—an overused and blame-shifting excuse that wrongdoers love to deliver in lieu of accepting responsibility for their bad behavior.

Hooker, to correct a previous post, is not a magnet school, but any New Haven resident has the right to apply for an out-of-district transfer to attend the school.  Ms. Brooks, along with many other residents of the city, have the right to enroll her children there once they were accepted and she has the right to pull up to the back gate and drop them off if she so desires and provided she obeys the prevailing traffic laws as does anyone else who uses this public street.  Surely she was eager for her kids to get into the building where they, along with all the other Hooker students, learn to be good and respectful citizens who can share the city’s resources, tree-lined among them, with all who live there.

As another writer pointed out, this is the eve of our annual celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday.  Perhaps the Everit Street opponents of the gate could try to imagine how they could explain to Dr. King their reasons for excluding city residents from near or far from using a public street to safely and expediously drop their children off at their public school?  Can they imagine standing in front of a class of Hooker students and explaining to these children their reasons for not wanting them to use the gate or “their” street?  If they can imagine that and not feel troubled by it, then I really do feel sorry for them.

posted by: Truth on January 16, 2010  1:54pm

Correction:  Hooker is a public school which allows children to come from interdistrict.  Just as Everit Street children are able to attend schools in other districts.

posted by: Tanner on January 16, 2010  2:03pm

When will the busing riots begin. typical “pprogressive attitudes. Here is a Obama type solution. the city can close the gates and limit access to Everit street. BuButt.. you all get a @ raise on your property taxes. Stimulate That!

posted by: Say What? on January 16, 2010  3:42pm

Dr. Anne Higonnet respected researcher, Harvard and Yale Graduate must have lost her frigging mind—- physically confronting someone for dropping off a child near Higonnet’s house. What an outrage! This Higonnet woman—a presidential research award winner from Barnard College—needs to spend some time behind bars to help her get a grip!

She is lucky she didn’t confront someone else who would have just given a serious a..whopping.

posted by: East Rockette on January 16, 2010  3:57pm

Oh Taggrboyz, I knew you’d come up with the goods! You are a master of the satirical arts.

Down at the other end of East Rock, where we share a street with a school, it’s been cool. I once had to ask a school bus driver to please stop dropping his McDonald’s trash out of the vehicle window into the street. I was polite, he was not especially apologetic, but I didn’t make a federal case out of it, and it sure as hell didn’t come to knock-down drag-em-out fisticuffs. 

So yeah, I can vaguely understand the fear of change, the protectiveness, the neighborhood watch on high alert while the new world order settles into place. But I simply cannot fathom getting enraged enough to get all pre-emptive and physical. Sounds like someone was spoiling for a fight and Ms Brooks had the terrible luck to be on the spot. Could have been any of us.

Ms Brooks, as an East Rocker and a Hooker parent, I am so sorry and embarrassed that you got the brunt of that bizarre, unfounded fury. I hope you can trust that you and your children are still and will always be part of our community and welcome in the neighborhood.

posted by: Concerned on January 16, 2010  4:01pm

Stephanie Brooks is an African American and Ann Higgnonet is Caucasian.  The arresting officer, Malcolm Davis repeatedly attempted to talk Ms. Brooks out of pressing charges against Ann Higgonet. Ms. Brooks is a victim and was assaulted. However, the Sargeant in this case, Chris Kenney who is also Caucasian didn’t think so. Surely if the situation had been reversed, Ms. Brooks would have been hauled away in handcuffs in front of her children to jail and chareged with Assault and Risk of Injury.  It’s sad and quite disturbing that Racism continues to exist.

posted by: Tree-lined-street-hugger on January 16, 2010  4:07pm

Doh! I just realized that on the days when I bring my children to school in the car, I have been conscientiously driving all the way round to the front gate, thus burning an unnecessary 1/4 mile of gas each day. Those emissions are bad for the planet, and very bad for those who live nearby. Dear neighbors: if from now on I choose to park on Everit St, it’s only because I love you.

posted by: jay on January 16, 2010  4:08pm

If I remember following the Hooker School stories - I believe the neighbors have had concerns all along.  I believe that they have made numerous attempts to try to be heard - and it would appear that both the board of education and city hall ignored them.  It is no wonder that their level of frustration has grown to such a level.  I find this whole story completely sad - a neighbor who feels she has to take matters into her own hands - a parent who feels she does not have to abide by the rules for student drop off - a principal that, rather than attempt to “mend fences” would simply call the police - a women who can’t offer forgiveness when an apology and hand is put in front of her - and a board of education and city cannot themselves be good neighbors, but expect others to be.
Wow, what lessons we teach our children.

posted by: New Haven resident on January 16, 2010  4:48pm

I am almost as distressed by the Everitt dittoheads who have commented in this list of opinions as I am by the assault itself.  LIke them, I do not have any children in school, but as New Haven resident and a retired university educator, I highly value our New Haven Schools and I am proud of the recent strides that we have made toward better education.

Terrorizing a mother and child for venturing on a public street should be regarded as shameful.  Where is the concern from the Everitt residents for the humiliation of this family’s children, frightening a five year old child?  The street contains a number of individuals who appear to believe that possessing real estate bestows superiority.  As we see, even housing with curb appeal does not bestow gentility.
Furthermore, housing does not appear to bestow a sense of civic responsibility.  Members of this group successfully delayed the progress of education for the Hooker children for years, leaving students in outdated temporary quarters. 

Much more seriously,  New Haven has acquiesced to the Everitt Street residents’ current offensive demand: they object to having neighbor’s cherished children pass through their block for a few minutes a day.  This sends indelible messages to youngsters:  “You are not good enough. Your city does not believe that what you do in school is important. “

(A message might, unplanned, be sent by the children.  These fine kids can provide the rude locals a fleeting glimpse of civil behavior as they walk by.)

Now we have a new message from Everitt Street to Hooker children - education is so low-ranking that a mother and child can be terrorized on Everitt Street for setting foot in this neighborhood.  Notice, children: the criminal was not arrested, and her neighbors have rallied behind her.  As an old-time civil rights worker, I recognize the pattern of intimidation.  

The parents and administration of Hooker school have demonstrated their sensitivity to the desires of this cabal long enough.  Driving by, I have noticed that parents have been politely entering the school from Whitney Avenue.  

I suggest that New Haven citizens who are outside the small group of parents might show Hooker students their support.  I recommend that from now on, those who are passing through or those who have business in this area, including at Hooker, choose Everitt Street as the best route.  Don’t spare your horn if you see a squirrel in the street.

posted by: Get Up Stand Up on January 16, 2010  5:57pm

I am appalled on so many levels by Anne Higgonet’s actions. It was indeed an assault. It must have been frightening and humiliating for the victims, Mrs. Brooks and her children.

