‘We need to work together’

Mayor joins clergy as they share message: Violence ‘has to stop’

NEW HAVEN — Mayor Justin Elicker took the invitation.

In the wake of the ongoing violence in the city, Elicker joined clergy and others Tuesday to call on residents to step forward with information about potential crimes and help safeguard neighbors.

The Rev. Boise Kimber, head of the Greater New Haven Clergy Association, which convened the meeting and media briefing, called for stiffer bail and sentences for gun crimes and urged residents to stand against gun violence.

“I want to speak to the Black community today, because the shootings and murders that are going on in our city have been basically committed by our own. We’re killing each other. It is not the police killing us; we’re killing each other,” said Kimber. “And today, we come to make a seri

ous stand and give serious words to our community — this will stop, has to stop. We will not tolerate this in our community any longer.”

Kimber noted that Tyshaun Hargrove, a 14-year-old city resident, was shot and killed last Wednesday. Black leaders, he said, should speak to the realities of violence, he said.

Kimber, along with the clergy association, previously held a series of press gatherings this summer urging Elicker to do more in the wake of violence. On Tuesday, for the first time since that began, the clergy were joined by Elicker and other city officials.

Elicker thanked Kimber for the invitation, saying he and city officials were glad to be able to partner with him in the effort to address gun violence.

He said he had come from the funeral for Kevin Mills, who was fatally shot on Aug. 10..

Elicker, Acting Police Chief Renee Dominguez and Herb Johnson, formerly of the New Haven Police Department and now of the state attorney’s office, urged residents to step forward with information regarding crimes and violence.

Without it, Elicker said, violence may go unchecked.

“If we can’t get that information about the potential shooter, or someone who may have been involved in a homicide, (a) shooting, that person may shoot again — that person may shoot again,” said Elicker. “We need to work together to address this challenge . ... We are committed as a city, I am personally committed, to ensuring we keep each other safe.”

There are a series of ways the department compiles evidence, from ballistics to surveillance footage, Dominguez said.

But “there are so many other pieces we are potentially missing” without residents stepping forward, she said.

She urged people to speak to any officer, a member of the clergy, an official — whatever feels comfortable and allows them to provide information.

Dominguez noted she had spoken to some young people last week in Fair Haven, as she and other officials spoke with residents in the wake of Tyshaun’s death.

They were fearful about going to school, she said. But they were hopeful, as well, she said, because “at school, there’s eight hours of a day where they are safe.”

“That’s very disheartening. That’s terrible, that we can’t keep them safe at home,” said Dominguez. “We need to do a better job, and we need to do a better job together.”

The Rev. Steven Cousin, head of Bethel AME Church, and Rodney Williams, activist and former aldermanic candidate, called on officials and residents to come together and avert further violence.

“To me, it’s about accountability. A lot of people talk about the police department, but our community needs to be accountable, too,” said Williams. “I don’t know any Black men that had a son, that held him in his arms and said he can’t wait for him to get older and kill somebody who’s Black . ... This has got to stop.”

Williams reiterated the call for higher bonds, saying they would be the result of such violence in communities other than New Haven.

Cousin noted that “any loss of life is tragic” from a communal standpoint, regardless of how it happened. No parent should have to bury their child; children should not live in the ever-present shadow of mortality, he said.

He called on the city provide the resources to give everyone a reasonable quality of life, which includes efforts to avoid shootings and violence, he said.

“Any loss of life in our community, we need to actually ring the alarm, and actually bring calls for concern. If (there’s) one thing we should learn during this time, it’s that we need each other now more than ever,” said Cousin. “Today, it’s time for us to stand together as one, with one unified voice.”

Cousin noted the department recently made an arrest in connection with the killing of Troy Clark and shooting of former police Capt. Anthony Duff — evidence, he said, that residents can have an impact by stepping forward.

Kimber, asked about Elicker’s presence, said he had “learned a long time ago there are no permanent enemies in politics.” He said he was glad to be able to build a communicative relationship for the betterment of the city.

“Things are too crucial now for any of us to be on different sides of this, when we can come together and discuss how we move forward,” said Kimber.

Clergy and New Haven officials joined Tuesday to call on residents to step forward with information about potential crimes.