Protestors confront Hamden Mayor nearly two weeks after officer-involved shooting

By Caitlin Fish

Protesters left the streets of Hamden on Monday and marched into Mayor Curt Balzano Leng’s, office demanding that Hamden’s police commission conduct an independent investigation of a police-involved shooting that happened two weeks prior.

Demonstrators are still requesting that Devin Eaton, the Hamden Police Department officer involved in the shooting of an unarmed couple, be fired immediately.

Mayor Leng said that he does not have the power to fire Eaton although he agrees with what the protestors are requesting.

“I have seen enough to say that I don’t think that Officer Eaton should be a Hamden police officer any longer,” Leng said.

Although Hamden PD cannot head the criminal investigation, the department’s ethics and integrity unit will also conduct its own local investigation, according to Mayor Leng.

The two officers involved are on paid leave while the investigation remains underway.

Kiesha Greene, the mother of the unarmed driver involved in the shooting, Paul Witherspoon III, addressed the media Monday and said she agrees that the officers should be fired.

Greene said that she believes the shooting does not only concern her son and Stephanie Washington, the woman who was shot, but that it’s about the community and its entirety.

“Next week it could be somebody else’s child, and I don’t want to see this happen to anyone’s kid,” Greene said.

She voiced her disappointment in not being contacted by the ministers who held the prayer service Sunday in New Haven at the Varick Memorial Church in wake of the shooting.

“How do you have that type of meeting and not have the victims there or the victim’s parents there, because aren’t you talking about the situation that happened,” she said. “Wouldn’t you want to be able to speak to us and have our voices be heard?”

The service was called Hope for Healing and community leaders joined law enforcement officials to focus on finding healing and helping to build trust between the community and law enforcement.

Jacob Schmidt, a 22-year-old Yale student from Richmond, Michigan, decided to go to the service after participating in two of the protests that happened near his school.

“It was so powerful to see everyone come together, leave their apprehensions at the door and commit to a peaceful service,” Schmidt said. “I think this is something that the community should continue to aspire to.”

Pastor of the service, Kelcy G.I Steele, said he believes religious leaders must play a part in improving the community’s policing.

“We are committed to building bridges between police and community and we understand that policing in America is facing a crisis of legitimacy and purpose,” Steele said, according to WFSB.

Connecticut State Police have yet to come to a conclusion on the investigation. During a press conference last Tuesday, the latest information on the investigation and Officer Eaton’s body cam footage from the incident were released.

The state’s public safety commissioner, James Rovella, conducted the press conference. He noted that the release of the footage marked a difference in operation procedures.

“Before we used to not show any of this until the conclusion of the investigation,” Rovella said.

Rovella said that state police do not have footage from the Yale officer Terrence Pollock because his body cam was not turned on during the time of the incident.

“In a perfect world, he would have turned on his camera sooner, but the officer was facing many stressors at the time,” he said.

Rovella revealed that the communication between Hamden PD and New Haven during the night of the shooting may have contributed to how the incident played out.

“Hamden tells New Haven that, in fact, they’ve had an armed robbery involving a firearm. They did not tell New Haven that Hamden was actually entering their city,” Rovella said.

He stated that the officers involved will not be charged until the investigation is completed. Information from officers about what was going on in their heads during the shooting is still lacking because the officers have been on leave, according to the commissioner.

“I have concerns about many different aspects of how this case was handled.”

Humans of Hamden

Jin Park, 23

“I’ve lived here since I was in the third grade. My mom was in the food business; she had a sushi restaurant in Texas. She also owned a couple nail salons and she wanted to open up a restaurant [the OZ Korean Kitchen]. It’s pretty steady. It used to be better but it’s kind of slowing down I’d say. I used to hang out at the plaza in middle school with all of my friends. I was in seventh or eighth grade just walking around the plaza, walking the trail. There are new businesses opening up everywhere. Everything is changing, definitely.”

