Ex-gangbanger helps rid Dorchester of his shooter

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

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Boston police officer sues city

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

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SHOT BY THE POLICE: BOSTON & BEYOND

LOCAL COP SHOOTINGS

This list is a compilation of cases from Boston, Cambridge, Framingham and the Cape. Each incident is the responsibility of that Police Department, but still is indicative of a Statewide and Nationwide epidemic of People of Color being killed by Police.

BPD Killed 5 people in 1988 alone. 4 out of 5 were Black
BPD Killed 6 Between 1995 and Nov. 2000
BPD Killed 8 Between Nov. 2000 and Sep 2002
BPD Killed 2 Between June 2004 and July 2004
BPD Killed 3 from 2005 to present
All Victims were Black, Latino and Cape Verdean

BPD now has a regulation that expressly forbids firing at a vehicle, unless the occupant first displays a weapon. Former commissioner Paul Evans put that rule on the books in 2002, to mollify a public aghast at eight fatal civilian shootings by Boston police officers in a 23-month stretch, culminating in Eveline Barros Cepeda (a 20 yr. old Mother) being shot unarmed in the back of a car. The BPD has a pattern of determining that these shootings are "justifiable" and The Boston Globe stated that the shooting of Willie Murray, jr. 2/12/02 is the first time since 1991 that a Boston Police officer faced criminal charges in a fatal shooting, the city later paid $75,000 settlement (6/29/07).

January 11, 2011 Eurie Stamps, Sr., 68 yrs. old Retired 68-year-old bus MBTA mechanic was shot by a Framingham police officer during a drug raid at his home. According to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office it was an accident. The actions of Officer Paul Duncan ‘‘do not rise to the level of criminal conduct,’’ and ‘‘do not support a criminal charge,’’ the DA said. More coverage of Eurie Stamps, Sr. shooting and death

April 3, 2010 Manuel "Junior" DaVeiga, 19 yrs. old 19 yrs. old Shot by BPD in Dorchester, investigation ongoing, Suffolk DA and BPD say he shot himself in the head which was the fatal and final shot. More information coming soon. RIP Manuel July 3, 1990 - April 3, 2010 *Questions are now arising as to Mental Health Issues More coverage of Manuel "Junior" DaVeiga shooting and death

August 11, 2009 (Dartmouth, MA) Joseph M. Ramos, jr. Born May, 5, 1967, Joseph M. Ramos, jr. was killed by Dartmouth Police on Aug. 11, 2009. He was shot by Officer Jared White after becoming disoriented and wandering through his neighborhood asking for help. Joseph suffered from a dehabilitating disease which make the police version of events impossible. Joseph’s Civil Rights were violated and he was wrongfully killed by the Police. If Joseph was not a Man of Color, he would be alive today. More coverage of Joseph M. Ramos Murder

November 21, 2007 Marquis Barker 38 yr old Father of Five, Suffolk County Jail Officer - Nashua 18 yrs. Killed Wed. Nov. 21st, 2007 by Boston Police at Walgreen's on Corner of Norfolk & Morton St. *Mental Health Issues **5th Fatal Shooting since 2002 More Coverage of Marquis Barker's Murder

October 3, 2005 Stanley Seney 28 yrs Old. Killed Oct. 3 2005 in the Theatre District

July 2, 2004 Luis Gonzalez, 57 years old More Coverage of Luis Gonzalez's Murder Gonzalez, 57, who weighed no more than 110 pounds, was fatally shot inside the Tremont Street apartment he shared with his mentally retarded sister by two cops as he approached them with a knife. Neighbors said they told police the Puerto Rican native was mentally ill before they entered his apartment. *Mentally Ill Person **Dirty Cop Keeler Involved

June 27, 2004 Bert W. Bowen 40 yrs. old killed in Roxbury: Brookford/Blue Hill Ave The June 27 shooting angered the community because Bowen, 40, was shot three times (once in the back of the head) while fleeing after a traffic stop, and because some witnesses said he was unarmed. After an "investigation" the government determined this murder was "justifiable" Officers James Sheehan (3 Shots), Brian Smigielski (4 shots) More Coverage of Bert Bowen's Murder

September 25, 2002 Eveline Barros-Cepeda Eveline Barros-Cepeda was shot to death by a Boston Police Officer. She was riding in the back seat of a car that police tried to stop after it ran a stoplight. The car allegedly struck Boston Police Officer Michael Paillat prompting his partner Officer Thomas Taylor Jr. to fire five shots into the car as it sped away.

July 15, 2002 Daniel Furtado 59 yrs old (Cambridge, MA) On July 15, 2002 Cambridge Police broke down the door of Daniel Furtado, and shot him dead in his home. He was accused of cutting a cable TV wire, a misdemeanor. Police had no warrant, nor a court order to enter his home. * 8 Man Swat Team 3-4 rounds More Coverage of Daniel Furtado's Murder *Mentally Ill Person

July 2, 2002 LaVeta Jackson, 36 yrs old On July 2, 2002 Boston Police shot and killed LaVeta Jackson in her home. She suffered from a psychiatric illness. *3 Cops 15-20 rounds *Mentally Ill Person

May 2002 Nelson Santiago In May 2002, two officers shot and killed Nelson Santiago after he allegedly rammed a stolen car into their cruiser in Roxbury.

February 12, 2002 Willie L. Murray jr.  37 yrs old killed in Roxbury, Crawford St. February 12th, 2002 by BPD officer Shawn West (Black Cop) According to the Boston Globe, "For the first time in more than a decade, a Boston police officer could face criminal charges after using deadly force in a fatal shooting. Police and Suffolk County prosecutors said yesterday they will convene a grand jury to investigate the death of Willie L. Murray Jr." A man sitting in the front seat beside Willie Murray Jr. when he was shot described the terrifying moment. He said he watched as West shoved the barrel of his gun in the crack of Murray's opened window, ordered him to open the door. Murray was shot after his foot slipped off the brake and the car rolled forward. The grand jury probe was a rare move that may put the case into the hands of a civilian jury. The Boston Globe stated that this is the first time since 1991 that a Boston Police officer will face criminal charges in a fatal shooting. UPDATE: 6/29/07 Five years after Willie L. Murray Jr. was shot to death by a Boston police officer (Black Cop Shawn West) after a traffic stop in Roxbury, the city agreed yesterday to pay $75,000 to settle a wrongful death suit that was about to go to trial in federal court.

