Anti-Violence Walk-Talkers Hit West Rock Streets

While celebrating his birthday on his Westville Manor front steps with his two granddaughters, Jose Valentin shared his perspectives of gun violence in New Haven with a group of 15 adults walking the neighborhood to talk to residents about stopping the violence.

Valentin (pictured above) works at a barbershop in the Hill. He agreed that all violence, especially gun violence, needs to stop.

Valentin said he sometimes deals with angry and violent youth at his barbershop. ​“These kids think ignorance is a joke,” he said.

Valentin blamed the government for making it hard to parent nowadays: ​“All these services out there won’t let you parent, so I think that’s why these kids are out here like this. Everybody loses when they won’t let you parent.”

The exchanged occurred during a neighborhood walk organized by former West Rock Alder Carlton Staggers. Staggers had organized another group of New Haveners to walk through the Newhallville neighborhood last Monday asking residents to stand against gun violence and encourage youth to put the guns down.

The group of 15 walked through West Rock’s Westville Manor and Rockview Circle neighborhoods Saturday afternoon for the second event.

Current West Rock Alder Honda Smith joined the group while also handing out packs of reusable face masks to residents. Staggers and Smith led the group around the neighborhood knocking on residents’ doors and chatting with those enjoying the sunny day on their front steps.

Leading up to Saturday’s second gathering, Staggers reached out to community leaders on Facebook in hopes of bringing more people into neighborhoods to show youth the many people that care. ​“Even when people aren’t taking it seriously, I’m going to keep doing this,” he said. 

CT Against Gun Violence (CAGV) Executive Director Jeremy Stein and Director of Community Outreach Terra Volpe walked with the group to support the community and Smith. ​“This is what we need. A community that talks the talk and walks the walk,” said Stein.

After Smith knocked on Westville Manor resident Elizabeth Yarbrough’s door, Staggers told her why the group was walking. ​“We need our village back,” he said. Yarbrough, who raises her two grandkids, said she was comforted by the group passing by.

“I’m afraid to let them go outside sometimes. I appreciate that they’re out here. I won’t have to be as afraid if the kids are outside,” she said.

Some walkers wore T‑shirts memorializing Kiana Brown, the 19-year-old former Hillhouse basketball champ killed in her sleep by a bullet meant for someone else. Staggers wore a shirt that read ​“It takes a village” on the front and continued with ​“to stop the violence” on the back.

“We’re out here walking today to stand against gun violence in New Haven. We’re tired of these kids getting shot and killed. We want to tell our kids out here that we care about them and that they’re better than the violence and killing,” Staggers said to a family sitting on their front porch.

“I wish they would put their guns down so these kids can have a childhood,” responded one resident.

The group made a stop at a cookout on Wayfarer Street, where a resident grilled hotdogs and hamburgers on his front lawn for his neighbors and anybody passing by. Smith promised the griller, Reggie, she would stop by. ​“Thank you guys for being out here for our kids,” Reggie said. 

“Violence is violence, and we want to stop it all,” said Smith.

The group also stopped by a youth-organized wrestling match in a Westville Manor backyard. Ice the Beef President Chaz Carmon said he hopes to arrange with the boys to find them indoor space to wrestle. ​“I’ll support anything and everything that keeps these kids out of trouble,” he said.

Carmon walked with the group, proud that ​“the community is getting up off their butts.”

Staggers said the group’s next gathering will be on Tuesday around the Quinnipiac area at 6 p.m. A specific location is still in the works.

Iva Johnson, Ward 30 Democratic committee chair, joined the group’s walk after canvasing the West Rock neighborhood with Jason Bartlett collecting signatures from registered voters to get Bartlett on the Nov. 3 ballot as an independent running for State Senate. ​“Some of these kids only ever wake up to gun violence. We need to give them hope, opportunity, and care,” she said.