The queens of New Haven

How the art of drag impacts one Connecticut city

By Samantha Bashaw

In between bursts of hairspray, a towering figure in six-inch heels shakes her mane. Kiki Lucia applies fake lashes with precision, masks a flat chest with flawless boob contour and cinches her waist tight to form a perfect hourglass figure. Lucia, 34-year-old drag queen extraordinaire, is ready for her show.

Kiki Lucia prepares for her performance at 168 York Street Cafe in New Haven.

She descends the wooden staircase at 168 York Street Cafe in her hot pink dress and blonde curly wig. The small room below her is packed with regulars and drag show virgins with dollar bills ready to tip their reigning queen. She cues the DJ as “Barbie Girl” blasts through the speakers. Her fuschia lips break into a smile as she lip syncs each line, spinning and dancing down the aisle with grace.

Every Friday night for four years, Lucia has performed her personalized show “Let’s Have a Kiki” at 168 York Street Cafe. She is one of the dozens of New Haven queens and is considered by some to be the “mom” of a drag scene that is starting to grow in popularity.

Read the full story here.

Hamden celebrity of the week

Linda Greenhouse, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist

Greenhouse, who grew up in Hamden, covered the Supreme Court for the New York Times from 1978 to 2007. She has written 2,100 articles for the Times since 1981. In 1988 she was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for her coverage of the Supreme Court. She currently works at Yale Law School as the Joseph Goldstein Lecturer in Law and Knight Distinguished Journalist in Residence.

A proposal to bring armed officers to Hamden’s elementary schools sparks debate

By Aliza Gray

Dunbar Hill Elementary School is one of eight Hamden schools that is considering implementing the employment of security resource officers.

In just a few weeks the Hamden Legislative Council will vote on a school budget that may include money to place armed school resource officers (SROs) in Hamden’s eight elementary schools.

However, that proposal is stirring controversy in Hamden where its opponents, mainly parents, argue that the presence of armed officers is unnecessary, and will have an overwhelming negative effect on the young students.

“It’s not a good idea to make the age younger and younger when kids are interacting with the police when it’s not needed,” Hamden elementary school parent Jennifer Pope said.

SROs have been fixtures in Hamden’s middle and high schools for years, and their presence as an additional safety measure has been widely accepted by parents, teachers and students alike. The success of these programs have led many community leaders, including Mayor Curt Leng to supporting expanding them to Hamden’s elementary schools. Pending approval from the legislative council, Mayor Leng’s proposal would bring in two Hamden police officers as SROs, who would serve in each school on a rotating basis.

Pope, founder of the Hamden Progressive Action Network (HamPAN), is an outspoken critic of the mayor’s motion. She began HamPAN after the results of the 2016 presidential election inspired her to take on a more active role in politics. During the past three years, HamPAN has focused primarily on issues at the municipal and state levels. Now, its turned its attention to keeping SROs out of elementary schools.

In March, HamPAN created a petition to halt Mayor Leng’s proposal. Citing a report from Connecticut Voices for Children, Pope voiced concern about the effect SROs have on minority students, namely students of color and those with disabilities. The results of the study, which analyzed the effect of SROs on 1000 students across the state in grades K-12, were published earlier this month.

“There are some troubling things in that report…minorities have more contact with the SROs than their white counterparts,” Pope said. “Overwhelmingly the research shows that having SROs in schools doesn’t make them safer.”

Numerous leaders in the school district would disagree. Daniel Levy has been the principal of West Woods Elementary School for the last five years. He argues that, in his experience, SROs serve a crucial role in the school district.

“I worked very closely, for a long time, with Hamden SROs, and really the SRO program is the physical manifestation of the close partnership between the police department and the school system,” Levy said. “What we had always done by working together was promote a safe and welcoming school climate conducive to learning.”

Prior to working West Woods, Levy served as the principal of Hamden Middle School for several years. During that time, he said he witnessed firsthand the positive impact that SROs had on students.

