Hope St: Way Too Exciting

Boy, Hope Street keeps busy with car crashes, robberies, and power loss more than I can keep track of.
Actually, I do sorta keep track. My two friends who live off Hope St are constantly posting on facebook about how they've lost power due to weather or a car smashing into a power pole.
Via the Stamford Advocate, I read today about a guy robbing a Mexican restaurant then holding police at bay while threatening to kill himself, and I've read in the past year about a couple of bank robberies.
Hope St, bring it down a notch!

I've posted in the past about how Stillwater was in the headlines too much; Hope St appears now to be seeking some negative attention for herself. Tsk tsk.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Click here to read more.

ANOTHER Bank Robbery? SERIOUSLY!

What the heck?!? I wrote a post last week that I didn't have time to perfect and post last week titled "Avoid Banks in Fairfield County." I wrote it because a Bank on High Ridge was robbed- one that had just been robbed 4 months ago! I stated that since I now tote a baby everywhere, there is no way in heinieho that I am ever going to a bank again.

Well, big shocker, on Monday there was another bank robbery on Summer St. I'm sorry, something is wrong with this town.

And do these banks not seem really easy to rob?

I have an $800 check I need to cash, but now I'm hesitant to go into a bank to cash it. BOTH of my Stamford banks (a credit union and a People's) were robbed a couple years ago, so I don't think I'm being that paranoid. And the guy who robbed my People's... TRIED to rob my credit union before he went to People's! Geez Louise.

Previous Stamford Talk bank posts:

--September 13, 2007-- My People's Bank Got Robbed!!!
--September 15, 2007-- Wrong Side of the Metro North Tracks? Bank Gossip
--October 5, 2007-- Bank Robbers- Not Just in Stamford! Click here to read more.

Mayor's Son Arrested (Again)...

Geez. Two quick things about the mayor's son being arrested for allegedly robbing a house during a drug deal, because I really don't think the problems of a 21 year old are my business.
1. I think it's funny that the Advocate published an article simply titled "Benjamin Malloy's rap sheet." That's abrupt, and I'm sure it's meant to be a side bar in the hard copy of the paper, but it sounds overly tough, and that amuses me.
2. I feel bad for this kid's parents. Even though his parent is the mayor and running for governor, his parents are parents, and he's a kid, and addiction and/or bad choices by a child must be a devastating place to find yourself as a parent.
I'm sure most of us know someone in a similar position and therefore know it's a complicated situation that we have no right to judge. I don't know the mayor or his son, so I'm going with the "addiction sucks" angle and leaving it at that.

The Malloy family released a statement: "We have worked very hard as parents to support our son and get him the help he needs to combat his emotional illness. We remain deeply concerned about his well-being, and will continue to support him throughout his treatment and beyond. We are cooperating fully with police and ask the public to respect our privacy as the police do their job."

And, I'm going to try to do that from now on. Sorry, but I did want to mention it on the blog as it is splashed all over the headlines today. Click here to read more.

I Was Not Aware of This Law!

Wow. I just saw this in today's police blotter:
* ____, 35, of 116 Crystal St., Stamford, was charged Sunday with evading responsibility.

What does that mean? Evading responsibility for... following the law?

I hope so. Because if it's avoiding responsibility in general, I'm in big trouble. I could be charged with this on a daily basis. You know, purposefully trying to sleep a little longer so the husband has to walk and feed the dog, or not paying my phone bill for another day, or watching TV when I know full well there are towels in the dryer that need to be folded.

Here's my real guess: evading responsibility for a child, or bill of some sort, or maybe a motor vehicle accident. I think they should specify that, though. Click here to read more.

Stamford's 2nd Murder of 2008

Aw man. I'm pretty bummed about Stamford's 2nd murder of the year. This guy was young, father of two, in college. Although he'd been arrested 5 times since 2003 (article did not say what for), his family said he avoided the drug dealers in the area and focused on his studies. His name was Jonathan Green.

Jonathan's body was found Wednesday morning in a backyard of a house on Garden St., near the Stamford train station. I've included a map below. Residents in the area heard gun shots at 2am, but no one found the victim until morning. The Advocate talks about how there is a lot of drug dealing in the area. No wonder I'm freaking nervous to park my car in the Stamford train station and come home late at night. Damn.

