Questioning fairness in New Haven leadership

New Haven, like this country, needs trusted leadership. Our systems are being attacked by leaders who only care about their personal agendas as well as maintaining and wielding the power. These attacks on democracy slowly erodes our trust in the values Americans hold dear.

But as Black Americans, attacks on our legitimacy have been a part of our heritage in America, both legally and illegally, from the founding of this country. Just 150 years ago in 1870 the 15th Amendment was added to the Constitution, granting Black American men the right to vote. It took another 50 years before Black women were able to do the same. Even after all this “progress,” 95 years later we still had to pass the Voting Rights and Civil Rights Acts to protect the rights of Black Americans. We know that despite those rights outlined in the Constitution, we have still been disenfranchised from being able to fully engage in the political and economic systems in this country.

Many white people opposed those rights being granted and protected, and still do. They use the systems and government to continue to suppress the upward mobility of members of the black community. Mass incarceration in Black communities is one example. Though the Civil War ended in 1865 and the 13th Amendment was ratified marking the end of slavery, people could still be enslaved “as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.” Whites effectively used this exception to re-enslave hundreds of thousands of blacks, and still do today. Black American tax dollars are being used to enslave their brethren.

Subconsciously, but maybe not, whites do not trust Blacks. Karens are not the exception, they are usually just a little louder and more open with their biases. Blacks have all experienced the white person locking their car doors as we cross the street, or the woman reversing the shoulder holding her bag strap when we step onto the elevator. All of these micro-aggressions wear on our psyche, but we continue on with the hopes that America will eventually live up to its potential.

New Haven whites would love to think that happens somewhere else, not in their city or neighborhoods. Even when it’s before their eyes, they want to believe it’s something else. When recently elected Mayor Justin Elicker’s campaign continually accused the former Black mayor or her administration as being corrupt, or cast her as some evil caricature poisoning our young Black children, he was employing the tactics we have seen in our national politics, and using fear and racism to propel him to City Hall. Does anyone still believe that the FBI raid which hasn’t led to any charges was a coincidence?

Now fully entrenched there, he is using the same tactics of investigations and firings we see coming from the White House, aided by the local media to sow distrust of any leadership from our community. Again, what were the reasons behind the latest news article which outlined unsubstantiated accusations against the former mayor from an out-of-town felon? Where did that information come from? Why are all of the Black leaders from her administration, home-grown leaders, being pushed out?

Long time police commissioner Greg Smith, who stood up to the police, was removed. Native New Havener and very effective LCI Director Serena Neal-Sanjurjo was pushed out. Several Blacks in the economic development office have been let go. Sherri Killens was forced out as a leader of the New Haven Early Childhood Council. Darnell Goldson, a very vocal former Alder and now Board of Education member, has a very mysterious “investigation” launched against him. Goldson is so convinced that this witch hunt is staged to silence his advocacy that he has asked the investigation to be conducted publicly. After leaking it to the press, Elicker and his installed leadership of Chair Yesenia Rivera, Edward Joyner and Matthew Wilcox all want to have the investigation conducted in the dark out of the public’s view. Why?

These underhanded tactics and moves against Black leadership only reflect what has been occurring to Blacks since we first were kidnapped and brought to this continent in 1619. They breed contempt and mistrust in the Black community. We become leaders so that we can act as stop-gates to the barriers erected to our communities. Most understand the dangers we face when we do advocate. When we saw how they attempted to minimize President Barack Obama by calling him a Muslim or questioned his constitutional right to serve as the nation’s leader, we weren’t surprised.

We see how our leadership is diminished. There are three elected officials on the school board, Elicker, who is white, and Joyner and Goldson who are Black. Yet Elicker has been making decisions like he is the only person empowered by the public to contribute to the decision-making process. We see how mysterious investigations or insidious whisper campaigns are launched. The majority Black Board of Alders, led by a Black woman, Tyisha Walker-Myers, are now suing Elicker for bypassing the alders and giving a supporter a sweetheart retirement deal.

We see more and more killings in New Haven, something we haven’t seen since the late ’80s. We are seeing a lot of dysfunction and lack of vision from our leadership.

There is no clear direction at City Hall. Forcing out political opposition, making decisions as though they are mini dictators, or launching investigations and whisper campaigns is not real leadership.