One thing has become perfectly clear from this incident. The school should immediately abandon its recommendation that parents and children avoid using Everit St. Not even Yale has the nerve to tell New Haven residents that they may not use their own streets. Our community should not allow a handful of property owners to harass and intimidate parents and school children.

Justin Elicker can choose not to park on Everit Street in deference to these people. But he does not speak for me. From now on I plan to make Everit St. my preferred route to Stop and Shop. This incident has reminded me what a pleasant street it is to drive.

And to Anne Higonnet. New Haven is a very small town. You will never live this down.

posted by: Lynnley Browning on January 16, 2010  6:01pm

sounds like assault, clear and simple. this is outrageous. the facts are that everit street is not a private thoroughfare. anyone can park there. and this neighborhood is not a gated community. if residents like this persist in acting otherwise, they will face opprobrium.

posted by: brianne on January 16, 2010  6:50pm

i find it confusing that hooker is now a interdistrict school when just 6months ago there was an article in the nhi about wh school being the one of 2 neighborhood schools left in new haven. when did the status change??
http://newhavenindependent.org/archives/2009/06/hong_zheng_got.php

posted by: WH Student on January 16, 2010  6:54pm

It is sadly ironic that Everit Street resident Anne Higonnet assaulted Stephanie Brooks in front of her children and other children yesterday, January 15th, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s actual Birthday.
After four and a half years in various temporary spaces, hundreds of us school children have lived these years being made to feel unwelcome and inferior and and are naturally afraid to walk to our new school. Now we need someone to drive us for protection so please complain to Anne Higonnet about the increase of traffic on Everit and the surrounding Streets.

‘I HAVE A DREAM’ that WE SHALL OVERCOME
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk

I look to HIM for strength,
“Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’M NOT FEARING ANY MAN. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

The end of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s last speech the day before he was assassinated
http://www.mlkonline.net/video-martin-luther-king-last-speech.html

posted by: Kumbaya on January 16, 2010  7:48pm

I guess this proves one thing: siting a public school in an exclusive neighborhood leads to crime…

posted by: Say What, Again on January 16, 2010  7:51pm

The uncomfortable obvious that everybody in that neighborhood knows is if it was Ms Brooks who had accosted, the Yale connected, Dr. Higgonet, Ms. Brooks might have been taken away in handcuffs and her mug shot would have been on the front page of the NYPost, CNN and FOX News. But nooooo…

posted by: Chairman Meow on January 16, 2010  8:01pm

Seems like both these women deserve some reeducation classes!

Brooks is apparently part of the 1% non-compliant who refuse to follow the rules and use the front gate. I’d give her 20 years planting and harvesting carrots at Common Ground High School. While she’s at it she can eat a few carrots and then maybe she’ll see the error of her arrogant ways.

Higonnet she should get 50 years directing traffic with her hands uncovered in all types of weather in the middle of Whitney Avenue. Let her stand there and take her chances! If she walks away from that race track, we’ll see if she can grip a door handle after that!

The people rest!

posted by: robn on January 16, 2010  8:05pm

Imagine that one morning, a driver pulls her car up to the curb in front of her child’s school to drop the child off. Then imagine that a irate person comes out of nowhere, knocks on the driver’s window demanding to speak and when refused, the irate person opens the drivers door and gets close enough to seize her lapel and yell at her.

Now imagine that the irate person is a 20 year old black man. Would he be charged with disorderly conduct?

posted by: prospective neighbor on January 16, 2010  8:14pm

Maybe this rampant dropping off of 1% of Hooker kids will cause home price on Everit Street to drop precipitously. Maybe those home owners will run and hide in the suburbs. And maybe a resident like myself could afford an Everit Street house, and my kids will be able to attend and walk to Hooker.

I think more people should drop off on Everit!  Even if they don’t have kids!

posted by: Claudia Herrera on January 16, 2010  8:27pm

City Hall Watch

What is YOUR problem?? seriously…

Obviously the principal did the right thing by calling the police, in this way, it will be a a record of any future incidents that may happen (hope not) and take action to MAKE some people understand that is NOT OK to cross the line because, “You lost your temper”.

He’s a school principal not a POLICE.
I think he has a very good judgement.

“it’s nice to know Principal Rifenburg has so little judgement as to call the cops “

” and fine people like Rifenburg for calling the cops for stupid things that are better settled between private parties.”

posted by: Kumbaya on January 16, 2010  8:37pm

Jay: “I find this whole story completely sad - a neighbor who feels she has to take matters into her own hands - a parent who feels she does not have to abide by the rules for student drop off”

My friend, there are no rules.  There is a request that Hooker parents refrain from using the Everit Street gate, but it is NOT a rule.  Most parents do so, and it is (or, at least, was) well on its way to becoming a habit as parents settle into the rhythm of the new site. But for any number of reasons a parent might chose to drive down a public street and drop off their child at the Everit gate.

Your melodramatic piece of victim-blaming just goes to underline the extent to which a handful of vocal Everit residents have lost touch with reality on this issue.  (And lets be clear, many Everit street residents actively welcome the arrival of the school, and will send their children there in due course.)

Either that, or write in and promise us that if a white person is physically accosted and berated by an African American in The Hill for briefly parking their car in the wrong place you will urge the same Gandhi-like tolerance.

posted by: Nothing better to do on January 16, 2010  9:29pm

I say that everybody on their way to and from work drive by and say hi to the spoiled rich snobs on Everit Street

posted by: juli on January 16, 2010  9:44pm

oh, the quarreling (and now assault) concerning the potential traffic on everit st, and then there is this, reminding us how silly our class divisions are from street to street:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/17/world/americas/17class.html?hp

posted by: nfjanette on January 16, 2010  11:08pm

Surely if the situation had been reversed, Ms. Brooks would have been hauled away in handcuffs in front of her children to jail and chareged with Assault and Risk of Injury.  It’s sad and quite disturbing that Racism continues to exist.