I was hoping we wouldn't have any more murders this year. The Jan. 3 murder of Marco Paoletta has yet to be solved, although police did release a surveillance image this summer of his suspected killer. I hope the police have better luck with this case.


View Larger Map Click here to read more.

Alive @ Five Closes @ 9pm Due to Last Week's Violence

Quick reminder if you are heading out to Alive @ Five tonight: Due to fights between Stamford teens after last week's concert ended, SDSSD is trying out the tactic of emptying Columbus Park after the concert. This sign says that no one can enter the concert area after 9pm. I don't remember if the concerts usually end by that time, but I guess if you're in the park already, the concert can continue until 9:30 or whenever. I'm not sure if the solution will work, but if you read comments from Advocate readers, you'll see that the situation got pretty scary.
Thanks to the reader who sent me this photo from the show tonight!
Here are quotes from articles about the violence and tonight's solution:

From 7/21 Advocate, "Police to discuss Alive @ 5 brawls" by Jeff Morganteen:
Cooney said several fights broke out after Thursday's concert as youths from the city's West and East sides confronted one other in Columbus Park... Police arrested seven people in Thursday's altercations, and three officers were injured, Cooney said.

From 7/23 Advocate, "Columbus Park will close after Alive @ Five concert," Morganteen (this is the article with the interesting comments):
After discussions in the wake of last Thursday's Eve 6 concert, Stamford police officials and event organizers agreed to close Columbus Park from 9 to 11 p.m. after the show. Concertgoers, especially young music fans, said they were disappointed by the new policy... Jesse Arrico, 19, lamented the move because it would leave under-21 concertgoers with no place to go after the concerts. A greater police presence should be enough to correct the problem, he said... Police and concert organizers closed the park temporarily after last week's Eve 6 show. Many altercations between police and pedestrians occur after the music ends, usually at about 8:45 p.m., police and organizers said. "Most of the people who are the source of the trouble don't come for the concert," police spokesman Lt. Sean Cooney said. "They come after. We're trying to discourage that."

Blog Stamford also has an interesting post up about the subject in which he proposes some other solutions.

Click here to read my previous post about Alive at Five that links to my photos of the event. Click here to read more.

Heads Up: Dumba$$ Sniper Near Meriden

I highly doubt that this affects any of us, but I do have a friend who drives to Hartford regularly, so I'll mention the car window shooter on I-691 near Meriden/Wilbur Cross Parkway. I was on that road this weekend, and maybe some of you will be on it this weekend if you're heading up north.

According to the WTNH website: At least two drivers say their car windows were shot out while they were driving on the highway in Meriden this morning near the Wilbur Cross Parkway. That was posted at 5am today.

I'm hoping it's just a BB gun, because it is so not cool to shoot at people. What an a-hole. This reminds me of the DC sniper, who shot a lady at our mall in Fredericksburg, Va.- she lived- and killed a man who was pumping gas at a shopping area near town. We don't live in Freddy-burg, but we shop there, so in the weeks before they caught those two snipers, my mom walked in a zig-zag line in parking lots.

My dad likes to tell this story: "I told the ladies at work, 'I haven't pumped gas in 2 weeks. I have my wife pump gas.' They looked at me in horror, and I said, 'Well, she volunteered.'
'Did she?' they asked. I said, 'Yeah, she kinda ducked.'" He falls over laughing.

He reports that he also told them cheerfully during the anthrax scare, "I have my wife open all my mail. I haven't touched a letter in weeks." Then, he laughs until he can't breathe.

I like the story of how they caught the DC snipers. The police announced the suspect's license plate, and a little while later, a trucker in Western Maryland spotted the car parked at a rest station. The two men were sleeping in the car. The trucker called police, blocked the exit to the rest station, and waited for police to arrive. Click here to read more.

Snap! Stamford DUI Roadblock Criticized

I always wonder why the police warn about roadblocks in advance. The only benefit is to make me excited about the upcoming drama. Yesterday's Advocate announces a roadblock for tonight downtown. In today's Advocate, a letter writer rips the idea to shreds in a succinct four sentences. My summary: roadblocks are highly publicized, so people can avoid them. Enforcement money is better spent on roving patrols; a DOT official states that roving nets ten times more DUIs. Therefore, the roving patrols roadblocks (typo, sorry!) are a waste of tax money. I can't argue with that logic!

