ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BANNER RETURNS TO WEST HARTFORD GREEN

Hartford Courant, CT
April 17 2015

By Suzanne Carlson

WEST HARTFORD — A banner commemorating the Armenian genocide was
removed from the town green Wednesday, but was replaced by the end
of the day Thursday.

Public works Director John Phillips said the banner did not comply with
town regulations, which require such signs to notify the public of a
specific event. The banner was modified to include notification of a
100th anniversary commemoration ceremony at the Capitol in Hartford on
April 25, sponsored by the Armenian Genocide Commemoration Committee
of Connecticut.

The banner, which had only included a general message commemorating
the mass killings of Armenians that began in 1915 under Ottoman rule,
“slipped through the cracks” and was installed Monday before the
error was corrected, Phillips said.

Lauren Varjabedian, commemoration committee chairperson, said the
group is pleased the banner was to be returned to the town green.

Because the initial banner was approved by the town and the group
was not notified of the error, Varjabedian said the banner is being
modified and reinstalled at no cost to the committee.

“The town of West Hartford has been great to work with in rectifying
the situation,” Varjabedian said.

Groups can apply to have a banner displayed on the north end of
Goodman Green at the intersection of South Main Street and Farmington
Avenue. Banners may also be placed at the south side of the bridge
on Park Road over Trout Brook, as well as the town auditorium on the
day of an event.

Phillips said town officials and representatives from the genocide
remembrance committee met Thursday to discuss the issue, and
Varjabedian said the banner will remain on the town green until Monday.

The Armenian Genocide Commemoration Committee of Connecticut has been
active for about 15 years. Although the group works with four Armenian
churches in the state to hold regular programs throughout the year,
the centennial remembrance is an especially important event for the
Armenian diaspora, Varjabedian said.

“We just make sure that we get the word out … and just really make
sure that not only the Armenian community is aware but the community
at large,” Varjabedian said.

The remembrance ceremony at the Capitol is scheduled for 11 a.m. to
1 p.m. on April 25, with keynote speaker Chris Bohjalian.