“SROs repeatedly built trusting relationships with students. I had one SRO [at Hamden Middle School], Officer [Andrea] Vay…she used to play violin in our school orchestra with the kids,” Levy said. “Having strong relationships with adults who care for them, who can assist them, is so important.”

Jody Goeler, superintendent for the Hamden school district, echoes Levy’s sentiment, adding that the presence of SROs facilitates a safe learning environment.

“Because there’s so many of them and so few of us, it’s very important that if our students see something or are involved with something that presents a safety concern to them that they have immediate access to and a trusting relationship with a police officer so they can get the help they need,” Goeler said. “They work effectively with our security guards as well, and they also work effectively with our administration.”

Goeler went on to say that should a crisis occur, having officers in the school would be hugely beneficial in minimizing the threat and protecting students.

“[SROs] are effective on a variety of levels. If there are issues relating to say a bomb scare or other kind of safety concern, we have people in those schools who are immediately accessible to help us address those concerns and maintain the safety of our students,” Goeler said.

Not only would these officers be a familiar face to students during an emergency, but Principal Levy also pointed out that having SROs cycle through schools would give them a chance to get familiar with the physical layout of the buildings, allowing them to act more quickly in a crisis.

“God forbid if they needed to respond to a school, they’d be familiar with the layout,” Levy said. “We don’t want to be experiencing a response for the first time in an actual emergency.”

As superintendent, Goeler also created a budget proposal for the upcoming school year, and it does not include funds for bringing officers into Hamden’s elementary schools. Despite understanding the benefits, he believes there are better ways to use the money to meet the needs of the community. Of the issues students in Hamden are facing, Goeler believes that a lack of mental health resources is the most pressing. His proposal features funds set aside for the purpose of bringing mental health professionals into the schools.

Goeler explained that, in an ideal scenario, there would be enough money in the town’s budget to finance both an SRO program at the elementary school level in addition to mental health resources. Given the limited budget however, Goeler stands behind his proposal to use the funds to promote the mental health of students.

“If I had my druthers and money wasn’t an issue, I wouldn’t be opposed to having SROs in all of our buildings because I’ve seen that work in other districts,” Goeler said. “In an environment where we have only a finite amount of dollars, I want to put them towards the kind of support that our students need to access their education. Right now, those needs center around mental health support.”

Stop and Shop Strike Ended

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After more then three months of negotiations and eleven days on strike, Stop & Shop workers have reached a tentative agreement with the Supermarket chain and went back to work this past Sunday. The employees at more then 240 Stop and Shops across Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island reached a deal with the Super Market chain which gives them better pay and health care coverage.

Quinnipiac student Alex Bernstein said that he believes that full time workers should be given benefits. “I definitely think that they deserve full time rights I mean right now they work them like thirty-nine and a half hours a week so they don’t get the forty hours so that way they get the benefits so it’s just kind of corporate greed.”

Super market chains such as Aldi, Costco, and Shop Rite offer their employees health insurance, dental insurance and more, causing potential competition in hiring. During the strike there was more then just competition with employees but also with shoppers. Students say they chose to shop at Aldi and Shop Rite during the strike forcing Stop and Shop to loose business.

“I usually shop at Stop and Shop to get my groceries,” said Quinnipiac student Emily Dryzgual. “But because they were on strike last week I went to Shop Rite which I guess is bad for their business because all the students are shopping at their competitors now.”

Shop Rite offers more then just health insurance coverage to their employees and includes a competitive 401 (k), auto home and pet insurance and tuition reimbursement. The Stop and Shop workers on strike included cashiers, stockers, bakers, deli clerks and butchers. During the strike, Stop & Shop employees argued that the chain’s parent company, Ahold Delhaize, reported profits of more than $2 billion to its shareholders last year, and could afford to compensate workers better.