Although, is it possible that the roadblock warning causes people to drink and drive less? In any case, if you're out tonight, you'll probably see some roadblocks, so don't be doing weird things in your car. Click here to read more.

Scalzi: Skateboarding and Pistol-Whipping :(

My reaction to the Advocate article about 2 men getting robbed and pistol-whipped in Scalzi Park at 9pm on Wednesday: What the EFF, Stamford!

Mental note: do not go to Scalzi Park at night! Is it really deserted there or something?

I feel very safe at Cove Island Beach Park because it's very busy. Reminder to self: go to 888 Wash with $20 to get my beach sticker. You used to be able to get it at the ice rink at Cove, but now you can't. Go to the Government Center.

Ugh. Whatever, Stamford, whatever. You disappoint me sometimes. Freakin' pistol-whipped on a Wednesday night? F that.

Here's maybe a terrible thought that I'm going to share, because I'm honest. I thought, "This better be another case of young people-on-young-people crime, like the mall, or I am freakin' scared." Maybe that's bad to say, but I'm just trying to tell myself that would never happen to me. I'm not young.

Sk8ers, help me out! What is going on at Scalzi?
Are there lights at night?

What the heck? Another post with the label "Crime?"
I need to stop reading the newspapers. Click here to read more.

Finally! A Lead in the Marco Paoletta Murder Case

Just this weekend I was thinking that I needed to post something to the effect of "Why have police made no progress in the investigation of the shooting death of Marco Paoletta?" It is a very sad story that I have written extensively on at Stamford Talk. The murder occurred on a road that I, and many of us, probably drive on a lot: Vine Rd., just behind the Dunkin Donuts on High Ridge. On Jan. 3, Marco finished his racquetball game at the Jewish Community Center, left the building, and was found just minutes afterward, shot on Vine Rd. Finally, finally, police have released security camera images of the person seen leaving the JCC with Marco.

I have the full Advocate article up on Stamford Talk Resources (a blog arm of ST), but here is the descrip of the man seen on the security camera: The images show a Hispanic man in his 20s between 5 feet, 6 inches and 5 feet, 8 inches tall with long black hair. Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to call the police department's tip line at 977-5111.

Just writing these words creeps me out. Marco was a long-time resident of Stamford and has many family members in the area.

Related Stamford Talk articles:
--February 8, 2008- Marco Paoletta Murder Case: No Progress?
--January 17, 2008- Update, Stamford Murder: Marco Paoletta
--January 8, 2008- Stamford's Jan.3 Murder: Too Much Info?
--January 5, 2008- Stamford's First Murder of 2008
Click here to read more.

Stamford Talk Field Trip: Cafe Moja

So. I've written a lot about Cafe Moja- drug selling, gunshots, melees with cops. I drove by that place for the 4 years I lived in Southfield. It always looked sketch but I never wanted to judge. Well, a fellow Stamford Talker who lives in Southfield said she had always wondered about that place too. "Happy hour?" she joked. I'm not a big joker, so I took her up on her offer.

I will go almost anywhere if it's going to get me a good story. I've been to a KKK rally, for goodness' sake. (Not as a participant, but as a protester. Let me give the KKK an official Stamford Talk "F You, Get a Life.") That was in Hazard, KY. Long story.  Today, on day 6 of my Mississippi visit, I said to my sister, "I kind of want to go to that taxidermy place, just because I think it would be disgusting."  I'm just wondering, where do the guts go? I tried to get a glimpse of the back of the store as we drove by, but didn't see any hints of gut-filled garbage cans. Oh well.

CM serves West Indian and Southern cuisine.  Even though I thought we'd be the only white women in the joint, I figured it would be fine, because restaurants exist for people to eat at them.  However, when we called to confirm that CM was open, we got the answering machine.  When I had driven by, it looked closed, too, with the blinds down, and more run-down than I'd remembered.  We didn't want to give up that easily since we'd already gotten our minds set on it. 

