Blackstonian: April 2011

Judges rips gun access at sentencing of ‘career criminal’

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Judges rips gun access at sentencing of ‘career criminal’

By Laura Crimaldi | Wednesday, April 27, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

A Hub judge disgusted by easy access to guns on city streets sentenced a Dorchester “career criminal” to 14 to 15 years behind bars today for paralyzing a 19-year-old who was trying to shield his younger brother from gunfire.

Suffolk Superior Court Judge Thomas Connolly said the confrontation that left Joao Perreira without the full use of his legs would have only been a quickly forgotten fist fight if the suspect did not have an illegal .357 magnum.

“This was a very, very serious crime that I’m sure nobody thought was going to happen that night,” Connolly said before sentencing Daunte Beal, 23. “Once again the availability of guns. Guns, guns. guns. If the guns were not available this would have never have happened. ... The availability of guns is the biggest problem in this city.”

Perreira and his brother, Ovidido, then 15, were at a birthday party on July 13, 2008, when the shooting took place, prosecutors said.

Beal shot at Perreira and his brother after a confrontation with a group of people who threw bottles at Beal’s car. One bottle shattered a car window and struck Beal in the head, drawing blood, prosecutors said.

That incident was preceded by a verbal argument earlier in the evening that was settled amicably, prosecutors said. Authorities said Beal drove to the Howard Avenue party after that confrontation and threatened to slap anyone who had a problem.

After being struck, Beal got out of his car carrying a .357 magnum revolver, prosecutors said. The Perreira brothers and another man ran to the back of a nearby building as Beal tailed them, firing twice. The brothers ran to a porch and tried to open a locked door to escape. Prosecutors said Beal fired three more times at the brothers from 6 to 8 feet away. A bullet struck Jaoa Perreira in the lower back, leaving him in a wheelchair most of the time, prosecutors said.

The brothers did not attend the sentencing.

Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Joseph Janezic asked for a harsher sentence that would have put Beal away for 29 to 30 years. Under career criminal laws, Beal had to serve a minimum of 10 years because of his prior convictions for assault and battery, cocaine possession and assault and battery on a public employee, Janezic said.

Beal, dressed in a sweater, dress shirt, neck tie and eye glasses, waved to his parents and siblings as he was led away in handcuffs and leg shackles.

His father, Leon Beal, said his son is innocent and appealing the jury’s decision.

“I don’t see how he was found guilty,” he said. “I have sympathy for (Perreira) but my concern is for my child.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1333704

Blackstonian on Greater Boston WGBH. Apr. 25, 2011: A controversial flier on police brutality

Monday, April 25, 2011

Blackstonian on Greater Boston WGBH. Apr. 25, 2011: A controversial flier on police brutality

Was it research, or an excuse to gang up on police? The Boston Herald's Michele McPhee and Jamarhl Crawford of the Boston Black Men's Leadership Group join Emily to talk about a controversial flier distributed at Suffolk University.

Police call Suffolk student project ‘cop-hate baiting’

‘REGRETTABLE’: This flier for a Suffolk student project drew the ire of Boston police.
By Michele McPhee | Monday, April 25, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

Boston Police brass and union officials are furious at a Suffolk University Law School student project that the patrolmen’s union is calling “cop-hate baiting at its worst,’’ while the university has moved to distance itself from the initiative.

Fliers for the “Police Misconduct Documentation Project” and the “Police Complaint Assistance Project” were posted at the university’s campus, asking: “Have you been abused, brutalized or mistreated by the Boston Police ... ?”

Late last week, after an inquiry by the Herald, Suffolk University ordered the fliers taken down, saying the collaboration between Suffolk Law students, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Boston Black Men’s Leadership Group should not have used the law school’s logo.

Suffolk University spokesman Greg Gatlin said, “The university does not take a position on public policy issues that are addressed in the many academic programs throughout the institution.’’

Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association President Tom Nee said, “We don’t have a problem with righteous complaints, and the department has several transparent ways to file a complaint. But this project is cop-hate baiting at its worst and the language on the flier is offensive. This is essentially ‘how to sue the BPD.’ ”

BPD Commissioner Ed Davis called the project a disservice to both police and students.

“The department thoroughly investigates legitimate criticisms and encourages community feedback. We enjoy a strong collaboration with local colleges and universities, therefore a school project intimating a widespread presence of misconduct does a disservice to both the student population and the officers,’’ Davis said.

Suffolk University professor Karen Blum of the Rappaport Law Center — whose pro bono program pairs students with the ACLU to file police-abuse complaints — said the language on the fliers is “regrettable” and had them removed.

“The Police Complaint Assistance Project is not a seminar in how to sue police officers, nor is it meant to be an indictment of the Boston Police Department,’’ Blum said. “The school has removed the fliers because we certainly would not endorse the word brutalized.”

Blum said the project pairs students with people who have police-abuse complaints solely for the purpose of navigating the police department’s Internal Affairs Bureau, not to encourage civil suits against the city.

ACLU lawyer Sarah Wunsch said police are sometimes unresponsive to complaints and that people are sometimes afraid to come forward, problems the project is designed to address.

Jamal Crawford of the Boston Black Men’s Leadership Group said, “We know that there is harassment and intimidation going on. But what gets to Internal Affairs is a very small percentage of what’s happening. There are some great cops out there but there are some ... officers who break the law and blur the line of civil rights.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1333026

Running into trouble?

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Running into trouble?

By Adrian Walker
Globe Columnist / April 23, 2011

You might remember the glossy campaign brochure, the one that proclaimed the current mayor good, but his challenger better.

Or the quirky 11th-hour alliance between the second- and third-place primary finishers, who believed that united they could topple the longest-serving mayor in city history.

Quirky might be good, but it didn’t turn out to be better, at least not in the minds of Boston voters. They sent Michael F. Flaherty to a hard-fought but sound defeat in the 2009 mayor’s race. True, Flaherty came closer than any Menino challenger ever had, but that isn’t really saying much. Menino garnered 57 percent of the vote, cruising to a 15-point win.

It was Flaherty’s classic, coulda-been-a-contender moment. And since then, his challenge has been to craft an encore. For months now, he has been semipublicly mulling a run for the City Council and is said to be close to announcing a decision, maybe as soon as next week.

FULL STORY HERE
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/04/23/running_into_trouble/

Lantigua is focus of federal, state probe Corruption allegations for Lawrence mayor

Lantigua is focus of federal, state probe
Corruption allegations for Lawrence mayor

"I do want to stress that I remain committed to the job that I was elected to do," Lantigua said in a statement April 4.
By Sean P. Murphy and Maria Sacchetti
Globe Staff / April 23, 2011

Federal and state authorities are investigating Mayor William Lantigua of Lawrence on possible corruption and other wrongdoing, intensifying controversy surrounding the leader of one of the state’s most financially troubled cities, according to law enforcement officials and one person who was interviewed by the FBI.

The FBI, the Essex district attorney, and other agencies are looking into Lantigua’s dealings with companies that work for the city and into his ongoing public battle with the Lawrence Police Department, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement officials are particularly interested in the mayor’s control over which companies get towing business with the city and who is permitted to operate taxicabs.

One person who has been repeatedly interviewed by state and federal investigators said the agents were very interested in Lantigua’s financial connections, if any, to half a dozen bars and nightclubs, some of which opened since he took office in 2010.

Lantigua’s wife has served on the Licensing Commission that controls which establishments can sell alcohol; police say that Lantigua regularly frequents downtown clubs such as Centro.

FULL STORY HERE
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/04/23/lawrence_mayor_is_focus_of_federal_state_probe/

Location, location, location for police

By Natalie Sherman | Saturday, April 23, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

New tracking technology is making police work more efficient, even as it creates gray areas in the legal code, experts say.

“This is the wild, wild west,” said Tom Nolan, an associate professor of criminal justice at Boston University and a 27-year veteran of the Boston Police Department. “Legislative bodies and courts are years away from being able to establish any body of law to deal with this.”

Nolan and other experts expressed concern amid a furor over research revealing that what Nolan refers to as “too-smart phones” — such as the Apple iPhone and the Motorola Droid — store user location data.

Such data has long been a boon to cops, who routinely petition cell phone companies for access to customer information.

In Burlington, mapping technology allowed police to predict the next time and location in a string of home burglaries with almost 70 percent accuracy, said Glen A. Mills, president of the Massachusetts Association of Crime Analysts.

“In the past, we would have flooded the area for weeks at a time, and it would have cost massive amounts of money,” Mills, a lieutenant in the Burlington Police Department, said. “Now we can make predictions on the dates and time when crime is more likely to happen.”

But civil liberties experts warned of a dark side.

