For nearly six hours, about 100 protesters — including Yale students — blocked the staircase and escalators that lead from the station to the tracks to demand that Rep. Rosa DeLauro call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and stop voting for military aid to Israel. Organizers wrote in a statement to the News that the goal of the sit-in was to “end business as usual” during what they described as a genocide in Gaza. Israel disputes charges of genocide. Several event attendees told the News that they participated with the intention of police arresting them.

Dave Steckel, the MTA media liaison, wrote to the News that the nine people arrested were issued misdemeanor summons for second-degree breach of peace, which is the “intent to cause inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm or recklessly creating a risk thereof.”

Event attendees disputed the number MTA police offered, saying that 13 people received charges of breach of peace. Steckel declined to comment on the discrepancy, and the News was unable to independently verify either count. The News could not confirm whether Yale students were among those arrested.

During the sit-in, which lasted from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., protesters chanted “Free, free Palestine” and “Get up, get down, we’re anti-war in this town” as they blocked the main stairwell and escalators to the platform. protesters hung a banner over the timetables that read “DeLAURO STOP FUNDING GENOCIDE.” 

According to multiple attendees and video obtained by the News, the protesters directly at the top and bottom of the staircase and escalators locked themselves together with bicycle locks and PVC pipes. While this blocked the stairs and escalators, passengers were still able to get from the station to the tracks using the building’s elevators. 

Around 11 p.m., at least nine and possibly as many as 13 attendees on the bottom floor of the station blocked the elevators to provoke arrest, according to several attendees. They were quickly arrested by MTA police. The rest of the protesters left the station around the same time. Some protesters continued demonstrating outside the station past midnight. 

Steckel wrote that no protesters were detained in a cell after the arrests, and all protesters left the station by 11:00 p.m. Some protesters continued demonstrating outside the station past midnight. 

“We wanted to escalate so that people in ‘lock boxes’ could get arrested because we wanted the image of law enforcement cutting them up,” said one attendee, to whom the News granted anonymity due to safety concerns. “That was the whole purpose of being locked down — you are intending to be arrested after law enforcement ‘unlocks’ you.”

Breach of peace is a Class B misdemeanor in Connecticut and carries penalties of up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Advocates in New Haven and across Connecticut have protested since October in support of a permanent ceasefire to end Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, through which Israel has killed over 32,000 people in Gaza, though experts believe thousands more to be dead. Israel has undertaken the offensive in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in which Hamas killed 1,200 people and took over 250 people as hostages.

The sit-in was organized by what several attendees interviewed by the News described as a collection of individuals who took issue with DeLauro’s support for military aid to Israel and refusal to call for a permanent ceasefire. 

“The point of direct action is to disrupt the business as usual, and really bring attention to these causes,” Abdul Osmanu, a Hamden Town Councilor who attended the sit-in, said. “Oftentimes the needle really doesn’t move without any real meaningful direct action.” 

Osmanu also argued that DeLauro was ignoring the will of her constituents, citing polling that shows the majority of Democrats support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

On March 7, DeLauro — who represents New Haven — put out a statement calling for a six-week ceasefire.

“We must work to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza, free all the hostages held by Hamas, and enact a six-week ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict that allows for the protection and survival of innocent Palestinian civilians caught in the middle of war,” DeLauro wrote. 

On March 22, DeLauro voted for a $1.2 trillion government funding package which passed overwhelmingly and included $3.3 billion in aid to Israel’s military.

DeLauro did not respond to a request for comment on the sit-in or arrests.

The protesters also held an Iftar — the evening meal that breaks the fast for Muslims observing Ramadan — during the sit-in. Osmanu, who is fasting for Ramadan, said that people brought water, dates and pizza, which enhanced the sense of community among the protesters. 

Adam Nussbaum ’25, who participated in the sit-in, said that he had met with staff from DeLauro’s office earlier in the day alongside a delegation from Yale Jews for Ceasefire and described the meeting as frustrating. The protest, by contrast, brought him hope. 

“I think it can easily feel cynical, and in moments like these, seeing so many people rally and put their bodies on the line — saying that we won’t stand for this injustice and this sort of death-making is very moving,” Nussbaum said. “I feel very inspired by it. It just makes me feel like we will win.”

One bystander, who asked only to be identified by their first name Ty due to fear of retaliation from their employer, told the News that they arrived at Union Station around 7 p.m. to catch a train. They said that while they could have gone around the protest to board, they felt “uncomfortable” with breaking the line and wanted to support the ongoing protest.

They added that the protest was “very peaceful” and “powerful,” and that they believed the police were aggressive in their removal of protesters from the stairwell area. Ty ended up taking a train on Friday instead.

Shilpa Patel, a worker at the Sbarro in Union Station, said that the MTA Police “did their job” but that the police were not able to control the protesters as they blocked the escalator and elevator. 

According to attendees and video of the event obtained by the News, more than 30 police officers from four departments — New Haven police, Amtrak police, MTA police and Connecticut State police — were present at the protest, though only MTA police made arrests. 

The Union Station sit-in followed a protest on the New Haven Green Thursday afternoon where approximately 100 Yale and New Haven community members gathered to urge New Haven officials to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. An organizer for the New Haven Green protest told the News that the rally on the green and Union Station sit-in were planned separately. At the end of the rally, the organizers informed protesters that they could march to Union Station to support the action. 

DeLauro has represented New Haven since 1991.

