President Trump’s comments on Haiti and other African nations are not only deplorable, but emphatically misrepresent who we are as a nation. And we are clear that appealing to the basest of ideals will not divide us as a nation–even if the person making those comments holds the highest office in the land. We have come too far and overcome too much to see America return to it’s darkest days. 

Dr. King said that “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” And we will not be silent on this. Our biblical and ancestral heritage emerges from soil of Africa. These lands are an oasis of beauty, culture, and innovation. They are far from how the President described them. We will not stand idle and allow our brothers and sisters who are immigrants be treated in such a hostile manner. Therefore, we are calling on all people of faith, and the political leadership of the United States of America to speak out against these blatantly racist comments. It is beneath who we are as Americans, no, as humans to allow these comments to go unaddressed. So we are calling on everyone who truly cares about humanity to stand with us and denounce the bigotry we see in this administration with hope that we might continue to pursue liberty and justice for all.

Rev. Kelcy G.L. Steele, Pastor

Varick Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church

CLICK LINK 

King’s dream is the American dream 
Today, President Donald J. Trump will sign the official proclamation making this Monday, January 15, the “Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday.” This year marks the first time in more than a decade that the federal holiday falls on King’s actual birthday.

Here is an advance look at what the President will tell Americans today:

• Reverend King preached love throughout his life—love for each other, for our fellow Americans, and for humanity. That is what drove his work.
• We celebrate King first and foremost for standing up for the self-evident truth Americans hold so dear: No matter the color of our skin, or the place of our birth, we are ALL created equal by God.
• This April will mark half a century since King was cruelly taken from us by an assassin’s bullet. As we mourn his loss, we also pledge to fight for his dream of equality, freedom, justice, and peace.

12 January, 2018 – HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION

At 3:08 AM, Officers were alerted by ShotSpotter® to gunfire in the area of Whalley Avenue at Fitch Street. A person had been shot outside the entrance to the Exxon Gas Station Convenience Store at 775 Whalley Avenue.

The victim is Kenneth Cooper (1-21-1982), formerly of New Haven, but recently, Waterbury, CT. A woman he was with drove Cooper to the hospital. He died shortly thereafter.

Neither the victim or the woman he was with were associated with the Exxon Station or the convenience store.

Police located the crime scene, which was processed by detectives.

Investigators are following strong leads but are asking for the public’s help. Anyone with information valuable to detectives is urged to phone them at 203-946-6304. Calls may be made anonymously. Anonymous tips information is attached to this release.

Information on this case will be updated as is prudent, to the press pool at large, and not upon individual request.

2018 FREE TAX PREP SITES

VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE

Sharnice’s Story

Courtney Cheers ACA Open Enrollment Results

Photo: Paul Bass, New Haven Independent

New Haven – Mayor Toni N. Harp today reported the resignation of Community Services Administrator Dr. Martha Okafor effective Friday, January 12. The Community Services Administration (CSA) oversees the City’s network of social services departments and providers; Dr. Okafor has served the Harp administration and city residents as its administrator since 2014.

Prior to her arrival in New Haven, Okafor was the Director of the Division of Behavioral Health and an Assistant Professor at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Georgia, and she was a faculty member at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Massachusetts. She was also the Chief Executive Officer of a private community health and social services consulting business.

“Dr. Okafor brought an extraordinary skill set to New Haven and used it to advance programs and services provided by CSA to address hunger and food insecurity, financial literacy, and work for homeless residents,” Mayor Harp said. “The City’s nascent Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program, to help substance abusers avoid criminal prosecution, is CSA’s most recent initiative under the leadership of Dr. Okafor, and I’m very enthusiastic about its prospects.”

As part of her resignation letter, Dr. Okafor states, “I appreciate the opportunities I have been given during my time with the City, and have enjoyed many important work and transformative initiatives we have implemented to improve health, safety and wellness of our residents and the general public.”

Dr. Okafor has agreed to consult with the City on CSA matters while the City transitions to a new Community Services Administrator.