What appears to exist is both racism and race baiting.  Surely what actually occurred is unfortunate enough without baseless conjecture being added to the mix.

posted by: Westville on January 16, 2010  11:22pm

Dear Ms. Higonnet: As a professor, a professional educator, THIS is how much you value education?  That you would put up such a ruckus in opposition to a school?  A place of education?  And then, to fly into a rage about one mother dropping one child off in a place you have decided is unacceptable.  And then, the clincher, to do this in front of a five year old?  Did you even think about the message you were sending to that five year old child?  As a pediatrician, I would bet money that this poor child will remember this incident for the rest of his or her life—the day some lunatic woman forced her way into mommy’s car and pulled mommy out and started screaming at mommy and the police came.  To the other entitled area residents who may be applauding this sociopath’s actions, please please please, think about the children.  If you disagree with people’s actions, try leaving a note?  Or politely letting them know they’ve done something that displeases you.  You catch more flies with honey ... And if it that doesn’t work, chill out!!  People drive fast down my residential street with some regularity—I don’t like it, and I have complained to the appropriate authorities, but I don’t go out and confront them, I don’t pull mommies out of cars in front of their children, and in the end, isn’t that part of city living?  If you want to be isolated in a gated community, move to one and leave the rest of us alone.

posted by: Kumbaya on January 16, 2010  11:35pm

I have been mulling this over during the evening, and—in a somewhat more serious vein—several things strike me about this situation.

The first is that while the Everit Street residents lost their battle about the location of the school, they were (and are) WINNING their battle to keep school-related traffic off their street. Even if a handful of parents use the back gate, at least 90% of vehicles have been using the Whitney entrance.  Without any provocation on either side, in a year or two this will be a habit, and one that will likely be communicated to new parents.

Secondly, while I don’t want to minimize what happened, it is perhaps unfortunate that a dispute like this ends up as a legal matter. However, it is not reasonable to for Higonnet to pass this off as a “misunderstanding” or hope to clear it up with a handshake.  Yelling at someone is perhaps a breach of civility rather than the law, but opening their door and laying hands on them crosses a line.  Perhaps the matter might have been resolved differently if she had offered an actual apology, and avoided language (“just a misunderstanding”) that minimizes her responsibility.

Given that a charge has been laid, she will not now be able to take this step without effectively admitting the charge against her.  But Prof Higonnet’s fellow Everit Street residents (and their supporters here) would do well to tone down their rhetoric, admit that a line has been crossed, recognize that they are getting their wish as a far as drop off is concerned (two or three cars dropping off kids on Everit is a very different from thirty), and make amends.

And, while I do not know the woman who was the victim of Friday’s assault, if I was in her shoes there is a good chance that a sincere and heartfelt apology would be preferable to seeing Prof. Higonnet convicted.

posted by: ABC on January 17, 2010  12:33am

Let’s cool the MLK references.  Our nation proved that the Dr’s dream of people being judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin is still far off…even two generations later. 

In November 2008, we clearly ignored content of character and elected a presdient due to the color of his skin

posted by: RE ASSAULTED PARENT on January 17, 2010  9:26am

ANON 2.0 wrote:
“Looks like problems have begun…Good times…I stand by my earlier predictions BTW.”

TAGGRBOYZ wrote:
“The saddest thing about your hopeful predictions is that you probably wish they’d come true.”

I too was afraid that these privileged professional whiners might be psycho enough to self-fulfill their own prophecies.

Even after a bunch of Everit St. obstructionists denied hundreds of school children adequate facilities for years, costing taxpayers dearly defending against that selfish lawsuit, 99% of the W. Hooker parents have tried to respect your wishes that our children not drop be dropped off on Everit St.

Everything changed when Everit St. resident Anne Higonnet physically attacked a fellow parent on Everit, in front of her children and other children last Friday. All patience with selfish arrogance has vanished.

We must now all stick together for essential safety in numbers and in support of the assaulted family and our civil rights to legally drop off and pick up our children on Everit St.

This can only improve the Whitney Ave. and Huntington St. traffic flow at the other entrance.

posted by: City Hall Watch on January 17, 2010  11:59am

Kumbaya:

There may not be a rule re: dropping children off at the gate, but it is most certainly the understanding that children would be dropped at the front. If Stephanie Brooks had any sense of community and getting along, she would have followed others in doing so. Instead, she decided it was her right to stick it in the face of Everett St residents. It was selfish and it was over the top to insist on charges. Why exactly wouldn’t Brooks roll down her window to talk? As for “terrorizing” her and her children, surely you jest.

For those of you who have angina over the allegation that Brooks was touched, and think this should be assault, that’s laughable as well. The crime used to mean something. It’s now been dumbed down to simply touching somebody? Please.

And finally, unless there is a real fight going on that needs to be broken up, Rifenburg didn’t need to call the police. If Brooks felt threatened, she could have called the police. What action did Rifenburg witness that lead him to believe the police needed to be called? A couple of women yelling at each other?

It’s past time for those who want to enjoy Hooker to respect the neighborhood and for the neighbors to acknowledge Hooker is there and they will have to deal with it and the parents who exhibit selfish behavior.

Just as a curiosity, I wonder how many commenters on here actually own property in New Haven and know the pain of paying our extraordinary property taxes and the expense of maintaining and improving our homes?

posted by: Greg on January 17, 2010  12:34pm

Doesn’t Stephanie Brooks know that she should lock her doors when she’s on Everit?  It’s clearly not one of the safer parts of town.

posted by: Allan Brison on January 17, 2010  1:27pm

Before we use terms like “vigilante” and “Everit Street gone wild”, we need to make sure that we know what actually happened.

While walking my dog that day, I came upon the scene shortly after the incident had occurred. I talked to Anne literally while she was being arrested and charged. She says that she never touched the parent, not even her coat.

Knowing Anne for many years, it is impossible for me to imagine her being physically violent as in pulling someone out of a car.

The Independent apparently did not seek out, and certainly didn’t report, both sides of the incident; but, instead, took the police report to be the gospel truth.

In another recent story on the pedestrian gate issue, another of my Everit Street neighbors, one who, incidentally, has always been a firm supporter of the Whitney/Everit site for the school, was excoriated simply for having a different viewpoint on the pedestrian gate issue.

While I can understand people’s outrage considering how these stories have been reported, I feel that we should not be so quick in our condemnatory judgements.

I would propose that it is not my neighbors who are stirring up this situation as much as it is incomplete, inflammatory, reporting.

[Editor’s Note:If Mr. Brison re-reads the article, he may discover that we did speak with Annie Higonnet.]

posted by: Greg on January 17, 2010  3:26pm

City Hall Watch:

“Why exactly wouldn’t Brooks roll down her window to talk?”

Why should Brooks have to roll down her window?  It’s her car and her choice.  You talk about owning property in New Haven and paying taxes - a car is a piece of property, and taxes must be paid by the owner.  Why didn’t Higonnet respect Brooks’ property?

As far as your interpretation of assault, according to the police report, Higonnet opened the door on Brooks’ car (property) to reach in and touch her.  That’s not OK.  I mean, legally speaking, that’s not OK.  What more do you need?

