Comments on: The roots of a breakdown… http://www.ionhartford.com/2007/03/05/the-roots-of-a-breakdown/ notes from a native son Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:52:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Aneisha http://www.ionhartford.com/2007/03/05/the-roots-of-a-breakdown/comment-page-1/#comment-18391 Aneisha Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:18:22 +0000 http://www.ionhartford.com/2007/03/05/the-roots-of-a-breakdown/#comment-18391 I never knew that people can turn a gang into a pile of savages to kill people that have families in the world. (Benny Gonzalez) was my uncle and due to the fact that this happened in the 1980s I never got to meet him. His children grew up without a father and a role model to look up at. It is a shame that we his family did not get to enjoy him now. My father suffered a lot in all this time and still is suffering this was his little baby brother that he strongly loved with all his heart. People are so cruel and then again they must have had no compassion for his children that woke up everyday without daddy being there. It is a shame because the year he got killed he had two one year old kids and they never knew who daddy was but in pictures. Almost thirty years are going by and now he missed out on his grandchildren which he will never hold or see. From everything I heards through my father he was a great person with a big heart and always wanted to help everybody out. Everything got taken from him through a viscious set up of people that said that they were his friends and set him up. I hope nothing for everyone that had to do something with his murder because there is a GOD out there and what goes around always comes around. I know that GOD will punish everyone in the worst way possible ever. I love you UNCLE BENNY and we your family have always missed you especially your children that had to grow up without you. I never knew that people can turn a gang into a pile of savages to kill people that have families in the world. (Benny Gonzalez) was my uncle and due to the fact that this happened in the 1980s I never got to meet him. His children grew up without a father and a role model to look up at. It is a shame that we his family did not get to enjoy him now. My father suffered a lot in all this time and still is suffering this was his little baby brother that he strongly loved with all his heart. People are so cruel and then again they must have had no compassion for his children that woke up everyday without daddy being there. It is a shame because the year he got killed he had two one year old kids and they never knew who daddy was but in pictures. Almost thirty years are going by and now he missed out on his grandchildren which he will never hold or see. From everything I heards through my father he was a great person with a big heart and always wanted to help everybody out. Everything got taken from him through a viscious set up of people that said that they were his friends and set him up. I hope nothing for everyone that had to do something with his murder because there is a GOD out there and what goes around always comes around. I know that GOD will punish everyone in the worst way possible ever. I love you UNCLE BENNY and we your family have always missed you especially your children that had to grow up without you.

]]> By: Politics in the Zeros_archi »Blog Archive » Schoolyard shooting in Hartford CT http://www.ionhartford.com/2007/03/05/the-roots-of-a-breakdown/comment-page-1/#comment-92 Politics in the Zeros_archi »Blog Archive » Schoolyard shooting in Hartford CT Fri, 09 Mar 2007 05:24:27 +0000 http://www.ionhartford.com/2007/03/05/the-roots-of-a-breakdown/#comment-92 [...] IOnHartford, who clearly knows the history, details the years of purposeful neglect, the rise of street gangs, and the poverty that led to this. Their post is titled The roots of a breakdown… Now let’s tale a look at what happened at Burns School. Violence at Hartford High runs like clockwork. Northenders goto the 3rd floor (where the International students [Latinos] take class) and get beatdown. Southenders, in turn are the victims when they goto the cafeteria. The cafeteria ends up reflecting this tension with both sides, both colors, both oppressed peoples seperating themselves. All the while, the adults who otherwise might be interacting with the youth on a positive scale are made to act like sentries at Attica waiting for the next race riot. [...] [...] IOnHartford, who clearly knows the history, details the years of purposeful neglect, the rise of street gangs, and the poverty that led to this. Their post is titled The roots of a breakdown… Now let’s tale a look at what happened at Burns School. Violence at Hartford High runs like clockwork. Northenders goto the 3rd floor (where the International students [Latinos] take class) and get beatdown. Southenders, in turn are the victims when they goto the cafeteria. The cafeteria ends up reflecting this tension with both sides, both colors, both oppressed peoples seperating themselves. All the while, the adults who otherwise might be interacting with the youth on a positive scale are made to act like sentries at Attica waiting for the next race riot. [...]

]]> By: Bob Morris http://www.ionhartford.com/2007/03/05/the-roots-of-a-breakdown/comment-page-1/#comment-91 Bob Morris Fri, 09 Mar 2007 04:46:11 +0000 http://www.ionhartford.com/2007/03/05/the-roots-of-a-breakdown/#comment-91 I just moved back to the Hartford area from Los Angeles. These problems are nationwide. Schools become like prisons, the poorer areas get even poorer. Building more prisons is a swell way to funnel favors and money, and to make clean money vanish and dirty money get cleaned up. Then politicians get elected by screaming about getting tough on crime. Meanwhile, areas like Hartford just get poorer and less able to cope as the better-off burbs suck the money and jobs out of it. One structural problem here is that there are no counties with actual power and money, so there's no regional planning and resources. If MetLife moves to Bloomfield, Hartford loses those 2,000 jobs and tax base completely. If there were real counties here, they'd still get some funding rather than nothing. I just moved back to the Hartford area from Los Angeles. These problems are nationwide. Schools become like prisons, the poorer areas get even poorer.

