Chuck Turner pledges to serve out his term

Chuck Turner pledges to serve out his term
By Dave Wedge  |   Saturday, November 13, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Politics

Photo by Mark Garfinkel (file)
Embattled City Councilor Chuck Turner said he’s “surprised” Mayor Thomas M. Menino called on him to step down and again pledged to serve out his term, despite his recent federal corruption conviction.

“The mayor knows that during my 11 years as councilor there has never been even a hint of financial impropriety,” Turner told the Herald this morning. “He knows in his heart of hearts there’s no reason why I can’t serve out my term.”

Menino this week called on Turner to resign, citing the councilor’s conviction last month for taking a $1,000 bribe and lying to federal agents. Turner is awaiting sentencing while the council has set a Dec. 1 hearing to determine whether he should be expelled from the board.

Turner called Menino’s statements “political” and said the mayor should not judge him for the corruption case “the FBI cooked up.”

“I voted against all the fat cat projects,” Turner said. “There is nothing (improper) he or anyone else could site.”

Turner has pledged to serve out his term. And said he has abandoned plans to appeal – for now.

“At the moment, an appeal, I just can’t see any value,” he said.

“I don’t have any interest in trying to persuade anyone I’m not guilty or that the jury made a mistake. I believe the jury did make a mistake and history will certainly vindicate me.”

Turner has compared himself to former Mayor James Michael Curley who continued to serve despite felony convictions.

Council President Michael Ross said he plans to make a motion at next month’s hearing but won’t say if he’ll be seeking Turner’s ouster.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1296065

READ MORE - Chuck Turner pledges to serve out his term

Victim’s kin denied access to 911 tapes Man shot dead by New York police

Victim’s kin denied access to 911 tapes
Man shot dead by New York police
By Richard Weir  |   Saturday, November 13, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

EMOTIONAL: Thulani DeMarsay, aunt of Danroy Henry Jr., wells up with tears while speaking yesterday about her nephew, who was fatally shot by New York police officers Oct. 17.
Photo by Mark Garfinkel

The father of a college football player fatally shot by police in suburban New York last month said yesterday he was disappointed by a judge’s ruling denying him and his wife access to 911 calls.

Danroy and Angella Henry of Easton had petitioned to get copies of any audio and video recordings from the Oct. 17 night that their 20-year-old son, Danroy Henry Jr., a Pace University football player, was shot and killed in his car after a disturbance outside a Thornwood, N.Y., bar near his campus.

Westchester County Judge Orazio Bellantoni barred them from accessing any 911 tapes and surveillance footage because they failed to include in their legal bid an affidavit from “someone with firsthand knowledge of the facts.”

“Unfortunately for us, the law isn’t a grieving parent, we are,” Henry said. “It doesn’t think like a grieving parent. It is what it is.”

However, Henry said, he does not view the decision as a “setback,” saying the evidence will be “known in due time.”

“Unlike evidence that is missing,” the grieving father said during a conference call held by his lawyer Michael Sussman, “evidence that could have been incredibly helpful, specifically the dash cams in the Pleasantville police cars, this evidence does exist.”

Sussman said he has obtained firsthand accounts from several witnesses to the shooting but opted not to provide them to the court, and thus make them public, because he did not want to hamper a future grand jury investigation.

“At the end of the day, it is possible that the district attorney of Westchester County will get an indictment here, and the last thing we want to do is in any way jeopardize that indictment, should it happen, and the prosecution, were it to happen,” he said.

The Westchester DA’s office opposed the Henrys’ motion, contending that the evidence must be impounded until after a grand jury wraps up its probe.

Police have defended the shooting, saying Danroy Henry Jr. sped away and struck two officers after a third cop knocked on his car window, an account disputed by some witnesses.

At a separate press conference yesterday in Dorchester, Henry’s grandfather, Wayne Dozier, and aunt, Thulani DeMarsay, along with other relatives called on the U.S. Attorney’s office to take over the investigation.

The U.S. attorney for New York’s Southern District said the office is “monitoring” the case and will launch an independent review “if appropriate.”

Lucian Chalfen, spokesman for the Westchester District Attorney, said of the Henry family’s demands for a federal probe: “We are in the midst of a wide ranging, detailed, thorough and comprehensive investigation. At its conclusion it will be presented to a grand jury and we are confident it will be a just and fair outcome.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1295966

READ MORE - Victim’s kin denied access to 911 tapes Man shot dead by New York police

Racist rant haunts actress Video berating mailman goes viral on Youtube

Racist rant haunts actress
Video berating mailman goes viral on Youtube
By Jessica Heslam and Dave Wedge  |   Saturday, November 13, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

AT ARM’S LENGTH: 
A postal worker delivers mail to Erika Winchester at her home in Hingham yesterday.
Photo by John Wilcox

A Hingham actress with a history of legal scrapes was holed up in her home last night under police watch after her shocking racist rant on a black postman was caught on camera and became an Internet sensation.

Erika Winchester, a 60-year-old off-Broadway songbird, has been besieged with harassing phone calls, according to police, and cyber threats since the video went viral.

“Because of the attention that this has gotten in the media, we feel she needs to have protection over there right now,” said Hingham police Lt. Michael Peraino.

The video, shot from inside the mail truck of former postman Jean Hugson, shows Winchester angrily demanding he take back a certified letter in a profanity-laced, racist tirade. She repeatedly calls him the n-word and says blacks “turn on each other” and “killed Martin Luther King.”

U.S. Postal Services spokeswoman Christine Dugas said Hugson worked for the Postal Service from February 2009 until November 2009. She said his termination had “absolutely nothing to do with that video.”

Dugas called the video “disturbing” and said it was investigated by the Postal Service with local police, who filed charges that were later dismissed.

The incident unfolded in October 2009 when Hugson told cops Winchester hit him when he refused to take back the letter.

“She slapped him in the face,” Peraino said.

Hugson told police he didn’t want to press charges, but cops filed a complaint at Hingham District Court seeking to charge Winchester with assault and a hate crime after viewing the video.

On Nov. 24, 2009, a clerk magistrate decided to toss the case if Winchester behaved for a year.

Winchester’s attorney, Robert Jubinville, said the clerk made the decision after Hugson refused to testify, citing concerns for the woman. Winchester was ordered to write a letter of apology to Hugson, which she did, Jubinville said.

Winchester is a former stage actress who performed in off-Broadway plays and had a bit part in the 1975 Robert Redford movie “Three Days of the Condor,” Jubinville said. An acting coach who also goes by the screen name Erika Fox-Winchester, she appeared in the 1977 bootlegger flick “Hooch” and NyQuil commercials, he added.

Hugson couldn’t be reached. Winchester wouldn’t talk to reporters.

The two-part video was originally posted to YouTube last month apparently by Hugson and had racked up nearly 200,000 hits by last night after it was posted to national blogs.