“Our phone carries so much data about us — where you go, what you do, who you know,” Massachusetts ACLU privacy rights coordinator Kady Crockman said. “The exposure of this really private information could lead to all sorts of privacy nightmares.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1332709

Ex-gangbanger helps rid Dorchester of his shooter

VALIANT: Tramane Smith struggles to maintain his emotions inside Suffolk Superior Court yesterday prior to the sentencing of Donald Williams, inset.
Photo by Patrick Whittemore
By Peter Gelzinis | Saturday, April 23, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists

The good people of Dorchester will not have to worry about Donald Ray Williams haunting the Greenwood Street area for the next 35 or 40 years.

Should he survive prison to return one day, the gang leader called “Mann” will be nudging 70. By then, maybe he will have outgrown the desire to shoot people in the back, the way he did to Tramane Smith.

“I know there is no honor among thieves,” Smith wrote in his victim impact statement, “but what you did to me was beyond that. I loved you like a brother.”

The 24-year-old Smith declined to read those words aloud yesterday. He opted to remain in the back of a Suffolk courtroom, confined to the wheelchair that Mann, once his best friend, put him in.

Though Tramane was two years younger and a bit shorter than the skinny friend who ruled over the Greenwood Street Packers, he functioned as Mann’s true muscle.

“(Tramane) was a tough kid who could handle himself,” one cop noted yesterday. “Williams couldn’t fight his way out of a paper bag. But he’d shoot you in a second.”

“Everywhere I was,” Smith said, during two full days on the witness stand, “he (Mann) was.”

On the night of Nov. 24, 2007, Tramane Smith told Mann he was leaving the gang. To prove it, he returned the .40-caliber pistol his friend had given him.

For a couple of hours, Tramane thought he’d actually made it out, until the moment he heard a shot and couldn’t feel his legs. Mann fired two more bullets into his friend’s back, then moved in closer. Just before shooting him in the face, Mann sneered over the friend he thought was about to die, “(expletive, expletive) ... that’s what you get.”

All of 20 at the time, Tramane Smith managed to grab his cell phone and call his girlfriend to say he was dying. He then instructed her to get a message to his brother: “Tell my brother that Mann shot me.”

It’s not every day that Suffolk DA Dan Conley and Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis sit side-by-side at a sentencing hearing. But then, it’s not every day a paralyzed ex-gangbanger helps rid the city of a one-man crime wave.

Conley called it a “watershed moment,” one that could help change the landscape of intimidation that has held places like Greenwood Street hostage.

Davis suggested that perhaps Tramane Smith’s resolve went beyond his paralysis. Before he was gunned down and left for dead, his cousin, Charles Bunch, was killed.

Two weeks earlier, Bunch had stepped out of a car Smith was sitting in, walked a block to randomly gun down the first person he saw on rival turf — and wound up shooting innocent 13-year-old Steven Odom. Tramane Smith told this jury that he was disgusted with his cousin’s act, calling him a “kid killer” to his face.

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Davis sighed, “if that was one of the prime reasons this kid wanted out of the gang life. He’d had enough.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1332716

GOP eyes drug abuse, welfare link Bill would require random testing

GOP eyes drug abuse, welfare link
Bill would require random testing

By Jessica Fargen | Saturday, April 23, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Politics

Some Bay State welfare recipients with a history of drug abuse would be randomly tested for dope under one of several proposed GOP crackdowns on lax oversight that’s let some on the dole buy smokes, booze, lingerie and Lottery tickets.

“People want to make sure their money is being spent correctly,” said state Rep. F. Jay Barrows (R-Mansfield), who filed a bill that would require random drug testing for welfare recipients with prior drug convictions and a study of how widespread the problem is.

“Right now, we don’t track any of this. People are madder than hell now with what they pay for gas. We look at all these things going up, and we want to get the best bang for the taxpayers’ buck.”

Those testing positive could be kicked off the welfare rolls, unless they get help for their addiction. About 450,000 households receive cash or food stamps from the Department of Transitional Assistance.

“If we aren’t making an effort to try to get them off of drugs, we’re effectively subsidizing that lifestyle,” said co-sponsor state Rep. Bradley H. Jones (R-North Reading), who is House Minority Leader.

The bill is among several filed this year targeting welfare abuse. The Herald has reported that Bay State welfare recipients have played slots and purchased pet supplies and flat-screen TVs with benefit money. Nationally, 30 states are considering bills to require drug testing to access public assistance, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Among the proposals before the Legislature:

• A bill by state Rep. Daniel B. Winslow (R-Norfolk) would set up a program requiring those seeking benefits to disclose credit limits and assets such as homes and boats, as well as the kind of car they drive and whether they face drug charges.

“If you have two cars and a snowmobile, then you aren’t poor,” Winslow said. “If we do this, we will be able to preserve our limited resources for those who are truly in need and weed out fraud, because we know there’s fraud and we’re not looking for it.”

• State Rep. Nicholas Boldyga (R-Southwick) has filed a bill to set up a panel to study random drug and alcohol testing for people on or applying for assistance.

• State Rep. Daniel K. Webster (R-Pembroke) filed a budget amendment requiring the state to verify immigration status of those seeking public benefits.

“This is not personal,” Webster said. “This is not that we don’t like illegals or poor people. This is all unsustainable and the system is being abused.”

The House will debate the amendment next week. A similar measure was defeated last year.

The GOP proposals drew fire from immigrant and recovery advocates.

State Sen. Steven Tolman, (D-Brighton) said Barrows’ plan seemed “misdirected and mean-spirited.”

“It looks like they want to cut the lifeline rather than talk about the real level of addiction that is out there and try to get it under control,” Tolman said.

Barrows said he hoped to “help break the addiction and drive people in the right direction.”

Eva Millona, director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, said the state already has a rigorous verification system.

“This appears to be an attack toward undocumented immigrants,” she said.

But fiscal conservatives cheered the GOP measures.

“Could the reason they are on public assistance be because of a drug dependency? I think that would be a great idea to find out,” said Plymouth Rock Tea Partier Michael Petrell. “Let’s find out if they could get off drugs, could they get off public assistance? It makes sense to me.”

The budget signed by Gov. Deval Patrick last year included stepped-up measures to verify immigration status, a spokeswoman said. “We are currently reviewing the bill sponsored by Barrows and are committed to working with the Legislature to ensure that all of our public assistance programs are run efficiently and are free from abuse,” said Paulette Song of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1332687

Some Brockton police officers object to fundraiser in memory of Danroy ‘DJ’ Henry of Easton Brockton officer warned after using work email to complain about Taunton event

Friday, April 22, 2011

Some Brockton police officers object to fundraiser in memory of Danroy ‘DJ’ Henry of Easton
Brockton officer warned after using work email to complain about Taunton event

Wayne Dozier of Boston, left, grandfather of college football player Danroy “DJ” Henry Jr., who was shot and killed by a police officer, wipes his eyes as Jamele Dozier, Danroy’s uncle, holds a photo of the football player during a news conference in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood on Thursday.

By Vicki-Ann Downing

Enterprise Staff Writer
Posted Apr 22, 2011 @ 06:00 AM

BROCKTON —
A Brockton police officer used his work email to send a message to a restaurant holding a benefit to honor the late Danroy “DJ” Henry of Easton, asking when a similar event would be held for the police officers involved in Henry’s fatal shooting in New York.

“Please let me know when the benefit is being held for the two police officers that were struck and killed by the drunk driver,” wrote Patrolman Scott D. Uhlman. “I will charter a bus and fill it up with people who would spend money at Uno’s for a good cause.”

The three-day fundraiser, held in February at Uno Chicago Grill in Taunton, raised $5,000 for the DJ Dream Fund, a nonprofit group founded by the Henry family that will award money to children younger than 18 for the purchase of sports equipment and to pay athletic fees and gym memberships.

Henry, 20, a student at Pace University, was shot and killed by police on Oct. 17 in a shopping plaza in suburban New York. His family on Wednesday filed a wrongful-death civil suit against one police officer and the village that employed him.

That officer, Aaron Hess, was named “Officer of the Year” last week by his union. Police contend DJ Henry was drunk and drove his car at Hess, who landed on the hood and shot through the windshield.

Uhlman’s email, which incorrectly said that police were “killed” in the Henry incident, was one of many received from law enforcement personnel after the fundraiser for the “DJ Dream Fund” was reported on The Enterprise website, the Henry family said.

Another Brockton police officer, Jason Ford, a decorated Iraq War veteran, wrote Uno’s from his home email account, not his work account.

“As a longtime and faithful patron of your restaurant, I would like to know when the benefit for the two New York police officers DJ Henry ran down while underage, intoxicated, refusing to obey the lawful orders and attempting to flee” will be, Ford wrote. “I would love to attend the benefit for those officers.”

