Inspectors from the health, building and housing departments shut down seven volleyball courts Saturday night and leveled a number of code violations against their operators.
Officials said it was the first of what would be several sweeps to clamp down on the boisterous backyard competitions.
[...]
One trouble spot was on Casper Street.
Corlis Ward and Eric Monroe are neighbors to the home where large numbers of people play volleyball seven days a week. "It started out it was just Saturday night. Then it was Saturday and Sunday. Then Friday, Saturday and Sunday," Monroe said.
"It's every day between 5 and 6 p.m. They start lining up to play," Monroe said. "It is congested now. When the cars are parked on both sides of the road, a fire truck or emergency vehicle couldn't get through here."
Ward and Monroe have heard blaring music as late as 2 a.m. and they described the volleyball playing as a daily horror show in the neighborhood.
The property owner called that an exaggeration.
Catalina Valverde, who owns the Casper Street house with her husband, Miguel, said only about 40 people — not the 200 cited by officials — were playing and watching volleyball in her yard when officials arrived at around 9:15 p.m. Saturday. Valverde said visitors parked their vehicles on the street on just one side of the road.
"I don't know what is going to happen next," she said. "I try to control where people park and the noise level here. We'll see what happens. We respect Danbury's laws. Volleyball is just a game, nothing more."
Another neighbor, Sinh Ith, who has lived on Casper Street for 20 years, said the volleyball games aren't so bad.
"The police came by at 9:15 on Saturday and told them to stop playing. They did so right away," Sinh said. "The noise level is bothersome a little bit, but they've brought the volume down because more police cars patrol the neighborhood than before."
It's this type of overreacting and knee-jerking to a situation that hurts everyone because instead of talking about real issues that effect everyone in Danbury, we keep talking about the "immigrant problem" simply because it's a hot button topic. Personally, I think too much attention is being paid to this issue and there are many other problems this city is facing that's not being addressed.
04.25.22 (RADIO): WSHU Latino group call on Connecticut lawmakers to open a Danbury charter school
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On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
The amended complaint states that plaintiffs sought to remedy the continued discriminatory and unauthorized enforcement of federal immigration laws against the Latino residents of the City of Danbury by Danbury's mayor and its police department.
Plaintiffs allege that the arrests violated their Fourth Amendment rights and the Connecticut Constitution because defendants conducted the arrests without valid warrants, in the absence of exigent circumstances, and without probable cause to believe that plaintiffs were engaged in unlawful activity. In addition, plaintiffs allege that defendants improperly stopped, detained, investigated, searched and arrested plaintiffs. Plaintiffs also allege that defendants violated their Fourteenth Amendment rights when they intentionally targeted plaintiffs, and arrested and detained them on the basis of their race, ethnicity and perceived national origin. Plaintiffs raise First Amendment, Due Process and tort claims.
Plaintiffs request declaratory relief, damages and attorneys fees.
On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
