Anthony: Shoot marbles, not guns.
The word on the street at Dixwell Plaza Friday was: Paying rent, and staying safe.
Those two goals were at the top of Anthony’s mind at around 9:40 a.m. when he spoke with this “Word on the Street” correspondent for WNHH FM’s “LoveBabz Love Talk” radio program.
Anthony was born and raised in the old Elm Haven/Ashmun Street projects (since razed and rebuilt as Monterey Place), and still lives in the Dixwell neighborhood.
We caught up with him as he took a quick smoke break by his truck in the neighborhood’s soon-to-be-redeveloped mid-century shopping plaza while his girlfriend shopped at the nearby Mid‑K Beauty Supply store.
How did he plan on spending his Friday?
“Just going around paying bills, staying positive, paying rent,” he replied with a smile.
And what’s the word on the street in Dixwell right now?
“The word on the street is: Stop the violence,” Anthony said. “Keep the kids safe. Stop the shooting. Let’s all unite, and keep the peace.”
He pointed across Dixwell Avenue to where the gleaming newly rebuilt Q House community center recently opened its doors.
“Let the kids come around and have a good season, a good summer, a good year this year,” he said.
What does he remember most about growing up in the former Ashmun Street projects?
All of the games he and his friends would play, Anthony said. Marbles. Tag. Hide and seek. Football. Baseball. “I miss that.”
“Kids don’t know about marbles” anymore, he added with dismay.
A safe neighborhood — a safe city — means having safe and fun activities for kids, he concluded. So put the guns down. Shoot marbles instead.
Click on the above video to watch the full conversation with Anthony on Friday’s “Word on the Street” segment on WNHH FM’s “LoveBabz LoveTalk.” Click on the red pins in the map below for previous “Word on the Street” articles.
Good word Anthony. We might need to teach some adults how to ‘play’ with their kids too! And Tom Breen is thr G.O.A.T.!!!