Winchester has been in trouble before, including at a 2007 “Cabaret” fund-raiser during which she threatened to mow down “anyone who wronged her” with a machine gun, according to court records.

She also told the arresting officer she was going to “chop off” his genitals, court records show. Disorderly conduct and other charges were later dismissed.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1295971

SEE THE VIDEO HERE

READ MORE - Racist rant haunts actress Video berating mailman goes viral on Youtube

Mayor Tom Menino calls on Chuck Turner to step down as city councilor

Mayor Tom Menino calls on Chuck Turner to step down as city councilor
By Dave Wedge  |   Saturday, November 13, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Politics

Mayor Thomas M. Menino called for Chuck Turner’s resignation from the Boston City Council on Friday.
Photo by Herald file

Mayor Thomas M. Menino wants Councilor Chuck Turner booted from City Hall, citing the Roxbury Democrat’s federal corruption rap.

“He worked with Councilor Turner for many years and respects him for his work with constituents and believes he’s done a good job for his constituents. But at this time, he believes he should resign,” Menino spokeswoman Dot Joyce said last night.

The mayor first made the call for Turner to resign Thursday night on NECN, telling host Jim Braude, “I think for Chuck’s best interests he should step down.”

The mayor added that the council should vote to expel Turner if he refuses to resign. Turner could not be reached last night and did not reply to an e-mail.

Turner was convicted Oct. 29 of taking a $1,000 payoff from an FBI informant and lying to federal agents. He is awaiting sentencing but has pledged to appeal and has said he intends to serve out his term.

Despite his conviction, Turner showed up at a regular Nov. 3 council meeting. A hearing has been set for Dec. 1 at which the council could vote to remove Turner. Council President Michael Ross said he’ll be making a motion at next month’s hearing but declined to elaborate.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1295909

READ MORE - Mayor Tom Menino calls on Chuck Turner to step down as city councilor

Election seen as pivotal for Hub’s NAACP branch

http://www.dotnews.com/2010/election-seen-pivotal-hub-s-naacp-branch


Election seen as pivotal for Hub’s NAACP branch

Bill Owens

Michael Curry

By Alex Owens, Special to the Reporter
Nov. 10, 2010
Alex Owens, Special to the Reporter

Boston’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Branch will hold elections later this month— and the contest between two men seeking to lead the group is increasingly viewed as a referendum on the group’s future.

Former State Senator Bill Owens and local attorney Michael Curry are both vying to succeed Karen Payne, who stepped down as president of the Boston chapter earlier this year to run for state representative. Members of the NAACP will vote in a secret ballot election on November 29 from 5-9 p.m. at Roxbury Community College.

The Boston branch is nearing its centennial anniversary and is one of the oldest branches in the nation under the NAACP banner. But, critics say that the Boston chapter has gone “dormant” in recent years. They hope that under new leadership the organization can become relevant to a younger demographic and more influential on key issues impacting the city’s neighborhoods.

The election pits Owens, a 73 year-old veteran political figure against a well-networked and respected younger activist, Curry, 42. Observers say the outcome will set the tone for the chapter’s viability moving forward.

“There are a lot of things that the NAACP is involved in, but a lot of people don’t even know what the NAACP is doing in their communities,” said Supreme Richardson, a longtime member. “After this election, we will hopefully become more relevant to people. We are supposed to be that voice of the community.”

A resident of Mattapan, Owens ascended to the Massachusetts Senate in 1974 already having had a hand in prominent Civil Rights battles in Boston. Owens represents what some refer to as the “old guard,” the older generation of members who operated in and around the Civil rights movement.

“I was hesitant to run, at first,” said Owens. “I made the decision after several people called on me with concerns that the NAACP was not having as big of an impact as it could...This organization needs new leadership that is going to take a hard look at the issues and take action.”

Curry describes himself as a former “latch-key kid,” who grew up in Roxbury’s projects and encountered struggles that he attempts to address in the community by working with the NAACP. Curry, a lawyer, has private and non-profit sector experience and is presently the Legislative Affairs Director and Senior Counsel for the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers.

“There is a generation of folks— 20’s 30’s and 40’s— that have a disconnection with the NAACP,” said Curry. “We have to rebuild that connection.”

Yet, both candidates and their allies maintain that race has not devolved into a battle between the Old Guard and the New Guard. Despite the thirty year age difference, the two candidates seem to agree on a lot. Both urge that the Boston NAACP needs a breath of fresh air, a stronger member base and greater visibility in the community. They differ slightly in how to go about achieving those goals.

Both Curry and Owens offer strategies that focus on engaging the youth and becoming more accessible in the community. Owens focuses on internal reforms of the NAACP, such as adding a legal services department, and reaching out to a diverse range of civic organizations outside of the black community.
“Many of these issues go beyond just the black population,” said Owens. “What happens to one community has an effect on others.”

Curry wants to broadcast community meetings and engage residents in the important discussions in their neighborhoods “on the street,” as he put it. He hopes that by including more community members, particularly youth, the NAACP will maintain an influential and relevant standing going forward.

“We need to make the case for the continued relevance of the NAACP,” said Curry. “We need to present the case for the remnants of race and racism in our society to the mothers, the fathers, the doctors, the lawyers...or the gangbangers, and say, ‘This is why we need you with us at the table to solve these problems.’”

Curry has been with the NAACP for 13 years continuously, which he says gives him further insight into the inner workings of the organization. Owens admits he has been a member of the NAACP sporadically for several years, but questions Curry’s ability, as a lobbyist, to confront lawmakers if necessary.

In any case, both parties have expressed a willingness to work together despite the outcome of the race. Other members agree that such a collaboration across the generational gap will be necessary if the NAACP branch wants a more influential role in the city’s civic dialogue.

“I don’t think the election has to do with Old Guard vs. New Guard,” said Marvin Venay, a NAACP member serving on the Election Supervisory Committee. “The organization seems to be somewhat dormant. The focus now is how to reinvigorate it so we can continue to serve the community.”

READ MORE - Election seen as pivotal for Hub’s NAACP branch

UPDATE: Murders on Mascot Street linked, according to one victim's mom

UPDATE: Murders on Mascot Street linked, according to one victim's mom

By Bill Forry

http://www.dotnews.com/
Nov. 10, 2010

Mascot Street death investigation

Sunday: One shooting, one dead; Tuesday: 2d body across the street
Boston Police are investigating whether the body of a 19 year-old man found dead in the driveway of a Mascot Street property on Tuesday morning was a second victim of a shooting incident early on Sunday morning that left a teenager dead. Today, the mother of the man found dead on Tuesday said that in fact her son was also shot — and had been missing since Saturday night.

