New Haven Independent

posted by: Steve No Jobs on November 3, 2011  8:43am

So these protestors are saying if they had an opportunity to work they would not shoot and kill each other over minor squables? How dumb. Jyst stop treating each other like animals and the jobs and opportunitys will come.

posted by: Threefifths on November 3, 2011  9:23am

They should have march on the crooked two party system politicians that were there.

posted by: To steve no jobs on November 3, 2011  9:39am

Clearly you are misinterpreting this protest. I was there, and the message is clear: we need more jobs for young people and their families because poverty begets violence. 
Obviously the students at the march are not threatening to participate in the violence that plagues our communities, but go up to any young person in New Haven and their lives have in some way been touched by gun violence. 
Many families are struggling right now and young people feel obligated to help out with money.  When a young person, or an adult can’t find legitimate work, sometimes they become desperate and end up making money however they can.  Sometimes this means getting involved in the drug trade which can put someone right in the middle of violent conflicts between the local gangs who often control the flow of drugs to our streets.  There’s no silver bullet answer to our city’s problems, but jobs for young people (and the rest of us) is a good place to start.
I support these young people and I’m proud to say I was there.

posted by: Noteworthy on November 3, 2011  10:05am

DeStefano leads by following. At least he told the truth about that aspect of his 18 year rule.

Currently, he follows mayoral candidate Jeffrey Kerekes on community policing and freezing property taxes. He followed Kerekes when Kerekes caught him lying about the Chief Limon’s employment. Soon, he will follow Kerekes on real education reform vs. the lite version we have now.

And he will follow Kerekes on getting our money back from the Chase Family that he let slip through his fingers as a gift to the gilded, right along with other special deals.

posted by: Sergio Rodriguez on November 3, 2011  11:09am

Congratulations to Lisa, Joelle and the young people of the Elm City Dream!!!!!!  You did a great job of organizing marching and passing on your message.  I have forwarded this article on to Washington and hope that they will respond accordingly.  Please know that I am very supportive of your efforts and will help in anyway that I can.  I am sure that besides those who were in attendance there will be other support on the Board.  Lets work for more jobs and career opportunities for our New Haven youth now and not wait for the outcome of the Jobs Act.
Again great job and keep pushing forward.

posted by: Lets be clear on November 3, 2011  11:20am

It is shameful that these youngsters are being exploited by the union-political complex. 

Jobs for youth?  “Meaningful work”?

Kids, listen up. THE most meaningful work for you right now is to go to school, study your ass off, and get to a good college or technical school and where you actually might learn how to do something and earn a decent living.

The NAEP scores just came out and they are woeful.  So instead of minimum wage unskilled jobs, why aren’t you marching for better education quality instead? 

You would certainly lose all of your current labor-friendly adult “supporters” if you did that because challenging the school system is directly against their financial interests but at least you’d be on the right track.

posted by: resident on November 3, 2011  12:11pm

More jobs, less violence, sounds like a movement I could get behind.  Still trying to figure out what the Green Occupiers want or maybe more importantly how they think they will get it by camping out.  Alderman Colon’s message is a little off base, “If they have jobs, they will not be in the streets hurting each other,” she said.  Maybe she did not mean to say it that way but not having a job cannot be an excuse for violence.  We need to let kids know that we will hold them accountable for violence, not excuse their violence on the basis of hardship.

posted by: junebugjune on November 3, 2011  2:50pm

“The NAEP scores just came out and they are woeful.  So instead of minimum wage unskilled jobs, why aren’t you marching for better education quality instead?”

Many of these young people, activists, and community members are also working to improve our schools. 

Whether a student works while in school or during the summertime is up to each family, but I had a part time job when I was in high school and it taught me a lot about money management and responsibility.  In fact, having a job is often look at favorably by university admissions.  As someone who grew up in a poor family and pulled myself out of poverty through education, having a job was a necessity from age 15 on and I’m grateful for the experience.

posted by: Mac on November 3, 2011  4:16pm

I applaud the Independent for covering these important local outpourings. I was there marching behind these inspiring youth as their staked their claim on a better future, one free of violence and full of opportunity because the government and wider community made investments in them as people and not, as an earlier commentator so derisively put it, “animals” not worth caring about.

