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So Long Guardian Angels!


by turfgrrl


August 7th, 2008 · 39 Comments

Were it not for the District B Democrats, I would be posting more about scooters. As it is, they fulfill a necessary cog in the wheel of commenting on the news. They are like Congress is to the Daily Show. Tuesday, the Hour reported:

Ward B Democrats back off on Angels endorsement

Ward B Democrats reconsidered Monday night their endorsement of bringing the Guardian Angels to Norwalk, and instead directed the local point person for the effort to look at alternatives.

“The questions will not be answered tonight. And that’s why we need this committee formed,” said Bobby Burgess, Ward B Democrats chairman. “What can happen and what cannot happen? I will ask Donnie (Sellers) to form this committee. And I’m not eliminating the Guardian Angels. But we should talk about it. Let the committee decide and come back to us with recommendations.”

Does Bobby Burgess ever speak coherently?  I will provide a translation.

“We can’t find anyone to wear the red beret.” 

Wait, better yet I quote myself at the beginning of summer:

So what do make of the issue? Much ado about politics. Because at the end of the day, it was the political flunkies guised as District B Dems driving the issue, and not the people of South Norwalk. And once you understand that most of District B is completely uninterested in the political machinations of the District B Dems then you understand why not a single person stepped up to organize a Guardian Angel chapter. 

South Norwalk is a complex town that reflects a diversity of issues and assets. The characterizations coming out of the District B Dems are just off base for the most part. Despite that, South Norwalk lucks out with pretty decent representation from Mike Geake, Phyllis Bolden and Carvin Hilliard. I include Mike because he lives in South Norwalk, but he actually represents the entire city as an at-large council member.  It’s not fair to lump them in with District B Democrats even though they technically fulfill the requirements of being Democrats living in District B, but as long as they allow Bobby Burgess to speak for all, then the share the political criticism too.

Tags: Norwalk

39 Responses so far ↓ “So Long Guardian Angels!”


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  • 1 Anonymous // Aug 7, 2008 at 9:57 am

    That’s okay, the more Burgess insists on involving himself in what may have been a federal crime, the greater the chance he will be moving to “alternate living quarters”. What, exactly, was his interest in CRRA?

  • 2 Anonymous // Aug 7, 2008 at 10:39 am

    Glad they are out before they got in. Norwalk needs a new police chief hired from outside Norwalk and we need to hire more police so they can make Norwalk a safe place to live. We need to go back to the old days walk beats and make a police presence known.

  • 3 Ex-cop // Aug 7, 2008 at 11:15 am

    Chief Rilling is not all that bad, but may well be ready to retire. That is not an easy job, and answers to way too many bosses. Why do you think we need to go out-of-town to find the next chief ?
    As to going back to the good old days of our youth, we all know that is not going to happen. Foot patrol is prohibitively expensive. We may someday see some limited use of foot or bicycle patrol, but we will never see the level of foot patrol we once had. Making a presence known can be accomplished by limiting the size of patrol districts and assigning the same officers every day so they get to know the neighbors and the neighbors get to know the officers. It will definitely require more officers,and money, but not as much as reinstating widespread foot patrols. The City needs to find a better way to recruit from within the City and to encourage officers to live in Norwalk.
    For a new Chief, any new chief, to be effective at really improving the dept. he/she will need much more support from the adminstration than Chief Rilling has gotten recently.

  • 4 Anonymous // Aug 7, 2008 at 11:25 am

    #2 is correct we need help and won’t get its so we simply suffer.Now that any hope is blocked for help there will still be more murders.Real estate agents with familiar last names win on this one only the residents lose,lose maybe their life.They will be back its only a matter of time and more carnage.Those who run our city will find out gloating on this one just made them more opponets like having the Angels come to Norwalk is only a matter of time the rest of thier plans for the city will be dashed.Justice will prevail and these idiots won’t be rewarded and no it doesn’t feel like 1936.But after listening to some accounts of how people live in Norwalk the police state run by gangs will thrive.Its only certain we pass this crime and troubles onto the schools they start soon and so won’t the carnage how could anyone be smug about this headline when kids are going to be assaulted or killed?

  • 5 # 2 // Aug 7, 2008 at 11:50 am

    # 3 wow some great ideas you should become cheif. Why not from with in the department I think its to much of the good oi boys and nothing will change. I could not agree more we need more police recruits from Norwalk. Thanks for your insite. # 4 I hope you can be inspired by # 3 who was a ex cop and sounds like a darn good one at that and with more like him or maybe her Norwalk can be a safe place to live. Lets try to give the cheif the power to make the desisions needed to fight crime.

