Related New Haven Independent Article
NEW HAVEN She hoped to be attending Torrence Gamble’s
graduation in a few years, not visiting him in prison, Superintendent
Garth Harries recalled a teacher telling him after Gamble was shot to
death.
“Now she’s going to do neither,” Harries said.
Gamble, 16, was shot in the head on Daggett Street April 2. He
was the second teenager killed in the city in less than two weeks, and
for the hundreds who gathered Thursday for My Brother’s Keeper Community
Canvass, a reason to take action.
Ficklin Media Note: I attended my first Stop the Violence Rally in 1989. I worked for Empower New Haven for seven years where several million dollars were invested in youth development. Some of you might remember the multi-million dollar Robert Wood Johnson Foundation " Fighting Back" investment in New Haven pertaining to Drug and Alcohol prevention, or might have attended the opening of the then brand new Latino Youth Organization Building in the Hill, or had attended the Michael Bolton Foundation press event focused on Youth Development with Governor Rowland in the old Ames building, or have attended any of the Youth Fair Chance events, or have marched with Rev. Kimber and Rev. Al Sharpton in Stop the Violence Rallies or have marched with the local NAACP in similar rallies or have seen the NAACP Stop the Violence truck, or have attended various Elm City Nation youth development and violence prevention initiatives or even remember the hey day of the Freddie Fixer Parade where Jackie Robinson was the Grand Marshall.
The manifesting of "raising the village" mantra yesterday could be the tipping point for the first model city to truly reclaim the title. Like Jack Johnson ,Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali it is time to reclaim the title.
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