The emails from police to Uno’s led Henry’s father, Dan Henry of Easton, to write a letter of complaint to Brockton Mayor Linda M. Balzotti.

“My family and I recently learned of the concerns expressed by several of your officers in advance of a Dream Fund fundraiser held at the Uno’s in Taunton,” Henry wrote. “Why they would object to a fund that will enable youth throughout Massachusetts to afford sports equipment, pay participation fees and afford gym memberships is troubling to us.

“As we intend to both fund-raise and distribute funds to those in need living in Brockton, we hope that you can assure us that this was an isolated incident and that the Dream Fund will be welcomed in Brockton.”
Balzotti did not respond to Henry’s letter. The mayor’s office said this week that Balzotti considered the letter “informational” and the issue to be a “personnel matter” that she brought to the attention of the Police Chief William Conlon.

Conlon said he issued a warning about the matter, but did not discipline anyone.
“People were told that whatever their opinions may be, they can’t use emails from here to express them,” Conlon said. “They were warned about the future use of computers in that fashion.”
Conlon called the Henry case “a very unfortunate situation that inflamed a lot of passions on both sides, and I think it’s best if we stay out of it. It’s a tragic story and very sad for the family.”

After the emails were received by Uno’s in Taunton, the corporate office in Boston asked the event organizers to write a letter to Uno’s chief operating officer, Roger L. Zingle, explaining that the money raised would be used to benefit children, not for the Henry family or its legal expenses.
The goal was to “be sure there was no misunderstanding,” said Rick Hendrie, senior vice president of marketing for Uno’s.

He said the company received “a very, very modest rumbling” of complaint about the Henry fundraiser.
The event “went without a hitch,” Hendrie said. “It was a great event. The restaurant was festive ... It’s part of what we do to support the community.”

Uhlman acknowledged that he made a mistake in using his work email to write Uno’s.
“I was a little distraught that a police officer was severely injured (in the Henry incident) and may never walk again,” Uhlman said. “I sympathize with the family that their son died, but what about the police officer that may never walk again or hold a job again?”

Hess, the officer who shot Henry, underwent knee surgery following the incident and is expected to return to work soon, his union said last week.

Ford, the other Brockton officer who sent an email about the fundraiser, could not be reached for comment.

Vicki-Ann Downing may be reached at vdowning@enterprisenews.com.

Read more: http://www.patriotledger.com/archive/x1294651442/Some-Brockton-police-officers-object-to-fundraiser-in-memory-of-Danroy-DJ-Henry-of-Easton#ixzz1KG0W0c8J

Pace student’s kin file wrongful death lawsuit

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Pace student’s kin file wrongful death lawsuit

Photo by Steven Senne
By Marie Szaniszlo and Laura Crimaldi | Thursday, April 21, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

The Easton family of a slain Pace University football player said a wrongful death suit filed yesterday in federal court, accusing a New York police officer of “reckless disregard for human life” in his shooting, is intended to force the release of information on the case.

The lawsuit claims Pleasantville Police officer Aaron Hess violated Danroy “D.J.” Henry Jr.’s civil rights when Henry was shot outside a local bar.

“The one thing we want most, we can’t have,” Danroy Henry Sr. told the Herald yesterday. “We will never have our son back. But this gives us subpoena power to gain access to information we have been denied.”

The family is seeking Hess’ testimony about the shooting, his personnel file, 911 recordings and video from businesses at the scene the night of the shooting, he said.

The suit, which also names the village of Pleasantville as a defendant, seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

Henry, a junior at Pace, was leaving a homecoming game celebration at the bar Oct. 17, when he was shot.

Neither Hess nor Village Administrator Patricia Dwyer could be reached yesterday for comment.

Authorities said Henry, 20, was fatally shot when he ignored police instructions to stop his vehicle and headed directly at Hess, forcing him onto the hood. The officer fired four shots to protect himself, police said, before he was thrown to the ground.

But several witnesses disputed that account, saying Henry drove away because an officer had ordered him to leave the fire lane. Those witnesses said Hess jumped in front of the vehicle, and Henry did not have enough time to stop. Henry was handcuffed and put on the sidewalk, where he lay dying, according to their testimony.

A grand jury declined to indict Hess. But the U.S. Justice Department is investigating.

Earlier this month, the Pleasantville Police Benevolent Association named Hess, who underwent knee surgery, “Officer of the Year,” an honor that outraged Henry’s family.

“It speaks to the level of arrogance we have had to deal with,” Henry’s father said. “One has to wonder if this group sees themselves as above the laws they’re sworn to uphold.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1332289

Lawrence mayor’s report of threat rejected No evidence of attack on Lantigua, police say

Lawrence mayor’s report of threat rejected
No evidence of attack on Lantigua, police say

Mayor William Lantigua of Lawrence has clashed with the city’s Police Department almost since the day he took office.
By Andrea Estes and Maria Sacchetti
Globe Staff / April 21, 2011

Lawrence police say they have found no evidence to support the assertion by Mayor William Lantigua that he was nearly run down in front of City Hall last month by a mystery car with unregistered plates, the latest chapter in an increasingly bitter dispute between the controversial mayor and the city’s police.

In a 12-page report made public yesterday, Lawrence Police Captain Denis Pierce concluded there is no evidence the car threatened Lantigua in any way. The report said that an eyewitness to the episode contradicted Lantigua’s insistence that he had been in danger.

The report suggested that on the day of the alleged assault, Lantigua may have been under surveillance by men in a car with unregistered plates similar to those used by undercover law enforcement officials. No further explanation of that possibility was offered.

“We are closing this investigation; no crime was committed,’’ Lawrence Police Chief John Romero said in an interview.

FULL STORY HERE
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/04/21/no_evidence_of_an_attack_on_lawrence_mayor_police_say/

Deval Patrick signs books at Boston Barnes & Nobles TODAY Thurs. 4/21 5pm

Deval Patrick signs books at Boston Barnes & Nobles

"A Reason to Believe"
TODAY Thurs. 4/21 5pm

Friends,

I want to thank everyone who has purchased my book, "A Reason to Believe." I hope you've enjoyed it.

If you would like your book signed, I will be signing books this Thursday at the Barnes & Noble on Boylston Street in Boston at 5:00 PM. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

My hope is that readers will see how hopefulness and idealism can guide how we live. Extraordinary individuals showed acts of grace and kindness toward me that influence who I am and aspire to be. "A Reason to Believe" is about the people who in both small and great ways can have a profound effect on a life or on the world.

Deval Patrick

Book Synopsis

“I’ve simply seen too much goodness in this country—and have come so far in my own journey—not to believe in those ideals, and my faith in the future is sometimes restored under the darkest clouds.” —Governor Deval Patrick

In January 2007, Deval Patrick became the first black governor of the state of Massachusetts, one of only two black governors elected in American history. But that was just one triumphant step in a long, improbable journey that began in a poor tenement on the South Side of Chicago. From a chaotic childhood to an elite boarding school in New England, from a sojourn doing relief work in Africa to the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies, and then to a career in politics, Patrick has led an extraordinary life. In this heartfelt and inspirational book, he pays tribute to the family, friends, and strangers who, through words and deeds, have instilled in him transcendent lessons of faith, perseverance, and friendship. In doing so, he reminds us of the power of community and the imperative of idealism. With humility, humor, and grace, he offers a road map for attaining happiness, empowerment, and success while also making an appeal for readers to cultivate those achievements in others, to feel a greater stake in this world, and to shape a life worth living.

Warm, nostalgic, and inspirational, A Reason to Believe is destined to become a timeless tribute to a uniquely American odyssey and a testament to what is possible in our lives and our communities if we are hopeful, generous, and resilient.

GOVERNOR DEVAL PATRICK is donating a portion of the proceeds from A REASON TO BELIEVE to A Better Chance, a national organization dedicated to opening the doors to greater educational opportunities for young people of color. To learn more, visit www.abetterchance.org.

You can buy the book online from Barnes & Nobles.... CLICK HERE

Boston NAACP moves to recapture relevance

BY: GABRIELLE GURLEY
ISSUE: SPRING 2011 April 12, 2011

THE NAACP'S BOSTON branch all but dropped out of sight in recent years, but new president Michael Curry is looking to erase doubts about the all-volunteer organization’s relevancy by stepping up its advocacy for civil rights in education and the workplace.

Since moving into the top slot earlier this year, the 42-year-old Curry has focused on recruiting a team of teachers, doctors, lawyers, and community activists to prioritize the specific issues that the branch will home in on in the months ahead. But he’s concerned about school closings in Boston and their impact on students of color, and employment discrimination.