I suggested we stake the place out and see if there was any activity, and if we determined it was closed, we'd go to Crabshell for a drink.  We staked it out inconspicuously (in the parking spot four feet from the door) for 5 minutes and the place was dead as a deer about to be taxidermied.  "This is ridiculous; let's go to Crabshell.  Wait! Before we go, just pull on the door to see if it's open."  Well, it wasn't, somewhat to our relief.   "We gave it a good faith effort; let's go to Crabshell!"

We had Amstel lights and good conversation at Crabshell. Decent little happy hour group, with the requisite group of young-ish men in button-downs looking sort of cute and talking sort of loudly. Click here to read more.

Stamford Mall Robbery Times Two

Geez. I didn’t write about Monday's stabbing at the Stamford Mall (aka Stamford Town Center), and as if to make sure it got proper attention, the mall was the site of a robbery Wednesday.
The second attack was actually outside the mall, in a “glass enclosure that leads to the Stamford Town Center parking garage.” I stupidly don’t know for sure where Veteran’s Park is; I thought it was right near the Avon Theatre, but the article says the robbery occurred off Veteran’s Park and Atlantic. I googlemapped it, googleimaged it, nothing. I hope someone can tell me where exactly the robbery occurred so I can put it on my mental map of Stamford crime.

Both victims were teens, and both were attacked by four men. The first was stabbed when he resisted a robbery in a mall bathroom, and the second was robbed at knifepoint. The police did catch one of the four suspects, who turned out to be 17. I’m not a teen, so I hope I’m safe, but still.

The first attack was inside the mall, right outside Saks. I mentioned the first robbery to a friend a couple days ago, and she said, “Oh, in the stairway outside Saks that leads to the street? Yeah I always see a bunch of high school hooligans there doing high school hooligan things.” However, the article seems to indicate the robbery was indoors, on the fifth floor, and not in some sort of outside entrance.

Dammit Stamford! Part of me is annoyed that you are dangerous, and thinks, Maybe I should sell my soul or firstborn child so I can live in Greenwich, but another part of me likes your excitement factor. That might sound sick, but I think it’s human nature.

Me to husband this morning: Hey, another person was robbed near the Stamford Mall.
Well, apparently your dream came true.
Me: What?
You were just saying last night that you wanted something like this.
Me: ...Oh yeah.
(I had said there was no good gossip in Stamford recently.) Click here to read more.

Café Moja, You Are Soooooooo Out of Control

Clearly Café Moja was feeling left of out the Stamford restaurant gossip circles. Some patrons decided to take matters into their own hands to ensure that Café Moja made headlines. There was (another) melee outside the restaurant/club late Tuesday night.

I previously featured Café Moja on Stamford Talk in November-- "Café Moja, Seriously! Gunshots?"-- when someone shot at police officers who came to break up a fight outside the club at 2am.

Café Moja also made headlines in the blog in October when the owner’s brother was arrested for selling drugs out of the resto, which the Advocate says informants had described as a haven for drug dealers. See "Would you like a Drug Deal with That?"

Has anyone been to this place? It’s right at a key intersection near Crabshell. If there was a melee, it was in the street, not just in front of the club. Cafe Moja is not looking like an asset to the Southfield/Waterside neighborhood.

However, as I point out in a related post, "Southfield Area: Diversity, Boats, Hoods," it's important not to stereotype part of the city and the people who live there. In that post, I describe the Southfield neighborhood, its contrasts in wealth, its new development, and a my spectacular rollerblading wipe out near Dolphin Cove. Click here to read more.

Stamford Day Laborers= Criminals?

Two months ago I got a police survey in the mail. One section put me in a tizzy: Now please rate the Stamford Police Department on how well you feel they resolve each of these community issues. Please X one box for each. Issues ranged from Assault, Robbery, and Gang Violence to Loitering, Traffic Flow, Litter, Homeless/Vagrants, and Computer Fraud. Two of the last “community issues” mentioned were skateboarding in public places and… day laborers.

That progression seemed odd to me. Parking, Litter, Skateboarding, and… Day Laborers? On the survey, I scrawled: How is that an issue? What do they do that is bad? I added, What do they do that is criminal? Are you assuming they are illegal immigrants?