Democratic presidential candidates including Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren supported the workers through out the strike. Warren tweeted out saying “Congratulations to @UFCW and the 31,000 @StopandShop workers who are back on the job today after striking to secure fair wages, health and retirement benefits for workers. When we fight together, we win.”

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The union said in a statement: “The agreement preserves health care and retirement benefits, provides wage increases, and maintains time-and-a-half pay on Sunday for current members.” Details of the proposed three-year agreement will not be made public until the 31,000 union members across five locals ratify the contract. Voting will begin this week.

Making way for Quinnipiac’s new strategic plan

Vice president of admissions and financial aid to leave the university

By Rachael Durand

Judy Olian is putting her strategic plan into action by making room for a new senior cabinet.

Olian announced in a recent email to faculty and staff that three vice presidents will leave Quinnipiac University at the beginning of the 2019-20 academic year.

Greg Eichhorn, who oversees admissions and financial aid, is gone at the end of June.

Joining him in an administrative exodus — but via retirements after years of service — are Lynn Bushnell, vice president for public affairs, and Don Weinbach, who has been at the helm of the development and alumni affairs office since 1996. Executive Vice President and Provost Mark Thompson announced earlier this semester that he has taken the job of president at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. His last day at Quinnipiac, after a 21-year tenure, is May 31.

Greg Eichhorn

Lynn Bushnell

Don Weinbach

Mark Thompson

Unlike the retirements and Thompson’s departure for a higher position, Eichhorn is leaving under different circumstances — he no longer fits into Olian’s plans.

The strategic plan is designed to develop Quinnipiac into a university of the future. That future did not have room for Eichhorn.

“There is a strategic shift in this position and I accept that,” Eichhorn said. “The conversations I have had with the president and provost are about the future and the strategic plan for it.”

Eichhorn, who was accompanied during the interview by John Morgan, associate vice president for public affairs, denied he was being forced out, saying his departure was a mutual decision.

“After discussions with the president and the provost, we’ve agreed that the position is going in a different direction and this is the best thing for the institution,” Eichhorn said. “And that’s what I care about.”

Eichhorn’s tenure was short. He came to the university only three years ago after serving a 24-year tenure at Albright University in Pennsylvania.

“Candidly, I was in a great place at Albright and loved it,” Eichhorn said. “Quinnipiac recruited me for a while and it finally got to the point where we said as a family, this is a great opportunity and I’ve got to take it, and I did.”

As the vice president for admissions and financial aid, Eichhorn has been in charge of overseeing graduate and undergraduate admissions and all aspects of financial aid.

An e-mail from Olian sent to faculty, staff and students on Jan. 29 regarding the strategic plan.

The strategic plan, which Thompson first introduced to the Faculty Senate in late January, has four main points to be carried out over the next few years.

The purpose of this plan is to build an institution-wide mindset to prepare graduates for citizenship and 21st-century careers; create an inclusive, excellence-driven community; nurture and positively impact internal, local and global communities; and foster lifelong connections and success, according to the first draft of the Quinnipiac Strategic Plan.

Called “A blueprint for the future,” the plan took shape after faculty and staff worked in task forces to create original drafts. Olian then collated these drafts and is weighing feedback from town hall-style meetings.

The fourth of the four prongs addressed in the plan is “to foster lifelong success and communities,” which directly involves the office Eichhorn oversees.

“This position will move a little more from a recruiting (and the) financial aid program to what’s called enrollment management,” Eichhorn said. “So, it will be involved with those aspects as well as some retention aspects with the position, that’s the biggest change — and be more involved with the provost.”

With Eichhorn leaving and the position reshaped, the search for his successor is underway.

Eichhorn said he thinks that the right person can lead the university to greater things.

“A talented person that is supported can help raise the institution to the next level,” Eichhorn said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for the person that will come into this seat after me.”

As for Eichhorn, he will seek employment in higher education, but, he hopes, with more responsibilities.