Anika Arora Seth, Khuan-Yu Hall and Kenisha Mahajan contributed reporting.

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The arrests came after dozens of protesters blocked the staircase and escalators that lead from the station to the tracks. In the station, protesters also unfurled a banner over the timetables that read “DeLAURO STOP FUNDING GENOCIDE.” Protesters sang, danced, chanted pro-Palestine slogans — including “free, free Palestine” — and locked arms during the sit-in. 

Over a dozen police officers with the New Haven Police Department and Metropolitan Transit Authority Emergency Service stood around the building during the demonstration, according to WTNH.

In a statement to the News, organizers of the sit-in wrote that their demand was for “Rep. Rosa DeLauro [to] stop voting to fund the genocide in Gaza and commit to divestment from the Israeli war machine.” 

On March 24, DeLauro — who represents New Haven in Congress — voted for a $1.2 trillion government funding package which passed overwhelmingly and included $3.3 billion in aid to Israel’s military. Israel disputes charges of genocide.

After U.S. President Joe Biden voiced his support for an immediate six-week ceasefire in his State of the Union address, DeLauro put out a statement on March 7 clarifying her position.

“We must work to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza, free all the hostages held by Hamas, and enact a six-week ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict that allows for the protection and survival of innocent Palestinian civilians caught in the middle of war,” DeLauro wrote. “I am glad that President Biden is using every lever to ensure that desperately needed aid gets to innocent Palestinian civilians, including the recently announced seaport that will be established in Gaza to distribute aid.”

DeLauro did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the protest.

The sit-in at Union Station followed a protest on the New Haven Town Green, which began around 3:30 p.m., when approximately one hundred Yale students and New Haven community members gathered to urge New Haven officials to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. 

The protest was organized by the joint efforts of Yalies4Palestine, Yale Law Students for Justice in Palestine, Citywide Youth Coalition, Students for Justice in Palestine at UConn, Owls for Justice in Palestine and humanitarian activist group We Will Return. Members of political groups such as the Revolutionary Communists of America and Jewish Voice for Peace also joined in solidarity. 

An organizer from the coalition of pro-ceasefire organizations clarified on Friday that the organizers of the rally on the Green had not planned the march to Union Station. During the rally, an organizer learned about the sit-in, which was planned by individuals and not the coalition of organizations. At the end of the rally, the organizers informed protesters that they could march to Union Station to support the action but were not obligated to do so if they felt uncomfortable.

At the rally, organizers highlighted their recent push to encourage registered Democrats to vote “Uncommitted” in Connecticut’s presidential primary on Tuesday, to express dissatisfaction with Biden’s policies regarding the war in Gaza, specifically as Israel has signaled its intention to invade Rafah, a city in the southern part of Gaza.

“We launched a couple of weeks ago the Vote Uncommitted Connecticut campaign,” said a speaker from Vote Uncommitted Connecticut. “Vote Uncommitted Connecticut represents building a coalition — a diverse coalition of workers, students, Muslims, Jews, people of color and people of conscience.” 

In early March, a group of Connecticut residents unveiled a campaign to vote “Uncommitted” on the Democratic presidential primary ballot to show support for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

Advocates in New Haven and across the state have engaged in protests since October in support of a permanent ceasefire to end Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, through which Israel has killed over 32,000 people in Gaza, though experts believe thousands more to be dead under the rubble. Israel has undertaken the offensive in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, in which Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 250 people as hostages.

Biden has previously expressed support for a six-week ceasefire but has stopped short of calling for a “permanent” ceasefire, which many American voters support, according to polls.

Although Connecticut’s Primary Day is on Tuesday, early voting is already underway. Connecticut’s Democratic primary ballot will have four candidate options, and the option to vote “Uncommitted.” However, Biden has already earned enough delegates in other states’ primaries to be named the Democratic nominee.

At the protest, organizers also criticized New Haven’s Board of Alders. Pro-ceasefire organizers introduced a resolution calling for a ceasefire to the Board in November. Board president Tyisha Walker-Myers moved the ceasefire resolution to the Committee of the Whole in February, and the committee will meet to hear testimony on the resolution on May 1 over Zoom.

Kirill Staklo, a speaker representing the Connecticut branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, expressed frustration at the committee meeting date.

“They want this to go on for months, they don’t see the urgency,” Staklo said.

After the speakers had finished, the crowd of protesters marched over a mile from the Green to New Haven’s Union Station, where they held the sit-in.

The protesters emphasized the importance of blocking public spaces to make people “uncomfortable.”

“I implore you all on April 2 get out and vote,” said Zachary Herring ENV ’24, a protester involved with JVP. “Right now I implore you all to stick around and clog up the streets so people aren’t comfortable – like us right now. ”

In advance of the protest, Yale’s chapter of Faculty for Justice in Palestine released a statement supporting the protesters and the civil disobedience action. Yale’s FJP chapter was joined by those from ten other schools.

In the statement, faculty expressed their “unequivocal support” of the protest and sit-in and their commitment to defending students from any repercussions they face as a result of their participation in the protest.   

“Their carefully planned interruption of business as usual reminds us that there is no business as usual when the United States is funding, arming, and defending the genocide in Gaza,” the statement reads. “If today’s action demonstrated how the flow of our days grinds to a halt when the infrastructure we depend on does not run properly, it is a reminder of the fact that the Gaza strip has been without working transportation, including serviceable roads, since late October.”