July 15, 2001 Rene Romain  19 yrs old killed in Mattapan July 15, 2001 A Boston Globe article reported that a the mother of a Mattapan teenager, after seeing the medical report on her son, claims he was shot in the back last summer without justification by Boston police. Carline Seide-Murphy said the Boston Police first reported that her son suffered a fatal wound to the abdomen. The medical report said her 19-year-old son, Rene Romain, was shot in the back July 15 at the Mattapan Square T station. The police said Romain had threatened two officers with a knife

May 29, 2001 Jose Pineda

December 27, 2000 Ricky Bodden, 29 Shot in the back of the neck by officer Kyle Wilcox on Dec. 27 in a Roxbury park. Boston Municipal Police officer fired at 29-year-old Ricky Bodden of Dorchester. The shooting occurred after Bodden allegedly ran when the officer tried to question him outside a Dorchester park. The force patrols city-owned buildings.

November 27, 2000 Carlos M. Garcia

March 24, 1994 Rev. Accelyne Williams, 75 years old Acting on a wrong address from a bad tip by an informant, the police conducted a no-knock raid on Retired Methodist minister Accelyne Williams' Boston, MA apartment. The door was battered down and Williams was chased around his home by a SWAT police team looking for drugs and guns. Williams was tackled to the floor and his hands tied behind his back. Williams collapsed and died of a heart attack at the age of 75. No guns or drugs were found, as it was soon discovered they raided the wrong apartment!

January 31, 1988 Donald Johnson killed in Jamaica Plain Donald Johnson (shooting victim) was shot dead by police while he was driving a stolen bus. Boston Police shot and killed five suspects of non-violent crimes in 1988; he adds that four of those five suspects were African American. **5th killing in 1988 4 out of 5 dead were blacks

1981 Levi Hart 14 yrs old killed in Roxbury 1981 by BPD Officer Richard Borque Levi Hart, a 14-year-old African American youth from Roxbury, Mass., was killed in a police chase. (Hart, and two other Roxbury youths had stolen and car. When the officers caught up to them, Hart was shot, arguably by Richard Bourque in an act of police brutality.)

January 1975 James Bowden In January 1975 two white undercover Boston police officers gunned down an innocent black man at the Mission Hill housing project, and then were accused along with other Boston police in a bungled scheme to cover it up. While on stakeout on a suspected getaway car used in an armed robbery, the two gunned down a black man who entered the car. The two claimed the man had a gun and they shot in self-defense. Police investigation decided it was a rightful shooting. The man's widow knew her husband would not be carrying a weapon and became determined to prove her husband's innocence. Attorney Lawrence O'Donnell of Boston, a former officer himself, conducted a three-year investigation on behalf of the widow, Patricia Bowden, which prompted two federal juries to agree in a historic verdict that the death of James Bowden "was malicious, willful, wanton or reckless," and the result was a landmark legal decision which included a settlement of $843,000 for Bowden's widow and two children. In more than 100 years, no one had won such a judgment against any police department. Former Boston Phoenix reporter Dave O'Brian was on assignment to write a feature story about Boston's Tactical Patrol Force, O'Brian was in the back seat of the police cruiser along with a news photographer. When the shooting occurred, he was crouched on the floor in fear. His role became crucial, though, because his notes about what happened in the aftermath contradicted police. Looking for a tall, thin man, the police stake out the wrong car, then shoot a man who's 5 feet 4 and weighs 180 pounds and who's never been accused of a crime. Their versions in court contradict those of eyewitnesses, and also one another. A gun is planted at the scene to incriminate Bowden, but it's the wrong type. Crucial tape recordings from the dispatcher's office are missing. The police arrest O'Donnell's son on a trumped-up charge, and beat him.

READ MORE - SHOT BY THE POLICE: BOSTON & BEYOND

Boston Police Department brass ignored 2001 audit of OT No probe after 400 apparent violations

Boston Police Department brass ignored 2001 audit of OT

No probe after 400 apparent violations

By O’Ryan Johnson  |   Thursday, March 24, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

Boston police brass caught detectives submitting hundreds of questionable courtroom overtime slips 10 years ago — but failed to crack down on the apparent infractions, raising concerns about the department’s current probe of possible rampant OT abuse.

A 2001-2002 Boston Police Department internal affairs audit uncovered almost 400 apparent rules violations on courtroom overtime slips submitted by detectives in the homicide and drug control units, according to a transcript of a 2006 federal civil trial obtained by the Herald.

The results of that audit, as well as the department’s failure to take action, emerged in previously unreported testimony in a civil-rights lawsuit filed by a former Boston police captain over allegations he was fired for uncovering the apparent overtime abuses.

The BPD is currently probing allegations of rampant abuse of courtroom overtime pay. Under their contract, officers automatically earn four hours of pay for a court appearance outside their shift even if it requires less than an hour of their time. Three police officers have been placed on administrative duty, and one is on paid leave.

Police Commissioner Edward Davis, who took over the department in December 2006 — five months after the earlier audit came to light — said his current probe won’t be compromised.

“I intend to provide the community with a police agency that utilizes its financial support efficiently,” Davis said in a statement. “The community can remain confident in our efforts to ensure an effective and well-managed police organization as we move forward serving the City of Boston.”

During the trial of a civil rights suit — filed by former police Captain William Broderick — the then head of the BPD’s internal affairs unit testified that his audit uncovered a wide range of department infractions. Among them:

• Slips for court overtime submitted for weekends and holidays;

• Multiple officers making unnecessary courtroom appearances for the same case;

• And detectives signing their own overtime slips.

The internal affairs head acknowledged these practices had become commonplace in the department, according to the transcript.

“They may be violations, or technical violations, of the rules, but (there were) things that had been allowed,” the superintendent said. “And officers had gotten into certain habits . . . (and) were doing things, but they were doing things with their supervisors’ OK, and the supervisors were doing things with their supervisors’ OK,” the internal affairs head said.

The superintendent also admitted he never launched a corruption probe of the OT infractions as he had earlier vowed.

The trial jury found in Broderick’s favor and awarded him $2.8 million.

“They didn’t do anything about (courtroom overtime abuse),” Broderick’s lawyer, Rosemary Scapicchio, told the Herald. “The only thing they did was fire the guy for exposing it. I find it ironic that all these years later they’re now saying it’s a problem. It isn’t a new problem, its been around for a very long time.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1325637

READ MORE - Boston Police Department brass ignored 2001 audit of OT No probe after 400 apparent violations

Public Condemnation: James Carnell (Boston Police Union) calls Roxbury Youth in RCC Incident "Scumbag"

Public Condemnation of statements made by Jim Carnell of
Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association and Editor of The Pax Centurion

James W. Carnell
Representative, Area A-1 Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, Editor, Pax Centurion

We, Concerned Citizens, Community Activists, Voting and Tax Paying Residents of Boston, join together to publicly condemn statements made by James Carnell of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association (BPD Union) and Editor of the Pax Centurion (BPD Union Newspaper). 