Frankly, Rifenburg’s decision to call the cops seems like a very good choice to me.  He saw a situation that he was not in control of, and clearly he thought that it might get out of hand.  The police showed up and their services were used.  Isn’t that the whole point of having police?

posted by: Say What? on January 17, 2010  3:34pm

Allan Brison and City Hall Watch, what planet are you two living on?  You both should go ahead and advise your own wives and daughters to simply lower the car window and just acquiesce to a perceived threat. Unfortunately, Ms. Brooks forgot to also hit the lock button for the doors before Higgonet’s attack.

It’s just a matter of time when Hooker parents figure out that the directive to drop their kids off on Whitney is bogus and unsafe. Ms. Brooks had the reasonable wisdom and chutzpah to do the right thing in the face of a stupid directive.

As for Dr. Higonnet.I hope she never tries that idiotic aggressive move again. Next time she might not be so fortunate as to end things with just a slap on the wrist.

posted by: Mike on January 17, 2010  4:10pm

I’m glad someone piped up to offer another explanation here. I always doubt that everything I read is exactly what happened.

That said, reverse the situation as told by this reporter and the Brooks lady would have been put in jail.

East Rockers kill me sometimes, why is that?

posted by: Judge Judy on January 17, 2010  6:18pm

A thought about restorative justice.

If I were a noted art history professor, on record as writing (in an article about what “really” hurts children), “Economists believe in a concept called revealed preference. Don’t pay attention to what I say, the concept teaches, pay attention to what I’ve done” ... I would be thinking about what sort of practical gesture of apology might possibly lead to the disorderly conduct charges being dropped.

If, furthermore, I were a noted art history professor and yet part of a neighborhood movement that had imposed sanctions on a new school such that the rear view of the school now resembles a very unbeautiful prison, and if I had to live with the fact that the children who now walked up my beautiful street to school then entered a space that aesthetically repudiated them .... I would be thinking about how to deploy my professional skills, connections, and expertise in transforming that prospect into a welcoming vista.

If, furthermore, I were a noted art history professor, on record as donating to the Obama campaign ... I would probably wish to reestablish my egalitarian, democratic, and communitarian bona fides, especially on the day we remember Martin Luther King.

In other words, I would probably whip out my checkbook and make a donation to the school towards a mural for that blank rear wall, the design to be decided by the school community, with appropriate and respectful consideration of the neighbors who will also see it every day.

And I would trust that my gesture would go some way towards repairing the breach.

posted by: Are we sure? on January 17, 2010  6:59pm

I’m just going to repeat the exact words of the article back at you, to renew our sense of reality. “She grabbed Brooks by the coat, according to police. Brooks put the car in park and got out.” 1.) The police weren’t there at the time of the incident, and are basing the report on two eyewitnesses, and we know who they HAVE to believe if they don’t want to be called racist. 2.) If Brooks got out, it’s equally her fault for choosing to respond and escalate the conflict.

posted by: oh please on January 17, 2010  7:12pm

To Nfjanette
Surely had the situation been reversed, Ms. Brooks would have been charged with Assault and Risk of Injury.  She would have been taken into custody immediately in front of her children.  My comments are not baseless. I know for certain that the officer repeatedly attempted to talk her out of pressing charges and wanted her to shake hands.  The Sargeant in this case is Chris Kenney, who is caucasian.  ...

posted by: Bob Solomon on January 17, 2010  7:42pm

City Hall Watch -

My wife and I own property on Huntington Street.  People park there every day, for church, for the Yale shuttle, for political events, and now for Hooker School.  I believe that those people owe me the respect of parking legally and not in my driveway. A few times, during a large event, we had to park aound the corner (To quote my children, OMG!!!)  The residents of Everit Street should receive the same courtesy.  You and others (and apparently Melissa Bailey, who wrote the article) have this totally bizarre notion that there is some “rule” that noone should park on Everit.  As several other posters have said, THERE IS NO RULE.  The principal is not the emperor of parking.  Equating parking on Everit with an assault is not fuzzy thinking, it is irrational thinking.  You are often sanctimonious and critical of others, always anonymously, with challenges, like wondering who owns property and pays taxes, like you.  So, if you want to back up your words (for once) who are you and where do you live?  Everit Street?

posted by: yohance on January 18, 2010  5:04am

As a fellow East Rock resident (though not on Everitt), I find all this complaining on thVpart of the Everitt residents to be pretty absurd. Get off your high horse! The school has to go SOMEWHERE!

That being said, I should also note that I’ve known Anne and have been a classmate of her son’s since kindergarten.  Granted, the police reaction might have been different had the situation been reversed, but any inferences that Anne herself is racist are ignorant and inappropriate. (I’m looking at you TAGGRBOYZ.)

Yes, the parents have a right to use the street and drop off their children there and yes, the behavior of our Everitt neighbors has been unsavory (to be mild), but not EVERYTHING is about race and the whole MLK coincidence is just that: a coincidence. Chill with the race card.

posted by: Eddy on January 18, 2010  5:52am

According to a previous article, the school did send home instructions telling parents not to drop off at the back gate. Is Ms. Brooks telling us that she was unaware of this? She may feign ignorance but it exactly that kind of attitude that will continue to feed tensions. She is apparently too important and her time too valuable to be bothered following the rules that will help the school and neighbors to coexist peacefully. The principal’s lack of leadership during a conflict contributes to this as well. Ms. Higonnet must bear the lion’s share of blame here. She reacted poorly to the situation and should have approached in a different way. In the future, a picture is worth a thousand words. I am sure Ms. Brooks won’t forget where to drop her children off in the furture right?

posted by: Pat from Westville on January 18, 2010  8:04am

Granted Fountain Street in Westville is a much busier street than Everit, the folks on Everit Street should be thankful it’s only an occasional parent dropping a child off. With the reopening of the former Sheridan School (5-8) as the magnet Mauro-Sheridan School (K-8), there sre now at least twice as many school buses (what happens when you double the size of the school)queuing up afternoons between 3 & 4, parking along the residential block between the school and Harrison Stteet. More than occasionally these buses park blocking driveways. And the traffic jams resulting from school buses loading students, with the red STOP sign extended, have become worse than ever. If you ever think Fountain Street would offer a quick way from New Haven to Woodbridge, NOT weekdays 3-4PM during the school year! You may find yourself in a traffic line backed up almost to Fountain’s juncture with Whalley.
So I don’t feel Everit Street folks have much to complain about.