I understand that many—not all-- day laborers are undocumented immigrants. However, Stamford police have no authority to enforce federal immigration laws. Danbury is the only CT city taking part in the program that gives police that authority. (Read this informative yet delightfully understandable article from the Stamford Times.) If the problem is illegal immigration, that’s a national issue, and Stamford Police can’t do much. So... what is the survey asking?

I don’t think it’s asking how well police are resolving issues faced by the day laborers themselves, such as having unsafe working conditions or not getting paid.

I’m left to conclude that the question means what it says: that the day laborers are an issue. These people are a problem. Why? I’ve only seen day laborers standing off exit 9 acting quite pleasant, so explain to me what the problem is. Are they committing crimes? If so, say, “crimes committed by day laborers” or “public urination off exit 9.” This survey question bothers me because it implies that we all have a basic understanding of why day laborers are a problem in Stamford. I see why litter, assault, and credit card fraud are problems, but being a day laborer is not a crime. Not paying a day laborer is a crime, but I don’t think that’s what the survey is talking about.

I think the survey is asking, Are these people bothering you?

The police have to mention day labor because it’s a hot topic in this city, but they only succeed in implying that all day laborers are criminals. Their vague attempt to address the issue reflects the complicated nature of discussing immigration. At heart, most of us are ambivalent. We can all talk about immigration policy in the abstract, but it’s hard to look at a person standing off exit 9 and declare, You should be back in Mexico.

What is our day laborer issue, and is there anything the police should do about it? Click here to read more.

Stamford's Very Own Authentic Voodoo Doll

You have no idea what madness is going on at the police station, but Winnie the Pooh and a human-sized voodoo doll will tell you all about it.

A recent Advocate article is titled: “At Stamford police department, every piece of evidence tells a story.” As you can guess, it’s about items stored in the evidence room, including an arrow (?) used in a murder in 1976, a shovel used to bury a body, and... a stuffed Winnie the Pooh.

I only skimmed this article because I realized there were some disturbing images to avoid… starting with this stuffed animal:
A few items [police sergeant] Rondano has chosen to keep. A stuffed Winnie the Pooh overlooks the front of the property room… Rondano tells a story of a burglary suspect returning to a house to take this bear, only to be arrested. If he had only left the bear, he would have escaped. Rondano keeps the bear to comfort children who come through on tours.

What the- you're keeping a stolen Pooh bear to comfort children? If kids are young enough to be comforted by Pooh, they are too young to be in a room with a baseball bat that was used in a beating!

The next sentence gets even darker:

Tours also include a glimpse at a variety of weapons: real, homemade and toys that bear a frightening resemblance to the real thing.

Unsuspecting kids are glimpsing frightening (but crafty-sounding!) weapons, and I’m glimpsing frightening syntax: you cannot use the words “toys that bear” right after a bizarre toy bear story. Toy bear, toy bear! I can’t even tell if we’re talking about weapons or stuffed animals anymore.

After some descriptions of murders, the article ends on a “not sure if it’s funny or terrifying” note:

Other items can be kept for different reasons. Since being found in a parking lot, a human-size voodoo statue near the entrance has remained. Rondano is hesitant to discard the statute because of its religious nature, but no one wants to take it - possibly for the same reason.

What can I even say about this?

The Stamford Police have a giant voodoo doll- a weapon of terror, really- leaning against the doorframe, welcoming the children on tours. Pooh! Help! I’m left in amazement. We live in an astonishing world, a world in which we can stumble upon a voodoo doll in a parking lot, and where educated adults choose to keep that doll around their workplace.

Our city has an officially documented doll used to cast spells. This doll is as big as we are, and the police think the best thing to do with it is show it off. I’m tempted to suggest we use it as a mascot, or as a prop in parades, but like the cop says, you don’t mess with voodoo.

I’ve got to see this doll, or I won’t be able to concentrate on anything else ever again. What does the statue look like? Is it like a shrunken head, or a scarecrow made with cloth, or a piece of paper? I think the reporter needed a lot more detail there. Did she see the doll? I don’t think she did, or she would have had more to say.

Who knows what other mysteries exist in Stamford? I am thankful to reporters for uncovering them, because this is the kind of gossip I like. Click here to read more.

Marco Paoletta Murder Case: No Progress?

Every morning- and every afternoon, and every evening- I eagerly log on to my Stamford Talk RSS reader. I head straight to the Local News tab, hoping to find something on the Marco Paoletta murder case, and every day, there's no word. I'm disappointed and a little confused.