But to another responder’s point, what do the members of Occupy New Haven want? The very same thing. The Independent failed to report that a large contingent from the Green participated in this rally—not at the front, putting their own demands first, but supporting the work of these young people and longtime community activists.

When will people, and especially the wider media, shut their mouths long enough to stop asking what the Occupy movement wants and start listening to what their saying?

posted by: Threefifths on November 3, 2011  7:22pm

posted by: Lets be clear on November 3, 2011 11:20am
It is shameful that these youngsters are being exploited by the union-political complex.

Jobs for youth?  “Meaningful work”?

Kids, listen up. THE most meaningful work for you right now is to go to school, study your ass off, and get to a good college or technical school and where you actually might learn how to do something and earn a decent living

Yea right.This is what is going to happen to them when they get out ofcollege or technical school. 

Student Loan Debt And Tough Job Market Send
College Graduates Back Home

http://www.citytowninfo.com/career-and-education-news/articles/student-loan-debt-and-tough-job-market-send-college-graduates-back-home-11051702

Recent Graduates Not Only Move Back Home, But Stay There

First Posted: 4/22/11

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/22/recent-graduates-moving-home_n_852730.html

posted by: amentoletsbeclear on November 4, 2011  3:09am

It can get any clearer then this Threefifths and still you missed the whole point.

Posted by lets be clear
“You would certainly lose all of your current labor-friendly adult “supporters” if you did that because challenging the school system is directly against their financial interests but at least you’d be on the right track.”

posted by: supportyoungpeople on November 4, 2011  3:16am

Shame on the politicians and union Organizisor for misleading our young people.

As a dues paying Union Member I think this stinks!!!!!

posted by: Moira on November 4, 2011  8:30am

Bravo to these kids!

To Let’s Be Clear: These kids are already doing their jobs as students. And most of them do not have the luxury of not working. Let’s be clear about that. If they want anything—clothes, transportation, lunch, cellphones (of course), etc., they’re on their own. That goes for college application fees, too. I’m sure they’d like more quality education, but right now it’s literally about survival for many of these kids—with poverty and violence as the main threats. We should get behind them, not wag fingers at them.

For the record, the last time a student challenged the educational system and made the simple demand of better text books for his high school, he saw his student council get disbanded.

posted by: Lets be clear on November 4, 2011  10:29am

@Moira - I’m not wagging my finger at them, I’m educating them about the way that the adult world works.  And its ugly.

If all of these “supporters” were really interested in the kids, they wouldn’t be encouraging them to spend their time marching for low-skilled menial jobs which has limited value to them and really only serves as a diversion from the real pay-off - a college education. 

btw, while the name “three-fifths” certainly has a poignant historical context, ironically it also is about the same % of kids in the school system who are performing at or below basic levels.  I wonder if he or she knows that when they go on their anti-knowledge, anti-education cut and paste sessions.

And lets be clear, this “youth” movement is nothing more than another angle in the leftist public sector unions’ attempt to dominate the political debate as we head into 2012.

The kids are being used and exploited.  They may be doing their jobs as students but the teachers and the school system are not. 

If these kids want to have a seat at the economic table, if they want to be on par with the “1%”, you should arrange a field trip for then to visit Choate when its in session.  Let them see how the “1%” kids are being prepared for an adult world.  Believe me, those kids aren’t marching for crumbs. 

You see there is gross hypocrisy with these adult marchers.  Calling for a war on the 1% and yet simultaneously denying poor kids their chance at changing their future chances to 10% -or even 50%.

How about the kids who are on their way to becoming the next 1% up at Hopkins? They aren’t marching for minimum wage jobs.  They are working their asses off and being led by devoted teachers who would rather spend their time in a classroom than walking in the streets. They are led by a principal whose job it is to prepare kids for life not take care of a bloated, politically embedded hand-out class of adults.