On Primary Day, polls will be open across the city from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. for voters to cast their ballots.

Nathaniel Rosenberg contributed reporting.

This is a developing story that the News will continue to follow.

Correction, March 29: This article has been updated to reflect that the sit-in at Union Station was not planned by the organizers of the rally on the Green.

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The center will provide short-tcerm interventions for people who are experiencing a crisis and need stabilization, serving as an alternative destination to hospitalizations or jail. The center will be staffed 24/7, 365 days per year, with a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, nurses, licensed clinicians and peers with lived experience, according to outgoing Department of Community Resilience Director Carlos Sosa-Lombardo. The center can accommodate up to ten patients at a time, Celeste Cremin-Endes, the Connecticut State Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services’ Chief of State-Operated Services told the News. 

The city has not yet announced the center, and Lenny Speiller, the city’s communications director, declined to give further details on the center’s opening until they are finalized.

Continuum of Care’s Vice President of Acute and Forensic Services John Labieniec, who will be spearheading the project with Program Director of Emergency Response Services Wanda Jofre, told the News that the center will be located in the Beaver Hills neighborhood and that the team hopes construction will be done by early April so that the center can begin operations later that month.

“Our community is struggling with a homeless crisis and with the rise in mental health needs during an emergency we need more alternatives other than ‘Yale or jail,’” Labieniec wrote to the News, referring to the Yale New Haven Hospital.

Labieniec said that the project began when Continuum received a grant to explore 24-hour community-based “therapeutic” stabilization centers around the country as alternative treatment centers to emergency rooms for individuals struggling with behavioral health issues.

Labieniec and Jofre, both licensed social workers, received grants from the state and New Haven, and are partnering with the Connecticut Mental Health Center, the City’s Department of Community Resilience, the Elm City COMPASS mobile crisis team and New Haven police. Labieniec specifically thanked Sosa-Lombardo for his involvement in the project, calling him “instrumental” in making the vision for a crisis stabilization center a reality.

Cremin-Endes explained that Continuum’s state contract was awarded through a Request for Proposal — or RFP — process, where the state solicited bids from organizations looking to take on a project similar to the REST Center. The highest-scoring bid is then given the opportunity to negotiate a contract.

She said that the state’s grant is intended to cover the cost of the center’s operations, while the grant from the city funds the center’s physical construction.

Jorge X. Camacho LAW ’10, a criminal justice and policing law scholar, noted the significance of the REST Center’s 24/7 care model. He said that despite hotlines like 2-1-1 — which connects callers to New Haven’s Coordinated Access Network — being available 24/7, the services to which operators can connect patients are often unavailable. 

Labieniec said that the REST center will follow a “living room model” — providing services in a non-institutional, home-like environment. 

According to Sosa-Lombardo, the center will accommodate individuals who may arrive by ambulance, police transport or from a crisis team like COMPASS. The crisis team, also founded as a partnership between the city and Continuum of Care, offloads specific cases, like mental health crises, from the city’s emergency service departments.

“The model is meant to partner with police and mobile crisis [teams] and serve as that alternative,” wrote Labieniec. “The idea is no one is turned away.”

Camacho said that the community-centered approach to intervention brings the sophisticated treatment that would normally only be available in acute care settings to the location where patients live, making the treatment process, for mental health issues or drug abuse, less isolating than typical forms of intervention.

He also emphasized a trend of increasing enthusiasm by police officials to collaborate with these types of crisis intervention methods.

“[Intervention] does not pose an existential threat to police officers, or policing in itself, but it can be seen as a really useful and beneficial supplement to the efforts of police officers to effectuate public safety,” Camacho said.

Crisis Stabilization Units — or CSUs — have risen in popularity throughout the country. The Wellmore Behavioral Health non-profit treatment provider in Waterbury currently operates a 24-hour Urgent Crisis Center for children. Three other pediatric CSUs currently operate in the state — at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, the Village for Families and Children in Hartford and the Child and Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut in New London — but each of the centers has placed a limit on daily capacity. When the REST Center begins operations, it will be the only such service for adults in Connecticut.

Continuum of Care was founded in 1966.

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Pan, a former Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher, will face 35 years in prison as part of his plea agreement. Pan is due back in court on April 25 for his disposition hearing, which will include his sentencing, according to court records.

Pan’s plea, entered in Superior Court in New Haven, concludes a case that made national headlines for the murder of a Yale student and the three-month-long manhunt that followed.

“I can’t say this brings the family justice. I hope it does,” New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson told the News Thursday evening. “I think a 35-year sentence is a large sentence … I hope this brings the family justice.”

Molly Arabolos, Pan’s attorney, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. New Haven State’s Attorney John P. Doyle Jr. also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jiang, a 26-year-old student at the School of the Environment, was shot and killed on Feb. 6, 2021, in New Haven’s East Rock neighborhood. The shooting occurred just a week after he proposed to his fiance, Zion Perry GRD ’26, whom Pan knew at MIT. Police identified Pan as a person of interest on Feb. 10, but Pan evaded police until May 13, 2021, when he was detained by United States Marshalls in Montgomery, Alabama.

Pan had been held in custody for the past three years, as judges granted Pan and his attorneys multiple extensions to review evidence. In March 2022, Pan’s lawyer claimed that Pan was having difficulty reading through documents related to the case because he had limited access to the prison library. 