I know the police can't reveal anything about the investigation, but I wish I could hear something. I have not read one single word about the case in three weeks. I assume police are close to something; a crime committed so boldy, and probably by more than one person, can't stay covered up forever. Maybe mentioning how the investigation is going will tip off a suspect who's under surveillance, and that's why they're not giving out any info to the public. Maybe they got a lot of flack for a careless comment they made early on in the investigation, and now they've been advised not to say anything. Whatever the case, I am sure Stamford police are doing everything they can to solve this. It was a terrible crime. All of the links above lead to my previous posts about the case if you want to know more.

Best of luck to police, and condolences to Marco's family. Click here to read more.

Update, Stamford Murder: Marco Paoletta

I’ve been writing about restaurants a lot recently, probably because it’s easy to write about, and this is harder.
In the latest Advocate article, it says that not only do police believe Marco Paoletta was targeted, they think the killers knew when his raquetball game at the JCC ended, and that’s when they got him.
Well. That is disgusting and sad and scary. As I passed the Jewish Community Center on my way home from the gym, and glanced to my right at Vine St. where Paoletta was found, I felt sick. I hate to imagine how terrifying the last moments of his life were. I hope someone saw something, and that we can find out who did this.

Something else got my attention in the Advocate article: former Stamford police officer Vito Colucci is a friend of the family. I had read about Colucci in the Stamford Times a few months ago; he published a book about being a private investigator. I called Barrett Bookstore in Darien, and they had five copies. I'm looking forward to reading a Stamford cop’s account of his job. I’ll let you know what I think. So far, I’m taken aback by how large the print is, but that will make it easier to read on the elliptical at the gym. It might be too disturbing to read at night, anyway.

I should end by saying to Paoletto’s family that I’m very sorry, and that a lot of people are thinking about Marco and hoping the case is solved.
____________________

Here’s some text from the Advocate article. You can also view the Stamford Times’ article for similar information.

Murder victim targeted after racquetball
By Zach Lowe, Staff Writer for the Stamford Advocate, January 16 2008
STAMFORD - Police believe a city man found dead on the side of a road near a school this month was the target of a planned killing, timed for the end of his racquetball game at a nearby community center.
The body of Marco Paoletta Jr., 51, was found by police on Vine Road near Turn of River Middle School on Jan. 3 at about 6:30 - a few minutes after Paoletta, a local racquetball champion, finished his game at the Jewish Community Center, said Capt. Richard Conklin, head of the police department's detective bureau…
Police have narrowed their focus to the few minutes after Paoletta left the community center and before his body was found with a gunshot wound to the head.
Vito Colucci Jr., a private investigator whose wife is related to Paoletta, said police have active leads and are piecing together an idea of who may have targeted Paoletta.
"This is not a cold case by any means," said Colucci, who is acting as a spokesman for Paoletta's nine siblings. "They are making progress."
Colucci said the killer may have known Paoletta's schedule and waited for him outside the community center.
Paoletta may have known the killer and set up a meeting for after his racquetball game, Colucci said…
Paoletta, known to his friends as "Chickie," was a lifelong Stamford resident who worked in the credit division of a bank in Bridgeport.
His siblings said they were shocked by his death could not think of anyone who would want to harm him.
Police did not recover a weapon and have not speculated on what kind of gun the killer used. Click here to read more.

Stamford's Jan.3 Murder: Too Much Info?

1. I'm a sensitive person. Words matter to me. I don't feel too good about this line from an article in the Stamford Times.

"Paoletta, whose last address was 10 Tuttle St., was a long-time Stamford resident who was well known in by the police department, according to Conklin but does not have an arrest record."

I don't have a problem with the Times printing this. I do have a problem with the police captain saying this about someone. It seems to me that if you're going to imply someone is a trouble maker, you need to have some specifics... if, in fact, that's info you should be sharing.
"Was well-known" is pretty ambiguous. A quick skim made me say, "Oh wow, some police staff were his friends?" A second read made me say, "Oh. He got in trouble a lot, or caused trouble." Now I might have a negative view of this person, not based on any real info. I don't like that. I'd like to know more about Marco Paoletta, more than just that he's not the police's favorite citizen. I do appreciate honesty, but I don't think that's an appropriate comment for the captain to share with the entire city.