“I want to do something similar to what I am doing now,” Eichhorn said. “Maybe for a smaller institution where I have more than just admissions and financial aid. That’s what I had at Albright — I had athletics, I had camps and conferences, so I am looking potentially for more things under the umbrella.”

Eichhorn says what’s next for him will always be a family decision.

“We are fortunate I have some options,” Eichhorn said. “We are literally weighing those and doing some travel to those locations to see what is right for my wife, my son and I.”

According to a letter to the editor published in the New Haven Register, the strategic plan has the full support of the Quinnipiac board of trustees said chairman William Weldon on behalf of the the board.

The final draft of the strategic plan will be released to faculty on May 3.

Quinnipiac to celebrate inauguration of President Olian next week

By Kirby Paulson

After 31 years, the holder of Quinnipiac University’s executive office changed with the arrival of Judy Olian as the ninth president last July. During the week of April 30, she will be inaugurated with a university-wide celebration.

The events include an inauguration ceremony at the People’s United Center on May 1, faculty talks and “A Taste of the Arts,” among others.

“It is deeply humbling to be entrusted with the leadership of a university as dynamic and well-regarded as Quinnipiac,” President Olian said on a Quinnipiac Now post. “As we build the University of Your Future, we take the first symbolic steps as a Quinnipiac family along with our guests at the People’s United Center on May 1. I am grateful that the inauguration committee has programmed events throughout the celebration days to bring our community together to learn, to serve and to celebrate.”

A list of events that are included in the Inauguration Ceremony. (Courtesy: Quinnipiac University ) — A list of events that are included in the Inauguration Ceremony. (Courtesy: Quinnipiac University)

One gathering of particular interest during the week is a TedX event, the second of its kind for the community with the first one held in 2014. A TedX event includes speakers who present powerful ideas and speeches. The theme of the event is “Your Future.”

Quinnipiac senior and TedX host Joel Vanner also spoke of this idea and how it relates to the president’s strategic plan.

“What we’re really looking for this year is people to really come out and talk about the topic of your future,” he said. “I know it’s something that President Olian really touched upon in her strategic plan is that this is positioning Quinnipiac to to be the university of your future.”

Olian has shown her commitment to students in the form of different improvements coming down the line including the affiliation of club sports, the installment of air conditioning in residence halls in coming years and the increase of the Student Government Association budget.

“I think President Olian is really committed to listening to the students, finding out what we need and want, and working her hardest to see it become a reality,” SGA President Austin Calvo said. “I didn’t have the best start to my relationship with President Olian, but she has proven herself time and time again as the leader Quinnipiac needs.”

Calvo believes that the events will be an accurate representation of the future.

“I think they’re going to be really cool,” Calvo said. “We rarely get to see a presidential inauguration, and the events planned seem like they’re really going to represent the future of Quinnipiac, with President Olian at the helm.”

The community can find additional information about the scheduled celebration on the university’s official inauguration web page.

President Olian announces new improvements to Quinnipiac facilities

President Judy Olian in a recent video explaining what to look forward to in the coming months and years at Quinnipiac. Screenshot via Quinnipiac University.

Students have complained about Quinnipiac’s tuition and where their money goes throughout most of their years at the university. However, on April 16, President Judy Olian posted a video to her personal Instagram and Twitter detailing new changes to residence halls and student center facilities.

“(In) Mid-May, we’ll begin updating our residence halls on Mount Carmel starting with Perlroth, Larson and Troupe and we will be adding air conditioning,” Olian said in the video. “We plan to upgrade the remaining halls in the next few years.”

Justin Ellis, a 20-year-old English major from King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, thinks this is some of the best news he has heard since coming to Quinnipiac two years ago.

“The lack of air conditioning in buildings has been one of the larger complaints of the student body and to see President Olian make strides to change that I’m sure is just a part of what she has in store for us in the coming years,” Ellis said.