  • 6 Anonymous // Aug 7, 2008 at 1:59 pm

    #5 your right give him power replace the mayor seems the only one in everyones way.

  • 7 Anonymous // Aug 8, 2008 at 1:48 am

    #3 you are so lost…very typical for an ex-cop..Oh and the reason to go out of town for a new chief…..its called breaking up the old boys club…get it

  • 8 akabi // Aug 8, 2008 at 5:09 am

    We are all lost.Ex cop gives us some good information on policing.

  • 9 Ex-cop // Aug 10, 2008 at 11:24 am

    Talk is cheap #7. I read your post several times and couldn’t find anything constructive. I know the argument about breaking up the old boy’s club and I know the effect a strong new chief can make, with strong backing from City Hall. The old boy’s club would not be a problem. Some would have to either start earning their pay or find another job. It can be done, and there are probably good candidates within the department. I do not rule out looking for the best, including candidates from outside the department, but I believe a leader who comes from the ranks will have an advantage. Key will be backing from City Hall. A puppet, run by the mayor, will not improve anything. Very few mayors really want a strong leader as police chief. Look at Guliani/Bratton in the City.

  • 10 Anonymous // Aug 11, 2008 at 7:42 pm

    Just on WTNH tonight was New Haven’s Gaurdians Angels,whats wrong with the mayor there hasn’t he spoke the Harry & Dick?

    Most crime stats are lower this year in New Haven, but the city was on edge for a while at the beginning of the summer with a rash of shootings. Citizens are still patrolling the streets as part of the Guardian Angels and the Edgewood Park Defense Patrol.

    Property values are at a all time low they are not going to get a very good bond rating shall we take a collection for New Haven they are idiots to let their crime rate drop.

  • 11 Who says it can't be done? // Aug 15, 2008 at 5:11 pm

    Revived Curfew Apparently Kept Many Off City’s Streets in Hartford.

    By some measures, it was a perfect summer night for hanging out on Park Street. Not too hot, a gentle breeze. But after 9 p.m. Thursday, hanging out became illegal for those age 18 and younger.

    Four days after a weekend that saw 11 more shooting victims added to Hartford’s burgeoning gun violence statistics, police started enforcing the city’s revived curfew, and although it was not clear how many youths were picked up, the move appeared to have kept many inside and off city streets.

    The guy behind the counter at New York Chicken & Biscuit on Park Street, who gave his name as Jimmy, was bored. He’s used to see kids shooting up and down the street on their bikes, coming in for drinks, until midnight, even 2 a.m.

    Not Thursday night

    Hartford Police Find 16 Curfew Violators On The Streets
    Hartford police officers took 16 youths off the streets Thursday night, the first night of an emergency curfew imposed throughout the capital city in response to escalating violence, Police Chief Daryl Roberts said.

  • 12 Anonymous // Aug 16, 2008 at 8:51 am

    Can be done if the planning is done right. Hopefully since there hasn’t been a huge outbreak of teen violence this summer it won’t be necessary but, it should be discussed and planned out in case it is something that is needed. If we don’t have neighborhood crime watches anymore then there has to be something in place that can be implemented at a moments notice. Maybe one of these teen groups could get the kids involved in neighborhood crime watch and then they can see first hand what some of their peers are involved in and maybe they can be a positive influence on others. Its not just Norwalk with these problems. Pick up the newspapers and its all across the country. Some of the teen groups in other cities are getting involved in these neighborhood groups and it can be a positive thing for Norwalk.

  • 13 Anonymous // Aug 16, 2008 at 12:01 pm

    #12 who are you kidding or who are you protecting?

    The last vicious teen outbrake was Wendy’s parking lot a week ago,every window in a car was taken out three went to the hospital and three were arrested all teens all news that couldn’t or wouldn’t fly in the paper.Among the worst crimes this month including a 11 and 12 year old during an armed robbery dropped a loaded weapon yes a gun! Under age crime is not reported in Norwalk doesn’t mean crime has left its just harder to understand the mess Norwalk is in.

    The voilence right now will trickle back into school then we will see an increase the school has to alert parents of problems like guns fights and turmoil.