ALSO, why are the posted comments to this story in reverse chronological order? It mskes it hard to understand what someone is referring to when they are responding to an earlier comment.

posted by: JMS on January 18, 2010  9:50am

Allan Brison,

For the record if some confrontational person reaches out and tries to open the door of your car for any reason they have already violated your privacy and personal space… no need for them to actually touch you… they have already initiated an assault… or shown clear intent to assault you… after which you absolutely may defend yourself. In that position I would not advise you to wait to find out what this person was interested in telling you… I would simply drive away and call the police. Having said that… if it was me I would probably have jumped out of the car and smacked Anne Higgonet upside her silly head. Sounds like she could use such a reality check.

I agree with previous comments… the behavior of the Everit St. “anti-school” folks is an embarrassment to all New Haven residents. I live a stone’s throw from my local neighborhood school (Edgewood) and consider it a blessing in every way imaginable. I walk my son to school there every day and observe drop off’s and pick up’s from parents who drive their kids without incident or any kind of disruption to the quality of life to my neighborhood.

Get over it or move to a gated community.

JMS

posted by: sam on January 18, 2010  10:03am

WOULD U LIKE A COUPLE OF SHOOTING AT THE BACK GATES. STOP ACTING STUPID PEOPLE.

posted by: janyce murphy on January 18, 2010  10:12am

As my friend Bob Solomon noted in his most recent post: THERE IS NO RULE AGAINST PARKING ON EVERIT STREET FOR SCHOOL. None. There is no zoned parking either. There is no legal precedent. Are parents “encouraged” to use Whitney Avenue? Certainly. Encouraged does not equal required.
Long story short? we parents are in our legal rights to use Everit Street as long as we obey traffic rules and keep public order.
I find it interesting and disheartening that our own principal mentioned “99 %” compliance re the parking policy. Everit isn’t the “wrong spot”, it’s simply the spot the administration—dare I say cowed by the bitter, raucous Everit Street crowd—doesn’t favor.
Why is parking such an issue now? Remember, our 3-8 grade students were previously bused from State Street to the K-2 site on Canner. The residents of “little Everit”—between Canner and Cold Spring—as well as Livingston and Canner, spent YEARS with crowded streets. Eld Street? same story. I don’t recall ever hearing of a neighbor’s complaint, let alone an incident of egregious assault (and to anyone who thinks that description is exaggeration, picture yourself being grabbed by a stranger while your child witnesses same).
I have two children at Worthington Hooker. I am an Everit Street resident and homeowner. I walk my children to and from school most of the time, but when I need my car? You bet I’m parking on Everit Street. I’ll continue to do so unless the LAW changes.

posted by: nutmeg on January 18, 2010  10:18am

do you think the yale pd will send out an alert warning people to watch out for middle-aged ivy league educated professor types in east rock?

posted by: Get Up Stand Up on January 18, 2010  11:13am

To Yohance,

If you engage in racist behavior, you just may be a racist. Assaulting an African American mother and child for daring to park on a street where white people own all the property sounds like racism to me.

Perhaps Anne Higonnet’s neighbor and boss, Richard Levin, should place her into sensitivity and/or anger management training.

posted by: bruce on January 18, 2010  11:16am

What a horrible thing to do in front of someone’s 5-year-old child.  What on earth is so bad about dropping a child off to school on your street?  You should be thankful that you have a wonderful school in your neighborhood and you should look forward to seeing them walking up and down your street. If not, then move to some grumpy old neighborhood with no kids allowed.

posted by: Whatsername on January 18, 2010  11:26am

@Truth:

Actually, Worthington Hooker is not a magnet school.  I went to the Interdistrict Magnet Fair last week (Jan 13 at the NH Field House) and when I asked Magnet Office workers why Hooker wasn’t there (because I, too, was under the impression that Hooker was a magnet) they, very vehemently said, “Hooker is NOT a magnet school.”

Not to start trouble, just clarifying a point.

posted by: wow on January 18, 2010  12:11pm

Seriously, what is Higonnet’s problem? She pulled Brooks out of her car? That is assault and she should be charged appropriately.
...

posted by: Kumbaya on January 18, 2010  12:16pm

Get Up Stand Up: Higonnet is a graduate of Yale, but is apparently a professor at Barnard, in New York. Levin is not her boss.

posted by: Kumbaya on January 18, 2010  1:08pm

EDDY: According to a previous article, the school did send home instructions telling parents not to drop off at the back gate. Is Ms. Brooks telling us that she was unaware of this? She may feign ignorance but it exactly that kind of attitude that will continue to feed tensions.  She is apparently too important and her time too valuable to be bothered following the rules that will help the school and neighbors to coexist peacefully.

She was driving a car down a public street and dropping off a child, not a truckload of nuclear waste.  Peaceful co-existence cuts both ways.

The school has requested that parents use the Whitney gate, and most of us do, most of the time.  However, if a handful of parents use the Everit gate each day, it will make no practical difference to the residents—and there are legitimate reasons for doing so (it is quicker for many of us by a minute or two, and there are always going to be some mornings when you are tight for time). 

As a parent, I am using the Whitney gate not because I have some deep sense of obligation, but for the same reason that I am careful to give my three year old his breakfast in his favorite bowl with the matching spoon.  Not just because it avoids a tantrum, but because—however unimportant it may be to an adult—it really does matter to him and he clearly enjoys his morning routine, even if it costs me a spot of extra effort each morning.

The difference between my child and the handful of Everit Street residents who have chosen to go to the mattresses over this (and lets be clear some residents could care less, and some actively welcome the new school) is that I know my child will leave this little ritual behind as he grows up.

Not only that, by berating the handful of drivers who use the back gate and failing to keep a sense of perspective, Everit Street residents are not just asking for the special bowl and the special spoon, but they also insisting on the singing of the special breakfast song (all three verses, plus chorus),  just the right amount temperature for the hot milk, and losing it completely if THEY didn’t push the start button on the microwave. And at that point any parent knows that your little person is going to lose it whatever you do, and the only sensible response is to quit trying and ignore the screaming. 

And yet Prof Higonnet’s enablers are surprised that the authorities have sent her for a spot of time out, and perhaps a stint on the naughty step.  People who are complaining that the principal should not have called the Police may well have point—he should have called for Super Nanny.

posted by: Virginia on January 18, 2010  1:30pm

Only slightly off-topic, but it’s odd to watch this brouhaha from the vicinity of East Rock School (the School That Everyone Forgot). Not every New Haven school has figured out traffic flow and ways to minimize the impact on the neighborhood—especially when it comes to the buses spewing fumes, backup beeping constantly and keeping their Stop signs deployed for needlessly long periods.
  Pickup and dropoff activity is generally orderly, but it’s still a pain in an area where there isn’t much residential off-street parking and the parents occupy all the spaces right when one wants to park in front of one’s own house to unload the groceries.
  The Everit St. folks should be grateful that WHS has managed to direct 99% of the traffic to Whitney Ave., but they should be careful what they wish for when they say they want a mural on the back of the school. East Rock has 2 of them that make me wish for the old graffiti they replaced.

posted by: cedarhillresident on January 18, 2010  2:20pm

I love robn’s comment…very very true. And I understand she in general is a nice lady. BUT… you do not touch people period! And in a confrontational way in front of their child…not good at all.

terrapin… no you can not, they have lasers that will blow up your car if you do drive down there street.