In the current Jan/Feb Edition of the Pax Centurion (Vol. 41 No. 1), Jim Carnell refers to the young 16 yr. old Roxbury boy who was the subject of a much publicized arrest at Roxbury Community College as a “scumbag”, Carnell further goes on to characterize the young woman who filmed the video, as is her right, as an “intellectually bereft dolt”. 

The entire article is fraught with sentiments that are particularly disturbing as James Carnell is a sworn officer on active duty in the Boston Police Department. Carnell’s statements are not at all helpful to the Boston Police Department which has made recent attempts to repair and strengthen its relationship with Black, Latino & Cape Verdean communities.

Carnell’s attitude is indicative of a problem with certain officers that many of us have bore witness to or been victims of for decades. For Carnell to not only be an active duty officer sworn to uphold the law, he seems to display a total lack of respect for it considering the young man who he typified as a “scumbag” hasn’t been through his due process and the investigation of the involved officers conduct is not complete. For a Representative of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association and Editor of a newspaper with a readership of 125,000 to spout these sentiments so freely and without fear of reprimand or public outcry and so consistently over the years use racially charged words and images speaks volumes to the true mentality of many of Boston’s white Police Officers.

In almost every edition Carnell shows contempt for Black Politicians; President Obama, Gov. Deval Patrick, Chuck Turner and others.  Carnell issue after issue uses unflattering terms to describe, immigrants, Africans, Mexicans, Arabs, Muslims, “Homeless Bums”, Welfare Recipients and describes US citizens of Boston who dare disagree or question police policy or actions as “cop haters” “nitwits” “hypocrites” “cowards” or “elitists”. Carnell’s comments could easily be classified as racist and while much of it may be protected by free speech, much more of it borders on hate speech and does the Boston Police Department and the City of Boston a disservice and is disrespectful and potentially threatening to the taxpaying citizens Officer Carnell is sworn to protect and serve.

Recently, The BPPA endorsed District 7 City Council Candidate Tito Jackson. We are asking Tito Jackson to review the statements made by Carnell which overwhelmingly are targeted at the very residents of District 7 who he is currently campaigning to represent and we ask that Tito Jackson publicly condemn those statements. Further we ask Mr. Jackson to have a discussion with the BPPA regarding its intolerant statements and if he cannot negotiate a retraction or apology for those statements we demand that he refuse the endorsement of the BPPA.

To BPD Commissioner Ed Davis:
While we understand that the BPD has little to no control over the BPPA union and the Pax Centurion, James Carnell is still an active duty Boston Police Officer. As you have had to deal with outrageous and unhelpful public statements by a BPD Officer recently, we ask that you review the constant statements made by Carnell in the Pax Centurion and we recommend that Carnell should receive Diversity and Sensitivity Training.

Further we would like a public statement from your office condemning these remarks and reaffirming the BPD’s commitment to the community and that those sentiments are not shared by the Department as a whole.

  

Pax Centurion
Volume 41, Number 1  •  January/February 2011
http://www.bppa.org/PAX/default.asp

“The exhibition was designed after much criticism was heaped upon the department following a “You-tube” video which appeared on-line after the arrest of a young scumbag who resisted arrest at Roxbury Community College last fall.”

“In the video, the officers employed simple pain-compliance techniques to force the resisting juvenile thug, who was wildly swinging one handcuff in the air at the officers attempting to arrest him, to stop resisting and comply. Of course, the intellectually-bereft dolt filming the incident with her cell-phone thought she had another Rodney King-style expose and narrated the video for distribution to other like-minded nitwits, who think the police are supposed to put up with this crap and do nothing to protect ourselves.”

– James W. Carnell
Representative, Area A-1
Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association
Editor, Pax Centurion

Here are a list of companies that advertise in the Pax Centurion and contribute to their scholarship fund.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care	Taurus Investment Holdings, LLC	Transwestern Investment Co.
The Boston Company	Altria Group	New Boston Fund
AEW	People’s United Bank	MetLife
Mt. Washington Bank	Turner Construction	Legal Sea Foods
Talbot’s	State Street Global Advisors	Genzyme
Blue Line Financial	Lincoln Property Company	Merck
Safety Net	Prudential	Simmons
Copley Place Simon	New Balance

Please Join us in our Public Condemnation of these statements... check out these links.

Blackstonian presents Archie Bunker Award

http://blackstonian.blogspot.com/2011/03/blackstonian-presents-archie-bunker.html

http://www.xtraxtra.com/bostoncom.php/posting/showz/id/3719249

READ MORE - Public Condemnation: James Carnell (Boston Police Union) calls Roxbury Youth in RCC Incident "Scumbag"

Blackstonian Presents the Archie Bunker Award to Boston Police Patrolmen's Association

BLACKSTONIAN EXCLUSIVE

The Blackstonian would like to present the Archie Bunker award for foreward thought and outstanding achievement in intellekchewalism to

The Boston Police Patrolmen's Association

The Pax Centurion

Editor James Carnell

Editor's Note: I couldn't find a photo anywhere of James Carnell, which may be a blessing if his physical appearance is as ugly as his thoughts and attitude or perhaps he has cracked too many lenses in his day so let's just imagine him... think Half Elmer Fudd and 3/4 Porky.... (yes I know the math is right)
The award is being made now it will be presented shortly it has taken us some time... you wouldn't believe how difficult it is to get a trophy fashioned into the shape of an anus.

Boston Police Patrolmen's Association (BPPA)

The Boston Police Patrolmen's Association which is Union for BPD Officers, the very same Union that has fought tooth and nail for well over a decade over every issue that came up for Affirmative Action or improvements in Hiring/Promotions within the BPD. They are the Union which has fought MAMLEO (Mass. Assoc. of Minority Law Enforcement Officials) at every juncture where equality and diversity was in question.

This is also the same Union which produces a racially charged and clearly uber-conservative publication which forces you to wax nostalgic about the Good Ole Days with the Good Ole Boys circa 1950 The Pax Centurion http://www.bppa.org/PAX/default.asp

If you go there right now you can find such intellectual insights and colorful terms like "yummie (young urban maggot)" which really can give you a perspective on the thought process of many of OUR "Public Servants" these are the people who are supposed to Serve and Protect us.

http://www.bppa.org/bppaems/pax/story3_may05.asp

Or really just check this out from the Feb. Edition (ironically in Black History Month) where he calls the young teenage man brutalized by Police a "scumbag" 

By Jim Carnell, Pax Editor

Many of us may have missed the Globe and Herald editions dated Jan. 23rd about

a rather unique and interesting exhibition by the staff of the Boston Police Academy designed for local politicians, media, and community activists. (“In defense of the proper use of force”, Boston Herald, Peter Gelzinis, 1-23-11, and “Police give lessons in how they use force”, Boston Globe, Maria Cramer, 1-23-11).