    You must be having a Moccia moment crime against residents have increased I’ll take a stabbing anyday over 100’s of car break ins and assualts on residents that simply go unoticed becuase the press for whats it worth are not able to do thier job.Odd how even where news is slow coming The Hour hired yet another police reporter and the Advocate brought two in from Stamford on breaking news.

    We have a great group that was started its a shame Moccia never backed Romano,McQuaid ect, but then again why should he its working taking a spot in the cities attempts to create a better Norwalk,simply too bad there wasn’t any support from city hall to this day can’t think of a better way to help is to support and Moccia simply didn’t do his job.

    #11 you didn’t mention what had to be done before the curfew,millions of dollars in two detention centers more police and the judicial system had to be called in and made to work.Norwlalk won’t spend that kind of money be serious we are too busy with our hands out collecting money for crap we don’t need.Spend some get some is usually how cities work.

  • 14 anon // Aug 16, 2008 at 12:47 pm

    The kids who are committing robberies, car break-ins, stabbings, and shootings will definitely obey curfew laws and stay off the streets.

  • 15 Anonymous // Aug 16, 2008 at 1:41 pm

    Maybe if the newspapers wrote about these crimes we would be more informed. I wrote my answer to the curfew because I have not seen any major crimes lately committed by teens and was actually hoping that no news was good news. Don’t say curfews won’t work because they will. If they are implimented properly and they are followed up properly they can and will work. Its amazing that every idea offered is spat back at those offering them. There are curfews imposed in towns around Norwalk and they work. What I want to know is why we, as a city cannot follow suit? I read that article about Hartford and its working there so why not Norwalk? Hartford’s crime rate is at an all time high with teens between the ages of 13-18 and they are working to keep thewm off the streets , so why not here? There are grants to be had for just this purpose.

    Romano and McQuaid have a great group and they should get these kids involved in crime watch. Just look at their site and see all the things they are trying to do for the kids with no help from anyone. Its high time parents get on their site and see what it is they want to do and start getting involved. Bring their kids to these meetings, find out whats going on and start dealing with it instead of sitting home and complaining they can’t relate to their kids. Thats a huge cop-out. They took the summer off but are strating up again in September so its time parents, teachers, teens and local officials get this program off the ground.

    As far as curfews go, I still believe they can work. If bigger cities than Norwalk can put them in place so can we. But parents need to be held accountable for these kids who break curfew and fines to the parents need to be imposed. Plain and simple. That should make parents stand up to their responsibilities! If its a choice between keeping your kids in line or taking money from their pockets for each infraction, I’m willing to bet things would change quickly! I don’t mean to impose a curfew on one section of town either, this should be for the entire town.

  • 16 Joanne // Aug 16, 2008 at 7:59 pm

    NNHT would love to have more involvement.
    I’ve added a page for each of the High Schools to post their announcements and news as well as a combined page for the middle schools. I’ve also changed our logo and have added some new organizations who have programs for teens. Anyone with more ideas please feel free to go to http://NNHTKIDS.ORG
    click on contact us and give us your ideas. We also have a blog for parents and kids to communicate about things involving our teens. We’ll be starting our meetings again in September and hope to see many more people come and join our discussions. If you have some ideas of programs we can get involved with, we’re all ears! Its all about the teens!

  • 17 Anonymous // Aug 16, 2008 at 9:30 pm

    Can’t say enough for NNHT my kids were involved this summer and will be again soon now that we are back and participating in Norwalks community.As a parent I can’t think of any better place for my kids to be involved with than a city proven group that has decent poeple leading the group.

  • 18 Anonymous // Aug 17, 2008 at 1:39 am

    Goodbye Angels,two shot one stabbed to not a bad way to start a Sunday just think about how quiet its been…………?

    Police department understaffed overworked is it just a rumor?

  • 19 nwlkr // Aug 17, 2008 at 10:11 am

    Why is it that none of what is reported on this site ever makes it to the local papers? Were any of these incidents involving teens? Hopefully not.

    No matter where you go there will always be reports of crimes and violence and most times they involve adults and alcohol. This is something that no matter how hard anyone tries these situations will always occur and no matter how many Guardian Angels or neighborhood crime watches you have you are never going to prevent all of them.

    The problem here is that our police department cannot be everywhere all the time.

    We need to start focusing on preventing kids from becoming ivolved in crime. If we educate them on the ramifications and long term results of what their actions can mean to their future, perhaps we can actually get into their heads and pound some sense into them.