###

Photo from campaige website

Two More Democrats Get Into The Race For Governor

North Korea's going to send athletes to the Winter Olympics. That's the first breakthrough to come out of the high-level talks (the first in two years) taking place between the North and the South. And the North is sending more than just athletes to next month's Games in Pyeongchang. The regime is also sending a cheering squad, an art troupe, a visitors' group, a Taekwondo demonstration team and a press corps. The two countries also discussed family reunifications and having military talks to prevent accidental conflicts.

more CLINK LINK Good Morning from CNN

Photos Golden Globes 2018 black out

The Citywide Parking Ban has been lifted. All cars must be removed from the School Parking Lots. In an effort to address public safety emergency vehicle access, there will be targeted parking bans for some posted snow emergency routes and some residential areas. Please look for paper posted no parking signs, and listen for targeted phone and loud speaker messages. Please keep cars in plowed areas or off the streets to assist with snow plowing and clean-up operations. Thank you

https://www.newhavenct.gov/gov/depts/emergency_info/alerts.htm

MEETINGS SCHEDULED FOR THE WEEK OF
MONDAY, JANUARY 8TH, 2018 – MONDAY, JANUARY 15TH, 2018
All meetings with an (*) indicate a public meeting

Monday, January 8th, 2018
Emergency Preparedness, New Haven City Hall, 165 Church Street, 2nd Floor Atrium, Meeting Room 1, 9:30 a.m.
(203) 946-8224

Elm City Cycling, New Haven City Hall, 165 Church Street, 2nd Floor Atrium, Meeting Room 3, 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, January 9th, 2018
*New Haven Development Commission, New Haven City Hall, 165 Church Street, 2nd Floor Atrium
Meeting Room 3, 8:00 a.m., (203) 946-5761

Labor Relations, New Haven City Hall, 165 Church Street, 2nd Floor Atrium, Meeting Room 1, 9:30 a.m.
(203) 946-7151

*Youth Commission, New Haven City Hall, 165 Church Street, 2nd Floor Atrium, Meeting Room 3, 6:00 p.m.
(203) 946-8583

Wednesday, January 10th, 2018
Labor Relations, New Haven City Hall, 165 Church Street, 2nd Floor Atrium, Meeting Room 2, 9:30 a.m.
(203) 946-7151

Labor Relations, New Haven City Hall, 165 Church Street, 2nd Floor Atrium, Meeting Room 2, 2:00 p.m.
(203) 946-7151

Project Youth Court, New Haven City Hall, 165 Church Street, 2nd Floor Atrium, Meeting Room 3, 3:00 p.m.
(203) 843-1713

Project Fresh Start, New Haven City Hall, 165 Church Street, 2nd Floor Atrium, Meeting Room 1, 3:30 p.m.
(203) 946-7821

*Board of Alder, Black & Hispanic Caucus, New Haven City Hall, 165 Church Street, 2nd Floor Atrium
Meeting Room 3, 6:00 p.m., (203) 946-8371

*GNH Toastmasters, New Haven City Hall, 165 Church Street, 2nd Floor Atrium, Meeting Room 1, 6:30 p.m.
(203) 848-7039

*NH Historic District Commission, New Haven City Hall, 165 Church Street, 2nd Floor Atrium, Meeting Room 2
6:30 p.m., (203) 946-8237

Thursday, January 11th, 2018
*Homeless Advisory Commission, New Haven City Hall, 165 Church Street, 2nd Floor Atrium, Meeting Room 3
6:00 p.m.

Friday, January 12h, 2018
No Meetings Scheduled

Monday, January 15th, 2018
City Hall Closed in Observance of Martin Luther King, Jr., No Meetings Scheduled

‘You gave us a deadline’ 
“We’re all working in an effort to develop an immigration reform plan that will serve the interests of the American workers,” President Donald J. Trump said yesterday.

The President’s remarks came after he and Vice President Mike Pence sat down with a Republican Senate working group on immigration in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.

Several quotes after the meeting reveal what 2018 could hold for one of the President’s signature issues:

• Vice President Pence: “We’re going to enforce the laws of this country for the citizens of this country. . . . We’re going to do it with a big heart.”
• Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) to the President: “Immigration issues are very hard, they’re very emotional. But there’s been no deadline . . . You gave us a deadline.”
• President Trump: “If we have support from the Democrats, I think DACA is going to be terrific. . . We need protection. We need the wall. We need all of those things.”