In September 2022, Pan’s attorney requested State Superior Court Judge Jon Alander LAW ’78 to order a “competency exam.” Results from the exam that Alander granted deemed Pan fit for trial in early November 2022.

Pan first faced evidence in court in December 2022 over two days of probable cause hearings. Several witnesses who testified at the hearings described how they saw Pan flee the scene in a SUV and forensic scientists testified that they had found evidence inside the SUV, further linking Pan to the crime scene.

“I hope to see justice soon,” Jiang’s mother Linda Liu told the News after the first probable cause hearing on Dec. 6, 2022. “Not for money or fame but for the truth.”

On Dec. 8, 2022, Alander ruled that there was probable cause linking Pan to Jiang’s murder. Two days after Alander’s ruling, Pan pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.

In April 2023, Arabolos — a public defender — was assigned to Pan’s case, replacing his private criminal defense attorneys. Arabolos represented Pan at his hearing on Thursday, during which Pan pleaded guilty. 

Jacobson attributed the guilty plea to overwhelming evidence from the prosecutors that linked Pan to the murder.

“The justice system takes time for a reason,” Jacobson said. “I think the fact that he gave a plea shows you that we had an overwhelming case with lots of evidence. I’m proud of the work of the state’s attorney’s office who prepared for trial and gave them no other choice but to plead out.”

Pan’s sentencing hearing will take place on April 25 at the New Haven Courthouse at 235 Church St.

Nathaniel Rosenberg and Sophie Sonnenfeld contributed reporting.

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That is according to the monthly Board of Police Commissioners meeting, which was held Tuesday, Feb. 13, to discuss officer shortages, crime rates and civilian complaints against the officers. New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson addressed the board’s concerns with optimism as he announced various measures aimed at molding a robust police department for years to come.

Assistant Chief of Police Manmeet Bhagtana announced the approval of a list of 40 conditional job offers that the department has delivered to prospective officers, which would fill over half of the department’s open spots.

At the meeting, Jacobson lamented staffing losses initiated by resignations, retirements and transfers to departments in nearby areas. The NHPD currently has 73 open positions after three recent resignations where officers transitioned to surrounding cities with higher pay and enhanced benefits. 

“We have to get our salaries up,” Jacobson said. “These losses are very disappointing.”

To address vacancies, Sergeant Paul Finch has spearheaded a widespread recruitment effort for local high school and college students interested in law enforcement careers.

These staffing shortages have coincided with a stagnation in crime rates across the city. 

“There were five homicides and ten shootings by this time last year,” Jacobson said. “This year, there have only been two homicides and two shootings.”

Jacobson attributed these strides to work by the City Youth Department and coordinated action on violent crime. 

There was a five percent uptick in auto theft from last year, with Kia and Hyundai models being at exceptional risk for burglary in the city, according to Jacobson. He added that juveniles who perpetrate these crimes have been given special attention through probation and coordination with the City Youth Department.

Lieutenant Jessie Agosto also announced 19 complaints issued against police officers — mostly an assortment of miscellaneous offenses with five neglect of duties. 

According to Agosto, a woman filed a grievance against a sergeant for excessive force during detainment. The woman allegedly reported that the sergeant pushed her sister while apprehending her. The NHPD deemed the force as justified according to their internal affairs procedure, but Commissioner Tracey Meares questioned the department’s policies.

Meares, a professor at Yale Law School, spoke about the necessity of reevaluating codes and procedures implemented by former police chiefs. Those standards, she said, may not be up to date with current standards of good policing. 

“The use of force may be consistent with policy, but consistence with policy could also be avoidable,” said Meares. 

The Board of Police Commissioners concluded their meeting with nominations and elections for the chair and vice chair positions. Evelise Ribeiro was unanimously reelected chairwoman.

Michael Lawlor, a member of the Board of Police Commissioners and criminal justice professor at the University of New Haven, nominated Donald Walker to return as vice chair of the board. 

“He has been a mentor in many respects and he’s just a phenomenal leader in our community,” Lawlor said about Walker. “We are lucky to have him in the process once again.”

Walker was also unanimously elected vice chairman. 

The Board of Police Commissioners meeting was held at 6 p.m. on Zoom.

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Suffering from hip pain and spinal injuries, Becerra says he reported his workplace injuries to MDF Painting. Instead of providing worker’s compensation, MDF fired him and tried to send him on a flight back to Guatemala days later. 

Since his arrival in New Haven, Becerra has been living at 200 Peck St. in Fair Haven, at a house owned by his boss, Mark DeFrancesco, along with at least 19 other migrant workers who had come from Guatemala on H-2B visas sponsored by MDF. While still living at 200 Peck St. Becerra filed a workers’ compensation complaint on Oct. 23; two weeks later, his boss and landlord, DeFrancesco, served him and another tenant-employee, Josue Mauricio Araña, an eviction notice. 

Becerra and MDF have been embroiled in two legal disputes: Becerra’s worker’s compensation case and DeFrancesco’s eviction claim. On Monday, the Connecticut Superior Court denied the eviction, but left the door open for DeFrancesco to evict Becerra and Araña through a different method. Becerra is awaiting his worker’s compensation hearing next week. 

The News spoke to two experts who said that obstacles to reporting make it difficult to quantify workers’ compensation abuse, but cases like Becerra’s are part of a wider pattern of thin protections for migrant workers.

Tyrese Ford, Becerra’s housing court lawyer, said he hopes Becerra’s case raises awareness about the ways migrant workers in New Haven remain vulnerable. 