    We need to get parents to understand that they have to be the starting point and that there are places they can get help. They can’t just throw up their hands and give up. Many of these kids are crying out for guidance but we aren’t seeing the signs. Parents need to start putting their foot down and demanding to know where their kids are, who they are with and what they are doing. Start enforcing curfews of their own and stick to them.

    Take time to sit with their kids and go over their homework, talk to them about whats going on in their lives and ask them how they can help. This really isn’t so far fetched that it can’t help. Get the kids involved in community activities with their peers. They are more apt to talk about things if they feel comfortable doing so.

    We can blame city officials, school officials and anyone we want for what kids are doing but if we as parents don’t take the first steps we have no one to blame but ourselves. The fact that we hear that there’s not enough for kids to do in Norwalk from just about everyone doesn’t make it true. There are so many activities available but unless they are made public and readily available the it won’t help.

    remeber the saying from the Field of Dreams “If you build it, they will come” Mom’s and Dad’s, Many organizations have been started and are flourishing in Norwalk, now its up to you to get the kids to them.

  • 20 Anonymous // Aug 17, 2008 at 12:06 pm

    #19 you are right police can’t be every where at once if not for the stabbing victim at the South Norwalk train station last night hardly any visible police cruiser was around in South Norwalk to prevent a drive by on Meadow st.

    We don’t have enough men on the street where does one explain this to those who simply don’t understand logitics of our own Norwalk police dept.

    Parents what kind of observation is that? when the patrol cars are at every bar in the city last night controlling fights and hundreds of patrons we had a shooting and no officers even in the area.This was from an officer who worked last night.

    How does one know this? hearing the gunshots and not hearing sirens for minutes and then seeing a parade over the bridge down water street to a empty crime scene,you would of thought we were in Beirut it was obvious the people shot couldn’t wait for help they were loaded into a car and driven to the ER just like you see on CNN in a war zone.

    Yep at least 15 minutes went by after the shooting did the police realize they had victims not bad for a city this size.

    If you think parenting or organizations stand a chance clean up the adult crime its obvious we lack understanding in Norwalk to what the problem is and not to blame officials needs some thought whle your kids are doing their homework do yours.

    lack of news this month was lack of police spokesperson they were on vacation ,and our crime reporters were on vacation maybe we will not wonder soon it is the season some have to bear in mind not only have we had shootings and stabbings but we pick up when school goes back most past shootings happen sept thru oct murder halloween night still lingers in most minds its not easy to forget seeing blood on the street and telling your kids its ok no one we knew got hit.

    Most of us that wanted the Angels looked at them as being a last resort,look at Moccia and Rillings and if they are your last resort we feel for you they are worth crap they give us enough bullshit to fill Fodor farm.NBC 30 and WTNH carried last nights shootings maybe the news your reading home spun Hour and loss of interest Advocate simply can’t keep up with it anymore isn’t that why they both just hired additional crime reporters?

    Another double shooting after a stabbing within an hour no way around the spin it happened and we brace ourselves for another round of crime while Norwalk sleeps comfortable knowing they are protected.Grandpa always said never wish this upon anyone else ,he never lived in Norwalk or served under anyone like Rillings.

  • 21 anon // Aug 17, 2008 at 12:28 pm

    It does make it in the Hour and advocate, but as you probably read in another post on this site, the paper is no longer published locally. In order to get the papers delivered on time, their is a much earlier deadline on stories so that they can be printed during the early evening hours. The papers are then trucked to a Norwalk location, sorted, and sent out for delivery in the early morning hours. Any event that occurs during the evening hours cannot be published until two days after it occurs.

  • 22 Anonymous // Aug 17, 2008 at 12:50 pm

    #21 you right,its always funny to see headlines sunday that were written thursday and corrected tues.Love it when Dick and Harry say all is well on sunday when all hell broke loose that sat night I think thats one reason they don’t say much there not sure whats going to happen next.Other chiefs and mayors talk all the time I guess ours need to get in touch with the city first before they mimic other professionals.Then we hear how busy they are and can’t take the time to talk to press our city need running, Ray Kelly and Mike Bloomberg of Ny city are always in the news how do they find the time one can only wonder who runs their affairs.

    Great article on the mayor Moccia in Bridgeport the Hour did does he ever come to Norwalk anymore ?

  • 23 Anonymous // Aug 17, 2008 at 1:16 pm

    NBC30

    NORWALK, Conn. — Two youths were shot near Woodard Avenue and Meadow Street early Sunday, Norwalk police said.