Curry would like to launch a polling project to begin to get a handle on how many people have experienced discrimination in the workplace. “I get more [employment] discrimination calls than I would have ever imagined,” he says. “Most employment discrimination cases never make it to [the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination], but they do come through our office.”

He recognizes that apathy may be one of the local NAACP chapter’s biggest obstacles. “People have given up and given in to racial profiling and police brutality,” says Curry, who grew up in Roxbury and Dorchester. “We live in a generation where people say, ‘Hey, no one is going to do anything about it anyway.’”

Curry understands the stresses of living in violence-plagued neighborhoods. Curry was twice mugged at knife-point as a teenager, and says fights, shootings, and the murders of family members were facts of his life. Now the senior counsel and legislative affairs director at the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, he pushed himself to excel, graduating from Boston Latin Academy, St. Paul’s Macalester College, and the New England School of Law.

Breathing new life into the Boston branch of the NAACP won’t be easy. Jamarhl Crawford, the editor of Blackstonian, a news and features website, compares the organization to a favorite restaurant whose customers trickled away over the years as the quality declined. “Now you have to convince them that the sweet potato pie is good again,” he says.

Opinions vary on what the organization should be doing. Crawford says it should do what it does best, legal advocacy and bringing attention to specific issues percolating in black neighborhoods, such as returning to an elected school committee. But Barbara Lewis, director of the Trotter Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, thinks the organization, which marks its centennial this year, needs to initiate long-overdue conversations about Boston’s troubled racial history.

Curry wonders if even a broader discussion about race can happen. “To be very honest with you, I don’t think people…want to have an honest conversation,” Curry says. “They want to say, ‘Hey, slavery happened a long time ago; segregation is over; we’re all good; we love each other now; we’ve got a black president, let’s move on.’”

Curry says Deval Patrick’s rise to governor is the exception, not the rule. “The reality is that we are dealing with the taint of racism in the attitudes of people and institutions,” he says.

STORY FROM COMMONWEALTH MAGAZINE
http://www.commonwealthmagazine.org/News-and-Features/Inquiries/2011/Spring/Boston-NAACP-moves-to-recapture-relevance.aspx

Black officer sues Harvard police, claims bias

By Associated Press | Thursday, April 21, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

The Harvard University Police Department passed over a black officer for a number of promotions and superiors routinely made racist remarks about blacks and Latinos, according to a federal lawsuit.

The complaint by Officer George Pierce, a veteran patrolman who is black, said he applied for open sergeant positions a number of times only to be passed over for less-qualified, non-black employees. The reason Pierce didn’t get promoted was his race, the lawsuit alleged, citing various instances when Pierce sought a sergeant spot but was turned down.

"Throughout Pierce’s employment at Harvard, Harvard and the department have created and maintained a pervasive racially-biased environment within the department," the lawsuit said.

The complaint also alleges that Pierce had to endure supervisory officers making racial comments about blacks dominating sports and a derogatory slur describing a Latino police officer.

The suit, which was filed late last month in U.S. District Court in Boston, seeks unspecified damages.

Kevin Galvin, a Harvard spokesman, said the school doesn’t comment on pending litigation.

Pierce has worked as a Harvard patrol officer since 2002 and is a former police officer in the town of Arlington.

Ellen Messing, Pierce’s attorney, said her client has about 30 years of experience in law enforcement and just wants a promotion he feels he’s earned. "He believes that he can contribute and he can do a good job but he’s been denied the opportunity because of his race," Messing said.

The lawsuit comes two years after a panel was asked to look at allegations of campus police racial profiling and recommended better training and outreach to students and faculty.

The six-member committee, headed by Boston attorney Ralph Martin, an African-American and former Suffolk County district attorney, was created amid concerns Harvard police officers had unfairly stopped black students because of their race.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1332178

Boston Activists Condemn Pleasantville Police Benevolent Association “Officer of the Year” award

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Boston Activists Condemn Pleasantville Police Benevolent Association

“Officer of the Year” award to Officer Aaron Hess
controversial police shooter of Danroy “DJ” Henry

CONTACT:
Jamarhl Crawford
Blackstonian.com
617-297-7721

APRIL 15, 2011

FOR IMEMDIATE RELEASE

Boston, MA – Local activists are seething with rage following the reported decision to “honor” Officer Aaron Hess with the “Officer of the Year” award by the Pleasantville Police Benevolent Association. The timing of this award is insensitive and offensive, particularly in light of the questionable circumstances in the Danroy “DJ” Henry, jr. case and the fact that the case has been turned over to the Department of Justice and is currently under investigation. This move by the Pleasantville Police Union is indicative of the contempt that many Police Unions across the country display in regards to the African-American and Latino community. In order to witness the vile and venomous sentiments espoused by Police Unions across the country, one only need look at the various law enforcement chatrooms across the country to hear the echoes of tea party patriot militias and neo-nazis.

Here in Boston, the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association in their Union newspaper called a 16 yr old boy a “scumbag” after the infamous youtube video of him being beaten while arrested at Roxbury Community College. In Cambridge, after the “Skip Gates” incident, Officer James Crowley was awarded by the Cambridge Police Department. While these cases did not share the same tragic results, the message is the same. It is a message of self-righteousness and entitlement. It shows a total lack of respect for the loss of life of people of color and exemplifies an “Above the Law” attitude. What we find most offensive, it is taunting and cruel to the family. We should all be concerned when public servants show this type of disdain for a significant portion of the public they are dutifully sworn to serve.

We join to publically condemn the decision of the Pleasantville Police Benevolent Association and President Matthew Listwan to bestow Officer Aaron Hess with the “Officer of the Year” award.

We further condemn the bad judgment displayed by Officer Aaron Hess in accepting the award after this controversial case and during an ongoing US Justice Department investigation.

We also condemn the actions of Officer Hess on Oct. 17 which resulted in the tragic death of Danroy “DJ” Henry, jr. It is our belief after reviewing all available facts that the statements of the witnesses are closer to the true sequence of events and we do not agree with the grand jury’s decision to dismiss Hess’ indictment on criminal charges in the case.

Police Unions are fierce defenders of the fallen in their ranks. They rally around deceased officers families and fundraise and brow beat anyone who doesn’t share their sense of loss and respect. If there were a case in which an officer was killed by a young black man, even if the officer had been shown to be a “dirty cop” and trying to unlawfully kill the young man, and subsequently the Black community held a celebration and awarded this young man, we could expect protest from every officer in the country. Police would view such a display as a public slap in the face and the ultimate gesture of disrespect.

“The type of rhetoric spewed by many Police Unions, is indicative of a mentality that is then displayed on the job in many cases. This type of event and the attitudes, actions and comments of some officers is simply another means to administer Police Brutality… psychologically.”
- Jamarhl Crawford, Blackstonian.com

Regardless of the PPBA’s stated intentions to “not offend” and “not garner media attention” they knew exactly what they were doing. They knew the implications of such an award and they knew the potential to inflame and infuriate the public. They knew that the timing of this award was completely inappropriate and with all that knowledge they did it anyway with forethought and wickedly malicious intent.

DJ Henry’s family files federal suit against N.Y. cop

By Laura Crimaldi | Wednesday, April 20, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

The family of a Pace University football player from Easton who was fatally shot last fall by New York cops today is filing a wrongful death suit in federal court.

Angella and Danroy Henry Sr. are meeting with reporters at noon to discuss the legal action against a cop who shot at Danroy “DJ” Henry Jr. and the village that employs him.

“While we recognize both the broader efforts to distort the truth and conspire in secret to deny our family and those following, a complete picture of the events leading to our son’s death, we are choosing to sharpen our focus on those most responsible for his death,” the couple said in a statement released by their attorney. “We are not oblivious to the reality that several people participated in the inhumane treatment of our son, allowing him to die without regard for basic human dignities handcuffed alone on the ground.”

The suit names Officer Aaron Hess and the Village of Pleasantville, N.Y., according to a copy of the complaint provided by Henry family lawyer Michael Sussman. The suit will be filed this afternoon in federal court in New York, Sussman said. The complaint does not disclose the amount of money the family is seeking in damages.

Henry, 20, was fatally shot on Oct. 17, 2010, outside a bar after, according to police, he ignored instructions to stop his vehicle. Hess, who fired at Henry four times, was honored earlier this month as an “officer of the year” by the Pleasantville Police Benevolent Association. The honor outraged Henry’s family.

“The PBA’s choice to celebrate our son’s death was a poor one and further energizes our fight for truth and answers to simple but relevant questions,” the couple’s statement said.

Hess was cleared of criminal wrongdoing by a New York grand jury in February.