Boston Police were called to the area of 64 Mascot Street about one o’clock Sunday morning for a report of shots fired. At the scene, Area B-3 officers found a male victim suffering from “what appeared to be a gunshot wound.” The victim — a 17 year old from Brockton who has not yet been identified — was taken to Boston Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Two days later, on Tuesday morning, Boston Police were called to 63 Mascot Street – which sits directly across the street from No. 64 – where the body of a 19-year-old man was found in the driveway next to a two-family house. The Reporter has learned that man found dead on Tuesday is 19 year-old Nervin Charlot, who lives at a residence on Chipman Street, about seven blocks away from the murder scene.

The homicide unit was called to the scene Tuesday, but the man’s death has not yet been ruled a homicide, according to BPD spokesperson Elaine Driscoll, nor had any determination been made as to how long the body had been there. The man’s remains were being examined today by the state medical examiner’s office, said Driscoll, in an effort to ascertain cause of death and identification.

Sources familiar with the case told the Reporter that BPD investigators believe that the body found on Tuesday morning may well be connected to the shooting there on Sunday.

“They missed it,” said one source.

Charlot's mother tells the Reporter that her son had been missing since Saturday night. The family went to BPD headquarters on Monday morning to report him missing and were told to check for him at Boston Medical Center. On Tuesday, the family spoke to police and were told that he was — in fact— the man found dead in the Mascot Street driveway that morning.

Marie Charlot, the victim's mother, told the Reporter that police told her that her son was shot and that the murder is connected to the shooting on Sunday.

The possible connection is all the more mysterious because of the passage of two full days between the Sunday shooting and the discovery of the second body. The spot where neighbors saw the body, which was found lying face-down in the dirt driveway of 63 Mascot, was clearly visible from the front sidewalk.

Jimmy Adams, 70, lives several doors away on Mascot Street and was home when Sunday’s shooting took place. Adams said he saw police officers looking into yards and searching the street for evidence. He said he can’t understand how anyone would have missed seeing a second body that night or in the intervening two days.

Adams was one of several neighbors who inspected the second man’s body on Tuesday around 9 a.m. He says that police were called to the scene by another neighbor who spotted the corpse, which was clad in a red cap, grey jacket and jeans, lying face down near the end of the driveway at 63 Mascot. To make things curiouser, Adams said that there was no blood evident on or around the body.

The unoccupied two-family house at that address has become a problem in recent years. It was foreclosed on in 2007 and has been without tenants since then, according to neighbors. Adams says the home has been empty since its owner died in a car accident and that it has recently become a magnet for teens to hang out and drink in the yard.

If Charlot's death is in fact ruled a homicide and linked to Sunday’s shooting, it would mark the second time in two years in Area B-3 that a murder victim went undiscovered after police were called to an outdoor shooting scene.

On the night of May 13, 2009, police units responded to Wilcock Street for reports of shots fired. A search that night did not locate any victims, although police did stop a car filled with men suspected of firing the shots. Hours later, after sunrise, police were called back to the scene and discovered the body of 49-year-old Freddie Bing, who was shot multiple times and found slumped between two cars on the street. A 17-year-old from Dorchester, Damante Burrell, has been indicted for first-degree murder in that case.

Adams said that Mascot Street has been a relatively peaceful street for most of the 16 years he has lived there. In 2006, a teenager was shot to death on adjacent Ballou Street, but Adams says that — by and large— Mascot Street has not been known as a hot spot for violence. But the events of recent days have given him pause.

“This used to be a really nice street,” said Adams. “I don’t feel safe here anymore.”

The 17-year-old murdered on Mascot Street on Sunday is the 18th homicide victim of the year in Area B-3, the police district that covers this part of Dorchester along with Mattapan. Last year, during the same period, 7 people were killed in B-3. The man found dead on Tuesday— if ruled a homicide victim— would be the city of Boston’s 66th victim of 2010.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Homicide Unit at 617-343-4470.

Pat Tarantino contributed to this article.

READ MORE - UPDATE: Murders on Mascot Street linked, according to one victim's mom

Man shot, killed in Mattapan, police say

Man shot, killed in Mattapan, police say
November 11, 2010

Aman was shot and killed in Mattapan early this morning, according to Boston police. Officers responded to reports of a person shot on Fessenden Street at about 12:30, and ruled the shooting a homicide, said police Sergeant John M. Johnson. No other details were immediately available. The killing was the 64th homicide in the city this year.

READ MORE - Man shot, killed in Mattapan, police say

Man murdered in Mattapan

Man murdered in Mattapan
By Renee Nadeau Algarin  |   Thursday, November 11, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage
An overnight shooting in Mattapan has left one man dead, according to police.

Police responded to Fessenden Street in Mattapan at 12:26 a.m. today to find a 35-year-old man suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said. The victim was rushed to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The killing is the 64th murder in the city this year.

Driscoll encouraged anyone with information on the shooting to call the homicide unit at 617-343-4470, or the anonymous Crime Stoppers line at 1-800-494-TIPS.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1295619

READ MORE - Man murdered in Mattapan

WTKK cuts off Jimmy Myers’ mike

WTKK cuts off Jimmy Myers’ mike
By Jessica Heslam  |   Wednesday, November 10, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

Photo by Herald file
Jimmy Myers, one of the few black voices on Boston radio, has lost his WTKK-FM (96.9) Sunday show after a 3 1⁄2-year run.

“I’ve never considered myself a black broadcaster. I’ve always been a broadcaster who happens to be black,” Myers said yesterday. “I am always incredibly sensitive to the issues of the black community.”

A WTKK spokeswoman said in a statement that the station recently changed its business and financial model for weekend programming.

“We offered Jimmy the opportunity to continue broadcasting under the new arrangement, but unfortunately he declined,” the statement said. “We appreciate Jimmy’s contributions to 96.9 Boston Talks and wish him well.”

Myers, 62, a longtime sportscaster who worked at WBZ-TV (Ch. 4) during the 1970s and later at ESPN, said he couldn’t accept the deal. His attorney, Henry F. Owens III, said Myers had been paid a salary, but under the new deal the station wanted him to raise the revenue for his show, which cost $500 an hour.

Owens said WTKK wanted to get rid of the outspoken Myers for a long time because he’s “too controversial.”

Myers, who hosted his last Sunday afternoon show on Oct. 31, said the one thing he really wanted was an opportunity to host a show five days a week.

“I would have changed this city,” said Myers, who lives in Dorchester and has a home in New York.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1295296

READ MORE - WTKK cuts off Jimmy Myers’ mike

City gives Mattapan Square a boost

City gives Mattapan Square a boost
November 9, 2010

Boston yesterday named Mattapan Square a part of the city’s Main Streets program, meaning it will qualify for federal grant money and be considered a target area for economic development. In a news release, Mayor Thomas M. Menino said Mattapan Square has “potential for a successful shopping district that brings people here to dine and shop,’’ and acknowledged the longtime struggle of local leaders to bring the Main Streets program to the square.