“Hypothetically, if Edgar had never reached out to us and let us know the situation, would the public have known about their situation?” Ford said. “How would we have known that was going on around the corner on 200 Peck St.?” 

Becerra suffered multiple injuries, allegedly slept on the street after eviction 

MDF’s website advertises a close-knit team, urging workers to join a company that’s like an “extended family.” But Becerra’s experience with MDF, as he described it, paints a different picture. 

Becerra arrived in New Haven in July 2023 on a temporary work visa sponsored by MDF, slated to expire on Nov. 30. When Becerra arrived at 200 Peck St., he discovered at least 19 other MDF workers from Guatemala already living in the house, according to documents filed by his attorney. According to Becerra, no bed was available and he slept on the floor of a third-floor bedroom. DeFrancesco denied this at trial, saying he provided the tenants with mattresses. MDF paid Becerra almost $17 an hour; DeFrancesco set rent at $75 a week. 

In August, Becerra fell from a 32-foot ladder while painting for MDF and suffered leg and hip injuries, according to documents submitted by his attorney. Becerra said he reported the injury to MDF, who required him to continue working. 

MDF and Mark DeFrancesco’s attorney did not respond to multiple requests to comment. 

In September, Becerra said he fell head-first from a second-floor window while working; MDF again allegedly ignored his injury and told him to return to work. 

At the trial, Becerra claimed that MDF did not provide safety equipment, such as helmets, gloves or cable, to its workers, according to the New Haven Independent. 

The documents introduced by Becerra’s attorney claim that on Sep. 26, Becerra, “unable to manage the pain,” was admitted to Yale New Haven Hospital and diagnosed with a lower spine and hip injury. The next day, MDF allegedly told Becerra they would fire him and send him back to Guatemala if he did not return to work. When he did not return to work, Becerra was fired.

On Sep. 30, Lisa Hollingsworth, DeFrancesco’s sister and a principle of MDF, texted Becerra telling him DeFrancesco had bought plane tickets for him back to Guatemala the following day. 

“Great news. Mark approved to pay for your flight,” the text read, instructing Becerra to “pack and have your things ready,” according to the court decision. The next day, Hollingsworth texted Becerra the flight confirmation code. Becerra did not board the flight. 

Becerra alleges that in October, MDF changed the lock code to the Peck Street residence. Unable to access the house, Becerra and Araña slept outside for two days before contacting New Haven Police, who ordered MDF to allow Becerra and Araña back into the house. During the trial, DeFrancesco claimed that the lockout was purely accidental, according to the New Haven Independent. 

Becerra filed a report of injury with the Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Commission on Oct. 23; his workers’ compensation case is still pending. Around this time, Becerra was hospitalized for over a week for work-related injuries. 

On Nov. 6, MDF served Becerra and Araña an eviction notice, ordering the men to leave 200 Peck St. within the week. In late November, DeFrancesco and his attorney Joshua Brown filed an eviction complaint against Becerra and Araña in court, officially beginning the legal dispute that culminated in Monday’s decision. 

Housing court denies eviction, for now 

The eviction dispute was heard first on Jan. 11 and again on Jan. 16. DeFrancesco claimed that both tenants were bound by weekly, oral lease agreements. 

On Monday, Judge Walter Spader issued a decision siding with Becerra and Araña, ruling that MDF had not proved the existence and terms of a week-to-week oral lease.

However, the decision noted that Becerra and Araña have not paid DeFrancesco for the continued residence in the house, leaving open the opportunity for MDF to file another eviction claim under “right or privilege terminated.” 

A footnote in the decision stated that there was nothing to suggest that MDF’s eviction case was retaliation against Becerra’s workers’ compensation claim — a major part of Becerra’s defense. 

“Did this decision inch us toward justice? I would say yes,” said Ford, Becerra’s attorney at New Haven Legal Assistance Association. “Did it do enough? No. But it did provide us with more time and opportunity to seek justice.” 

Becerra’s case example of limited migrant protections

According to Glenn Formica, the attorney representing Becerra in his workers’ compensation case, workers’ compensation can be one of the most expensive components of a construction job, and construction companies often use undocumented migrant workers to skirt those costs. Formica said he has encountered many undocumented workers who fear deportation if they file a workers’ compensation complaint against their employer. 

While Becerra came to New Haven on an H-2B visa, Formica estimated that around two-thirds of the workers he represents are undocumented. Becerra stands out from other cases of migrant workers injured on the job because he has gone public with his case and is pursuing legal compensation, Formica said. 

Professor Sheila Hayre, who teaches immigration law and serves as the faculty advisor for the Human Trafficking Prevention Project at Quinnipiac University School of Law, said that the protections for undocumented workers compared to those with temporary working status are like “night and day.” 

However, she emphasized that workers with legal working permission still face hurdles in reporting workplace injuries, and oftentimes, return back to their own countries to receive care before receiving compensation. 

“You can imagine yourself [suffering a workplace injury on a temporary working visa], and just feeling like I just want to go home,” Hayre said. “Situations like that, where you feel like the employer has provided housing and a job and everything else, the logistics of ‘how do I even survive while I’m fighting this case?’ I think it is a really huge issue.”

Hayre noted that difficulty in switching employers, who sponsor the visa, can prevent migrant workers from leaving exploitative or problematic employers. She also said that employers can “blacklist” workers from future work visas in the U.S., enabling employers to hang this potential ban over workers’ heads. As a result, many workers “put up” with unfair working conditions because they feel like they lack other options, according to Hayre. 