The federal Department of Justice is also reviewing the shooting.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1332114

SJC: Odor of marijuana not enough to order suspect out of car

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

SJC: Odor of marijuana not enough to order suspect out of car

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

The odor of burnt marijuana is no longer enough for police officers to order a person from their car, now that possession of less than an ounce of marijuana has been decriminalized in Massachusetts, the state's highest court ruled today.

"Without at least some other additional fact to bolster a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity, the odor of burnt marijuana alone cannot reasonably provide suspicion of criminal activity to justify an exit order," the court ruled in a decision written by Chief Justice Roderick Ireland.

The court said the people's intent in passing the ballot question decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana was "clear: possession of one ounce or less of marijuana should not be considered a serious infraction worthy of criminal sanction."

FULL STORY HERE
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/04/sjc_odor_of_mar.html

Questioning corporate taxes ‘Offshoring’ costs each Bay Stater $608 a year

Questioning corporate taxes
‘Offshoring’ costs each Bay Stater $608 a year

By Jerry Kronenberg | Tuesday, April 19, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets

Photo by Faith Ninivaggi
Local activists want Goldman Sachs to pay more tax.

Dozens of protesters staged a Tax Day rally outside the Wall Street giant’s Boston offices yesterday, opposing loopholes they say Goldman and other corporations use to avoid taxes.

“We think profitable corporations should be paying their fair share of taxes,” said Deirdre Cummings of U.S. Public Interest Research Groups, the activist organization that co-sponsored protests with the group MoveOn.org at corporate offices around the country.

The organizations also released a study estimating individual taxpayers forked over an extra $100 billion in 2010 due to corporate “offshoring,” in which companies book profits at foreign subsidiaries to minimize U.S. tax bills.

U.S. PIRG and MoveOn calculated that offshoring added $608 to the average Bay State tax filer’s bill this year.

The study found that Goldman, which didn’t return calls seeking comment, made $2 billion in 2010, but used 29 foreign subsidiaries to help cut its U.S. corporate taxes to just $14 million.

Other companies paid even less.

General Electric has faced a firestorm of protests in recent days following word that it paid zero 2010 corporate taxes despite booking $5.1 billion of profits in America alone.

“We think it’s important that the public realizes there’s a shifting of the tax burdens going on,” said Cummings, whose group left Goldman a mock $168 million tax bill.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1331783

AG Coakley says wiretap laws need updating to fight 'disorganized crime'

April 18, 2011 02:35 PM
By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Attorney General Martha Coakley today called for updating wiretap laws so law enforcement can attack the “disorganized crime’’ behind street gangs, human trafficking and shoplifting rings – all of whom are untouchable under current state wiretap laws.

Coakley spoke in reaction to comments by two Supreme Judicial Court justices, who declared that wiretap laws enacted in the late 1960s wrongly limit the reach of police and prosecutors.
“The SJC couldn’t have been blunter,’’ Coakley said today in a telephone interview. “Things have changed. The whole face of crime has changed totally and technology has changed.’’

FULL STORY HERE
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/04/ag_coakley_says.html

Boston police officer sues city

By Associated Press | Tuesday, April 19, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

BOSTON - The former president of a Boston police union has filed a lawsuit against the city and Mayor Thomas Menino alleging he has been passed over for promotion in retaliation for supporting Menino’s former opponent.

Lt. Joseph Gillespie says in his federal suit filed Monday he has been passed over for promotion to captain three times even though he has the top civil service score of eligible candidates.

The Boston Globe reports that he alleges his First Amendment rights were violated because he supported Menino’s opponent, City Councilor Michael Flaherty Jr. during the 2009 mayoral race.

Gillespie is a 29-year veteran who was president of the Boston Police Superior Officers Federation union from 2001 to 2009.

Spokeswomen for Menino and the police department said they could not comment on pending litigation.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1331806

Drug smuggling charge against Mass. jail officer

By Associated Press | Monday, April 18, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

BOSTON - A Massachusetts corrections officer has been arrested on allegations that he attempted to smuggle heroin to sell to inmates at a medium-security prison near Boston.

Ronald McGinn Jr. of Bridgewater was charged Monday with possession of heroin with intent to distribute at MCI-Norfolk.

U.S. District Attorney Carmen Ortiz says the 40-year-old sent text messages and discussed with an undercover FBI agent the amounts he would smuggle into the prison and fees he would charge to do so. He was arrested Monday afternoon in possession of 28 grams of heroin.

The investigation began after a Massachusetts Department of Corrections officer told the FBI that someone was smuggling contraband to the facility about 25 miles southwest of Boston.

It was not immediately clear if McGinn has legal representation. He faces up to 20 years in prison on conviction.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1331722

Go fish! Jamaica Pond restocked with trout and salmon

Friday, April 15, 2011

Go fish! Jamaica Pond restocked with trout and salmon

Photo by Mark Garfinkel
By Colneth Smiley Jr. | Friday, April 15, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

Sink your hooks into Jamaica Pond, where state environmental officials yesterday released more than 1,000 fish in an annual rite of spring for fishermen looking for a fresh catch within city limits.

MassWildlife released hundreds of trout and more than a dozen salmon into Jamaica Pond as part of a stocking program funded by state fishing licenses.

The fish —15-pound Atlantic salmon and up to 14-inch tiger trout, rainbow trout, brook trout and brown trout raised in state hatcheries — were poured into the 60-foot deep natural pond, which is home to an array of other wildlife, including eels, crayfish, snapping turtles, and other fish such as perch, pickerel and a few large-mouth bass.

A state fishing license is required to fish, but watching was free for the kids.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1330910

House wary of governor’s public defender plan Deval Patrick aims to add 1,000 lawyers, staff to state payroll

House wary of governor’s public defender plan
Deval Patrick aims to add 1,000 lawyers, staff to state payroll

By Chris Cassidy | Friday, April 15, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Politics

House leaders and the Patrick administration are gearing up for a battle over the governor’s plan to revamp the state’s expensive public defender system by hiring staff attorneys.

“The first question we asked is, does it makes sense to not only bring on 1,000 attorneys to the payroll, but also support staff?” said state Rep. Brian Dempsey, House Ways & Means chairman. “There is some concern about adding that number of people to the payroll.”

But Gov. Deval Patrick showed no signs of backing away from his plan to remake the Committee for Public Counsel Services yesterday.

“We do think more can be done and that’s why the governor made such a comprehensive and aggressive proposal in his budget that we filed in January,” said spokeswoman Alex Zaroulis. “We look forward to working with House budget leaders on this issue.”

The governor’s plan would replace roughly 3,000 private lawyers paid hourly on contracts with 1,000 full-time public defenders under a new department within the executive branch, with up to 500 more support staff. The administration estimates its plan will save $45 million.

But court-appointed attorneys have contended the governor’s plan will cost the state more than the current system, because salaried state workers will receive pensions and benefits. CPPS also claims public defenders would be too overworked to effectively represent clients.

CPPS has seen its budget rise dramatically during the past decade, and prosecutors have long charged that the agency receives a disproportionate amount of taxpayer funds.

Aiming to wring an estimated $53 million in savings, the House would hire just 200 defenders. The probation department would be given up to three days to verify whether defendants are indigent, the number of billable hours for private attorneys would be reduced to 1,500 a year and the number of cases district attorneys dismiss after public defenders have invested hours would be slashed.

“We have a very reasonable approach to this, which gets to the issue, which is cost,” Dempsey said.

State House News contributed to this report.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1330855

This photo of Mass. speakers speaks volumes

LINEUP: From left, former House speakers Salvatore F. DiMasi, Thomas M. Finneran and Charles F. Flaherty, and current House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo attend funeral services for former state Rep. Edward LeLacheur last summer in Lowell.
Photo by Lowell Sun
By Howie Carr | Friday, April 15, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists

This is one of those pictures that’s worth a thousand words — the four most recent speakers of the Massachusetts House, together, in what you might call . . . a lineup.

From left, in the shades, Sal DiMasi, indicted, about to stand trial on federal charges of accepting $65,000 in bribes.

Beside Sal is ex-Speaker Tom “Felon” Finneran, convicted of obstruction of justice.

Next to Finneran, yet another convicted felon speaker, Good Time Charlie Flaherty. He went down on an income-tax evasion rap.

And finally, the current speaker, Bobby “Slots” DeLeo, the guy whose godson was hired after a nationwide search as the youngest chief probation officer in state history at age 27. Speaker Slots is a high school classmate of Felon Finneran’s — what a coincidence.

This photo was taken by a Lowell Sun photographer last summer at a former state rep’s funeral in Lowell. I offer it today in evidence for the defense in the upcoming trial of United States of America v. Salvatore DiMasi, et al.

Sal’s defense team, which the taxpayers are picking up the tab for, wants to call a bunch of so-called expert witnesses to “explain” how things work on Beacon Hill between lobbyists and solons.