The exhibition was designed after much criticism was heaped upon the department

following a “You-tube” video which appeared on-line after the arrest of a young

scumbag who resisted arrest at Roxbury Community College last fall

http://www.bppa.org/PAX/PAX%20JabFeb%202011.pdf

Need More Proof of the infinite ability to promote stupidity?

http://oneminutelawyer.com/?p=10560

In the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association newspaper, Pax Centurion, is a cartoon of President Obama dressed as a superhero dubbed “Obama Dog.’’ According to the Boston Globe, another page shows a picture of the First Couple, their left hands over their hearts, instead of their right, as they salute the flag. “Americans?!? Are they really?!?’

So Jeers to you...

It couldn't be a more deserving award for a master of the asinine.

Please Join us in our Public Condemnation of these statements... check out these links.
http://blackstonian.blogspot.com/2011/03/public-condemnation-james-carnell.html

http://www.xtraxtra.com/bostoncom.php/posting/showz/id/3719249

READ MORE - Blackstonian Presents the Archie Bunker Award to Boston Police Patrolmen's Association

BPD eyeing possible ‘misconduct’ of 4 officers

BPD eyeing possible ‘misconduct’ of 4 officers

By O’Ryan Johnson  |   Friday, February 18, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

A Boston police detective sergeant is on paid leave and three other officers were placed on administrative duty while internal affairs officers and prosecutors investigate allegations of possible “misconduct” related to court appearances, a police statement said.

Officers make overtime pay for court appearances that fall on their days off or at times that are not part of their regular shift, police said.

“At this point we’re trying to determine the facts and circumstances relative to this investigation,” said Boston police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll. “We need to figure this out because we’re concerned that four officers went to court that weren’t supposed to go.”

She said the situation has led the department to audit the system it uses to manage police officers’ court appearances. In a message from Boston police Commissioner Edward Davis to the entire department, Davis said the investigation involves “several” officers from Area E-5 Hyde Park/West Roxbury.

Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley’s office is cooperating with the department and monitoring its investigation, a spokeswoman for the DA confirmed.

“The commissioner has called for an audit of the court reporting system,” she said. “At this point, it’s a citywide audit. It’s just good management, being extraordinarily thorough.”

Gerry Sanfilippo, president of the Boston Police Detectives Benevolent Society, said the union remains firmly behind its members as the investigation moves forward. When called late last night, he declined to comment on the investigation.

“We always support our members to the fullest,” Sanfilippo said.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1317663

READ MORE - BPD eyeing possible ‘misconduct’ of 4 officers

Feb. 1 Black/Latino Police sue Boston Police Department

BLACKSTONIAN EXCLUSIVE

Feb. 1 Black/Latino Police sue Boston Police Department

Below contains information from the Boston Globe article:
"Ex-Menino driver gets new job, stirring dispute"
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/01/29/ex_menino_driver_gets_new_job_stirring_dispute/

The organization representing the department’s minority officers, MAMLEO, for years have been calling for more women and minorities to be given supervisory roles.

“If the Police Department is going to be serious about community policing, it must reflect the community in which it operates and right now it does not,’’ said Willie H. Bradley, information officer for the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers. “Once again the Police Department makes the selections, unfortunately, to its command position based on politics, not on knowledge.’’

Of the 19 deputy superintendents and superintendents on the command staff, 10 are white men. There are four black men, one Asian man, one white woman, two Hispanic men, and one black woman. All of the captains in command of the city’s 11 districts are white men.

Currently, MAMLEO has a federal civil rights lawsuit challenging the state’s promotional exam winding its way through federal court. On Tuesday Feb. 1, closing arguments are scheduled to be heard in the case, which was brought by minority officers from several cities, including Boston. The officers contend that the exam for sergeant is discriminatory.

PACK THE COURT
Tuesday, Feb. 1 2011
Federal Court House
1 Courthouse Way Boston, Massachusetts 02210

READ MORE - Feb. 1 Black/Latino Police sue Boston Police Department

From Cell Block to City Block; a Discussion on Prisons and Public Safety Feb. 5th

Dear Community,

You are invited to participate in a very important community dialogue about how Prisons affect Public Safety (a link made even clearer after the Mattapan Massacre and the Officer Maguire losing his life in Woburn).

In the past 3 years we have had 3 Commissioners leave the Department of Corrections which has been plagued by scandals and accusations of corruption. With the seat currently vacant, prison overcrowding, a record high in suicides and skyrocketing costs we will discuss the implementation of an independent Oversight Committee.

The meeting with feature a short multimedia presentation and various speakers.

What: From Cell Block to City Block; a Discussion on Prisons and Public Safety
Where: 2nd Floor of the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center 1350 Tremont St

When: Saturday Feburary 5th from 4 to 6 pm Sharp

READ MORE - From Cell Block to City Block; a Discussion on Prisons and Public Safety Feb. 5th

Police give lessons in how they use force Criticism of arrest on video prompts demonstration

Police give lessons in how they use force
Criticism of arrest on video prompts demonstration

Leroy Streat (left) and Jose Alfonso, patrol tactics instructors, took down defensive tactics instructor Michael Aziz during a demonstration at the Boston Police Academy on Thursday. (Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff)
By Maria Cramer
Globe Staff / January 23, 2011

Boston police, reeling from a YouTube video last fall that showed several officers forcefully subduing a 16-year-old boy, are reaching out to community leaders, elected officials, and the news media in an effort to persuade the public that officers have received careful training and are taught strict guidelines on when to use force.

“I think it’s time we remove the mystery around police use of force,’’ Commissioner Edward F. Davis said Thursday night at the Boston Police Academy in Hyde Park, where officials invited several reporters, religious figures, and leaders of the Boston branch of the NAACP to meet with police instructors.

FULL STORY HERE
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/01/23/reeling_from_video_boston_police_offer_insight_on_use_of_force/?p1=Local_Links

READ MORE - Police give lessons in how they use force Criticism of arrest on video prompts demonstration

City records first murder of the year

City records first murder of the year

By O’Ryan Johnson  |   Tuesday, January 4, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage
A man in his 20s became the city’s first murder victim of the year when he was shot and killed in Dorchester this afternoon.