Anna I agree it is just time for them to stop it. This school is one of the biggest plus to the values of the homes in that area.

posted by: ROBN on January 18, 2010  2:20pm

Its seems like the Everit St school obstructionists are a minority…or at least not a definitive majority. Is there a nickname for them which does not cast aspersions toward Everit St school supporters? (or those who are indifferent)

Seems unfair to castigate the entire street….

posted by: TOADY on January 18, 2010  3:10pm

Gee whiz Allan Brison, toadying to your Everit elite neighbors as usual I see—how one sided can you get. Not one word of compassion for the assaulted family. Disgusting.
Right, Mr. Brison, the Police and the victim are to blame. Anne Higonnet, who admittedly lost her temper, and was the only party arrested, can do what she has to do to get out of this—uber damage control mode so the ‘story’ can be what ever fits.

As far as you ‘knowing’ Higonnet for ‘many years,’ and what you can ‘imagine,’ it could it be that you are out of touch with reality and don’t know people as well as you think you do, which might explain your landslide election loss.
So Mr. Brison, you’re checking on the gate for school children with your dog at pick up time too—does your dog sic? You failed to mention if you had observed Mrs. Brooks or any other Hooker parents doing anything ILLEGAL on Everit. Why? Because, unlike your fiend Higonnet, the Hooker parents aren’t breaking any laws and you’re skewing everything as usual.
Anyway Brison, with all due respect, it sounds like you have a few screws loose when you say that the NHI ‘did not seek out, and certainly didn’t report, both sides of the incident.’ Your inflammatory reporting ‘proposal,’ is worth about as much as your ‘Hooker compromise’ proposal.

posted by: SECURITY CAMERA , ASAP on January 18, 2010  3:25pm

Allan Brison,
Since you raised the issue, as far as your Everit St neighbor being “excoriated” simply for having a different viewpoint on the pedestrian gate issue, since you are not paying attention and distorting issues, here are some responses from the community to the guy who was FOR the school BEFORE he bought an Everit St. house and his kids were old enough to switch from Hooker to a private school across town on some one else’s street:
“MARK WUEST,
The city listened to neighbors and in a public process, verified by legal challenge, decided that it’s reasonable to put a neighborhood school on this site and that its reasonable to put a gate on Everit St so children can walk a safe distance to school on a public sidewalk that everybody wants to remain peaceful. They did so acknowledging that the outside risk of daily disruption for Everit St neighbors (excluding summer months and weekends) is limited to two 1/2 periods when most residents are probably at work. Your incessant tirade is the most selfish collection of complaints that I’ve ever read on this site.”
“Eld Streeter’s point stands: Mr Wuest’s children and his car were welcomed on our street and it would be nice to see the same courtesy extended.”
“It isn’t “bashing” to illustrate the selfishness of Everit St residents who are apoplectic about a playground gate. My understanding is that there was no policy nor any promise made about a rear gate…but even if there was, technocratic complaints in the guise of democratic defense is a diversion from reprehensibly uncivil selfishness. Its a playground gate on a public sidewalk on a public street. Get over it.”

“No children were named but you make your private school choice public when you put that big maroon sticker on your rear car windows. Anyone can see your choice in person or on Google Earth.”
One thing Anne Higonnet could do would be to pay for an Everit gate security camera to help protect law abiding citizens from other Everit St terrorists.

And for you Everitites who arrogantly think that you’re the only citizens who live near schools and pay taxes, Higonnet just forced the rest of us to pay for a squad car at the gate to police you lawless vigilantes.

posted by: East Rockette on January 18, 2010  4:54pm

ROBN asks whether we can come up with a nickname for the minority obstructionists, one that avoids tarnishing the mellow majority on Everit St. Great question.

How about calling the latter group “Overit St,” because they are so over it already, or were over it in the first place. Which I guess makes the still squabbly minority the Get-over-its?

posted by: East Rockette on January 18, 2010  5:17pm

Kumbaya, “the naughty step”?? I think I love you!

Get Up Stand Up: yes, the incident is totally racist on the face of it. But there’s also part of me that thinks that it’s totally race-blind, for precisely the reasons we’re getting so mad about it. A card-carrying Obama-supporting Democrat has to be pretty neutrally wild to transcend the usual elaborate race-based courtesies, especially in a town like New Haven. Possibly the only color that was being seen on the day was little red spots of rage dancing in front of someone’s eyes?!  In which case, the 5 year old in the back seat would have been invisible too.

Moments like that, one needs to take a very deep breath to make sure one is seeing things clearly. I bet Dr Higonnet wishes she had a rewind button.

posted by: East Rockette on January 18, 2010  5:37pm

... which doesn’t, of course, remove the unfortunate taint of racism from how things actually played out on the day. I’m just not sure that it was a big part of the advance calculus of the confrontation, inasmuch as there was any advance calculation at all. I dunno, though, I wasn’t there.

Reckon we could mend fences the Skip Gates way, and all go have a beer—or a hot apple cider, a bit more seasonal—at the White House? Or a spring picnic on that delightful back lawn at the school, with neighbours welcome, when things warm up a bit? (Frosty micro-climates can often be abated by careful landscaping and thoughtful planting).

posted by: yohance on January 18, 2010  7:50pm

Get Up Stand Up,

Just because something involves more than one race doesn’t mean it’s racist. Again, I’m speaking from experience: some of the closest mutual friends between my family and Anne’s are African-American, and I myself am Chinese-American. Anne’s family were amongst the strongest supporters of Barack Obama in the last election. The police reaction might have been tainted with racism, but Anne’s actions were not. We live in a diverse society, and disagreements (not fueled by racism) between people of different backgrounds are going to occur.

Anyway, I hope this incident will serve to put things in perspective for Everit residents. It’s a SCHOOL! For a few minutes a day you can deal with a little extra traffic. Why can’t you accept that?

posted by: SELFISH SEVEN on January 18, 2010  8:44pm

Robn,
Sure wish they’d get ‘Overit’ ERette. Then there’s SEVERITS as in “cut off your nose to spite your face” or perhaps some acronym can be derived from the EVERIT SELFISH SEVEN who kept hundreds of children in swing space for years—as listed in the UNANIMOUS SUPREME COURT DECISION:

Page 19; “There can be little doubt that the location of a local elementary school within the neighborhood from which it draws its students is in the best interest of the community that it serves.”