READ MORE - City gives Mattapan Square a boost

TONITE!! An Evening with the Cast of The Wire 6PM

Hey Folks,

The cast of the WIRE will be at Harvard Law School on Monday, November 8th, 2010 at 6pm. As many of you know our work with GREATEST MINDS has looked at urban poverty and ways that we as citizens can help address it by utilizing our networks and resources to solve those issues.

I hope that you can join Prof. Charles Ogletree and the cast on Monday - as we examine the root causes and develop strategies we can put together to help our communities foster and grow.  I will definitely be there. See you Monday.

Sincerely,

George "Chip" Greenidge
National Black College Alliance / Greatest MINDS

Upcoming Event

An Evening with the Cast of The Wire
Monday, November 8, 2010 at 6:00pm

Langdell Hall North
Harvard Law School
1545 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA

Prelude to the HLS course on The Wire!
Join Professor Charles Ogletree and actors from the award winning HBO series. Professor Ogletree will be teaching a course on The Wire next spring and many criminal justice experts and Wire actors will be attending the class and special public sessions.

Featuring:
Michael K. Williams (Omar Little)
Jamie Hector (Marlo Stanfield)
Donnie Andrews (real-life inspiration for Omar character)
Sonja Sohn (Kima Greggs) invited
Co-sponsored by the Harvard University Institute of Politics

RSVP Here
RSVP does not guarantee a seat.
Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

For More Information
Visit http://charleshamiltonhouston.org
Email: houstoninst@law.harvard.edu
Phone: 617-495-8285
Find us on Facebook

Accommodations: If you are a person with a disability requesting a reasonable accommodation in order to attend a Houston Institute event, please contact us two weeks in advance.
About the Houston Institute

Established in the fall of 2005 at Harvard Law School by Professor Charles J. Ogletree, Jr., the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice (CHHIRJ) seeks to honor the extraordinary contributions of one of the great lawyers of the twentieth century. Charles Hamilton Houston dedicated his life to using the law as a tool to reverse the unjust consequences of racial discrimination. CHHIRJ is committed to marshalling the resources of Harvard and beyond to continue his unfinished work.




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READ MORE - TONITE!! An Evening with the Cast of The Wire 6PM

Parents of Danroy Hernry visit DA in NY

Parents of Danroy Hernry visit DA in NY
By Associated Press  |   Monday, November 8, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

Danroy Henry Sr., right, father of Danroy “D. J.” Henry, holds his wife, D.J.’s mother Angella Henry, as she talks about her son during a memorial service at the Boston Convention and Visitor Center. (File, Oct. 29)
Photo by AP

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — The parents of a college football player shot to death by police met for the first time today with the district attorney coordinating the investigation.

Danroy and Angella Henry of Easton, Mass., came to the Westchester County courthouse for a hearing on their request to see some of the evidence investigators have gathered.

Their son, Pace University student Danroy Henry, was killed in his car on Oct. 17 near the scene of a disturbance at a bar in Thornwood, N.Y., near the Pace campus. Police said he sped away and hit two officers when a third officer knocked on his car window. Some witnesses dispute that account and police and prosecutors are investigating.

Danroy Henry carried a Bible into court. Angella Henry wore large buttons bearing photos of her 20-year-old son.

The Henrys’ lawyer, Michael Sussman, said that after the hearing, they had "a cordial and private meeting" with Westch! ester District Attorney Janet DiFiore. Neither he nor the district attorney’s office would discuss what was said.

The Henrys left without talking to reporters.

In court, Sussman argued for access to 911 calls, surveillance videos and other recordings relevant to the shooting and said he was willing to keep secret whatever was disclosed to the Henrys. He said the Henrys have "a compelling interest" in learning what happened to their son.

But Assistant District Attorney Steven Bender said a grand jury investigation is under way and no evidence should be disclosed in advance.

State Supreme Court Justice Orazio Bellantoni reserved decision.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1294936

READ MORE - Parents of Danroy Hernry visit DA in NY

Roxbury man dies after stabbing at liquor store

Roxbury man dies after stabbing at liquor store
By Colneth Smiley Jr. and Edward Mason  |   Monday, November 8, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

GRIEVING: A friend hugs Shondell Davis, the aunt of the stabbing victim, in Roxbury yesterday.
Photo by Matthew West
A 30-year-old Roxbury man died yesterday after being stabbed Saturday night outside a Dearborn Street liquor store, police said.

Police did not officially identify the victim, who was stabbed once in the chest outside the Dearborn Liquor Store. He was taken to Boston Medical Center, where he died.

Police were called at about 7:55 p.m. and found the wounded man bleeding heavily from a single wound to the chest, according to a police report.

Boston police spokesman James Kenneally said no arrests have been made. Robbery is not suspected, but no motive was released.

Items memorializing the slain man began appearing early yesterday morning outside the store. Family and loved ones grieved silently and left lit candles, cards and photos.

The slaying is the 63rd murder in Boston in 2010, compared with 41 at this time a year ago, as the grim murder rate continues to rise in the Hub.



Police are asking anyone with information to anonymously call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS or text the word “TIP” to CRIME.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1294800

READ MORE - Roxbury man dies after stabbing at liquor store

Elected Officials of Color in MA - 2010

	Governor Deval Patrick Deval Patrick has made History as the First Black Man Elected Governor of Massachusetts and only the 2nd Black Governor in US History since Gov. Douglas Wilder (VA) Deval Patrick.com Massachusetts Governor's Office
	Councillor At-Large Ayanna Pressley City Councillor Pressley's Official Site
	Councillor At-Large Felix Arroyo Jr. City Councillor Arroyo's Official Site
	Councillor Charles Yancey - District 4 City Councillor Yancey's Official Site
	Councillor Chuck Turner - District 7 City Councillor Turner's Official Site
	Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz - 2nd Suffolk Senator Chang-Diaz's Official Site
	State Representative Linda Dorcena Forry - 12th Suffolk Representative Forry's Official Site
	Representative Gloria Fox Chairwoman, The Massachusetts Black Legislative Caucus - 7th Suffolk Representative Fox's Official Site
	Representative Carlos Henriquez- 5th Suffolk Representative Henriquez's Official Site
	Representative Russell Holmes- 6th Suffolk Representative Holmes' Official Site
	Representative Byron Rushing - 9th Suffolk Representative Rushing's Official Site
	State Representative Jeffery Sanchez 15th Suffolk Representative Sanchez's Official Site JeffreySanchez.org
	Setti Warren Mayor of Newton, MA www.newtonma.gov
IN HONOR OF THEIR SERVICE
	Representative Willie Mae Allen - 6th Suffolk Representative Allen's Official Site
	Representative Marie St. Fleur - 5th Suffolk Representative St. Fleur's Official Site
	NOTE: Sadly Senator Wilkerson was not reelected but she has pledged to continue her activist efforts... http://www.21blackma.org/
	NOTE: Sadly Councillor Arroyo was not reelected but he has pledged to continue his activist efforts... Councillor Felix Arroyo Boston's 1st Latino City Councillor

MA Black Legislative Caucus

Massachusetts Black Legislative Caucus
Address: State House Room 460, Boston, MA 02133 tel (617) 722-2680, fax (617) 722-2897
Jarrett Barrious, Vice Chair; Willie Mae Allen, Chair; Marvin L. Venay, Executive Director.