Other changes include refurbishing the Rocky Top Student Center with new furniture, a pool table, television and a full functioning bar with food services. The Student Government Association has worked on the Rocky Top pub initiative for about a year with senior class president Allison Kuhn and senior representative Joe Iasso drafting the proposal that received Olian’s thumbs up.

“I’m thrilled that university administration took such quick action to add something students wanted on campus,” Iasso said. “I am so excited to come back as an alumnus and visit the campus pub, I think it will be a great place for us to draw connections to each other and our alma mater.”

Although these future plans have most of the student body excited for the future of Quinnipiac, Matthew Forcino, a 20-year-old finance major from Cranston, Rhode Island, noted one important detail in Olian’s announcement.

“President Olian did add in the caveat that these plans are subject to trustee approval, indicating that they are not set in stone,” Forcino said. “I hope that this is just a cautious statement rather than an indication that these plans might not come to fruition.”

With the timeline for the improvements set to begin at the end of the semester and into the summer, students are hoping to see their large tuition bill going toward significant changes at Quinnipiac.

“The residence hall updates are not so much a necessity as it is an expectation of a school where tuition is over $65,000,” Forcino said. “I’m glad to see that administration has listened to what the student body wants.”

Stop & Shop reaches tentative agreement with striking employees

By Kirby Paulson

A post on Facebook by UFCW Local 371 announcing that an agreement has been reached.

After an 11 day strike, Stop & Shop and local unions have reached tentative three-year agreements that will end the labor dispute.

“We are very pleased to announce Stop & Shop has reached fair new tentative agreements with UFCW Locals 328, 371, 919, 1445 and 1459, which represent our 31,000 associates in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island,” the Stop & Shop statement said, “We’re also glad to have our associates return to work as the strike has ended.”

The statement also includes some details of what is included in the agreement including increased pay.

“The tenative three-year agreements, which are subject to ratification votes by members of each of the union locals, include:

Increased pay for all associates;
Continued excellent health coverage for eligible associates; and
Ongoing defined benefit pension benefits for all eligible associates.”

Stop & Shops official update located on its labor page.

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union also released a statement regarding the agreements.

“Under this proposed contract, our members will be able to focus on continuing to help customers in our communities enjoy the best shopping experience possible and to keep Stop & Shop the number one grocery store in New England,” it said. “The agreement preserves health care and retirement benefits, provides wage increases, and maintains time-and-a-half pay on Sunday for current members.”

UFCW Local 371 posted news about the negotiation on its Facebook page informing workers of the agreement and announcing information on the next steps.

“Members, as of minutes ago, we have reached a tentative agreement with Stop & Shop. For the time being, all department managers and regularly scheduled daytime full-time should report to their store at 7:30 a.m. Monday,” the post said. “For all additional full- and part-time members, you should receive a phone call from your store no later than 12pm tomorrow to get your schedule for the week. If you do not receive a call, please call your store for your schedule.”

Strikers will also receive some money for their efforts according to the post.

“Monetary benefits from the strike fund will still be coming soon for those who were on the lines,” the post stated.

In order to get back on track, Stop & Shop says it will focus on restocking its stores.

“Our associates’ top priority will be restocking our stores so we can return to taking care of our customers and communities and providing them with the service they deserve,” the statement said. “We deeply appreciate the patience and understanding of our customers during this time, and we look forward to welcoming them back to Stop & Shop.”

Union members are urged to attend their local ratification meetings in order to receive full details on the agreements.

“We strongly encourage you to attend your Local’s contract ratification meeting for a complete and detailed report of what is in the contract,” the UFCW Local 371 said. “We will send you immediate notices of when and where your Local’s meeting will be.”

The post ended with a thank you to all of those involved for their efforts.

“The message you sent by collectively standing up for yourselves, your families, and for good jobs, has resonated not only with the company, but all of America,” it read. “Thank you for everything that you’ve done.”