Curfew Dead, Aldermen Call For A Plan — Fast

The Board of Aldermen unofficially rejected the youth curfew Wednesday night. Something needs to be done about youth violence, aldermen agreed, but they said they heard the message from residents at three well-attended public meetings that programs — not penalties — are needed.

The aldermanic Committee of the Whole let the dormant curfew proposal die rather than come up for a vote.

At the same meeting, Downtown alderwoman Bitsie Clark had good news for angry taxpayers: the new ​“Street Outreach Worker” program is going to run on private, not public money, with seven-eighths of the cost already accounted for.

“We sat and listened to the kids tell us what to do,” said Bishop Woods Alderman Gerald Antunes. ​“Now they’re sitting back and waiting for us.”

With summer approaching, aldermen from the Hill, West River, and Newhalville wanted to see concrete proposals.

“The reality is: we have done nothing. We’ve talked about things. We know about what we want to do, but we have done nothing,” said West River Alderman Yusuf Shah, who cosponsored the proposed curfew, then withdrew his support for it after hearing from the public. ​“We need to act on behalf of these young people. When I saw these young people testify, saying ​‘No, we don’t want this — but we need something else because there is nothing to do,’ that was an outcry.”

Dwight Alderwoman Joyce Chen, who also cosponsored the curfew, said the ​“hidden purpose” of the curfew was to engage parents. After hearing testimony, she said no proposal will work that penalizes parents rather than offering resources.

Board President Carl Goldfield said the public hearings were a step in the right direction.

“We’ve moved the ball down the field to some degree,” Goldfield said.

Bitsie Clark said she has helped solicit $350,000 for the street outreach worker program from private investors — just $50,000 less than the total money the program will cost. Yale, The Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, and Casey Children’s fund each donated a quarter of the total costs of the program, and Empower New Haven contributed $50,000.

Clark also said she just returned from a visit to Harlem Children’s Zone, a program that literally rewards parents (with gift cards) for good behavior. She said local non-profits are interested in bringing a similar program to New Haven.

Chen, who had to leave early because of an engagement related to her law school studies, said she walked away from the public hearings with the impression that New Haven parents have low expectations for their kids. 

“They only value being able to have their kids out after 10,” Chen said, adding that children need to be well rested in order to prepare for life other than out on the street.

When she was a teenager, she would not have been out after 10 p.m. unless she was doing something for school, Chen said.

Newhalville Alderman Charles Blango said some parents can’t be there for their kids. After welfare reform has forced people to take up two or three jobs, Blango said, some parents are simply stretched too thin.

“When we talk about education, the playing field is not exactly even,” said Blango. ​“A 13- year-old kid gets arrested for carrying a box-cutter, when that info comes up the employers aren’t going to want anything to do with him.”

Shah wanted to know where the money for youth programs is currently going, and whom — meaning from what neighborhoods, social class, and race — are theses programs primarily serving.

“I also asked staff from Board of Aldermen to give a list of how much money we have expended to so-called ​‘youth programs’ in the city of New Haven, and I have not seen anything,” Shah said. ​“The point is we have spent million of dollars on youth and nothing has come of it. We have not seen any demographics, no one has come to testify on what they’re doing with this money.”

Blango also wanted to see the money.

“Open up some of them centers,” Blango said. He suggested recording studios, art centers, and computer labs. ​“Some of those kids think they’re recording artists. Get them in a studio,” Blango said. ​“Let’s get a list [of kids in city sponsored programs], and I guarantee you none of those kids you say you’re trying to save is on that list.”

Hill Alderman Jorge Perez said questions still need to be answered, such as: What happened to that $1 million youth initiative received at the beginning of the year?

“I can’t believe we’ve spent all of that money,” Perez said. ​“But I guess with government, anything is possible.”

Edgewood Alderwoman Elizabeth McCormack agreed.

“We don’t have anything yet, except — I’m sorry to say this — a lot of lip service,” McCormack said.