The man, whose name was not released, was gunned down on Blue Hill Avenue near the busy intersection with Columbia Road at about 1:20 p.m., police report.

Police closed down the area during the investigation causing heavy traffic. Last year the city recorded 74 homicides, the most since the end of 2006 and the first increase in the annual number of murders since Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis took command of the department in December of that year.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1307411

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Blue Christmas for Boston crooks

Blue Christmas for Boston crooks

‘WE ARE A STEP AHEAD OF YOU’: City employee Brooke Woodson, flanked by Mayor Tom Menino and Boston police Commissioner Edward Davis, holds up one of the bass guitars yesterday that were recovered during a sting in Downtown Crossing.
Photo by Angela Rowlings
By Renee Nadeau Algarin  |   Friday, December 24, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage


The small jewelry store opened in Downtown Crossing just in time for the Christmas shopping season, catering to a special class of clientele: the criminal class.

Maybe the shop’s name, MIB Jewelers — as in Men in Blue — should have been a tip-off, but unwitting crooks began flocking merrily to the sting operation the day it opened, Commissioner Edward Davis said yesterday. Undercover cops had put the word out they were willing to buy stolen goods at the store at 365 Washington St. in Downtown Crossing, and there were plenty of sellers.

“To all the criminals out there, know this,” Mayor Thomas M. Menino said yesterday, flanked by Davis and District Attorney Daniel Conley. “We are a step ahead of you.”

The operation, which was manned by two undercover cops and outfitted with security cameras, recovered more than 230 stolen items and helped police obtain 24 arrest warrants.

The police took no chances, even using the laws of capitalism to catch the thieves: In advance of MIB’s grand opening, the department cut out the competition by busting eight other stores suspected of fencing property.

“It’s much more difficult today to sell stolen goods than it was two weeks ago,” Davis said,

Along with cell phones, Xbox consoles, boxed cashmere sweaters and flat-screen TVs, police got back three guitars stolen from city employee Brooke Woodson, whose home was burgled Dec. 9.

“I was just so disheartened. It was just a sinking feeling, especially this time of year,” recalled a relieved Woodson as he cradled one of his beloved guitars in the fake store yesterday.



A suspect in the burglary at Woodson’s home, Nestor Mota-Diaz, 18, was arraigned in West Roxbury District Court on two counts of receiving stolen property over $250 and ordered held without bail on two outstanding warrants, according to Conley’s office. Ayanie Mohamed, 20, of Charlestown, Anthony Martinez, 17, and Gale Ashkir, 21, of Roxbury also were arraigned in connection with the sting. They all pleaded not guilty.

All together, the stolen belongings of about 200 people were hocked at MIB, Davis estimated, Police are working with departments in other cities and with MBTA police to find the items’ rightful owners.

Asked whether he had ever worried that perps might figure out what the store’s acronym stood for, Davis said no, noting an eternal rule of law enforcement.

“We don’t catch the smart ones,” he said.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1305138

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Drug probe nets alleged mastermind Multimillion-dollar coke ring busted

Drug probe nets alleged mastermind
Multimillion-dollar coke ring busted
By Laurel J. Sweet  |   Friday, December 3, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

MONEY BAGS: Officials show off money recovered from the bust of an alleged cocaine ring.
Photo by Christopher Evans

A Dorchester drug lord dripping with diamonds employed family, lovers and neighbors during the 20 years he ran a multimillion-dollar coke and crack ring — but now faces spending the rest of his days in a no-frills cell, authorities said yesterday.

Michael “Muscle Mike” Williams, 43 — a father of six described by a law-enforcement source as one of Boston’s “original gangsters” — topped a chart of 20 men and women charged by the feds yesterday with distributing massive amounts of crack manufactured in Dorchester tenements.

“We’re talking about millions and millions of dollars,” U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz said of Operation Magic Wand.

The investigation was ongoing since June 2009 when a “crack cook”-turned-informant told authorities the coke cabal had “devastated the neighborhood,” according to documents released yesterday.

“Mr. Williams ran a criminal organization for 20 years in this city, and his major mistake was resorting to violence last year,” said Boston police Commissioner Edward F. Davis. “We told him to stop the violence, put the guns down. He didn’t listen.”

The “financially successful, family-run’’ gang was busted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, state and Boston police and the U.S. Marshals.

The defendants, who include Williams’ cousin Donald “Ducky” Williams, range in age from 24 to 60. They are scheduled for a Dec. 10 detention hearing in U.S. District Court.

Thirteen search warrants executed yesterday yielded nine firearms, a butcher knife, a bulletproof vest, a gas mask, luxury cars, steroids, $125,000 cash and a bag of bling that included a diamond-encrusted Breitling watch from Michael Williams — who kept pit bulls as bodyguards.

Authorities also seized three Greenwood Street homes allegedly used to process and sell crack. And last night, the only thing left twinkling on Greenwood — a working-class neighborhood of triple-deckers —were the Christmas lights strung by residents.

One man, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he had noticed drug addicts loitering in the area.

“It’s good that they shut it down,” he said of the alleged operation. “There was a lot of shootings and stabbings.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1300501

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Fugitive Apprehension Team profiles

Fugitive Apprehension Team profiles
By O’Ryan Johnson  |   Friday, November 26, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

‘WE RELY ON THEM’: Fugitive Apprehension Team members officer Steve Ridge, left, and team leader Sgt. Detective Brian Albert, right, have taken down some of Boston’s most notorious and dangerous fugitives.
Photo by Mark Garfinkel

EDDIE HERNANDEZ

Officer Eddie Hernandez learned Spanish from his grandmother. He says he likes to blend into the background when the team enters a Spanish-speaking home, listening quietly in case anyone inside thinks they can get something past the cops.

The lifelong Dorchester resident said getting up early to work for his father, a contractor, gave him a strong work ethic that is tested during round-the-clock stakeouts.

STEVE RIDGE

Boston police Officer Steve Ridge developed the ability to spot a liar while working as a U.S. Customs Agent at Logan International Airport. He said he learned how to detect who was carrying drugs or smuggled goods by recognizing the mannerisms of deception, skills he declined to share.

He said the knack comes in handy when confronting friends and loved ones of violent felons who may try to conceal a fugitive’s whereabouts. But he said it’s ruined crime TV for him — the skills used by Hollywood cops who pretend to spot liars are a little laughable.