A lack of awareness among migrant workers of their labor rights additionally reduces reporting and obscures the extent of migrants working in unsafe conditions on a national scale, according to Hayre.

“What I’m proud of Edgar about as a client, is that he’s standing up and saying, ‘hey, I’m every bit as human as the next guy. I’m injured, and I’m taking advantage of it,’” Formica said. “I think in a general sense, Edgar is just trying to stand up and assert his own humanity. By example, he’s trying to assert the humanity of all foreign workers.” 

Becerra’s workers compensation case hearing is scheduled for next Thursday, Feb. 15. 

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The smoke shop, which opened in 2022 at 986 Chapel St. and is not licensed to sell cannabis products, failed multiple undercover visits by state officials. On Jan. 9, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong brought a lawsuit against Anesthesia, three other cannabis retailers and three wholesalers for failing to comply with Connecticut’s Unfair Trade Practices Act. 

“On multiple unannounced visits, investigators from the Department of Consumer Protection and Office of the Attorney General observed thousands of high-THC products, including those more potent than any product available in the regulated cannabis market,” a state press release read. “Products included potent edibles, as well as marijuana flower.” 

In addition to illegal distribution, the lawsuit alleges that Anesthesia sold products that lacked labels and state-mandated warnings. 

Bryan T. Cafferelli, the commissioner of the Department of Consumer Protection, explained the dangers that come with unlabeled products and the harm it can cause to underage buyers. 

“Many of these products are packaged in a way that is misleading – signaling to consumers that the product inside is safe when it is not – and, most shamefully, are often sold to people who are underage and may not realize the effects of what they are consuming,” Caffereli wrote in a press release. “Adults who choose to consume cannabis should shop in the regulated market and keep their products out of sight and out of reach from children and teens.” 

Anesthesia Smoke Shop declined to comment on the allegations in the lawsuit. 

Three underage patrons told the News they were able to buy cannabis and other THC products from the shop dating back to transactions from 2022. The legal age to buy cannabis products in Connecticut is 21.

The New Haven Police Department and the New Haven office of the Drug Enforcement Administration did not respond to requests to comment. 

“I would say it was easier to buy from them freshman year. They got a little more strict with IDs at the beginning of sophomore year,” a Yale College sophomore — who requested anonymity because of their age — told the News.  “I don’t know if it was because I was a regular_, but they stopped checking my ID after the first few times. They definitely sold to minors. Freshman year they only asked for my age and didn’t cross-check with my ID.” 

An anonymous first-year student said that there were no cannabis products visible when they first entered the store, but that when they asked a worker for edibles, they were able to purchase without issue.

According to patrons, all cannabis products were stored behind the counter or in the back areas of the smoke shop. 

“I asked the person at the desk if they sold edibles and she went behind the counter and got stuff. It was 10 gummies of 10 milligrams [THC],” the anonymous first year said. “I paid in cash. They were stronger. They were definitely stronger than other 10 milligram edibles I had had before and they hit faster as well.”

Another anonymous sophomore described Anesthesia’s lax vetting measures, which allowed them to buy cannabis despite them being 19, two years below the legal age requirement.  

According to the source, the smoke shop also had patrons buy cannabis with cash instead of debit or credit cards.

“I’ve never been asked for my ID. The only questioning I’ve experienced is if I’m paying with cash,” the anonymous sophomore said. “I believe once you’ve made it in the door, you have access to buy whatever you want no matter the age.”

Violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act can result in fines of up to $5,000 per infraction. 

In 2024, Connecticut secured judgments against four additional Connecticut cannabis retailers and imposed fines totaling $40,000 for alleged violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, stemming from the sale of delta-8 THC products. 

“We have multiple active investigations into additional retailers and wholesalers, and we will keep the heat on so long as these dangerous, illegal products are sold,” Tong said in the press release. 

The Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act was adopted in 1973. 

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Two of three arbitration officers on the Connecticut State Board of Mediation and Arbitration voted to overturn the city’s termination of Diaz, who was fired in June of last year for his role in paralyzing Randy Cox, which sparked protests in New Haven. The panel ruled that Diaz was not responsible for Cox’s injuries and should return to his post with full pay after a 15-day unpaid suspension.

Cox, a 36-year-old Black man, was paralyzed in police custody after he was arrested by NHPD officers on June 19, 2022. While driving Cox to the Westchester Avenue substation, Diaz, who was speeding, stopped abruptly to avoid a crash and Cox slammed against the back of the police vehicle, which did not have seatbelts.

Diaz did not wait for an ambulance and instead took Cox to NHPD headquarters, where he was dragged out of the van and into a holding cell before receiving medical attention. Cox repeatedly told the five officers involved he could not move but was dismissed according to footage released by the NHPD. 

On Sept. 27, 2022, Cox filed a lawsuit for $100 million in damages against the city of New Haven and the five officers involved: Diaz, Betsy Segui, Ronald Pressley, Jocelyn Lavendier and Luis Rivera. The city settled the case for $45 million in June 2023, almost a year after Cox’s arrest, marking the largest settlement in a police misconduct case in United States history. 