The Massachusetts Black Legislative Caucus is an association of black state legislators who have pooled their political skills and experiences in order to facilitate the development and power of people of color throughout Massachusetts. This is accomplished by voter registration drives, newsletter circulation, press conferences, open forums and workshops, speaker services, support for community groups, and activities for non-elected members and youth.

READ MORE - Elected Officials of Color in MA - 2010

Man badly stabbed in attempted robbery

Man badly stabbed in attempted robbery
November 7, 2010

An unidentified victim suffered a life-threatening injury after being stabbed in an attempted robbery in a store at 60 Dearborn St. in Roxbury last night, police said. Officer Eddy Chrispin said officers responded about 7:58, and the victim was sent to Boston Medical Center. The suspect was a bald, bearded, black male with face cuts; about 5 feet 10, 220 pounds; in a grey hooded sweatshirt. Police urge those with information to call 1-800-494-TIPS or to text “TIP’’ to 27463.

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2 men shot, 3 arrested in dispute near bar

2 men shot, 3 arrested in dispute near bar
November 7, 2010

BOSTON
Two men suffered gunshot wounds that are not believed life-threatening, and three other men are in custody after an altercation outside a bar near Haymarket Station late last night, police said. Officers responded to the Parcel 7 parking garage near Congress and New Sudbury streets and quickly made the arrests, said Captain John Danilecki. Officers determined that the shootings were not gang-related, Danilecki said. The two men shot and three arrested are white males.

Blackstonian Editor's Note: Does this raise any eyebrows?
Officers determined that the shootings were not gang-related, Danilecki said. The two men shot and three arrested are white males.

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A racial benchmark, with race not a factor

A racial benchmark, with race not a factor
By Derrick Z. Jackson, Globe Columnist

AFTER ROILING the nation’s political waters in January with Scott Brown’s election, Massachusetts made history in the midterms with barely a ripple. Governor Deval Patrick, the nation’s second-ever elected African-American governor, became the first such governor in US politics ever to be re-elected.

Nit-pickers could say this was not the most difficult distinction to achieve. The other elected governor, Doug Wilder of Virginia (1990-94), could not run again because that state does not allow consecutive terms. Only two other African Americans have ever held the office. P.B.S. Pinchback of Louisiana was appointed to fill out the final month of a disgraced predecessor during Reconstruction. David Paterson rose from lieutenant governor in New York to the top office in 2008 when Governor Eliot Spitzer was felled by a prostitution scandal. Paterson, wounded by miscues and ethics questions, chose not to run for a full term.

That should not take away from what happened here. The beauty of Patrick’s reelection was that this racial progress was not mentioned in election-night newspaper or wire coverage. Race played no controversial role in the conduct of the campaigns. The tone of the contest was about which candidate offered the most palatable management style for the Commonwealth. In a four-person field, in a state that has not, in general, fared as badly as many other states during the recession, Patrick won with a 49-percent plurality. This was in a nation where Republicans took governorships away from Democrats in seven swing states that were won in 2008 by President Obama: Iowa, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

The degree to which the acrid midterms did not infect our governor’s race was reflected by its top loser. In his concession speech, Republican Charlie Baker silenced his supporters when they booed at the mention of his congratulatory phone call to Patrick. “Hey, hey, he won fair and square, OK?’’ Baker said. “We fought the good fight folks, we did. We did. But it’s important that all of us get behind the governor and do all that we can to make sure that he succeeds in pulling our economy out of the doldrums and getting us back on the right track. We are all still the people of the great state of Massachusetts.’’

That represented a polar opposite of the national GOP animus toward President Obama, as crudely expressed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. He told the National Journal, “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.’’ That was quite a display of partisanship, declaring Obama’s defeat as the top Republican goal in a nation wracked with almost 10 percent unemployment and with the loss of nearly 5,800 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and at a time when the country is falling behind much of the world in the industries that make the world go ’round. Does anyone remember a ranking Democrat saying during 9/11 that the single most important goal for the Democrats was to get rid of President Bush?

In contrast to Baker’s graciousness, Patrick fumbled the olive branch. Patrick said, “I haven’t been at this business so long that it doesn’t humble me beyond measure that people set aside what they’re doing to take up your cause, our cause.’’ He could have set aside a humble moment to congratulate his defeated opponents by name. He did not, referring to them only as “the other candidates.’’

In other races besides the governor’s, Massachusetts resisted the Tea Party undertow. While many Republican victories around the nation were fueled by promises to cut social spending and make tax cuts permanent, voters here resoundingly rejected slashing the state sales tax, which would have blown a $2.5 billion hole in the state budget.

Voters did repeal the state sales tax on alcohol, which will force Patrick and the Legislature to find $110 million in funds for substance treatment programs. But keeping the general sales tax marked Massachusetts as a rational state in midterm voting. Baker asked his supporters to get behind the governor. In voting to keep the sales tax, the voters of Massachusetts got behind themselves.

Derrick Z. Jackson can be reached at jackson@globe.com.

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Cop charged in drunken rampage faces the music

Cop charged in drunken rampage faces the music
By Laura Crimaldi  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

A Brockton cop yesterday faced a disciplinary hearing after he allegedly waved a personal firearm at two Newport, R.I. restaurant employees while in a drunken stupor, officials said.

Officer Jordan J. Silvia, 29, of Fall River, was arrested at about 1:44 a.m. on Sunday after staff at Christies Landing said he pulled out a Kel-Tech .380 caliber pistol, pointed it to the ground, loaded one bullet, waved it across the bodies of two employees and said, “I’m not going anywhere,” said Newport police Lt. William Fitzgerald.

Silvia confronted the staff after employees caught his friend Eric C. Santos, 34, urinating in a planter outside the restaurant and asked him to leave, Fitzgerald said. He added Silvia told arresting officers he was a Brockton cop.

Silvia was charged with two counts of felony assault and carrying a weapon under the influence, online court records show.

Fitzgerald said he was too intoxicated initially to be booked. He added Santos was charged with drunken driving and blew a .205 on a Breathalyzer test. The Rhode Island legal limit is .10.

A spokeswoman for Mayor Linda M. Balzotti confirmed the hearing but did not know the outcome. Silvia, police Chief William Conlon and other city officials did not return messages seeking comment.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1294393

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BLACKSTONIAN EXCLUSIVE - BPD Police Report on RCC Brutality

PLEASE NOTE: Young Man's name has been removed and replaced with "Victim", all identifying report numbers, personal id, etc. have been removed.

