Bridgeport residents hold rally to curb violence

Bridgeport residents teamed up with community leaders Wednesday for a rally at the site of a drive-by shooting.
The shooting happened Tuesday night on Stratford Avenue, one of the worst crime hot-spots in the city, police say. Police say a man and woman were hit by the bullets and are recovering at Bridgeport Hospital with injuries that were not life threatening. They say the woman was a customer at the Sunshine Deli.
About 40 people turned out for a rally, including Police Chief AJ Perez, members of the Bridgeport City Council, state Sen. Ed Gomes, local religious leaders and angry residents. They say the business located at the Union and Stratford avenues intersection needs to take a more active role in getting people to stop loitering.
Police Chief Perez says he is going to take concrete steps to ease the problems at the spot, including stepping up patrols in the district and adding foot patrols at the intersection.
He says he will dedicate three patrol cars and assign a two-person walking detail to this section of Stratford Avenue -- a change some say is long overdue.
The owner of Sunshine Deli says he's requested help from police in the past, but has had "little cooperation from officers in getting loiterers to leave the area." The owner says he welcomes whatever help police might be willing to give.