Building more prisons is a swell way to funnel favors and money, and to make clean money vanish and dirty money get cleaned up. Then politicians get elected by screaming about getting tough on crime.

Meanwhile, areas like Hartford just get poorer and less able to cope as the better-off burbs suck the money and jobs out of it.

One structural problem here is that there are no counties with actual power and money, so there’s no regional planning and resources. If MetLife moves to Bloomfield, Hartford loses those 2,000 jobs and tax base completely. If there were real counties here, they’d still get some funding rather than nothing.

]]> By: Steve http://www.ionhartford.com/2007/03/05/the-roots-of-a-breakdown/comment-page-1/#comment-90 Steve Thu, 08 Mar 2007 23:01:43 +0000 http://www.ionhartford.com/2007/03/05/the-roots-of-a-breakdown/#comment-90 Very interesting. I remember the 90s and the rise in youth violence in Hartford, as well as the other cities in Connecticut. It's just such a relief to know that once all that incoming cash from the downtown revitalization trickles into the neighborhoods this will all end. Of course, we could also just build more prisons since that's such an effective tool at reducing violence. Why invest in children and social services, when you can spend twice as much in policing and corporate welfare? Very interesting. I remember the 90s and the rise in youth violence in Hartford, as well as the other cities in Connecticut. It’s just such a relief to know that once all that incoming cash from the downtown revitalization trickles into the neighborhoods this will all end. Of course, we could also just build more prisons since that’s such an effective tool at reducing violence. Why invest in children and social services, when you can spend twice as much in policing and corporate welfare?

]]> By: Martha Kelly http://www.ionhartford.com/2007/03/05/the-roots-of-a-breakdown/comment-page-1/#comment-89 Martha Kelly Wed, 07 Mar 2007 08:46:28 +0000 http://www.ionhartford.com/2007/03/05/the-roots-of-a-breakdown/#comment-89 You go, Luis. I called the Parisky Group on the teen pregnancy thing. I wil let you know what I get as a response. I testified for the latest Environmental Justice bill at the Environment and Technology Committee last night, at around 10 pm. We could use your support for SB 1330. Contact Dr Mark Mitchell, MD, MPH, of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice at 548-1133 for language and details. You go, Luis.

I called the Parisky Group on the teen pregnancy thing. I wil let you know what I get as a response.

I testified for the latest Environmental Justice bill at the Environment and Technology Committee last night, at around 10 pm. We could use your support for SB 1330. Contact Dr Mark Mitchell, MD, MPH, of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice at 548-1133 for language and details.

]]> By: Bob Morris http://www.ionhartford.com/2007/03/05/the-roots-of-a-breakdown/comment-page-1/#comment-88 Bob Morris Tue, 06 Mar 2007 15:26:33 +0000 http://www.ionhartford.com/2007/03/05/the-roots-of-a-breakdown/#comment-88 Wow. Excellent, thoughtful post. I just moved back to Connecticut after many years away, blog at polizeros.com, and will link to this post soon. Wow. Excellent, thoughtful post. I just moved back to Connecticut after many years away, blog at polizeros.com, and will link to this post soon.

]]> By: Erik http://www.ionhartford.com/2007/03/05/the-roots-of-a-breakdown/comment-page-1/#comment-87 Erik Tue, 06 Mar 2007 14:00:07 +0000 http://www.ionhartford.com/2007/03/05/the-roots-of-a-breakdown/#comment-87 That was a very interesting, very insightful post...thanks. Though I dont have an answer either, I believe Hartford needs to change its policies and investments drastically. For too long Hartford has focused on big ticket projects that will be the panacea for all the city's ills, while the quality of life for the existing residents has gone downhill. No one has addressed quality of life crimes or done the little things like vigorously address deteriorating buildings a la the broken windows theory (I know it has come under fire by social psychologists as of late). Hartford is doing a great job of attracting young people to inject some vibrance into downtown, but those people who are able to do wo will leave as soon as they begin to think about their kids attending a Hartford public school. There is a great influx of more affluent empty nesters moving downtown as well...but just wait until the drag racing begins downtown again this summer. Bottom line is that the City has tried to import a solution rather than build a grassroots solution from within the neighborhoods. That was a very interesting, very insightful post…thanks.
Though I dont have an answer either, I believe Hartford needs to change its policies and investments drastically. For too long Hartford has focused on big ticket projects that will be the panacea for all the city’s ills, while the quality of life for the existing residents has gone downhill.
No one has addressed quality of life crimes or done the little things like vigorously address deteriorating buildings a la the broken windows theory (I know it has come under fire by social psychologists as of late).

Hartford is doing a great job of attracting young people to inject some vibrance into downtown, but those people who are able to do wo will leave as soon as they begin to think about their kids attending a Hartford public school. There is a great influx of more affluent empty nesters moving downtown as well…but just wait until the drag racing begins downtown again this summer.

Bottom line is that the City has tried to import a solution rather than build a grassroots solution from within the neighborhoods.

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