nothin SoHu Turns 3 | New Haven Independent

SoHu Turns 3

Cristina Costantini Photo

When a 9‑year old boy went missing in a section of East Rock this summer, the South of Humphrey or SoHu” community was prepared. People were out of their houses in minutes after receiving my email”, recalled Lisa Siedlarz, president of the SoHu Neighborhood Association. After scouring the streets for about an hour, concerned neighbors who had been notified of the missing child by Siedlarz’s email alert found the boy and returned him to his worried family.

Sidelarz told the story Saturday as neighbors came together once again — this time to celebrate their new sense of community.

With help from various sponsors, the SoHu Neighborhood Association hired a band, rented a moon bounce, and set up a barbecue on Pleasant Street for its third annual neighborhood block party.

The South of Humphrey or SoHu” neighborhood is mostly comprised of the neighbors living on Pearl, Clark and Pleasant Streets, with a spillover onto State and Orange Streets, and through out the greater East Rock neighborhood,” Siedlarz said.

Siedlarz was instrumental in the founding of the neighborhood association. She spends her spare time organizing community events and sending out a newsletter to the 325 members of the SoHu community concerning upcoming local events, crime alerts, and missing animal notices. Over the summer, Siedarz’s newsletter proved itself indispensable when neighbors organized within minutes to find the lost child.

Lifetime SoHu residents Lisa Siediarz, president of SoHu Neighborhood Association, and Matt Smith, candidate in Ward 9 aldermanic race.

The neighborhood association started as a block watch initiative” to address and prevent waves of crime in the area. It has matured into a community organization devoted to far more than just crime prevention. Other community projects have included neighborhood movie screenings, a tree planting initiative, coat and toy drives, and even a fundraiser for the New Haven police department’s new narcotics dogs Nia and Orvis.

Adam King, manager of the Kids Table three years running.

On Saturday, the street was buzzing with young families, graduate students, and children. Business is good this year at the Kids Table,” said Adam King, professor of Computer Science at Fairfield University. This was his third year running the table.

While applying a temporary tattoo to a child’s face, he speculated as to the reasons for the improved turnout at his station: We lowered the table, got some stickers, a rug, and I brought out these two kittens here. They’ve really been a hit.”

A voter registration table was set up, too. And organizers raised money for an upcoming movie night. (Showing: Pirates of the Caribbean and Willy Wonka.)

Neighbors spoke about how much they love living in SoHu. They also spoke about the new energy the neighborhood group has injected into the area, about the informative emails Siedlarz sends out.

Raj Vir and Manju Singh with children.

Safety and crime remain big concerns for residents of the neighborhood. SoHu neighbor Raj Vir Singh has had his 1994 Honda Accord — worth $600 — stolen two separate times in the last year, most recently 15 days ago. According to Singh, the police suggested that he buy a newer model with parts that don’t lure car thieves as easilly. He has since found a new parking spot for his vehicle, but now cannot use his car in the evening because it is parked too far from his house. They’ve even stolen a baby stroller!” said Singh. 

Liz Subrahmanyan and grandson Graham Subrahmanyan.

Another Sohu-er, Lakshman Subrahmanyan, echoed Singh’s concerns. Subrahmanyan, father of Graham Subrahmanyan (pictured), moved from his old neighborhood at Chapel and Dwight after being mugged while with his wife, who was then pregnant with their son. Although they moved to SoHu because of safety concerns, he still worries about Graham’s well-being in the neighborhood. According to Subrahmanyan, the neighborhood association has helped build a sense of community, encourage neighbors to watch out for one another, and also encourage the police to be vigilant in the area.”

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