Out In The Hall, An Idea Is Born

As one person after another in the Hillhouse High auditorium vented frustration about youth violence, Principal Kermit Carolina was out in the hallway talking to the mayor about a new program to intervene in the lives of young men who ​“have begun to move in the direction of the streets.”

That was the scene Saturday afternoon at Hillhouse High, where a stop-the-violence gathering led some 150 people to the darkened auditorium.

The event was organized by a new group called ​“Ice The Beef” founded by Darrell ​“D‑Russ” Allick. He’s the brother of Donell Allick, one of over 30 people who have succumbed to homicide this year in New Haven.

That number has prompted outrage and frustration in the city, and it was on display Saturday afternoon as people took the cordless mic in the auditorium to talk about what needs to change: parents, schools, jobs, police, youth centers.

Mayor John DeStefano sat in the back section of the auditorium listening for some time. When he left with Superintendent of Schools Reggie Mayo, they encountered Principal Carolina in the hallway.

The principal and the mayor talked about a new initiative to target students — young men — who are at risk of becoming involved in crime and violence.

Just as the violent crimes in the city are being carried out by a small number of people, it’s only some ​“13 boys who need immediate intervention” at the school, Carolina said.

Carolina said the kids will be easy to ID, ​“through my observations here in the school. … It’s not hard to tell.” He said the students headed for the streets are often also the ones doing poorly in school.

DeStefano told Carolina to call the other two large high schools in town — Career and Wilbur Cross — and call the new police chief, Dean Esserman, to get the ball rolling.

Carolina said the idea is to develop ​“wrap-around services” for the kids, involving the schools, the police, neighborhood cops, the mayor’s office, the youth commission, probation services. The program would ​“bring all these key components together” and maybe even visit the kids at home, Carolina said.

“We go in and discuss the issues surrounding these kids and attempt to address their needs,” Carolina said.

He stressed that the idea is still just an idea. ​“It’s in the working stage.”

Why They Came

Back in the auditorium, the discussion of problems and solutions continued. Here’s a sampling of who showed up to help ​“Ice The Beef” and what brought them there:

“I know some of the people who have been killed, said Denina Harris (pictured), a 47-year-old administrative assistant who lives in Beaver Hills. She said she’s tired of people talking and nothing changing. ​“They keep saying it but it hasn’t happened yet.”

“People are frustrated and they don’t know what to do,” said the police department’s Assistant Chief Petisia Adger (pictured). She picked up an ​“Ice The Beef” T‑shirt for Chief Esserman.

She called Saturday’s event a great ​“first step” towards communication ​“and forgiving each other.”

“We know we made mistakes,” she said. Police need to work harder to ensure people don’t see their actions as ​“aggressive and random,” Adger said.

“I just feel like we’ve been saying the same stuff over and over,” said 24-year-old Chacarra Stephens, who was pushing her baby cousin in a stroller.

“I was shot six years ago,” she said. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got hit in both legs. ​“My brother was shot. I’ve lost friends and family.”

“D‑Russ is my big brother,” said Dearie Allick (at left in photo at the top of the story), who’s 23. ​“We need a change here. He’s the perfect guy.”

“I’ve been to three funerals this year,” said 34-year-old Nate Bennett (at right in photo). Before 2011, he hadn’t been to a funeral since 2005. ​“All of them were close friends,” Bennett said. He mentioned Donell Alick, T.J. Mathis, and Sean Reeves.

“I’m very interested in stopping the violence,” said Evette Hamilton, alderwoman-elect in the Edgewood neighborhood. ​“It’s not just the police, the police, the police. It starts in the home.” She said kids today aren’t taught respect. Children need to be groomed to be leaders, she said.

Mike ​“Lord Nino” Jones (pictured), 41, had a one-word explanation for his presence: ​“Unity.”

“I was part of the violence at one time,” said Jones. ​“When I was coming up. I had to learn on my own. I’ve been shot four different times.”

“I’m here with my son,” said Marion ​“J Loader” Samuel Jr. (at left in photo), a member of the Wild Styles Motorcycle Club. His son Gary Ormond (at right) was friends with murder victim Sean Reeve and wanted to come to the rally.

“I lost friends when I was growing up” in New Haven, Samuel said. ​“He’s losing friends now. … I’m 42 and it’s still going on.”

“Talk is cheap,” said 17-year-old Ormond. ​“Actions speak louder.”

“Yale kids care too,” said Yale sophomore Kristin Horneffer (pictured), who was handing out flyers at the door and signing people in. She said she met Allick through a mutual friend and signed with Ice The Beef as a volunteer.

As the meeting wrapped up, Allick said his group plans to gather all the ideas voiced at the meeting and start working on putting together some concrete solutions.