IF YOU CANNOT VIEW THE WHOLE REPORT

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Brookline officer quits amid inquiry

Brookline officer quits amid inquiry

By Brock Parker, Globe Correspondent  |  November 6, 2010
A Brookline police officer who visited a local television station after he was reported missing this summer resigned Wednesday as the town was preparing to hold a hearing on whether he should be fired.

Thomas Shea, 41, of Canton, resigned before the Board of Selectmen could hold a disciplinary hearing about him in executive session Wednesday evening, said Sandra DeBow, Brookline’s human resources director.

When a police officer goes on unauthorized leave it raises a lot of questions about breaches of police department rules and regulations, said DeBow.

Shea declined to comment yesterday. The Brookline Police Union had been representing him. Its president, Bobby Murphy, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Shea had been a member of the Brookline Police Department since 1996 and is the nephew, by marriage, of Police Chief Daniel O’Leary. Shea’s wife, Kim, reported him missing to Canton police on Aug. 26.

At the time, Brookline police issued a press release saying they were worried about the missing officer’s well-being.

Shortly after he was reported missing, Shea was spotted at WBZ’s television studios in Brighton, where he asked to speak with several news people before he disappeared again. Shea had been president of JustStolen.net, a defunct website. In 2006, the television station had done a report highlighting the efforts of Shea’s website to create a database in which people could register valuables so they could be tracked if stolen.

After Shea was seen at the television station, Brookline police said they were able to recover his firearm with the assistance of a family member in early September.

In mid-September, police said Shea contacted his family, and the missing person’s report was withdrawn.

But Shea never returned to work, Brookline Police Lieutenant Phil Harrington said yesterday. Shea had been on paid leave since June for an injury he received on the job before he was reported missing. But he was moved to unpaid leave while he was missing and he has not been paid by the department since then, DeBow said.

Brock Parker can be reached at brock.globe@gmail.com

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Sweep busts top gangs of North Shore

Sweep busts top gangs of North Shore
By O’Ryan Johnson  |   Saturday, November 6, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

GUN SHOW: Some of the 34 guns seized in a gang bust on the North Shore.
Photo by Patrick Whittemore

A swarm of 500 police officers, state troopers and FBI agents from New England fanned out yesterday across the North Shore, where they rounded up dozens of thugs and seized high-powered firearms in order to stamp out violence in gang-ravaged Lynn and Lowell.

The sweep, dubbed “Operation Melting Pot,” targeted members of several street gangs in Lynn and Lowell responsible for out-of-control violence, including murders of rivals, said U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz.

“The people of Lynn deserve a safe community in which to live and raise their children,” she said. “Unfortunately, there are a few individuals, often belonging to violent street gangs, whose illegal activities diminish the quality of life for all.”

Three years ago, an FBI roundup crippled Deuces Wild, the most powerful gang in Lynn, leaving a power vacuum, FBI agent Jeffrey Wood — the man in charge of the agency’s North Shore Gang Task Force — wrote in an affidavit.

“Similar to other experiences, however, the dismantling of the leadership of these gangs eventually emboldened remaining gangs to step into the void,” he added. “The result has been a dramatic increase in gang-related murders, shootings, stabbings and other violence in Lynn.”

Woods’ chilling document details three years of increasing bloodshed, and includes the shooting of a 16-year-old girl, knife fights inside one Lynn school, a gunfight outside another and the shooting of a teenage girl in January whose willingness to testify left her paralyzed by gunfire. Wood states that in September the FBI wire-tapped a hotel room where gang members discussed plans to attack during a baby’s christening.

Standing in front of two folding tables covered end to end with illegal firearms, police chiefs Kenneth Lavallee from Lowell and Kevin Coppinger from Lynn said the arrests and seizures take dangerous tools away from reckless criminals who have the potential to inflict untold tragedies upon their neighborhoods.

“Every time we can take a gun off the street, we prevent a potential tragedy, we prevent a potential death,” Lavallee said.

The operation targeting several warring gangs has lasted the past 18 months and has resulted in 61 arrests. Yesterday the leadership of those gangs were hauled away, which Coppinger said will send a powerful message to any gangbangers in Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Haverhill and Chelsea.

“If you think you can come into our communities, we will target you,” he said. “We will follow you, build cases against you and prosecute you to the full extent of the law.”

The investigation was a wide-ranging probe into leaders and members of the Avenue King Crips, the Bloods, the Gangsta Disciples, the Deuce Boyz and the Latin Kings in Lynn and Lowell. Coppinger said while the gangs may carry the names of nationally recognized gangs, they are at best loosely affiliated.

“They aren’t taking orders from L.A.,” he said, though he added with the massive firepower they wielded, they were no less deadly.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1294383

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Friend advises Chuck Turner: Keep your mouth shut

Friend advises Chuck Turner: Keep your mouth shut
By Peter Gelzinis  |   Friday, November 5, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Columnists

TURNER FALLS: City Councilor Chuck Turner was convicted last week, but has continued his attacks on the federal government even as his friends try to gain a lenient sentence for him.
Photo by Herald file

Chuck Turner still has friends in this city. And at least one sees a formidable problem as the convicted city councilor faces expulsion from his seat and a possible prison sentence.

Chuck Turner’s own mouth.

The Rev. Bruce Wall said he’s been talking with people about going to the U.S. attorney, Carmen Ortiz, with a plea for Chuck to be given community service instead of jail.

“Yes, we have some people who are ready and willing to vouch for him to the U.S. attorney,” Wall said yesterday. “Our worry is, the more Chuck talks, the more he hurts himself along with those who want to help him.

“I understand that Chuck is all about making his arguments against the government,” Wall added. “But he’s been convicted. It’s time for him to just be quiet and allow those of us who seek to help him be able to come to his aid.

“The truth is Chuck has a habit sometimes of pulling the rug out from under those who want to stand with him, pray with him and offer him a bit of grace and mercy. Look, there’s no question in my mind that the community needs his voice and his passion. He’s far more valuable to us, working with a church or community group, than being shipped off to jail. I don’t think I’m the only one praying for that to happen.

“But it can only happen,” Wall emphasizes, “if Chuck finds a way to keep his mouth shut.”

Theoretically, if Chuck stays out of jail, he could remain on the council.

In a month, a dozen of Chuck’s colleagues will take up the matter of expelling Roxbury’s unflappable district councilor from their confraternity.

But they don’t have to make a decision on Dec. 1. The recently drafted Rule 40A is just convoluted enough to give the City Council the option of waiting to see if U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock sends Chuck to jail on Jan. 25 — automatically costing him his seat — or doles out a Tom Finneran-like 18 months probation, coupled with a fine, which could allow him to hang on by a thread.

Mel King, who came within one Ray Flynn of becoming Boston’s first black mayor, at first said he didn’t think he’d go to City Hall to witness that sad piece of history. Then, he thought again.