And I’m sorry but the majority of the kids in New Haven may not have much but they have the basics.  There has been free federal breakfast and lunch programs for decades available at every school. If they are hungry, help them get to school for breakfast, lunch, and now even dinner.  College application fees?  Have you heard of the New Haven’s Promise program?  Any senior who is looking for application fees can find financing for them.  Its available.

And you think cell-phones are a civil right?Then give them $25 for a Go-phone and then do them a real favor and tell them to get back to school.  Oops. I forgot, you can’t do that because that would extend your work day and cut into your summer vacation, all on the taxpayer dime.

And “Survival”?  The only issue for survival is if they are allowed to make the decision to be outside on some corner when the shooting starts.  But once again, that is something completely controllable by adults.  But of course all of the same people shaking down the system would go ballsitic if we took away the rights of suspected drug dealers to go un-frisked by police in advance of a shooting.

Wake up kids and welcome to the adult world.

posted by: Moira on November 4, 2011  2:15pm

@ LBC: I never said cellphones are a civil right, nor do I think they are one.

I’m not interested in debating every single one of your points, some of which I agree with. But I will take issue with this: “The only issue for survival is if they are allowed to make the decision to be outside on some corner when the shooting starts.  But once again, that is something completely controllable by adults.”

It is not the only issue of survival for them. And secondly, it is not a situation completely controllable by adults. Nothing is completely controllable, and I don’t want to live in a state of complete control anyway. And sometimes it’s too late to make the decision to leave the corner once the shooting starts.

posted by: Lets be clear on November 4, 2011  3:06pm

@Moira - Maybe you and the “activists” don’t want to live in a state of complete control. 

But just ask one of the mothers who has lost their son whether they’d be willing to live with curfews, random frisks of suspects, and mandatory sentencing for illegal handguns if they could bring back their sons, even for one day.  What do you think they would say?

You can march against violence til the cows come home.  But you know what? All the adult “supporters” aren’t serious about doing SQUAT about the violence, and are only interested in themselves.

posted by: anon on November 4, 2011  6:12pm

Youth at Work + City jobs primarily go to people who don’t live in New Haven.  Something like 90% of our patrol officers live in other towns.

You are a cash cow to support the lives of suburbanites.  Stop complaining and keep paying your property taxes (or very high rents as a result of high property taxes).

posted by: sam on November 5, 2011  8:17pm

It not a job issue its a moral issue.  We know that   every body can have a job and it won’t decrease crime it will increase crime. If you don’t believe me give free housing it is a job keeping every clean and trash pick up.  Giving people a job does not change their morals.

posted by: equan jenkins on November 7, 2011  12:13pm

i am one of the young men who helped organized this march yes we as the youth need jobs to stay away from the violence it does not matter if we dont make over 500 a month the only thing that matters is it helps us financially
and gives us a reason to stay away from the negativity that is in the streets if u have any questions about the march you can email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) i am 17 and a junior at James Hillhouse high school im think you for your time

posted by: Rafaael Ramos on November 8, 2011  8:33am

Equan Jenkins

I am a father to 7 Children I started very young my oldest is 36 and my youngest 16 i am mentioning this to let you know that I feel you and I understand.

I am proud of you. You are a learder and your learning how to organize, and I agree with you that more needs to be done to help young people get through school, and have good experiences that well shape your lives.

However your staying away from nagative activity because like most young people you know its the right thing to do employed or not. Ask people with crimial records they tell you stay in school stay busy with positive thing like, family, arts, sports, community service. Volunteering can provide employment opportunities. Thanks for getting involved.

posted by: Efraim Silva on November 9, 2011  12:52pm

Next time you have something like this please lets us know so i can bring our Capoeira students and make this even bigger so our voices can be heard.
thank you
Master Efraim Silva

posted by: equan jenkins on November 10, 2011  12:00pm

Efraim Silva give me ur information through my email bcuz we are planing another one soon