After a criminal investigation conducted by Connecticut State Police, Diaz was charged in November 2022 with cruelty to persons and reckless endangerment in the second degree. Both criminal charges are still pending. The New Haven Board of Police Commissioners voted to fire Diaz on June 28, 2023, on the basis of violating several general orders. Diaz also has a pending decertification request at Connecticut’s State Police Officer Standards and Training Council.

After deciding that Diaz “did not commit all of the violations with which he was charged,” two of three members of the State Arbitration Panel ruled that the decision to terminate Diaz’s office lacked just cause.

The ruling claims that there is no evidence to prove Diaz’s actions resulted directly in Cox’s injuries and says that he treated Cox with respect. It also says that Diaz’s use of his phone while driving was a minor violation of a general order.

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson released a joint statement shortly after the ruling was publicized expressing their disagreement with the panel’s decision.

“​​We are incredibly disappointed and strongly disagree with the ruling by the Connecticut State Board of Mediation and Arbitration,” Elicker and Jacobson wrote. “We strongly believe the decision to terminate Officer Diaz was the right one, and the city will challenge the ruling by submitting a motion to vacate to the Connecticut Superior Court.”

Despite the ruling of the Arbitration Board for Diaz to return to the NHPD following a 15-day unpaid suspension, Diaz will not be reinstated as an officer due to his forthcoming criminal trial and motion to vacate. 

The News could not reach Diaz for comment and his lawyer, Jeffery Ment, did not respond to a request for comment.

“In the immediate term, the decision of this arbitration board clears a hurdle for the officer who’s seeking to be reinstated as a police officer and escape accountability for what happened to Randy Cox,” said Jorge Camacho, who is the policing, law and policy director of the Justice Collaboratory at Yale Law School. 

Camacho added that this arbitration ruling may have implications for Diaz’s criminal trial.

“The findings of the arbitration board are pursuant to a standard of evidence and burden of proof that is lower than what a criminal prosecution would need to result in a conviction,” Camacho said. “You would have to be even more certain of the conduct that this officer did to sustain a criminal conviction than to sustain his firing from the New Haven police department.”

Florencio Cotto, president of the New Haven Police Union, did not respond to the News’ request for comment.

The Connecticut State Board of Mediation and Arbitration is located at 38 Wolcott Hill Rd. in Wethersfield.

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On Friday, Jan. 12, the YPD promoted five officers at a ceremony held in the Whitney Humanities Center Auditorium. Dell was promoted to Assistant Chief after previously serving as the Public Information Officer at the New Haven Police Department. Dell told the News that YPD Chief Anthony Campbell ’95, former NHPD Chief and her former classmate in Berkeley College, approached her about the role.

“We share a belief in servant leadership and have a shared vision for moving the department forward,” Dell wrote in an email to the News. “Joining the YPD allows me to work alongside Chief Campbell, contribute to the institution I hold dear as an alumna, and make a positive impact on the Yale community.”

The position opened after former Assistant Chief Steve Woznyk retired in 2022 after 17 years in the role. The YPD selected Dell from several external candidates, including applicants from NHPD. 

At the same ceremony, John Healy was sworn in as captain. Healy retired from NHPD in June 2023. 

Both Dell and Healy were interviewed by a panel consisting of University faculty, law enforcement officials and community members, according to Campbell. Dell was chosen for the position in November 2023. 

“As the Assistant Chief of the Yale Police Department, my primary focus is to reclaim the image of policing as a noble profession,” Dell wrote in an email to the News. “I am committed to advancing women in law enforcement through the implementation of the 30X30 initiative. This initiative aims to increase the representation of women in law enforcement agencies to 30 percent by the year 2030.”

Dell served in a variety of roles, including leading the Internal Affairs Unit, Captain and Public Information Officer during her 15 years at the NHPD. Campbell described what he sees as the imbalance of opportunities for women in executive leadership and stated his commitment to ensuring the representation of women in policing.

Currently, 16 percent of YPD’s force is women, Campbell told the New Haven Independent. Nationwide only 12 percent of police officers are women.

“From the time I was sworn in … one of my goals is to make sure that there are females represented on the highest level of leadership in this organization,” Campbell said. 

Campbell highlighted Dell’s experience in policy writing, policy development, crash reconstruction, internal affairs and numerous leadership positions in New Haven. Campbell also noted that both Dell and Healy received executive training from the Police Executive Research Forum and the FBI National Academy.

In his time at the NHPD, Healy served as captain and deputy commander for the SWAT team — Special Weapons And Tactics. The YPD Captain position was vacated after former Captain William Kraszewsky retired in February after 34 years on the force. Healy told the News that he decided to join the YPD because it offered him the opportunity to stay in New Haven and continue working in policing. 

“Having already developed a deep understanding of the geographical area and the communities within New Haven during my time with the New Haven Police Department, joining the Yale Police Department felt like a seamless transition,” Healy wrote in an email to the News. “I am excited about the chance to contribute to the safety and security of Yale and its surrounding areas, and I believe my experience and knowledge will be valuable assets in this role.”

Campbell highlighted Healy’s emergency service and SWAT experience as well as his time leading investigative service units. 

Three other officers were sworn in at the ceremony. Gregg Curran and Raymund Dejesus were promoted to detectives after retirements in 2023 left two vacant positions. Gabrielle Kado was elevated to sergeant after a sergeant resigned in November.

The Yale Police Department was founded in 1894.

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The demonstration — organized by American Muslims for Palestine’s Connecticut chapter, Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Connecticut, We Will Return Palestine and Yalies4Palestine — protested the United Nations’ response to the Israel-Hamas war, per an Instagram post announcing the rally. 

