State leaders address ongoing problems of illegal street occupations after New Haven incident – ​​NBC Connecticut

After hundreds of vehicles flooded the streets of New Haven last weekend, state leaders are once again addressing illegal street occupations in Connecticut.

“Oh my God, it was so scary,” said Estena Wright of New Haven.

Wright was among many people in New Haven who were surprised by an illegal street occupation last Saturday that saw hundreds of vehicles, from ATVs to dirt bikes, enter the area.

According to New Haven police, the group traveled from Hartford to New Haven, specifically to the intersection of Whalley Avenue and Amity Road.

On Tuesday, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker outlined some of the measures the city has taken to address the problem.

“We are using new technologies, such as drones, to track people, and we have taken many of these vehicles off the streets. And when that happens, we confiscate them and detain them,” said Mayor Elicker.

According to Elicker, the seized vehicles will be sold at public auction in accordance with state law. However, he supported a bipartisan bill in the last session that would have allowed the city to destroy the bikes, among other things.

“They would face a penalty similar to that for drunk driving: their driver’s license would be confiscated for a period of time and some of the fines for drag racing participants would be increased,” said Mayor Elicker.

That bill did not pass in the last session, but this week Senate Republicans released a statement saying, in part, that the state must “create stronger deterrents to this lawlessness.”

“The law should do something to keep them under control. Whether it’s the police or the security forces, they should do something to keep them under control. That’s my firm belief,” Wright said.

Senate Democrats believe part of the solution lies in educating those involved about the dangers of this illegal act.

“We still have a lot of work to do here, but the positive thing is that many of our communities are involved in the project together and we are seeing stronger cooperation with our surrounding cities,” said Mayor Elicker.