Here's a little more info from the Advocate about Paoletta:
"Known to friends and his nine siblings as "Chickie," Paoletta was a lifelong Stamford resident and local racquetball champion, his family said...
Paoletta may have been in the area because he played racquetball often at the nearby Jewish Community Center on Newfield Avenue, said his sister, Brenda.
He had recently taken up the game again and was talking about it at a Christmas dinner with relatives.
"He was happy," Brenda Paoletta said of her brother. "Everything was perfect."
He played racquetball often as a child and won YMCA tournaments, she said.
Paoletta earned an associate degree at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven and worked in the credit division of a bank in Bridgeport, relatives said.
Carmella Circell, another sister, said the family cannot think of anyone who would want to harm their brother.
"I'm just in shock," she said. "I just can't believe someone would murder him. I wonder if he was robbed." (Jan.5 article by staff writer Zach Lowe)

2. I am totally freaked out by this murder. I feel so sorry that this violence had to happen to someone. I'm also freaked out that I could be driving along a road that we take as a shortcut to Dunkin Donuts, and all of a sudden see a bleeding person on the side of the road. That's what happened. Motorists saw this and pulled over. They also heard a loud bang. I don't know details, such as if they saw him pushed out of a car or anything.

I really, really hope they find who did this. I hope Paoletta's car, found burning in Norwalk, will provide leads. Click here to read more.

Stamford's First Murder of 2008

Stamford, I'm sick of talking about your murders.

I read this morning that a man was found lying on Vine St. with a head wound. That’s right by Dunkin Donuts on High Ridge. At 6:45 pm on Jan 3., residents heard a loud bang and then found the man, who later died. There were no stab or gunshot wounds, so police thought it might have been a hit and run. Awful, but not murder.

Before bedtime, I checked my google reader and read in the Stamford Times that it was a gunshot wound. My stomach sank. I felt queasy at the thought of a murder victim lying in the road that I take home from Saturday morning coffee. Not again, Stamford.

And then, to add insult (and confusion) to injury, I read this Advocate headline:
" Gunshot wound found in head of dead Stamford man"… WHAT?
I read it again. Wound found in head. OK, it makes sense. A WOUND was found in the HEAD of a DEAD man. But something is awkward about that. You don’t FIND a wound in someone’s HEAD. You SEE it. Especially if there’s blood.

I called my sister over. “WHAT?” she said disbelievingly. Even a math major can see something wrong with that headline. Found wound head dead?
“It rhymes!” I said. It sounds like first grade spelling class. But to make it even more awkward, the last two words rhyme and the first two look like they should rhyme, but they don't.

In a way, this headline is almost disrespectful. Maybe I'm being picky. But I shouldn't have to look at this headline and laugh, should I? Advocate, you're awesome… but this headline is unacceptable!!!

I don’t mean to be flip and only focus on misguided words. This man got shot and dumped. I feel so bad. He was alive when police got to him. And four hours after they found the man, they found his car burning on a street in Norwalk. Norwalk! I’ve had enough of you as well! Your Christmas Eve murder was so sad and depressing.

Stamford residents, I don’t mean to scare you, but we need to keep our eyes open. There are no good and bad parts of this town. Weird stuff happens everywhere.
On one side, Dunkin Donuts and the Turn of River library. Next door: murder victim.
One side: my NYSC and Tip Top Nails. Across the street: Murder.
One side; Me getting gas at the Shell. 100 yards away: Woman murdered in hotel stairwell.
I wasn’t blogging at the time of the Cove murder, so I don’t know much about that.

I’m trying to find a message here. Stamford’s a real place with real problems. Unlike the zip codes to its left and right*, Stamford is economically and ethnically diverse. People have a lot going on besides making 130,000 (or 168,000) dollars a year (respective median household income of neighboring zips)**. I feel lucky to live in a place where there’s a lot going on. But that means, we have some things to deal with, and that’s why we need to talk, and that’s why I started this blog. I need to learn about the people I live near, and I’m doing that.