BRIAN ALBERT

Two decades ago, Sgt. Detective Brian Albert led Marines from behind a Humvee-mounted .50 caliber machine gun during Operation Desert Storm. After the Marine Corps, he worked as a Suffolk sheriff’s deputy guarding prisoners, a job that taught him how to search a room and a person, as well as how to talk to people from different backgrounds.

Now a Boston cop and head of the Fugitive Apprehension Team, he carries a much lighter .40 caliber Glock. After being tapped while a member of the BPD gang unit to organize the fugitive squad, Albert handpicked his team members.

He said he chose cops with people skills, since most of the job involves talking people into opening doors and telling them where the bad guys are.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1298946

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Elite cops track Boston’s most wanted fugitives Bad boys, whatcha gonna do?

Elite cops track Boston’s most wanted fugitives
Bad boys, whatcha gonna do?
By O’Ryan Johnson  |   Friday, November 26, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

Sgt. Detective Brian Albert, right, leads the Fugitive Apprehension Team, which has taken down some of Boston’s most notorious and dangerous fugitives.
Photo by Mark Garfinkel

These Hub cops have tracked down and slapped cuffs on the city’s most notorious fugitives, including the Craigslist Killer and Edward Corliss, the man accused of killing Jamaica Plain clerk Surendra Dangol. Their latest collars? The two men charged in the Mattapan massacre.

“I would like criminals to know if you commit a crime, the police are going to be looking for you,” said Sgt. Detective Brian Albert. “It doesn’t matter if you go out of the city, out of the state or out of the country. You’re better off turning yourself in to face the music.”

Albert commands the Fugitive Apprehension Team, a 12-member joint squad of Boston cops and U.S. Marshals that has been to at least 14 states, as well as Trinidad and Canada, in pursuit of wanted men and women, using some of the most advanced technology available to capture suspects on the run for murder, rapes and shootings in Boston. The team was formed in 2007, handpicked by Albert largely from BPD’s gang unit.

During the round-the-clock hunt for the suspects in the Sept. 28 Mattapan murders, cops zeroed in on Kimani Washington’s Manchester, N.H., hideout. The team got the floor plan to the apartment building, cleared out the units beside Washington’s and had local SWAT teams with eyes on the apartment before they hit the door.

They declined to discuss the arrest of murder suspect Dwayne Moore, saying it remains a grand jury investigation, but they described the kind of rigorous preparation they use in each case to keep cops safe and put crooks behind bars.

After a tip pointed to a possible Roxbury hideout earlier this week, officer Steve Ridge keyed in the license plates of cars around the building.

“We know who owns the house, how much they pay in taxes, how they vote — Democrat. We know the square footage. We should have the whole layout of the place before we go in,” Ridge said, eyeing his laptop screen. That house turned out to be a dead end.

That’s not always the case.

Last March, a tight huddle of plainclothes cops stood in a Dorchester parking lot at dawn, passing around photos of Schuyler Oppenheimer, 19, a convicted drug dealer — each showing a different hairstyle. Oppenheimer was wanted for a shooting in Cambridge.

Team members pulled up to the home — already under surveillance by U.S. Marshals John Bianci and Joseph Norton — and formed up to go in while other officers took up well-rehearsed positions around the house. Boston police officer Eddie Hernandez and transit police Detective Charles Collins moved to the back.

A woman reluctantly let a group of officers in the front door. Moments later, there was a commotion at the back, and a disheveled Oppenheimer was escorted out by Hernandez and Collins.

It is one of hundreds of arrests the team has made this year. Boston police Commissioner Edward Davis credits them with helping to drive down overall crime numbers — though murders are up sharply for the year — by quickly nabbing “impact” players.

“They’re so effective and so fast at finding people,” Davis said. “The great thing about the fugitive unit is that they have connections outside the criminal justice world that help them do their job, They’ve had really good luck with running down people in other countries. We rely on them.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1298947

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Massacre described in detail

Massacre described in detail
By Laurel J. Sweet  |   Wednesday, November 24, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

‘EMBRACE EACH OTHER’: The Rev. William Dickerson, center, prays with friends and family of the 4 people gunned down in the Mattapan massacre, including Patricia Washum-Bennett, mother of Levaughn Washum-Garrison, and her husband, James Benne
Photo by Mark Garfinkel

The massacre that rocked the city this fall was a cold-blooded execution over a drug robbery, prosecutors said yesterday, detailing for the first time the chilling sequence of events that left a toddler and three other bodies strewn in a Mattapan street.

“We promised not to rest until all the facts were known. With these charges, we’re significantly closer to that goal. But whatever satisfaction we may take in that knowledge pales in comparison to the pain etched on so many faces in Dorchester District Court,” Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley said in a statement after 33-year-old Dwayne Moore was ordered held without bail by Judge James Coffey.

The unemployed Moore — who did not show his face in court — is charged with four counts of murder for the shooting deaths of his former roommate Simba Martin, 21, Martin’s girlfriend, Eyanna Louise Flonory, 21, her 2-year-old son, Amanihoteph Smith, and Levaughn Washum-Garrison, 22, shortly after 1:15 a.m. Sept. 28.

Public defender John Amabile entered not guilty pleas on Moore’s behalf.

On the fateful night, Moore and a con he befriended in state prison, Kimani Washington, went to Martin’s home armed “for the purpose of robbing him,” prosecutor Edmond Zabin said. Moore, he said, had shared the place over the summer and “knew the apartment intimately and that drugs and cash could be found there.”

Moore tried to bring Martin outside when Marcus Hurd, 32, drove up and Martin came out to meet him. Then, Zabin said, the defendants forced both victims inside at gunpoint and stripped them naked in the apartment — where they found Washum-Garrison, Flonory and her son.

After robbing the home of a safe, cash and drugs, Moore and Washington marched the five victims up to Woolson Street, where all of them were shot multiple times, Zabin said. Hurd survived but remains in critical condition.

Washington has been held on $1 million bail since his October arraignment on gun and drug charges.

Moore was tracked down by cops after a grand jury witness testified to seeing a gun in his hand during the robbery. He was arrested Monday night at the Morton Street apartment — opposite the District B-3 police station — where he’d been living since the shootings.

After his arrest, Moore cowered in the corner of a police interview room and whimpered to detectives, “I can’t do this, I can’t go back to jail. You’re going to have to kill me,” according to court documents.

Moore is classified in court records as a “career criminal” with arrests dating to 1991 for armed robbery, armed carjacking and assault and battery.

He was convicted in 1996 of stabbing and plunging a knife through the neck of 17-year-old Keema Braxton of Milton on Aug. 11, 1995, to settle an argument outside a Mattapan party. Moore was charged with first-degree murder, but convicted by a jury of manslaughter.