    Police said they received 911 calls from residents who reported hearing up to six gunshots in the area at about 12:30 a.m. One caller reported hearing youths walking by, saying they had been shot.

    Police found a crime scene, but no victims at the location. A few minutes later, Norwalk Hospital Emergency Room notified police that a private party had brought in two gunshot-wound victims.

  • 24 Hooray for Hearst // Aug 17, 2008 at 1:37 pm

    Now all the Fairfield County local daily’s and weeklys are privatly owned by one family, Hearst. The Hour, once a respected daily doing quality journalisim with its own ink and paper and holding the ones in control accountable to the community, is gone. The entire industry is transforming and morphing into a cattle shute.
    Where is our man Buffet when we need him? The Hour’s reporting has deterioted to such an extent that todays news the day after tomorrow has become pure consumerisim fluff. We are now in a very tightly controlled ( censored )era and have lost far too many quailty investigative reporters to the unemployment rolls, this is so very sad and should summon free thinkers everywhere to stand up. We cannot let our libertys that millions have given their lives for be so swiftly robbed from all of us, no less in one generation. As Brokaw says the “greatest generation” has done their job and salvadged humanity. What can we as individuals, as community’s, do to pay due respect to those that have and are currently falling for true liberty of the mind, spirit and body? FREE THE PRESS in the U.S. !!!

  • 25 anon // Aug 17, 2008 at 2:36 pm

    if the free market were willing to pay the price required for independent newspapers, they would exist. In order to support a venture such as this, the paper would probably cost $2.00 per day. How many are willing to do this? Newspapers are market driven. They won’t take a loss.

  • 26 Sick of the BS // Aug 17, 2008 at 4:08 pm

    #24, you know absolutely NOTHING about the local newspaper industry.

    Media News Group still owns 99% of the major newspapers in Connecticut.

    Hearst msy now own the Connecticut Post, Danbury News Times and the Stamford Advocate/Greenwich Time, but it does NOT own The Hour. The Hour remains the ONLY newspaper in Fairfield County that is owned by a private board. And according to the stipulations of the family that once owned it and gave it over to the board to run it, The Hour can never be sold. It will just disappear.

    Brooks Community Newspapers (Norwalk Citizen News and other mini-weeklies) is also owned by the Connecticut Post. They have not been owned by the Brooks family since at least 1998.

    The only other publishing company of any note in this area is Hersam/Acorn Press, and they aren’t even worth discussing.

  • 27 Anonymous // Aug 17, 2008 at 4:51 pm

    Products Description:
    Newspaper publisher; publisher Publishing, Printing, Textbook or research publishing, Author funded publishing services, Photocopying, Reproduction services, Engraving, Bookbinding

    The Hour as you can see does many things the news is simply not one of them.

    Some guy didn’t like the paper he was getting so he came back on a train and started his own,Nellie took it over died and left a board and for whats it worth stepping on the toes of the Norwalk Hospital and other places like the Y the Hour will never do,money from profits go to these worthwhile ventures in Norwalk.So as long as The Hour protects the name of almost everything in the city and including some oragizations in Stamford the paper is a sitting duck for failure.People want the dirt not sanitized gossip.

    Then again I could be wrong about who started the Hour its just a guess from stories I heard so I also could be wrong.

  • 28 anon // Aug 17, 2008 at 11:01 pm

    Which is why The Hour is not the type of paper some on this blog want it to be. They could not afford to get the type of reporters to do in depth investigations nor print locally and report news immediately.

  • 29 BANG BANG DRIVE BY // Aug 18, 2008 at 9:05 am

    2 more people shot in Norwalk last night in a drive by. There is a bright side, no Guardian Angels were injured. No one in the area saw or heard anything, of course. Hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil, and evil will end up eating you.

  • 30 Anonymous // Aug 18, 2008 at 11:32 am

    Wasn’t that Saturday night with the driveby?
    Anyone happen to notice that all these kids are coming from Bridgeport and other towns to do their illegal dirty business in Norwalk? I believe that is exactly what the Guardian Angels spoke about at their meeting, how Norwalk is a dumping point where there is an influx of criminal activity somehow related to Norwalk in a round about way by means of exit ramps and access to public transportation. However, with that said, its strange how these are teens that are caught up in all this and they are from what we are reading in the papers, former Norwalk residents. Could this in all honesty be part of the whole murder in January scenario? These kids are coming to Norwalk for a reason, isn’t it high time to find out why?

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