One last thing about the headline. “Wound found in head of DEAD man.” Isn’t that a bit gauche? Just because there was a popular movie with “DEAD MAN” in the title doesn’t mean we should all throw those words around. I understand that news is news, but maybe “victim” or even “murder victim” would fit in the headline space. Concise doesn’t have to mean callous.

*Nothing against you, Greenwich and Darien; I like you, I like your residents, I like your restaurants, and you have your own interesting issues. In fact, I like both of you very much, and one day, maybe I’ll have time to analyze you.

** Info according to city-data.com. Stamford’s median household income is around $66,000. Click here to read more.

Guns: Busy on Stamford's West Side

If it weren’t for the newspapers, I wouldn’t know a darn thing that goes on in this town. I know I should be out talking to strangers and finding news on my own, but it’s cold, and sometimes strangers don’t know much. I made a new friend at Towne Fair Tire today, but I bet she didn’t know about Stamford’s latest shooting. I do, because I read the papers. (Love ya, RSS feed.)

Today’s Stamford Times reports a shooting on Stillwater Ave, on the West Side. West Side, again! Don’t you ever sleep? A young man was shot twice in a drive-by. (Drive-by? Am I really saying that word?) Fortunately he's OK, as OK as you can be with a bullet wound in your abdomen, poor guy. There were two other gun-related incidents on the same night, Dec. 18. In one, a man on Hope St. threatened his girlfriend with a gun. In the other, police arrested a guy with a stolen pistol and 15 rounds in the Vidal Court housing complex.

I haven’t heard of Vidal Court, so I google-mapped it like I always do for big crimes. Google maps didn’t turn up any Vidal Courts, but on the listings near Vidal Sassoon, I saw a little link that said “West Side of Stamford - Wik...... The different sections of the West Side including Vidal Court, Fairfield Court…”
Wikipedia on West Side Stamford? I’ve read general info on Stamford, but would Wikip. have such specific info on one little ‘hood? Indeed, the info was there… but is it bad that the entry made me want to laugh?

“The West Side of Stamford, Connecticut is one of the poorest and most violent sections of the city. It is located north of the Waterside neighborhood, west of Downtown and east of Greenwich, Connecticut. The different sections of the West Side including Vidal Court, Fairfield Court, Spruce Street, Friendship Building and the infamous Southwood Square (formally known as Southfield Village)…
The West Side has had a problem with violent crime for years. "Despite efforts to curb it, the area is still a breeding ground for drug dealers, and gangs, such as the Bloods, the Crips, the Merrell Avenue Posse and the Haitian Posse," according to an April 2007 article in The Advocate of Stamford. "A shootout last year [2006] between factions of the Crips that left two people injured spurred a citywide police sweep called Operation Clean Streets."

Infamous! Haha! This sounded ridiculous to me, like it was a spoof. “Most violent-“ are we in East LA? Who wrote this? Words like “Crips” and “Merrell Avenue Posse” sound absurd to me. Then again, maybe my incredulity shows that I am disconnected from that part of the city. I’m not denying that violence happens right next to my la-la life, but I’m sorry, “infamous” is WAY over the top. If it were infamous, I would have heard the words “Southfield Village” at least one time in my five and a half years in Stamford, four of which were IN Southfield. Sigh. I guess I have to go do some Wikipedia-editing.

The Times article ends on a depressingly ominous note: “Cooney said it is unusual to have so many gun-related arrests in one night. "We are concerned," he said, "and are reminding our officers to wear their vests."

You have to appreciate the work our police do. I bet they see a very different Stamford than I do. I’d like to see more of Stamford beyond say, Margot Café and Wine Bar and my grocery store.

Yesterday's Advocate reports that on the night before October’s almost-murder near Pellici’s (also on the West Side), police had “responded to reports of gunfire in the Vidal Court housing complex on Merrell Avenue.”

West Side, you are busy, restless. In the past few months, you’ve had:
An almost-murder on Stillwater near Pellici’s
On the night before the almost-murder, gunfire at Vidal Court on Merrell Ave, which is right off Stillwater.
Last night’s arrest of a stolen gun in Vidal Court
Murder of Gregory Rowell- very sad- near Stillwater.
Last night’s drive-by… on Stillwater.

Stillwater, this is not a good fall and winter for you. And you have an elementary school on you. Click here to read more.