The one question that I was totally unprepared for, I guess I can explain a little here. I was asked about teen pregnancy, and while I know that the expectation is to totally come down on it, my personal and career experience has shown that teen pregnancy is not always a horrible thing. (more…)

Gonzalez, with a toddler and no job or schooling to speak of, offered a message for men who may be listening.

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How To: Register, pick up video equipment, learn to use camera (if necessary), shoot film, return equipment, wait (other stuff happens at this point, but you would be able to just sit back with a martini {of your own making} while others did the dirty work), and then watch the results. (more…)

The cover depicts someone painting on the side of a building. The cover headline reads: “STOP TALKING ABOUT HARTFORD’S PROBLEMS.” From the start, the issue is misrepresented. As a Hartford resident, I would love to talk about Hartford’s problems. Really. I’d like for us to be having honest, informed, intelligent conversations. Unfortunately, that’s not the kind of “talk” people are most interested in, and by people, I mean the anonymous people leaving comments at Courant’s topix boards which follow most articles posted online, as well as the journalists and editors who allow misinformation and inflammatory, one-sided, and sensational coverage to be printed as the norm.

In Bulger’s article (”No Comment: A rash of violence, intemperate online comments, and outspoken critiques sharply divides a city grappling with crime and its own public image”), the issue of responsible speech becomes hinted at as one of “the man keeping the free press down.”

This is not a free speech issue. As I have written before, Perez’s motives might be pure; they might not be. Perez is not the point. He’s simply a louder voice who is saying what many of us have been saying for a few years–be responsible. The Courant, and the Advocate, and virtually every other print media already censors. They do not publish every letter to the editor they receive. They usually select the more articulate items to get ink. Rarely are such letters published anonymously– in fact, the Courant requires a phone number be provided so there is some attempt to ensure the author’s real identity. (They also practice agenda setting, but I’m not going to go there this morning) Since this is the reality of how publishing works, why is it unfathomable for some to transfer this concept to online comment forums? Because there’s unlimited space, more voices can be heard, but a moderator can also weed through them to get rid of material submitted by the totally uninformed, ignorant (you can call that racist, sexist, heterosexist, whatever), or those who resort to name-calling. What’s happening on these forums is not people talking about Hartford– it’s people with ridiculous bias jumping at the chance to be obnoxious. I doubt those who are leaving comments like one that Bulger noted, classifying Hartford residents as “humanimals, wild sows and exponential breeders” (12) are at all interested in what is happening in Hartford. To me, it seems they just wanna hate. (more…)

Ted Carroll, President of Leadership Greater Hartford (organizers of the event) gave the greeting, which also moved along. I don’t want to be the person to point this out, but there is some irony in thanking the Hartford Courant and WTIC radio for being media sponsors of this event, since the Hartford Courant along with other local media are part of why the national media picked up on recent incidents, causing damage the Hartford’s reputation. Some on the Courant staff have written meaningful columns after this, but we should remain critical of any outlet that would post video without any context. We live in the age of the internet, when material is quickly picked up and dispersed. Few bother to investigate their sources, as Christine, Heather, and I were discussing. False information gets spread nearly instantly, and is difficult to rectify later. It’s fine to be diplomatic if a company is giving money, but let’s not forget their own role in why the event has to happen at all– even with such a great showing of people from Hartford who do care about our community, I have to wonder how much damage this will undo.

MIRA and Mind Evolution, both spoken word artists, earned robust applause from the audience. MIRA performed “I Wish We All Had Daughters,” and Mind Evolution, “When I Grow Up.” There was dance, drumming, a puppet of what I believe was a Phoenix (it was a bird of some kind, I think), and a series of “conversations” (interviews and speeches).

Rabbi Donna Berman announced that there would be a second Hartford Cares gathering held at the Charter Oak Cultural Center in July. That one will allow the community more of an opportunity to be active in the conversation.

From my chats with people, there was a lot of surprise about the number of people in attendance and the racial diversity. A few thought that the “cheese factor” would have been way higher than it was. Actually, until the grand finale of dozens of adults and children crammed on the bandshell stage, singing and swaying, it really was not corny. And for those who must know, there was absolutely no singing of Kumbaya.
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There were 600 people polled for the survey. Of these 51.7% said they thought that Hartford was going in the right direction. The remaining people seemed to be nearly evenly split between uncertainty, and thinking it was heading in the wrong direction. The biggest problems in Hartford? Unaffordable housing, lack of homeownership, and speeding. (more…)

To Hartford Bashers: Step Up, Or Shut Up

Susan Campbell

June 11, 2008

Dear Haters,

The hit-and-run of Angel Arce Torres was upsetting and sad — and, as it turns out, the perfect opportunity for people to stew in their own prejudice and fear. As if we need that kind of thing. As if that serves a purpose.

Since the 78-year-old man was run down on Park Street in Hartford May 30, the noise from the cheap seats has been a cacophony of commentary lite — all the venom without the facts.

“No Good Samaritans in Hartford,” says one headline. “What Have We Become,” says another. Swarms of people — online and off — are taking vicious delight in comparing Hartford residents to wild animals and calling on Darwinism to weed them out.

Please. Do us all a favor: Shut up.

When the second of two cars swerving to the wrong side of the road hit Torres, at least four people called 911. In Hartford, residents don’t always think of the police as Officer Friendly. Then, too, the fear of gang retribution makes any crime, any aberration, something to avoid. Yet four people quickly called.

And rather than factoring in the shock that a bystander would feel at seeing an elderly man sent flying through the air — a good man known in the neighborhood for his kindnesses, the haters decided that Hartford residents are heartless and worse.

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