He served out his 15-year sentence and according to the Department of Correction, was released from prison April 13 — just five months before the murders.

Yesterday in Dorchester District Court, family and friends of the massacre victims wore buttons and T-shirts honoring their dead.

“Let them, Lord God, be able to embrace each other and celebrate the lives they left behind,” said the Rev. William Dickerson as he gathered the families around him in the courthouse lobby for a Thanksgiving prayer.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1298534

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Viral justice? The media might have moved on, but RCC students won't let a case of potential police brutality on campus fade without a fight

Viral justice?
The media might have moved on, but RCC students won't let a case of potential police brutality on campus fade without a fight

AFTER-SCHOOL PROJECT: When video of Boston Police using force to restrain a 16-year-old boy at Roxbury Community College was posted online, RCC students protested near campus and pressed the BPD for answers. The matter is now under investigation by the Suffolk County DA’s office.
By CHRIS FARAONE  |  November 23, 2010

The seven-minute YouTube clip begins with five Boston police officers, crowding a Roxbury Community College entranceway, restraining a face-down suspect. Before it's clear what's happening, a plainclothes cop in jeans and work boots pins the boy's left calf, throws four hammer punches to the back, then switches to southpaw and delivers three uppercuts. Moving a uniformed colleague out of the way, the same officer then assumes a runner's stance, secures his grip, and follows up with three knees to the chest. The suspect is instructed to put his hands behind his back, and responds in evident agony: "My hands are behind my back . . . Who the fuck keeps stepping on me?"

That's just from one angle. A shorter video shot by another witness begins moments earlier, and shows the plainclothes officer connecting with seven blows to the torso, while another cop is swinging on the suspect's rib cage. Through the ordeal, it's hard to see the victim's face, though blood leaks from underneath his green hood and smears the metal grate scraping his nose, as well as the left pant leg of an officer who's straddling his neck.

The video went viral four days after the October 22 incident. Community outrage was fueled by the revelation that the suspect — a fugitive fleeing from Department of Youth Services custody — was only 16 years old, and by a police report that did not appear to match the video. In the days after, RCC students protested near campus, and marched down Columbus Avenue to picket Boston Police Department headquarters. Faith leaders and local activists joined the cause, as did a handful of Boston elected officials.

City Councilor Ayanna Pressley tweeted that she was "deeply troubled," while her colleague, Council President Mike Ross, gave his own condemnation of what he called "an unmeasured use of force." Ross's comments drew the ire of an attorney for the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, who suggested that Ross "spend the day at the police academy, learning how police officers are trained."

Mayor Tom Menino had a more cautious response. "We don't tolerate this in Boston," he told reporters. "If we have to bring action, we will bring action, but what you see [in the videos] might not be the whole story."

Under increasing public pressure, BPD Commissioner Ed Davis turned the investigation over to the office of Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley. The DA's office described the request as unusual in the case of a non-fatal arrest.

Other than the police report, which is at odds with what the videos show by claiming the victim violently resisted arrest, there have been few explanations provided by the city — let alone apologies offered. The events of October 22 inflicted lasting wounds, as the images of that juvenile being held down and assaulted remain stuck in the minds of those who witnessed the struggle first-hand, and also on the conscience of many more RCC students who have since taken up the fight against police brutality. Their message: this is not going to blow over.

"For this to take place on campus, it means that it can happen to everyone here," says Tajudeen Akinbode, a second-semester biological-science major and outspoken student rep. "This would not have happened at Boston University. Some people around here don't want to talk about it, but I'm not keeping quiet. Considering that some students feel insecure and unsafe, this is what we're supposed to talk about. We have to."

'We're being ignored'
At first, the RCC community was divided on how far to pursue the issue — given that the victim was not one of its own. But it now seems determined, as a whole, to get some answers. School president Dr. Terrence Gomes upset some students and faculty with an October 28 e-mail labeling the incident a "police matter," since the arrested party is not enrolled at RCC. But Gomes has come to sympathize with the RCC' community's outrage over cops engaging in what the videos present as violent actions. He says he'd been unaware of the arrest before it hit the Web, and regrets his initial reaction to dismiss the school's role in healing the resulting wounds. This week, Gomes told the Phoenix he shares the prevailing worry about students' sense of safety, and is working to support those who are questioning the incident that split their school and shocked the city.

"The students are well within their right to protest however they feel they need to," says Gomes. "Upon watching the video, I observed what in my opinion was excessive force . . . Despite what may go on nearby, this has always been a safe haven, and I don't want students to ever feel like they have to worry about those kinds of things happening here."

Like her school president, protest organizer India Cox didn't know about the arrest until she heard about it on the morning news. She's in her second year at RCC, and a criminal-justice major, yet no one in her circle knew about the melee prior to it making headlines. So when she learned that a teenager had endured such treatment — in plain sight, no less — Cox jumped into action, helping organize two demonstrations in as many days. She had no trouble finding support; others — including Eusida Blidgen, who posted the bombshell videos on YouTube — were also rounding up troops.

"We felt then and still feel like we're being ignored," says Cox. "The officers have not been fired, so it's our belief that there's not much being done. [The authorities] want things to die down, and to think this is going to go away. But it's not. We're going to keep raising the issue until we see results."

Tuning out
In the media, the story topped the local news for two nights running and seemed to have legs. Four days after the initial reports broke, it was discovered that one of the parties involved, 32-year-old patrol officer Michael McManus, had two years earlier — during the celebration following the Celtics' 2008 NBA championship — tackled an Emmanuel College student. The student subsequently died from related complications, and earlier this year, the city paid a $3 million out-of-court settlement to his family. (McManus is assigned to desk duty pending the outcome of the current investigation. The department did not respond by press time to Phoenix inquiries regarding other officers involved.)

That detail, however, failed to keep the story in the news. Videos of the beating continued to rack up tens of thousands of views on YouTube, but with the midterm elections approaching, Boston's major media outlets tuned out after a week — even as dedicated community and RCC activists soldiered on.

A spokesperson for the Suffolk County DA tells the Phoenix that, while their report is not yet ready, it will eventually be disclosed to the public. But in the meantime, while the investigation carries on behind closed doors, Cox and hundreds of her fellow students continue to strategize, and are organizing a rally to the State House for sometime in the coming weeks. "I think we're all as shocked that a lot of us didn't know about this before it was on YouTube as we are about what actually happened," she says.

"The police need to come out and talk to us and answer our questions," says student-government rep Akinbode. "They don't give a damn about us, or see our demonstrations as a threat. Drastic measures need to be taken, because right now this is not justice. Someone needs to apologize to the family of this person, the faculty, and the entire student body. Our demand is simple — that all of these people who carried this out be fired. They're not the kind of people who we want in law enforcement."

