In 2016, the cities of Meriden, New Haven, and New Britain were all targeted in a viral video about Connecticut’s supposed “worst places.” The video may have been considered “unfair” by some, but given its view count, it is hard to argue that it does not prey upon decades-old stereotypes in the state. Mieum Media spoke with City Manager Tim Coon, Mayor Toni Harp, and Alderman At Large Daniel Salerno to find out more about their respective cities.
Introduction:
Derby, New London, Waterbury:
Bridgeport, Hartford, Willimantic, Windham:
Extended Interview with Alderman At Large Daniel Salerno:
Extended Interview with City Manager Tim Coon:
Extended Interview with Mayor Toni Harp:
Citations:
#1: McNulty, Frederick. “Why Doesn’t Connecticut Talk More About Gambling Addiction?” Mieum Media, 3 Apr. 2019, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tPGSuPY0eo. Accessed 23 May 2019.
#2: McNulty, Frederick. “Connecticut’s First Cat Café.” Mieum Media, 21 Nov. 2018, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0ejLl0Pl9A. Accessed 23 May 2019.
#3: Ugly House Photos, 16 May 2016, uglyhousephotos.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/160515houstontx.
The background image that appears at 1:50 was taken in Houston, Texas – not in Meriden, Connecticut.
#4: Johnson, Nick. “The 10 WORST PLACES in CONNECTICUT Explained.” YouTube, 11 Oct. 2016, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSdLEQv3zrQ. Accessed 17 May 2019.
#5: Due to the palm trees present in the image, it is fair to say that the background photo was not taken in Connecticut.
#6: Brady, Maureen E. “The Failure of America’s First City Plan.” SSRN, 1 Feb. 2015, papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2557690. Accessed 22 May 2019.
#7: Zabierek, Matthew. “Coon Takes over As Meriden City Manager, Pledges No Immediate Changes.” Record-Journal, 4 Sept. 2018, http://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Meriden/Meriden-News/New-City-Manager-Tim-Coon-starts-in-Meriden.html. Accessed 23 May 2019.
#8: “Charlies Interlude .” TeknoAXE, 29 Nov. 2017, teknoaxe.com/Link_Code_4.php?q=1342. Accessed 21 May 2019. File originally posted online under an applicable Creative Commons license.
#9: “I’ll Have a Reuben Please.” TeknoAXE, 24 Feb. 2017, teknoaxe.com/Link_Code_4.php?q=1189. Accessed 21 May 2019. File originally posted online under an applicable Creative Commons license.
#10: Outro Song: “Fill Me In” by Atwaters featuring Yeon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW0iKqFMoxo Used with artist’s consent. The contents and views of this video may not necessarily be shared with the artist.
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