Page 23; “Upon examination of the record, we find no proper reason for the trial court to have over turned that decision.

The judgments are reversed and the cases are remanded to the trial court with direction to dismiss the plaintiff’s appeals.

In this opinion the other justices concurred.

1 WILLIAM KONIGSBURG,

2 ANNE SCHENCK,

3 ROBIN ROUSH,

4 GARY WITTEN,

5 ROBERT KING,

6 RUTH KING, and

7 MARGARET MACK are plaintiffs in both cases.
Each claims to be aggrieved by decisions involving the use of property at 691 Whitney Ave…”

And now there are the recent Everit Gate Grouchers etc. ALLAN BRISON, MARK WUEST and ANNE HIGONNET.

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/upload/2007/08/hooker supreme court ruling.pdf

posted by: NI_ _A PLEEEEZE! on January 18, 2010  11:08pm

UH HUH, “Some of my best friends are __________.”
Personally, I’ll take a bigoted Southern cracker over a Northern white liberal any day, at least you KNOW where THEY’RE coming from.
http://www.blackpeopleloveus.com/

posted by: Neighborhood parent on January 18, 2010  11:28pm

I shared this article with my brother, who lives out of state and has no idea of the history and no emotion connected to the school. His response was disbelief, given that there has just been a devastating earthquake in Haiti but this street rage problem has taken precedence over real life problems. Just a bit of perspective from an outsider.

posted by: Edgewood Mom on January 18, 2010  11:31pm

I am a neighbor of Ms. Brooks and was appalled to read about this assault.  Many have mentioned that Yale should be contacted about Ms. Higonnet’s behavior but she is employed at Columbia.  I have sent the story to the Columbia Spectator and urge those of you who are as shocked as I am to contact the university as well.  If she is willing to assault a mother in front of her 5 year old child she should not be teaching college students - will they be the next targets of her assaults?

posted by: janyce murphy on January 19, 2010  12:03am

Re: Yohance’s comment that “Anne’s family were amongst the strongest supporters of Barack Obama in the last election”:

Noting the voting preference of Ms. Higonnet is beside the point and insulting to all races. I’ll run with your point, however, and note how interesting it is to imagine a conversation between our First Lady and Ms. Higonnet over the “Hookergate” issue and Friday’s incident.

I’m not surprised to hear the alleged voting preference. Our neighborhood is full of hypocritical limosine liberals who support the “democratic” candidates (see: Lamont, Ned; Obama, Barack) at the ballot box but otherwise fail to put theory into practice.

Voting for an African-American candidate does not grant one immunity from charges of racism, or guarantee that said person does not hold racist attitudes. Human beings are certainly more complex than that.

Ms. Higonnet should be ashamed of herself.

posted by: can'tweallgetalong? on January 19, 2010  12:39am

This kind of incident and the flare-up and heated argument over it, will be the undoing of the East Rock neighborhood. In a city with so many severe issues, in a time of such great social and economic hardship, to have this nice little k-8 school at the center of such heated controversy is outrageous. Make no mistake, it makes the entire East Rock neighborhood look foolish, arrogant and elitist to the rest of the city. That means it gets less respect and less city services and is seen as a detached elitist entity. Does Ms. Higonnet think her response will be effective? Does she think this is an appropriate way to register her opinion in a democratic society? Hooker School has been built and dedicated and it’s time to move on. The Everit St. hooligans are digging a deeper and deeper hole for themselves. To be frank, if they had a point, their haughty, aggressive approach has made people stop listening.

posted by: Christine on January 19, 2010  5:50am

I’m a home-owner/resident of East Rock, and I frequently drive on Whitney and I’m always appalled at the way drivers ignore the 25 mph rule.  My son is grown, but if I had young children and was dropping them off at school, I’d DEFINITELY use the safer place to stop—- the Everit entrance.  It’s totally unreasonable to ask guardians of children that age to drop them off on Whitney.  Whitney is too buy.  The Everit side of the school should be the usual drop off place for the school children.
The children of our city are our most precious resource.  Let’s keep things in perspective as civilized human beings.

posted by: Walt on January 19, 2010  7:21am

Brison apparently does not approve of NHI coverage of this attack by Higgonet.

Conversely, I object that the Register (as far as I know)has not printed even one inch re these objectionable actions by the Everit St.  professor.

Bias?

Did I miss a Register blurb?

posted by: Tanner on January 19, 2010  9:39am

Congratulations, Everit Street you have been “Lott’d” oh sure you can
claim you have “black” friends and that you voted for the right people
but in this case since East Rock has “always” been seen as elitist you
don’t get a “Reid pass.” Wait for all those new SOM cars start parking in your neighborhood.

posted by: streever on January 19, 2010  9:43am

Reading this, I can’t honestly believe I live in the same ward as some of you.

Yes, what she did was wrong, and she was charged with a crime. Let the police do their job. Calling her job is inappropriate.

She didn’t go after Brooks because of her race, but because she snapped seeing someone use the gate.

As much as Higgonet was wrong, you all are out of control.

How would you like it if people called your boss if you got a speeding ticket? Let’s take it from your point of view: That’s a destructive & violent act that could end someone’s life. If you drive too fast in a predominately african-american neighborhood, you’re clearly a racist and a violent one at that.

Just stop. One person lost her temper. I think she was wrong, but I don’t think her action requires this level of navel-gazing and blabber.

It’s a refuge of the weak & scared & bitter to sit here & bad-mouth & criticize someone. I wish even one of you had the gall to share your views openly & with people who know you—the response you’d get would hopefully illustrate to you just how crazy you are behaving.

posted by: Kumbaya on January 19, 2010  10:09am

I just dropped my child off, and (in the fairly short time I was there) saw maybe 25 cars use the Whitney entrance, and precisely one car drop a child at the Everit entrance (and several kids arrived on foot down Everit street). 

If the Everit people really wanted to keep their street quiet they would turn up one morning with donuts, coffee and thank the 95% of parents who are using the Whitney gate. (I am completely serious—as all of our grandmothers probably said, you catch more flies with honey…)

posted by: Admitted Wobbly Northern Liberal on January 19, 2010  10:17am

“I’ve come to learn that when it comes to civil rights I would rather have a converted Southerner on my side than a wobbly Northern liberal.”

Vernon E. Jordan Jr.

posted by: robn on January 19, 2010  10:27am

STREEVER,

Given the foundation of tension built by the school opposition, I’m not surprised at this public reaction. Personally, if I found out that my mother accosted in such a manner while dropping off children at school I’d be apoplectic about it.