The feds argue that given the evidence against Sal, this is a waste of time. I agree, especially since we have this photo — what more do you need to know about Beacon Hill?

But I’d be happy to appear as a witness. I’d bring in a giant blow-up of the photo and a pointer, which I would use to ID each hack. If there are any blacks on the jury, I’d try to mention that two corrupt black politicians from Boston — Dianne Wilkerson and Chuck “Superfly” Turner — are currently serving hard time, while Flaherty and Finneran didn’t do a day.

Of course Sal’s $125-an-hour attorneys would object, but I’d have planted the seed: The State House — crime and no punishment, unless you’re black. No justice, no peace.

Some might argue that it’s unfair to include DeLeo in this rogue’s gallery, because he hasn’t even been indicted. But in January in the House chambers, DeLeo willingly posed for photos with all of these same sleazy, corrupt mentors of his.

I asked for those photos — I figure they’re public record. But DeLeo stonewalled me. I’ll bet if I were some racetrack tout in a leisure suit talking out of the side of my mouth and smoking a cigar, he’d have given them to me — in frames.

So now I have basically the same photo — better late than never. Speaking of which, Sal, it’s not too late to change your plea to guilty. You’ll make out just fine. You’re a corrupt white guy from Boston.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1330858

Mayor Menino: Filene’s pit? So what! Moves forward, says stalled project ‘not my fault’

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Mayor Menino: Filene’s pit? So what!
Moves forward, says stalled project ‘not my fault’

N.Y.-BOSTON RIVALRY: Mayor Thomas Menino, right- speaking with Sam Carlyle, co-owner of Scholars American Bistro in Downtown Crossing yesterday- blamed Vornado Realty Trust’s Steve Roth for the hole at the former Filene’s site.
Photo by Angela Rowlings
By Jerry Kronenberg | Thursday, April 14, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino is giving New York’s Vornado Realty Trust a Bronx cheer, saying he no longer cares how long the developer leaves a hole where Downtown Crossing’s Filene’s building once stood.

“People say to me: ‘Oh, you’ve got a hole there (in Downtown Crossing)’ — so what!” Menino said yesterday at a reception for some 40 businesses that recently opened nearby. “The hole is going to be there until those folks from New York understand we in Boston know how to do development. And just because they can’t get development done, that’s not my fault.”

Vornado tore down the landmark Filene’s building in 2008 to make way for what was supposed to be a $700 million development featuring stores, condos, offices and a hotel.

But the project stalled a few months later when Vornado claimed it couldn’t get financing.

However, questions arose after Vornado chief Steven Roth boasted in a 2010 speech that his firm once left a Manhattan building half-demolished to make the area blighted and win government aid.

Roth’s comments prompted Menino to threaten to take the Filene’s site by eminent domain, and Hub officials ultimately yanked Vornado’s building approvals.

The firm has since put the property up for sale, but has failed to find a buyer — reportedly because Vornado set an unrealistically high price.

Menino yesterday told the Herald he’s stopped focusing on what the developer does.

“If they want to be stubborn — if they want to be arrogant — that’s too bad, (but) we’ll just keep moving forward,” he said. “I’m not going to let Vornado stop us from growing in Boston. If those New Yorkers want to be arrogant and think they can hold us up — we’re Boston, we’re much tougher.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1330637

Cop’s award latest odd twist in Pace case

Photo by Ryan T. Conaty (file)
By Margery Eagan | Thursday, April 14, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists

You hear it. You almost can’t believe it.

The police union in Mount Pleasant, a small town outside New York City, just gave its officer of the year award to Aaron Hess, now under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department for fatally shooting Pace University football player Danroy “DJ” Henry, 20, from Easton.

“What did he do to win this award? Kill our son?”

So asked DJ’s mother, Angella Henry, yesterday. Yet she spoke not in anger but in the calm, matter-of-fact, what-do-you-expect tone she and her husband have maintained since enduring one bizarre twist after another in a disheartening, six-month journey through the court system there.

Retired Boston police Lt. Tom Nolan reacted with far more ire yesterday.

“It’s outrageous and frankly disgraceful,” said Nolan, a 27-year police veteran now teaching at Boston University. “Police know this was a questionable shooting at best, a situation where the life of an unarmed student athlete was taken.

“If that’s the most commendable and laudable and praiseworthy thing that went on in Mount Pleasant in 2010, that says a lot.”

You know, most police departments commend officers who, as Nolan put it, perform “selfless acts of heroism, putting themselves in harm’s way” to save the rest of us, who are extremely grateful. An award to an officer in the midst of a criminal investigation and multiple civil suits? Unheard of.

Equally unheard of in a disputed case such as this? A secret grand jury’s failure to indict anybody and allow open court hearings to follow. In March, however, after a judge demanded videos that DJ’s teammates insist support their version of events, a prosecutor abruptly dropped all charges — resisting arrest and disorderly conduct — against those teammates. They, like the Henrys, have argued that what’s really going on here is prosecutors protecting police, a charge both have denied. Yet no one has answered two central questions here: Was Hess struck by Henry’s car before he opened fire? If not, why did he not just get out of the way? And why did Henry lie mortally wounded — yet handcuffed and unattended — for so long that awful night?

Angella Henry said yesterday, “I’m thankful in a way (that this happened) because now everyone sees what we’ve been dealing with. It’s hurtful, yes, but we’re not surprised.”

DJ’s younger brother Kyle was not surprised, either.

“They killed an innocent man,” he told his mother. “Why would you expect anything different?”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1330628

2 teens charged with assaulting MBTA bus driver

By O’Ryan Johnson and Richard Weir | Thursday, April 14, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

Two teens were arrested last night on charges of assaulting an MBTA bus driver Monday afternoon, in an incident that ended with a bizarre crash that injured five and trapped one suspect’s foot under a bus tire, Transit Police said.

Felix Garcia, 18, and Michael Baptista, 19, both of Roxbury, face charges of interfering with a bus driver and assault and battery on a public employee. Baptista also is charged with threats to commit a crime. The interference charge is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Police said it all started when the driver told a smoker on the bus to snuff it. Witnesses told police as many as five people attacked the driver, who lost control of the bus. It hopped a curb, knocked down a crosswalk signal and slammed into a barber shop.

Police said Garcia was the teen who was pinned by the bus for about 40 minutes, and loudly thanked the crowd and rescuers as he was wheeled away by Boston EMS on a gurney. Boston firefighters used a powerful jack to lift the bus off his foot. A total of five people were injured, including a 9-year-old girl whose head slammed into a bus fixture during the crash.

MBTA Deputy Superintendent Joseph O’Connor said police do not believe the driver purposefully hit Garcia with the bus.

“We don’t believe there was any intent to pin or assault Mr. Garcia,” O’Connor said. “We believe this was all part of his exiting which caused him to get pinned.”

Deputy Transit Police Chief Lewis Best said, “They punched (the driver) repeatedly and pushed his face into the window. He was briefly knocked unconscious. The bus was in gear and his foot came off the brake as these two individuals tried to run off the bus.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1330664

Bentley senior faces racial assault charge

By Marie Szaniszlo | Thursday, April 14, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

A Bentley University senior was released yesterday on $2,000 bail after he was arrested on charges of beating a deaf black man and punching a pregnant woman while allegedly assailing the victims with racial epithets.

Timothy Schmitt, 22, of Hingham was ordered to remain under house arrest pending a May 17 hearing at Waltham District Court.

According to a police report, Schmitt got into the altercation at about 2 a.m. on April 8 when he accused the deaf man and two friends, who were walking to the Waltham police station to report a stolen car, of “following” him and a companion.

When one of the three explained they were headed to the station, Schmitt told him to shut up and used a racial slur, police said. Then he allegedly punched the deaf man, ran after him, pulled him to the ground and kicked him in the face.

He then allegedly told the second victim, “Look at what I did to your (racial slur) friend,” and punched her in the face.

The woman told Schmitt she was pregnant and shouted at him to stop, police said, and as police arrived, he and his friend took off. When cops caught up with them, Schmitt allegedly had a bloody lip, bloody knuckles and blood splatter on his shoes.

Schmitt faces charges including aggravated assault and battery and civil rights violation with injury.

His lawyer, Francis P. Craig, said Schmitt “did not strike first, but he responded when attacked” by the two men.

Craig said his client denies saying anything racist or hitting the woman.

“They’re the aggressors, not my guy,” he said, noting Schmitt’s bloody lip.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1330657

Voter ID billboard irks Latino advocates

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Voter ID billboard irks Latino advocates

image from FoxNews Latino
Associated Press / April 13, 2011

SOUTHBRIDGE — A billboard near a largely Latino district in Southbridge asking voters to show ID for Tuesday’s special election primary for a State House seat — not a requirement in Massachusetts — is drawing fire from Latino advocates who say it is part of a larger campaign of voter intimidation.