Watch the videos at thePhoenix.com/news. Chris Faraone can be reached at cfaraone@phx.com.

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Third person dies in aftermath of Jamaica Plain restaurant shooting

Third person dies in aftermath of Jamaica Plain restaurant shooting
By O’Ryan Johnson and Laura Crimaldi  |   Monday, November 22, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

Photo by Angela Rowlings

Another victim caught in the crossfire of a shooting last night on Jamaica Plain’s bustling Centre Street has died, bringing the death toll to three and prompting police to vow a crackdown on gang members.

Police say all three victims are believed to be gang affiliated.

Police spokeswoman Elain Driscoll told the Herald this afternoon the department now has a “laser focus” on gang members tied to the brazen gunfight.

“As a result of this incident, the individuals who associate with these three (victims) should anticipate a significant amount of aggressive enforcement coming their way,” Driscoll said.

One of the victims, described as a 21-year-old Hispanic man, was taken into police custody before he died, said Driscoll. He suffered from “possible stab wounds” and was pronounced dead at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, police said.

A second victim, also described as a 21-year-old Hispanic man, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, police said.

A third victim, a 28-year-old man Hispanic man, died today. He was previously listed in stable condition earlier today at Boston Medical Center.

Officer Eddy Chrispin told the Associated Press the fight began Sunday night at Same Old Place. He says the fight continued out on the street in front of the eatery and shots were fired.

A fourth victim, who is female, was treated and released from Faulkner Hospital, police said.

The shooting started at 7:24 p.m. when a fight broke out and three men were shot inside the restaurant. A woman passing by outside was grazed in the leg, police said. One of the men shot was apprehended outside the restaurant holding a gun, Police Commissioner Edward Davis said.

“The initial report is all part of a fight and it’s all self-contained,” Davis said. “They are all here.”

An eyewitness, John, 45, who declined to give his last name but was interviewed by police at the scene, said he had just left J.P. Licks and had crossed the street when he heard about seven shots and saw a man fall on the pavement.

“It was really scary. It was like the Wild West. It was just like the Wild West,” John said.

Police cordoned off a large section of the neighborhood last night while homicide detectives rounded up a number of witnesses who were placed inside of an MBTA bus to await further questioning.

Patrols have been increased in the neighborhood.

Richard Weir contributed.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1297970

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Two dead, two injured in Jamaica Plain restaurant shooting

Two dead, two injured in Jamaica Plain restaurant shooting
By O’Ryan Johnson and Laura Crimaldi  |   Monday, November 22, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

Photo by Chitose Suzuki

Two people were killed and two were injured after a shooting on Jamaica Plain’s bustling Centre Street last night, police said, in a scene one witness likened to the “Wild West.”

One of the victims, described as a 21-year-old Hispanic man, was taken into police custody before he died, said Boston police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll. He suffered from “possible stab wounds” and was pronounced dead at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, police said.

A second victim, also described as a 21-year-old Hispanic man, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, police said.

Officer Eddy Chrispin told the Associated Press the fight began Sunday night at Same Old Place. He says the fight continued out on the street in front of the eatery and shots were fired.

A third victim, who was described as a 28-year-old Hispanic man, is in stable condition at Boston Medical Center. A fourth victim, who is female, was treated and released from Faulkner Hospital, police said.

The shooting started at 7:24 p.m. when a fight broke out and three men were shot inside the restaurant. A woman passing by outside was grazed in the leg, police said. One of the men shot was apprehended outside the restaurant holding a gun, Police Commissioner Edward Davis said.

“The initial report is all part of a fight and it’s all self-contained,” Davis said. “They are all here.”

An eyewitness, John, 45, who declined to give his last name but was interviewed by police at the scene, said he had just left J.P. Licks and had crossed the street when he heard about seven shots and saw a man fall on the pavement.

“It was really scary. It was like the Wild West. It was just like the Wild West,” John said.

Police cordoned off a large section of the neighborhood last night while homicide detectives rounded up a number of witnesses who were placed inside of an MBTA bus to await further questioning.

Patrols have been increased in the neighborhood.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1297970

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Tokers blow smoke at pot fines

Tokers blow smoke at pot fines

By Laurel J. Sweet  |   Monday, November 22, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

Potheads who’ve found the grass is greener under the state’s mellowed-out marijuana law have racked up as much as $64,500 in unpaid fines in Boston alone, thumbing their noses at hundreds of citations that cops have written up, but authorities are powerless to enforce.

Now the City Council wants to smoke out the stoner scofflaws.

“Everybody’s laughing in the face of this thing. We need to find a way to tighten up the loopholes that are allowing precious dollars to escape,” said Councilor Stephen J. Murphy, chairman of the committee on public safety.

Of the more than 760 $100 fines written up in Boston this year as of Nov. 4, police list 645 as unpaid with no way of accounting if any were cleared up at courts or by drop-ins to City Hall, a Herald review found.

Murphy has formally requested a public hearing to examine the police department’s struggle to enforce fines for possession of an ounce or less of cannabis. He’s also mulling measures such as seeking the Legislature’s permission to collect overdue dope debts through tax liens — such as the city does now with unpaid trash and snow removal fines under its so-called “Green Ticket Law.”

But Bill Downing, director of the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition, insists the new right to toke should not have a price tag.

“There’s this concept called freedom. The people of Massachusetts voted to tell the cops to leave these people alone. If they don’t pay their tickets, who cares? What, are you going to float city and town budgets on the backs of the pot-smoking public?”

Presently, a pot-possession ticket is supposed to be paid at police headquarters in 21 days. This year, only 52 tokers made the deadline. Police credited another 63 as being paid off after the due date, including one through South Boston District Court.

Boston police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said, “The police commissioner feels our responsibility is to enforce the law the way it currently stands.”

Cheryl Sibley, chief administrator of Boston Municipal Court, said there is “very limited recourse” for the courts to force payment if potheads don’t request a hearing to fight the ticket and police don’t seek a civil contempt hearing to enforce it.

But the cops and the courts both complain that there is no formal process for the exchange of records, so compliance is hard to track.

But among the locations where Hub cops whacked weed whiffers this year were Boston Latin Academy and Charlestown High, their records show. Murphy suggests that indicates a problem that is not being addressed under the law as it stands.

“My own opinion is, we never should have decriminalized it,” Murphy said. “The question now is what can we develop by way of a system that would allow us to enforce the civil side of it.’’

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1297999

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