I would call Ms.Higgonet’s actions elitist rather than racist. I would call the somewhat tepid reaction of the authorities racist because, as I’ve pointed out, a young black man would likely be treated differently.

To be in defense of Ms Higgonet for just a moment though, doesn’t the NHI have a policy of not naming suspects or arrestees?

[Editor’s Note: If we get the person’s side, as we did here, we feel comfortable naming the person. One of our concerns is the inability often to get the arrestee’s side in a breaking news story.]

posted by: JB on January 19, 2010  11:16am

I’m confused- did Higonnet admit to pulling Brooks out of her car?

It seems to me from quick reading, that the police don’t know either way. Higonnet claims she didn’t touch Brooks, and Brooks claims Higonnet pulled her from the car.

If my reading is accurate, then we don’t know what happened for sure other than verbal shouting match was happening when the police showed up.

I think it’s incredible, but predictable that someone contacted Columbia’s newspaper.  I don’t know either lady in question, but it’s crazy town to have a desire to ruin someone’s career over an incident we don’t know all the facts about.

posted by: William Kurtz on January 19, 2010  11:21am

I have been thinking the same thing as Streever.  Are some of the people commenting here listening to themselves?  At first, it was the apologists for the alleged assailant that had a pretty firm lock on irrationality, at least until the call came to contact the professor’s employer.  This woman was charged with—not convicted of—a class C misdemeanor.  How about letting the court system do its job before you start a letter-writing campaign?

posted by: Anna on January 19, 2010  11:24am

Streever:

First of all a speeding ticket can not be compared to the charge against Ms.Higgonet.  There is a clear difference.  Most people tell their boss’ or colleagues that they received a speeding ticket.  Ms.Higgonet’s charge is nothing to brag about.

“I think she was wrong, but I don’t think her action requires this level of navel-gazing and blabber.”

For you to say this is obvious that you are new to this whole W.Hooker School dilemma.  Yes she lost her temper, but now the people who have been through the schools construction process for the past 12 years have had it. Now that the school has been constructed and dedicated we were all hoping that everything was behinds us.  Many concessions were made to compromise with the Everit residents and nothing was good enough for them they still sued and wasted tax payer dollars. The compromises were always one-sided, the Everit side.  The Hooker community and anyone involved in the whole construction effort are done and exhausted. So all this “navel-gazing and blabber” is absolutely appropriate because now it has been taken to a whole new level. This time they went to far. Voicing our stresses in the comments section is perfectly acceptable compared to Ms.Higgonet’s method.

Also, I believe most of the readers who have commented have shared their views openly and honestly.  This was an unfortunate situation that went a step too far.

posted by: @JB on January 19, 2010  1:43pm

JB, nowhere in the article does it say that Ms. Higonnet pulled Ms. Brooks from her car.  It says she grabbed her coat.  It does not say that she pulled her in anyway.  It also says that when the shouting died down, Ms. Higonnet admitted she lost her temper and attempted to make amends by offering her hand to Ms. Brooks.  Ms. Brooks did not need to accept the hand, but it should be noted that it was offered.  There was some show of remorse.  The reporting in this article is very incomplete, and so many who have commented have exaggerated the actual occurence beyond what really happened.

posted by: ERocker on January 19, 2010  2:21pm

bruce- you took the words right out of my mouth.

The assailant needs to get some damn perspective and not just stand around waiting to confront people dropping their kids off at school. ...

posted by: streever on January 19, 2010  2:34pm

Anna,

did you read my comment?

My issue is not 100% of the comments, some of which are reasonable.

My issue is the people who are suggesting that her employers be contacted so she may be fired.

My issue is the people who are calling HER behavior racist, and saying she is a racist, and as such, should not be employed by Columbia.

Don’t you think that’s ridiculous & insane?

Those people are not using their names or sharing their identities, just acting crazy.

I know all about the Hooker gate drama, and yes, it’s bad, and the Everitt street residents are wrong. I’ve actually said that in public many times before. However, when people are writing that Higgonet is an evil racist who should lose her job, yes, that is blabber, nosiness, navel-gazing inanity at it’s worst.

It’s destructive to the community & the neighborhood to make false accusations and not understand the issue but come out swinging either way. What Higgonet did is wrong, but the police have taken care of that, and I’m comfortable with their response.

I don’t think the woman has to be demonized or attacked for it.

Robn: I agree, and I think that’s a worthy thing to point out—that police response is typically more harsh when an african-american commits a crime. My objection is purely to the people who think Higgonet is an evil racist who should lose her job over this.

posted by: Katie Rohner on January 19, 2010  3:40pm

The fact is the Hooker community has always set a higher standard of good behavior than the opponents of the school, most of whom live on Everit Street.  That remains true today.  Aside from the extremely disturbing situation of last Friday, not to mention the bad-faith dealings we endured for years by the litigants, since the new school opened, Hooker families have been subjected to surveillance by neighbors standing outside with coffee cups in hand, joggers, dog-walkers, etc… who just happened to be present at morning drop-off and felt compelled to shoo drivers away—Ms. Higonnet obviously being the most determined.  Even at the dedication this past Sunday, a few of us were subjected to further badgering by Everit Street residents who couldn’t allow us to enjoy the celebration in peace.  You can imagine our own determination now to stand up for ourselves and our children and resist further harassment (a fair and accurate term, I believe, for what many of us are experiencing.)

Although this handful of Everit Street residents have neither the legal right nor a moral imperative to dictate how hundreds of other residents of this city exercise their rights to use our public roads, the Hooker community, as usual, has been sensitive to and repectful of their feelings.  But it is never enough with these people ... really.  Now members of the Hooker community are treated to lectures from our own family, standing guard at the back gate, if we dare to drop off a child there in the morning.  Enough already.

In time, Everit Street opponents, you will see that many of the bad things that you thought would happen, didn’t.  You might come to recognize that being listened to, which you were, does not mean that your dictates had to be followed, they don’t.  That so-called “agreements” and “covenants” that were made, really weren’t—at least not in the kind of chronological order that you suggest.  The bushes and trees will grow and fill out, so that you won’t have to worry any longer about the landscaping that has you all so distressed—out of sight, out of mind, perhaps?  (But, first, admit to yourselves, it looks a whole lot better now that it has for years!)

Please Everit Street opponents, let us get on with the business of educating our children, using and enjoying our long-awaited building, the delay of which can be attributed directly to many of you, and in restoring our faith in those who profess to believe in the right to a free, public education in this state, but who have gone to great lengths to see that it doesn’t take place in their precious neighborhood.