Frustrated tenants of the Riverside Apartment complex pleaded with Ansonia Housing Authority leaders Wednesday for help fixing problems in their community.
It’s an old request that became more urgent after two women were killed in separate incidents in the past month.
In the emotional wake of a fatal shooting early Wednesday, 12 residents and nine children packed the meeting room at the authority’s Main Street headquarters looking for answers, guidance and a little dialogue.
They left as frustrated as they came, but promised to keep pushing the issues.
“I’m honestly ready to get out,” said Ernest Martin, the secretary for the tenant association. “But that’s not the answer, just to up and move.”
So what is the answer?
Residents suggested creating mandatory curfews, more security and a tougher screening process to move into the federally subsidized complex.
“Kids are not even safe out there…. I’m scared to go out my front door, to go to my mailbox,” said resident Deirdra Caple, adding that extra security needs to be consistent. “You’re going to be here because we had another death. How long is that going to go on? Another day?”
Some residents are talking about starting a neighborhood watch program.
“The tenants have a lot to do with it also, so we’ve got to start watching each other’s backs,” Martin said.
But they need help from the authority and the commission, said tenant association vice president Maranda Onidi.
Falling on Deaf Ears?
That’s where tenants said they are most frustrated. They said they bring concerns to the authority, and are told to request a meeting in writing. Tenant association president Malika Mosley said when they sent that request, they received no response.
“Tenants have been trying to get to you guys and nobody responds to us,” Mosley said. “It seems to us you guys are running a business and nobody’s monitoring it.”
Members of the city’s Housing Authority did not respond to the residents’ concerns during the meeting.
Afterward, James Tyman, chairman of the Housing Authority Commission, said he understood the emotions displayed by the tenants.
However, the housing commissioners did not have any concrete ideas as to how to improve the situation.
“They want to see, as we do, if there is anything that can be done,” Tyman said.
Tyman said the problem seems to be coming from non-residents coming into the complex.
“We will work with the police. We will listen to the residents. If there’s something that we can do, we’ll attempt to do it,” Tyman said.
Referring to Wednesday’s morning shooting, Tyman said, “Again, it is a very difficult situation when someone comes in, with no fore warning. It’s almost a random act.”
There are no security cameras in the complex.
“I believe we’ve looked at that before. One, I’m not sure we have the budget to do that. Quite frankly, we’re not sure that would be effective,” Tyman said.
Police Chief Kevin Hale said the department has stepped up patrols in the area since the murders.
But before that, over the past five years, the department has been ticketing and banning non-residents from the property. About 80 people have been banned from the property, and several of those who have returned have been arrested for criminal trespassing, Hale said.
Just Tear It Down
Several residents interviewed Wednesday said the complex needs to be torn down. The demolition of two of the buildings is, in fact, planned for this summer. Mayor James Della Volpe said that five more will be torn down after that.
The overall plan, Della Volpe said, is to tear them all down and replace them with townhouse style apartments.
But in the meantime, there are residents left in the remaining units – waiting for relief and feeling forgotten.
“We just want to go out with dignity,” said one resident at the authority’s meeting Wednesday. She later declined to give her name.
“There’s people there that still care,” said Onidi. “Don’t forget about us just because the buildings are coming down.”