Read how the President thinks bipartisan immigration reform can happen in 2018.

Vice President Pence: ‘Trump will not be silent’ 
In an op-ed for The Washington Post, Vice President Pence drew a sharp distinction between how President Trump and former President Barack Obama handled mass Iranian protests against that country’s oppressive regime.

“Where his predecessor stayed silent in 2009,” the Vice President wrote, “Trump swiftly offered the Iranian people America’s unwavering support. He has also committed to provide assistance in the days ahead.”

The Vice President’s closing lines remind us that America is strongest on the world stage when it stands behind its values. “That is the essence of American leadership.”

Read the Vice President’s op-ed in full.

Dow breaks 25,000 for the first time ever 
CNBC and others reported yesterday that the Dow Jones Industrial Average has cleared the 25,000 mark for the first time—“tying the fastest 1,000-point move in its history,” writes Fred Imbert.

A quotable snippet from Imbert’s piece: “While it’s symbolically important, the real story is never just a number. It’s the underlying strength that is pushing markets this high,” said Steve Claussen, vice president of trader strategy at ETRADE.

Learn more about why the markets are soaring.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Vice President Mike Pence and Mrs. Karen Pence host faith leaders for dinner at the Naval Observatory | January 4, 2018 (Official White House Joyce N. Boghosian)

POTUS TODAY

This afternoon, President Trump will depart the White House en route to Camp David, where he will host bi-cameral Congressional Leadership for a small-group discussion of 2018 legislative priorities and the successful passage of tax cuts and reform.

COMING UP

On Monday, President Trump will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, to address the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Meeting—the first time since 1992 an American president has spoken at the event.

January 5, 2018 – DUI CHECKPOINT TONIGHT

The NHPD Traffic Division will conduct a DUI/ Safety Checkpoint beginning this evening, Friday, 5 January, at 7:00 PM and ending on Saturday, 6 January, at 3:00 AM. The checkpoint location will be on State Street at Wall Street

City wide parking ban ends Friday at 5pm
All cars in School lots must be removed by 5pm Friday.
Please Share. Help dig out a fire hydrant

January 3, 2018: Due to a Snow Emergency in the City of New Haven, a Citywide parking ban will go into effect beginning Thursday at 1:00 AM and remain in effect until further notice. There is NO parking in the downtown area, on posted snow routes, and 25 feet from any intersection, bus stop or fire hydrant. In residential areas, parking is only allowed on the even side of the street. Further information may be obtained by calling (203) 946-SNOW (7669).Car owners may leave their vehicles in the Granite Square Garage or the Temple Street Garage for a one-time, $3 fee.

MAYOR HARP, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAM TO PROVIDE WINTER STORM PREPARATION BRIEFING IN CITY’S EOC TODAY AT 2:30 P.M.

New Haven – Mayor Toni N. Harp and the city’s emergency management response team will provide a winter storm preparation briefing to city officials and members of the press in the city’s emergency operations center – in the sub-basement of the Hall of Records at 200 Orange Street – today at 2:30 p.m.

City officials expect the region to be adversely impacted by winter weather beginning overnight tonight; they are taking necessary precautions and making necessary preparations

28 December, 2017 – PERSON SHOT

At 7:19 PM, Police and EMTs were dispatched to a reported person shot in the area of Poplar and Clay Streets.

The victim, nineteen year old Joshua Santiago, of Hamden, CT, was shot twice – possibly during a robbery attempt, on the three-hundred block of Poplar Street. Santiago was rushed to Yale New Haven Hospital, where he is in serious but stable condition.

No description of his assailant(s) is available, thus far. The perp(s) fled on foot. Detectives from the NHPD Major Crimes Division remain at the scene searching for witnesses and collecting evidence.

Detectives are asking for the public’s help. Anyone who witnessed this shooting or who may have information valuable to investigators, is urged to phone detectives at 203-946-6304.

Hip-hop superstars Busta Rhymes, MC Lyte, Black Thought, DMC, and DJ Z-Trip perform a medley of LL COOL J's greatest hits. Stream The 40th Annual Kennedy Center Honors on CBS All Access.