The Other Side of Prospect: A Story of Violence Injustice and the American City

 

The Other Side of Prospect: A Story of Violence, Injustice, and the American City by Nicholas Dawidoff

                                                           

The Urban Life Experience Book Discussion Series continued August 26^th. Sixteen of us met to discuss this disturbing non-fiction book. The Other Side of Prospect begins with the murder of Pete Fields, a senior citizen on a residential street in New Haven and an innocent teenager named Bobby being charged with the murder and serving nine years in prison.

 The author describes the world of this neighborhood, called Newhallville, starting with the Black people who came to New Haven from South Carolina during the Great Migration, the good-paying jobs they were able to get at the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, the properties they bought, and the community they built. The author makes a direct correlation between the drying up of those jobs and the crime and hopelessness that came to this part of town as a result.

                                                                       

Winchester Repeating Arms Factory 

The book’s title, The Other Side of Prospect, refers to Prospect Street, an affluent street and home to those associated with Yale University. Although Prospect Street is within walking distance of the Newhallville neighborhood, the two areas are worlds apart.  

 

Barbara started off our discussion, saying, “I lived in and around New Haven pretty much my whole life, I really thought I knew the city well. But I felt going into this …I have to say this opened my eyes to a whole bunch of things I didn’t expect…the way the author presented it, he really makes you feel the hopelessness. How much he wrote about life in jail. I felt that I had some pretty good idea, but when he wrote about it the long-drawn-out days, the hopelessness of it. Interestingly, I went to another book discussion on this book and one guy said, he really drew it out too much. To me this is what brought it out.”

 

Wendy added, “It’s a difficult read. I’ learned more about the great migration into New Haven. Reminded me of Stacy Spell’s story in Story New Haven. I just felt so disgusted by how Bobby was treated. The tragedy of Pete. Just seeing these remarkable human characters…I learned a lot. I was struck at the end feeling hopeful for Bobby, especially reading the Source List, I had read it awhile back. I was interested in reading some of the reviews of it. I think that everyone in New Haven should read this.”

 

Em shared that, “This is probably the best book I’ve read about these issues. This is the book I’ve been waiting for about New Haven. I’ve only been here about 2 ½ years. The history of New Haven is so explained this book in terms of wealth inequality, race, and town/gown issues.”

 

Marion S. mentioned that she read it a couple of months ago. She shared, “The Winchester Plant did so much good for people in their lives. Reliable and well-paying place to work. The thing that most impressed me was the trauma when children grow up in that situation being disrespected by the powers that be. While this author was writing this, apparently another author was writing a book that took place in Pittsburg called A City Divided: Most cities have this issue.”

                                                                       

Visel's Drugstore at Dixwell and Bassett Streets

Judy commented, offering, “I think that a lot of people in New Haven have read this book. I read it months ago and passed it on. I wonder how much influence this book has had on the Police Department. I’m just wondering how widely this book has been read outside of New Haven. I’ve had more conversations about this book than I’ve had than any other book.”

Connie said, “Not being from New Haven, this did impact me immediately. Bobby’s character and how he didn’t have animosity towards the police and the untruthful witnesses. He could process all this after having been in jail for nine years. And the afterwards. I’m just amazed by him   I think this book and The 1619 Project are the books I wish everyone in the country can read. Getting your mind and your heart into what it’s like. We can’t know what it’s like. To be able to read something like this it’s so comprehensive.  It was hard to read. We have so much to do.”

 

Bonnie offered, “I have to ask myself why I read this book three times in three different book groups and why I went to see the author twice. I can answer that I can relate personally to most of the things in the book. First, I’m a court reporter. I have been in that conference room taking testimony from dirty cops with the exonerated individuals present in the room, with the city of New Haven paying outside counsel. I know Ken Rosenthal (the lawyer who fought to get Bobby exonerated) and every description of Ken Rosenthal in this book is absolutely accurate. I was in the Hill Tutoring Program, which is now defunct. If you want to know where your tax dollars are going, they’re going to pay out these lawsuits. “

 

Denise told us that the organist at her church told her about this book. “I used to live on Shelton and Reid Street. I used to go to Visel’s Drugstore. I called my sister down south and told her about the book. I called my cousin in Orangeburg, SC. We read about property being stolen from Pete Field’s family down south. Property was stolen from our family too.””

Melinda said, “I did read the book. It was incredible. I did meet the author, he showed me a picture of him and Bobby. I hadn’t really focused in on this murder. The coerced confession reminded me of The Exonerated Five.

Meghan said she hadn’t finished, that it was hard to read. “I moved here five years ago and was introduced to Newhallville with warnings like ‘That’s the dangerous part of town.’ I realized that many of those children I was working with as a Teen Librarian, were living in a way that was forced on them. I wish that this book came out four or five years ago when I was in the teen center.

 

Shelara gave us, “I’m not as impressed with this book the way everyone else is. The railroading of this young man is par for the course in this country. There’s a disconnect. I have given up trying to solve the issues of class and race. White people left certain areas and resources were no longer allocated to the areas. The country has profited. I’m fed up with the reaction, ‘I didn’t know this was happening’ Let’s stop pretending.

Barb L.said, “ I lived in New Haven 50 years and I found out about another 50 years’ worth of material in this book. I put the book down.”

 

Robin added, “The hardest part for me was the forced confession.”

 

Randy brought up that the immersion of violence of some of these young men reminds him of some soldiers’ stories.

Laura mentioned, “There was an article about New Haven in The New Yorker published in September of 1990 written by William Finnegan.

Barbara L added, “That article is really a seminal piece. It was read all over the country. New Haven suffers a bad reputation.”

Wendy told us that the Yale Police Benevolence Association just this week distributed misleading flyers on crime rates.

Laura, elaborating on her reaction to the book, said, “I have a better understanding of false confessions. This was very emotional…After he got out, he couldn’t sleep at night, thinking about the murders people in prison had told him about.”