The billboard, sponsored by the groups Empower Massachusetts and Show ID to Vote, both with connections to the conservative Tea Party movement, tells voters to “protect the integrity of the vote’’ and “show ID’’ next to a picture of a white woman holding an identification card.

FULL STORY HERE
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/04/13/voter_id_billboard_irks_latino_advocates/

Officer who shot Danroy Henry named 'Officer of the Year'

Blackstonian Editor's Note: I find this disgusting. Completely unprofessional, insensitive and this should be regarded as intimidation and harassment.

Officer who shot Danroy Henry named 'Officer of the Year'

Danroy Henry Jr.
By Milton J. Valencia, Globe Staff

The family of Danroy "D.J." Henry Jr., the popular football player from Easton who was fatally shot by police in New York last year, lashed out today at a New York police union’s decision to give an award to the officer who shot him.

The award was particularly insulting, the family said, because the shooting remains under investigation by the US Department of Justice.

“I’m glad the world gets to see the arrogance we’ve been dealing with since Oct. 17, from the district attorney’s office all the way to the Police Benevolent Association,” said Angella Henry, Danroy Henry's mother. “For us, it’s not a surprise.”

FULL STORY HERE
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/04/officer_who_sho.html?p1=News_links

Police Brutality Nationwide Statistics

Via: Term Life Insurance

Police seek second Mashpee shooting suspect

The police are seeking John Cardoza of East Falmouth in connection with Thursday’s shooting in Mashpee.

Photo by Mashpee Police Department
By Heather Wysocki / Cape Cod Times | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

MASHPEE — The police are looking for for a second suspect in Thursday’s shooting, which authorities believe was a botched robbery during a drug buy.

Carlton H. Hendricks III, 20, was arrested Monday in connection with the shooting. John Cardoza, 35, of East Falmouth is also being sought.

According to court documents, a 32-year-old man and his 28-year-old girlfriend were attempting to purchase Percocet pills around 10 p.m. Thursday at Hendricks’ 165 Ninigret Ave. home. But Hendricks and Cardoza allegedly pulled guns and pointed them at the two through the couple’s car windows while the couple was trying to pay for the drugs, the woman said.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1330409

YouTube video eyed for clues in bus attack: VIDEO HERE

YouTube video eyed for clues in bus attack

By Richard Weir and Laura Crimaldi | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

T Police are analyzing a YouTube video of the chaotic aftermath of Monday’s MBTA bus crash as they continue their criminal probe into the gang attack on a bus driver who was pummeled after asking a group of young male passengers to stop smoking.

“We’re certainly taking a good, hard look at that video and others,” said a police source with knowledge of the investigation, who described one of the men seen in the clip “as a person of interest.”

Police said yesterday they had made no arrests in the assault on the 39-year-old driver, who lost control of his bus, which jumped a curb, knocked down a crosswalk pole, rammed a vacant barbershop and pinned the foot of a man whom cops suspect was with the group that attacked the driver. It took firefighters with a hydraulic jack 40 minutes to free the teen, who was cheered by onlookers as he left on a stretcher.

“We have a very active investigation. We’re interviewing all witnesses. It was a crowded bus,” said Transit Deputy Police Chief Lewis Best.

The bus driver called for police help just before he was jumped, according to radio calls released yesterday.

“I got a situation I need to deal with right away . . . I got a couple of unruly passengers. I got a couple of kids smoking cigarettes. I’m at Dudley Street and Hammond Street. Please get ‘em down here right away,” the unidentified driver told a Bus Operations Control Center operator.

Moments later, he told the operator: “I was just assaulted. Got knocked out. Got my head smashed into the window. I’m still at the same location. There’s a kid with his foot underneath the bus. About 10 of these kids jumped me.”

A passenger who called 911 said, “He’s being assaulted by a bunch of teenagers on the bus. . . . They were hitting them. I left the bus because they were smoking. I have asthma.” After the 911 operator told the woman police were en route, she said, “Oh my God. It was unbelievable.”

Monday’s attack comes among a rise in assaults on T bus and subway operators, with 66 total assaults reported in 2010, including 31 against bus drivers, compared with 58 overall assaults in 2009, including 29 against bus drivers. And assaults this year are on pace to exceed last year’s, with 20 reported so far, 10 of which involved bus drivers.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1330308

$2.4B budget eliminates programs, jobs

By Dave Wedge | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

The city is pulling 30 staffers out of five community centers and bracing for potential layoffs in the schools and possibly other departments as part of a tight $2.4 billion spending plan set to be unveiled today.

The budget calls for the Boston Centers for Youth and Families to stop running city-funded programs on June 30 at the Kent School in Charlestown, Tynan School in South Boston, Harbor School in Dorchester, Orchard Gardens School in Roxbury and the Mason Pool in Roxbury.

“I’m greatly concerned about losing another resource,” said state Rep. Nick Collins, who represents South Boston and parts of Dorchester. “I have received some calls from constituents about it. With summer coming, this is a great concern.”

The city hopes to avoid closing the five community centers by bringing in non-profit groups to run programs.

The budget, which Mayor Thomas M. Menino will present to the council this morning, also figures in the elimination of 240 school jobs, many of which will be cut through retirements and attrition, as well as staffing changes due to the department’s closure of nine schools and merging of eight others into four. Officials said there could be school layoffs but just how many will be unknown until the fall.

“There are still challenges, and we’re asking each department head to do more with less,” said Councilor Mark Ciommo, head of the council’s Ways and Means Committee. “We’ve laid the groundwork the past couple years toward sustainability, but we’re not out of the woods yet.”

Most departments will be funded at the same level as 2011 under the plan, but the Police Department would see a $2 million cut, shutting down one of the department’s “neighborhood interaction units” — a civilian call center for non-emergency calls.

Despite the cuts, the city is bringing in a new police class in June and is planning to hire 35 new cops.

Health-care costs continue to hamstring the city and are due to hit $315 million in 2012 — a $17.5 million increase — while city officials project state aid cuts of up to $37 million.

The budget also includes $8 million toward the design of Menino’s highly touted redevelopment of the Ferdinand Building in Dudley Square, a $115 million project that will transfer hundreds of city workers to new digs in the Roxbury neighborhood.

— -dwedge@bostonherald.com

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1330366

Rape suspect ordered to stay away from children

By Laurel J. Sweet | Wednesday, April 13, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

A Dorchester man was held on $10,000 cash bail yesterday and ordered to stay away from children after pleading not guilty to eight counts of rape of a child.

The charges involve a 13-year-old girl who prosecutors said was lured to his home for play dates with the suspect’s son. Between November and December, Edgar Soares, 33, “invited the victim over to play with his 8-year-old son. When she arrived, (Soares) would take her cell phone and sexually assault her,” said Jake Wark, spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley.

Prosecutors sought to hold Soares on $75,000 cash bail, Wark said.

A law enforcement source said Soares works for the Department of Correction. Soares’ attorney, Jonathan Scott Lauer, referred questions to DOC, which was not able to confirm his employment as of last night.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1330361

Columbus Avenue in Jackson Square could get indoor skating rink and rec center

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Columbus Avenue in Jackson Square could get indoor skating rink and rec center
By adamg - 4/12/11 - 7:38 am

What the building could look like.

Urban Edge yesterday submitted plans to the city to build the recreational facility at 1562 Columbus Ave. as part of its Jackson Commons mixed-use development.

The space was originally meant for a DYS treatment program, but the state agency pulled out of the project in 2008. The new center would allow for skating in colder months and indoor turf sports the rest of the year in a 39,000-square-foot building:

FULL STORY HERE
http://www.universalhub.com/2011/columbus-avenue-jackson-square-could-get-indoor-sk

Artist behind iconic Roxbury mural is keeping the faith

(Alexandra Legend Siegel photo for boston.com)
Posted by Roy Greene April 11, 2011 04:15 PM

Gary Rickson painted the “Africa is the Beginning” mural on the side of the YMCA building on Warren Street in 1969. It is one of the last vestiges of a movement that gave Roxbury a place in black American history.
By Alexandra Legend Siegel, Globe Correspondent

Many Roxbury residents may have passed by the “Africa is the Beginning” mural on the side of the YMCA building on Warren Street with barely more than a curious stare.

But to those familiar with the Black Arts Movement of the late 1960s, the mural is a glowing treasure left over from an important era -- one of the last vestiges of a movement that gave Roxbury a place in black American history.

The mural was painted by artist, poet and musician Gary Rickson in 1969, and was repainted by him in 2002, when the YMCA was remodeled. This month, Rickson, a pioneer of the Black Arts Movement, will return to the neighborhood to give a firsthand account of his experiences, in the hopes of motivating young artists, while also opening up lines of communication about black history and culture.

