Month: January 2018

Baker, Moore, Project Longevity and Y.A.N.A. Advocate for Initiatives to Address Gun Violence

As Bridgeport residents gathered to mark Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, Representative Andre Baker (D-Bridgeport), Senator Marilyn Moore (D-Bridgeport), members of Project Longevity and the support group, You Are Not Alone (Y.A.N.A.) held a press conference Monday to advocate for initiatives that prevent one less person from falling victim to gun violence.

Rep. Baker and Sen. Moore were joined by Project Longevity’s Bridgeport Project Manager Harold Dimbo and Dawn Spearman, founder of Y.A.N.A.

During the 2017 legislative session, $850,000 was allocated to Project Longevity, of that; $573,750 is available for expenditure. The city, however, needs to work with the state Office of Policy and Management to ensure Bridgeport’s share of the funding—$129,615—is released to Project Longevity. The state funding is dispersed among Project Longevity’s three communities: Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford. During Monday’s press conference, Baker, Moore, Dimbo and Spearman voiced support for the funding to be released to the organization so it can continue its efforts in addressing and preventing gun violence in the city.

“While Bridgeport is not immune to gun violence, the state funding appropriated to Project Longevity represents lives saved. In the absence of this funding, our community has seen a spike in homicides and gun violence. To further protect our residents from being affected by gun violence, we need to unlock this funding, so Project Longevity can continue its efforts to make our city safer,” said Baker, D-Bridgeport.

“The increase in crime and youth-violence in our cities needs to be addressed swiftly and firmly and that’s what Project Longevity is doing. Cutting their funding today will only lead to more death and violence tomorrow,” Sen. Moore said. “The work being done by Project Longevity to reduce gang and gun violence in cities like Bridgeport is vital to the safety and wellbeing of the entire community. And for the people they serve, it’s truly a matter of life and death. It is of paramount importance that this funding be restored.”

Project Longevity is a community and law enforcement initiative that was first established to reduce violence in Connecticut’s three largest cities—Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford. The organization uses strategies such as custom notifications, community engagement and call-ins to reduce gun violence in the city. In 2017, there were nine group-related shootings or homicides—up from five in 2016. Last year, there were 23 homicides with firearms—an increase over the previous year which saw 13 homicides involving firearms.

“Project Longevity will be working more with the people in the community. We believe that the answer to decreasing gun violence is by having the community work together. When we are doing at least 70 custom notifications per year, the shootings and homicides are less. We will also be working with juveniles and their parents as data shows that there has been an increase in gun violence with juveniles. Project Longevity could be the magnet to bring everyone together, closing the gap between the community and the police,” Dimbo said.

To help families who have been hit with tragedy in and around Bridgeport, Y.A.N.A. works with families to provide the emotional and spiritual support they need.

“Y.A.N.A. is committed to serving as a support system for the community during senseless tragedies. By engaging with our youth and heightening the awareness of the violence that is present in our city, we are helping to prevent one less child from being a part of a statistic. But we need to do more. We need to work together to ensure programs like Project Longevity receive the support they need to continue its efforts in combatting gun violence,” Spearman said.

Local Events Honoring the Life and Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 1961 and 1964, thousands of Connecticut residents gathered at the Klein Memorial Auditorium in Bridgeport to listen to the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who brought hope and healing to millions of Americas as the leader of the Civil Rights Movement.

This Monday, January 15, we continue to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, in honor of his life and legacy, and commemorate the timeless values taught through his example; service to the community, courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, and humility.

Since first observed as national holiday in 1986, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is celebrated in many different ways in communities throughout the country. Here in Bridgeport, you can honor Martin Luther King, Jr. by attending one these community events.

Bridgeport Has a Dream
Support Connect US for their “Bridgeport Has a Dream” event, featuring letters, poems, raps, and songs will be presented in honor of Dr. King by city youth. The free event will be held at the Klein Memorial Auditorium, 910 Fairfield Ave. on Monday at 1:30 p.m.

Service at Mt. Aery Baptist Church
A “Bridgeport Black Pride” church service lead by Pastor Anthony L. Bennett, featuring guest preacher Gregory J. Jackson, will be held at 8:30 a.m. at Mt. Aery Baptist Church, 73 Frank St., Bridgeport.

UB’s MLK Day of Service
The University of Bridgeport is hosting their annual Day of Service in honor of Dr. King on Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteer check-in starts at 8:30 a.m. at the Arnold Bernhard Arts & Humanities Center.

Discovery Museum MLK Celebration
The Discovery Museum’s yearly celebration in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. brings STEM learning fun to children and families in the Bridgeport community and beyond. Visit the museum on Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. located at 4450 Park Ave., Bridgeport.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and social activist, who led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the mid-1950’s until his death by assassination in 1968. Through his activism and inspirational speeches he played a pivotal role in ending the legal segregation of African-American citizens, as well as the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, among several other honors. He was assassinated in April 1968, and continues to be remembered as one of the most influential and inspirational African-American leaders in history.