“Well, now that you mention it,” the 82-year-old former state rep and M.I.T. professor said yesterday, “Yeah, I think I will go.”

With his friend not due to be sentenced until late January, Mel’s hope is that the City Council might refrain from taking any action until after they learn what Woodlock has in store for Chuck.

“I would hope there’s some balance in all of this,” Mel sighed. “I think punishment should be weighed against a history of caring for people, of paying their rent, fighting for decent places for them to love and acting more like his brothers’ and sisters’ keeper than a politician.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1294147

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Prison reform is needed now – not later

Opinion

Prison reform is needed now – not later
http://bostonbanner.com/Opinion58-2010-11-04
Pastor W. E. Dickerson II, Rev. Emanuel Hutcherson and Minister Don Muhammad

Last month our community learned about the resignation of the Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) Commissioner Harold Clarke. It is very unfortunate that Clarke is leaving our state at a time when leadership within the DOC is so greatly needed.

Clarke came to our state with what seemed to be the mindset of a reformer. At least six correction officers were fired due to unprofessional conduct and some forms of abuse. In addition, we saw the first meaningful community meetings take place behind the walls at MCI Old Colony State Prison. Moreover, under Clarke’s leadership, more educational programs such as with UMass Boston were being developed, including the Video Project “Voices From Behind the Walls” which was formed by inmates.

It is also unfortunate that he left on the eve of the gubernatorial election. The communities of color need prison reform more now than ever. While we do respect every man’s decision, we think the timing of his resignation was a poor choice.

As clergy we are very cognizant of the high rate of incarceration among men of color and in particular black males. We believe that criminals should pay their debt to society, but while doing so they should not be subjected to abuse of any kind.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once stated: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

We believe if prisoners are not given the proper resources for rehabilitation we will have more deviant and angry persons being released back into our communities. We would like to see a decrease in crime, violence and homicides within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and especially Boston.

Some of the violence we see on our streets is the result of individuals whose lives have not been changed upon release from jail or prison.

If the DOC really wants to see prison recidivism decrease, they must make a true concerted effort by providing meaningful educational programs, increasing self help groups and holding everyone accountable. If correction officers are conducting themselves in an abusive or unprofessional manner then they need to be dealt with accordingly.

As clergy we have a moral obligation not to ignore violence and allegations within our society. As Jesus said in Matthew: “For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat ... naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.”

Therefore we should be involved in promoting redemption behind the walls. Prisoners should be treated with a greater sense of humanity and it will help to reduce violence upon their release.


Approximately 97 percent of prison inmates are coming back to our communities; we need to reach them by increasing prison volunteerism and teaching them more meaningful skills. We cannot ignore our family members and friends who are incarcerated. Moreover, we admonish all incarcerated not to forget to connect with local clergy upon their release date.

They should stay true to their jail house salvation and not forget to give back by supporting their communities.

We hope that the next commissioner will be a reformer and even welcome an oversight committee. Such a group would be beneficial to all involved in our prison system. There are resourceful ways in the midst of budget cuts that we can give of our time and talents to fight against the high rates of incarceration and recidivism.

We believe the coming generations are counting on our leadership to make a positive and indelible impact upon our society.  Everyone should be concerned and get involved in prison issues especially those whose communities are being adversely affected by violence.

It is time that we unify ourselves and make a mark of rehabilitation that can not be erased. We need to recommit ourselves to teaching our youth to embrace a strong spiritual and moral foundation which will keep them from going down the prison pipeline.

Pastor W. E. Dickerson II
Greater Love Tabernacle

Rev. Emanuel Hutcherson
Greater Love Tabernacle/Future Hope Apprenticeship Program

Minister Don Muhammad
Nation of Islam

READ MORE - Prison reform is needed now – not later

Joseph Lee School awarded $100,000

Joseph Lee School awarded $100,000
November 4, 2010

The Joseph Lee Elementary School was awarded $100,000 yesterday, after winning the fifth annual Thomas W. Payzant School on the Move Prize. The Dorchester school was awarded the money through EdVestors, a Boston nonprofit. The school, which beat both the Clarence R. Edwards Middle School in Charlestown and the Charles H. Taylor Elementary School in Mattapan for the grand prize, was recognized for making a noticeable and sustainable improvement toward closing achievement gaps for all students.

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Deval Patrick nominates Springfield native Roderick Ireland to be chief justice of Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Deval Patrick nominates Springfield native Roderick Ireland to be chief justice of Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Published: Thursday, November 04, 2010, 10:03 AM    
 The Associated Press

 Justice Roderick L. Ireland embraces well-wishers after receiving the oath of office, becoming the first black Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 1997 at the State House in Boston. (AP Photo/ Victoria Arocho)

Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice Roderick Ireland through the years gallery (14 photos)
http://photos.masslive.com/4502/gallery/massachusetts_supreme_court_justice_roderick_ireland_through_the_years/index.html?fromentry=5237517&fromblog=865
GLEN JOHNSON, AP Political Writer

BOSTON (AP) — Deval Patrick, the first black governor of Massachusetts, is nominating Roderick L. Ireland to be the first black chief justice of the state's Supreme Judicial Court, two top Massachusetts Democrats said Thursday.
Ireland, currently the senior associate justice on the high court, would replace the retiring Chief Justice Margaret Marshall if he's confirmed by the Governor's Council. The Democrats confirmed Ireland's nomination on the condition of anonymity in advance of a Statehouse news conference with the governor.
The chief justice administers the seven-member court and oversees the Massachusetts trial and appellate court systems.
A principle power is the authority to decide which justice writes an opinion. Marshall reserved that for herself in 2003 when she authored the court's 4-3 decision to make Massachusetts the first state to legalize gay marriage.
In nominating Ireland, Patrick also gets a second appointment to the court. If he's confirmed, Patrick will get to pick Ireland's replacement as associate justice.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
The accomplishments of Roderick L. Ireland, who is among the judges said to be under review by Gov. Deval L. Patrick for appointment as chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court:
Education: Springfield Classical High School, 1962; Lincoln University, 1966; Columbia Law School, 1969; Harvard University Law School, 1975; Northeastern University, Ph.D. in Law, Policy and Society Program, 1997
Legal: Neighborhood Legal Services, New York City, 1969-70; Harvard Center for Law and Education, 1970-71; Roxbury Defenders Committee, Boston, 1971-73; Harvard Law School teaching fellow, 1974; Massachusetts Civil Service Commission hearing officer, 1973-75; Executive Office for Administration and Finance general counsel, 1975-77; Roxbury District Court Clinic legal counsel, 1974-77
Judiciary: Boston Juvenile Court, 1977-90; Massachusetts Appeals Court, 1990-1997; Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1997-present
Marshall announced her retirement in July, saying she wanted to spend more time with her ailing husband, former New York Times columnist Anthony Lewis. Patrick asked her to stay until after Tuesday's election to avoid politicizing his selection. The governor, a Democrat, ended up winning a second term.
Ireland was appointed to the court in 1997 after having previously served on the Massachusetts Appeals Court for seven years and the Boston Juvenile Court for almost 13 years.
He received his bachelors from Lincoln University, his juris doctorate from Columbia University Law School, a masters from Harvard Law School and a doctorate from Northeastern University.
All court nominees in Massachusetts have to be approved by the Governor's Council, a nine-member panel led by Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray.
© 2010 masslive.com. All rights reserved.

