Safety Forum Saw Residents Voice Concerns On A Variety Of Subjects

By Brian M. Johnson, The Bristol Press

January 11, 2022

Saturday's community and school safety forum saw residents voice concerns on a variety of subjects according to Town Councilor Jack Perry, who organized the event.

Perry said that the event was organized primarily to discuss threats and local schools and the uptick in youth crime.

"Southington has experienced a wave of safety threats in recent months," said Perry. "In December, police investigated a threat written on a bathroom wall at Southington High School, and during October's Apple Harvest Festival, there was a violent stabbing of a teen. As an elected official, it is my top priority to make sure that people feel safe. This forum provided the opportunity for the community to air their concerns and build trust in knowing that their elected officials are listening and engaged."

Perry said that he asked questions on various safety issues to foster a dialogue amongst attendees.

One attendee told him that they see a rise in violence among youth in red and blue states across the country.

"They said we need to get past the political bickering and focus on what is really happening with our children, so we can come up with real solutions to keeping our community safe," said Perry.

Perry said that another parent voiced that the circumstances brought on by the pandemic have led to the rise in crime.

"They said poverty is up, food insecurity is widening, and the pandemic has increased many mental health problems," said Perry. "Our youth need more help and resources to deal with the trauma of these past few years. We need to provide surveys to students so we know how they are feeling and how we can better help them cope."

A parent, Perry said, voiced concerns about Southington schools "being one of the lowest funded in Connecticut." This resident, he said, argued that schools should provide funding for additional after-school options to keep kids from getting into trouble.

Another resident complained of a "general lack of dialogue" between elected officials and town residents.

Resident Anthony Mazzarella wanted elected officials to "disseminate more information" to the public on what is going on in town.

"This is the first time in my memory that we had an informal conversation about issues facing our town," he said.

Immediately after Mazzarella spoke, another resident said that they felt that being allowed to speak for five minutes at a council meeting wasn't enough time to have a discussion with elected leaders.

Perry said that he hopes this forum will be the first in a series of continued discussions about important issues in town.

"This roundtable listening event was such a great experience," he said. "As an elected official, we need to be listening to the residents, and holding forums just like this is a great way of achieving results for our town."

Perry also created a 15-minute online survey which those who were unable to attend the forum can take. He plans to share the survey results with the rest of the Town Council and the Board of Education.

To view the survey, visit surveymonkey.com/r/CouncilmanJackPerryPublicschoolsafety?fbclid=IwAR0pBQIA

4lOKY2aNIRhEFJ1WWC3PA3huIIVB_SfqOIF2QieHp-9pdzw6-Js.

Brian M. Johnson can be reached at 860-973-1806 or bjohnson@bristolpress.com.