FULL STORY HERE
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/roxbury/2011/04/artist_behind_iconic_roxbury_m.html

Revere police officer charged with lying to FBI agents probing corruption

The FBI said in court papers that these images show Revere police Officer Todd Randall collecting $200 in cash from a confidential informant.
Posted by John Ellement April 12, 2011 03:22 PM
By John M. Guilfoil and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A Revere police officer who was allegedly recorded on both video and audio as he collected a $200 cash bribe while on duty, in uniform, and in a marked police cruiser was arrested today on charges of lying to FBI agents.

Officer Todd Randall is due to appear in US District Court in Boston this afternoon following his arrest earlier today on one count of lying to federal agents, according to court records.

According to an FBI affidavit filed in court, Randall met with a person cooperating with the FBI in 2010 and agreed to help quash a pending criminal case in Chelsea District Court in return for a cash payment.

NAACP National Report - Misplaced Priorities: Over Incarcerate, Under Educate

The National NAACP Director Benjamin Jealous recently released the National Report
Misplaced Priorities: Over Incarcerate, Under Educate

Since its release it has been discussed in major media. Here is the Report in its entirety.

CLICK HERE FOR REPORT

Gruff Deval Patrick rankled Beacon Hill

Gruff Deval Patrick rankled Beacon Hill
By Hillary Chabot | Tuesday, April 12, 2011 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Politics

Photo by Mark Garfinkel

Gov Deval Patrick’s memoir, “A Reason to Believe,” scheduled to hit bookstores today, skips details about his early struggles in office, especially his rocky relationships with key lawmakers on Beacon Hill. Several of Patrick’s cherished priorities died during his first two years in office thanks to the behind-the-scenes State House power struggle, the Herald learned through interviews with more than two dozen legislators, former staffers and other insiders.

Yesterday’s first installment of the Herald’s three-part series revealed how Patrick’s early stumbles left the governor deeply wounded and obsessed with perception.

Today, chief political reporter Hillary Chabot chronicles Patrick’s frayed relationship with Beacon Hill leaders and how it stymied his agenda.

Early in his administration, a cocky Gov. Deval Patrick sat down with then House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi and then Senate President Robert E. Travaglini.

“I see us as board members working together to run the state, but I’m the president of that board,” a take-charge Patrick told the two seasoned political power brokers.

The two lawmakers immediately bristled.

“The feeling in the early days was that they were being treated as an extension of the cabinet — they were there to rubber-stamp everything,” one insider recalled. “Those initial skirmishes between Patrick and DiMasi about taxes and casinos — some of it was philosophical, but some of it was just about knocking (Patrick) down a peg.”

Patrick had alienated some in the Legislature even before he took office in 2007. He campaigned against the “culture of inaction and neglect” on Beacon Hill. He went on a short “thank you” tour after his election, stopping by homes in Brookline and Newton and proclaiming, “Those people up there don’t get it.”

Travaglini was the first to strike back. At a private breakfast, he warned Patrick that he’d withhold legislative support for the new governor’s proposals if he didn’t back lawmakers’ pet bills. When Travaglini’s warning leaked to the press, he publicly apologized. Then he quickly carried out his threat by pushing forward an anti-gay marriage amendment and opposing Patrick’s push to close corporate tax loopholes.

“Why doesn’t Trav like me?” Patrick would petulantly ask, thinking he had more in common with the lower-profile DiMasi.

But DiMasi quickly emerged as Patrick’s biggest rival after Travaglini left office in March 2007. The veteran speaker quickly rebuffed Patrick’s plan on corporate taxes, and then outright killed the governor’s most ambitious proposal: legalizing casinos.

Legislators also seized on Patrick’s perceived disconnect from the building and were baffled that the same man who helped run a multibillion-dollar company such as Coca-Cola floundered when it came to the day-to-day operations on Beacon Hill.

And much to their surprise, four months into his first term, Patrick seemed unaware that the House was coming out with the state budget on the day it was due to be released — even asking one top House lawmaker as they rode the elevator that morning what was planned for the day.

“Wow, where is he?” the legislator later asked. “He either doesn’t care or it’s beneath him.”

As late as summer 2008, Patrick rankled legislators at what was supposed to be a peacemaking picnic he held at his Berkshires manse. The governor asked lawmakers to contribute up to $5,500 at the casual feast of hot dogs and hamburgers — but directed guests to relieve themselves in rented Porta-Potties.

“What? He didn’t want us trampling through his house?” asked a senator.

Patrick’s growing paranoia about the media also did little to smooth his relations with the Legislature. In December 2008, Patrick halted a tense two-hour transportation reform huddle with lawmakers and staffers when he noticed a legislative aide taking notes.

“What, are we going to read about this in tomorrow’s paper?” a snippy Patrick asked.

The woman, who was keeping track of Patrick’s points because her boss couldn’t make the meeting, was so startled she looked up and then to both sides to make sure the governor was addressing her.

“He took and blew something up that was completely innocent,” said one lawmaker at the meeting.

In an interview Sunday with the Herald, Patrick defended his relationship with the Legislature. He pointed to broad ethics, transportation and pension overhauls completed at the end of his first term as proof that he was able to work with legislators and pass many of his priorities into law.

“The agenda moved and then some,” Patrick said, adding that in his first campaign he “wasn’t running against the building — I was running for a more open and inclusive politics.”

Tomorrow, the final installment of the series examines Patrick’s rocky relationship with the media and how his press-savvy staff honed the governor’s political message as he looked toward re-election.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1330060

	Find a Farmers Market in Mass! Map and Local Search by Boston.com »
	Where To Fish in Mass - Freshwater » - Saltwater »
	Garden Girl Urban Sustainable Living www.gardengirltv.com »
	Carl "Crush" Foster Juice Hugger \| Facebook \| Twitter Cookin With Crush
	Andre Thomas Fearless Fitt \| Facebook Fitt Body Boot Camp Andre Thomas Fitness
	Moringa Direct 100% Natural Cure-All www.moringadirect.com »

	Shot by Boston Police From 1995-2004 the BPD shot and Killed 16 People. All Victims were Black, Latino and Cape Verdean.
	Mass. Police Brutality People of Color have been brutalized by Police in MA
	Origin of BPD First in the Nation; What does that mean?
	Boston Police Corruption Dirty Cops Shootings, Brutality, Stealing, Drug Dealing, Framing, etc.
	Locked Up & Innocent Wrongful Convictions in Massachusetts In 20 yrs., 22 Innocent men, mostly Black, served time after wrongful convictions. Since 1997, 9 Innocent Black Men have been freed after serving from 4-30 yrs. Suffolk County, MA is 2nd in the US for wrongful convictions.

	Where Did The Gun Come From? Citizens for Safety
	Homicides in Boston Maps by Boston.com 2011 Murder Map » 2010 Murder Map » 2009 Murder Map » 2008 Murder Map »
	Black/Latino Elected Officials Guide to Black/Latino Elected Officials
	Boston's Historic Campaign '09 Guide to 09 Black/Latino Candidates for Mayor & City Council Globe Magazine Feature
	www.mvheritagetrail.org African American Heritage Trail of Martha's Vineyard
	Slave Master Street Names What Street Do you Rep? Many blocks, streets & hoods of Boston are named after Slave Masters.
	In Jesus Name? » The True Name of Jesus: Yeshua The Black Chuch in Boston Believers4Justice.org
	Their Holidays, Our Hell-I-Days » The truth about Thankstaking, the 4th of U-Lie, Columbus Day and other "Holidays"

	MAMLEO MA Assoc. of Minority Law Enforcement Officials
	NAACP-Boston Boston Chapter of the NAACP
	NAN-Boston Boston Chapter of the National Action Network
	Boston Vulcans
	NBAC National Black Agenda Convention
	NOI Nation Of Islam - Mosque #11 Boston
	MCAD MA Commission Against Discrimination

Featured Business

Menu

Followers

Blackstonian Radio

Health & Wellness

Police

Feature Stories

VOTER INFORMATION

Subscribe To

MasterMerchant.biz

Call Us

Upcoming Events

Top Stories of the Week

NEED HELP WITH POLICE BRUTALITY?

Important Local Phone Numbers

Community Information

City of Boston TV

Want to do something in Boston?

Pay Tickets/Tax

MA DOC Information

Boston Color TV

Boston Black Pages

The Word Boston

About Black Boston

Massachusetts Black & Latino Legislative Caucus

Local Organizations

Boston 20 yr. Homicide Report

Reports & PDF Downloads

Boston Local Media

Labels

Archives

Contributors

Twitter