In a Dec. 10 joint Instagram post by Yalies4Palestine and AMP CT, the organizers apologized for the incident, which they condemned as antisemitic, and said the individual who placed the flag atop the menorah was not affiliated with any of the organizing groups. On Dec. 11, Mayor Justin Elicker, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Rep. Rosa DeLauro and other community leaders convened in a press conference on New Haven Green to condemn the action. 

“We in New Haven condemn hate and condemn antisemitism … [and] have gathered … many other times to condemn other forms of hate in our city,” Elicker said on Monday. “We have people that are very passionate on many different sides of issues, and we embrace people’s ability to call out what they care for and to demonstrate [it]. We can hold … strong beliefs, but in New Haven, we always treat each other with mutual respect.”

On Saturday, around 300 protesters marched through the Green, along Chapel Street, York Street, and then through Elm Street back to the Green, according to the New Haven Independent. Through the route, some chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “There is only one solution: Intifada revolution.” Some protesters carried posters calling Rep. DeLauro to push for a ceasefire, among other posters. 

During the protest, an unidentified masked individual climbed the menorah and stuck a Palestinian flag between the branches of the menorah. Below, several people surrounding the individual called for the person to “get down” and said “that looks bad for us,” according to a video from Forbes. According to the New Haven Independent, other protesters took down the flag from the menorah immediately after it was put up. 

“These actions do not align with our goals of promoting respective dialogue and peaceful advocacy,” organizers wrote in their statement. “Moving forward, we will take further precautions to uphold our commitment to foster an inclusive and respectful environment for all participants.” They added that there is “no room for antisemitism” in their ““movement for Palestine.”

On Oct. 7, Hamas attacked Israel, killing at least 1,200 people and taking 240 people as hostages, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry. Israel responded with bombardment of Gaza, killing more than 17,700 Palestinians as of Monday evening, according to estimates from the Gaza Ministry of Health as reported by the Associated Press.

Following the attack, reports of antisemitism, anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hate have surged in the U.S. At Yale, more than 1,500 faculty, alumni and parents signed a Nov. 20 letter urging the administration to combat antisemitism. Following the shooting of three Palestinian college students by a man in Vermont, Palestinian and Muslim students at the University, too, have voiced concerns about their safety. 

In response to the incident, Jewish Voices for Peace New Haven released a statement voicing support for organizers and thanking them for condemning the act. The organization called to “not equate anti-Zionism with antisemitism” and “for an immediate and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza.

Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven CEO Gayle Slossberg, State Sen. Martin Looney, Rabbi Gershon Borenstein, whose congregation installed the menorah, Yale Director of Muslim Life ​​Omer Bajwa and Yale Interim University Chaplain Maytal Saltiel also attended the press conference on Green to denounce the “desecration” of the menorah. 

Slossberg stressed that Saturday’s action “is not one isolated incident that happened without any history” but an antisemitic act that “evokes thousands of years of trauma and pain for the Jewish community.” 

​“One act of positivity will far outpace … what one negative act can do,” Borenstein said, urging press conference attendees to light their menorahs for Hanukkah. 

According to Elicker and Blumenthal, some individuals threw eggs at participants of the Saturday protest, which they both also condemned as “hate violence.” 

Blumenthal and other public officials called to condemn and speak up against hate speech and violence “no matter who the targets are.”

“It may look like a prank. It may look like a joke,” Blumenthal said of the incident. “But it couldn’t be more serious because it is the mockery and desecration of a profoundly important religious symbol.”

DeLauro called Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack “barbaric” and asked attendees “to be conscious

of what is happening to civilians in Gaza.” 

The action of the individual who hung the Palestinian flag from the menorah, DeLauro said, divided people from “com[ing] together [to] understand the sensiti[tivity] and complexity of what is happening” in Israel and Gaza. 

“At this point, since there’s no vandalism or theft, we’re just treating it as a potential hate crime, although we do categorize it as a hateful incident,” NHPD Assistant Chief David Zannelli said. According to him, the action will be categorized as a hate crime if police find an intent to incite violence. 

Zannelli said that the NHPD could not confirm the identity of the individual who placed a flag on the menorah and whether they are a Yale student, but they are continuing an investigation.

Yale released a statement on Dec. 10 condemning the incident.

The statement also said that the University had no information as to whether the perpetrator was a Yale community member or not and that the University may be conducting its own investigation.

“Yale condemns in the strongest possible terms the desecration of a menorah on the New Haven Green during the religious holiday of Chanukah,” the University’s statement reads. “The placement of a Palestinian flag on the menorah conveys a deeply antisemitic message to Jewish residents of New Haven, including members of the Yale community. Yale’s regulations reach conduct occurring on or off campus that imperils the integrity and values of the University community, and if such conduct is committed by a member of the Yale community, we take action.”

Toward the end of the Monday press conference, an attendee called Israel’s military actions in Gaza “a genocide” and asked Blumenthal when he would call for a ceasefire in Gaza. This prompted heated arguments between other attendees of the press conference and caused an abrupt end to the press conference. Blumenthal approached the attendee who initially raised the question — whom the News was unable to identify — following the press conference. 

Last month, local organizers proposed a city resolution calling for a ceasefire in Israel and in Gaza. 

Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, ends on Friday, Dec. 15.

Hannah Kotler contributed reporting.

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