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SIGN THE PETITION AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY

SIGN THE PETITION!!!

Also, visit the following link to sign the petition to oppose police brutality:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/rcc-rcc-police-brutality/

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RALLY Thurs NOV.4 Noon RCC Students and Community respond to Police Brutality

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DA: Police cars’ video idle when Danroy Henry killed

DA: Police cars’ video idle when Danroy Henry killed
By Associated Press  |   Wednesday, November 3, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Video cameras in squad cars were "not operational" when police officers shot and killed a college football player during a disturbance outside a bar, prosecutors said in a document released Tuesday.

The Westchester County District Attorney’s Office filed the document in objecting to a request from a lawyer for the student’s family to view audio and video recordings of the shooting.

Danroy Henry, 20, a Pace University student from Easton, Mass., was killed Oct. 17 as he drove his Nissan near the bar in Thornwood near the university campus.

Police have said Henry sped away and hit two officers after another officer knocked on his car window.

Michael Sussman, a lawyer for Henry’s family, claims accounts from witnesses, including passengers in the car, contradict the police account.

The prosecution argues that releasing material to Sussman might mean making it public and would interfere with a pending grand jury investigation, for which subpoenas have already been issued.

"As to video recordings made by the Mount Pleasant and Pleasantville police departments, Mount Pleasant has no video cameras installed in their patrol cars, while Pleasantville does, but an examination of the hard drives of those cameras reveals they were not operational during the shooting incident," the court document says. It does not say why the cameras were not operating.

A message left for Pleasantville police Chief Anthony Chiarlitti was not immediately returned.

The court document also says that most surveillance video from stores in the same shopping center as the bar were not useful. But video from the bar itself, Finnegan’s Grill, and a Citibank branch show images from outside, it says. No details were provided.

The document says Sussman was wrong when he told reporters last week that traces of gunpowder were gone from the car Henry was driving when he was shot. Gunshot residue tests have not been completed, it said.

"The probable impact of such false and misleading publicity by interested parties is to interfere with the grand jury’s unbiased investigation," the court document says.

In a response released Tuesday night, Sussman said that despite many conversations and letters, the district attorney’s office has never "made any statement questioning or discouraging my public comments." He insisted he was correct about the gunpowder.

Sussman has suggested the district attorney should not be leading the investigation because of ties to the police departments involved. He has asked the Department of Justice to step in and is seeking a determination of whether racial bias or stereotyping played a role. The officers who fired at Henry’s car — Pleasantville Officer Aaron Hess and Mount Pleasant Officer Ronald Beckley — are white; Henry was black.

Sussman said he would be willing to keep secret any material he is given. If he eventually files a lawsuit for the family, he said, he would be willing to "do it under seal not to compromise criminal proceedings."

He said Henry’s parents, Danroy Henry Sr. and Angella Henry, "need to see this information. They want to hear the tapes, they want to see whatever video exists because they need to know how their son died and why."

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1293574

READ MORE - DA: Police cars’ video idle when Danroy Henry killed

Somerville cop shot in line of duty

Somerville cop shot in line of duty
By O’Ryan Johnson  |   Wednesday, November 3, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

SHATTERED: A car riddled with bullet holes is investigated by detectives last night on Gibbens Street.
Photo by Matthew Healey

A decorated Somerville police officer working with federal agents was shot in the chest last night on Gibbens Street when they went to serve a warrant and gunfire erupted, authorities said.

The officer was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was in critical but stable condition last night, a source said. The suspect, who had opened fire on officers, was shot and killed, according to The Associated Press. Police did not release the name of the officer or suspect.

Law enforcement sources said the Somerville officer was connected with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and had been working with ATF agents in recent months. He was with two ATF agents yesterday about 6:30 p.m. when they went to serve a warrant on Gibbens Street.

At some point during the arrest there was an exchange of gunfire, the source said.

Somerville Police Chief Michael Cabral said the veteran officer was the first Somerville cop he knows of to be shot in the line of duty.

“I’ve been on the job 23 years, and I’ve never had to come to come down here for something like this,” he said, addressing reporters with Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone in front of the hospital last night.

Curtatone said he has known the officer and his family for years. Several members of the officer’s family are holding vigils inside their homes tonight and praying for his safe recovery, Curtatone said. A source said two bullets were removed from the officer’s chest and his hand was also injured.

“He’s an extraordinary officer,” Curtatone said. “He comes from a great family. We’re asking everyone to pray for him.”

Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone’s office, which is investigating, had no immediate comment. ATF also declined to comment last night.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1293521

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One dead in double stabbing on MBTA bus

One dead in double stabbing on MBTA bus
By Colneth Smiley Jr., Jessica Fargen and Marie Szaniszlo  |   Tuesday, November 2, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

Police investigate a double stabbing on an MBTA bus in front of the Trotter Elementary School in Dorchester at 135 Humboldt Ave. this morning.
Photo by Mark Garfinkel

A man was stabbed to death and another injured following a fight this morning on an MBTA bus in Roxbury that prompted the lockdown of a nearby elementary school, according to Boston and MBTA police.

The man, who is in his 20s, was killed in the double stabbing at about 9 a.m. on a Route 44 bus traveling on Humboldt Avenue, said Joseph O’Connor, deputy chief at the MBTA transit police department. Another man, also in his 20s, suffered minor injures, police said.

Both victims are known to police, he said.

Boston Police Superintendent William Evans said police are searching for four suspects who were seen fleeing the bus. Police said they will review surveillance camera footage from the area.

The incident occurred near the William Trotter Elementary School at 135 Humboldt Ave. The school was in lockdown for at least an hour, said Boston Public Schools spokesman Matt Wilder.

The driver of a Route 44 MBTA bus reported the fight, said MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo.

The bus was parked in front of the school this morning as investigators gathered evidence. A red gym bag and a piece of bloodied cloth could be seen in the street near the bus.

A portion of Humboldt Avenue was blocked off and police officers were stationed in front of the school.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1293309

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Chuck Turner fights to keep council seat

Chuck Turner fights to keep council seat
By Richard Weir  |   Tuesday, November 2, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Politics

Photo by Ted Fitzgerald (file)

As convicted felon Chuck Turner fights to keep his City Council office, he could end up serving as “kingmaker” to the next council president and even an acting council president himself — next in line to the mayor — with the honor of gaveling in the 2011 term.

Turner, who faces up to 35 years in prison after being convicted Friday of extortion and perjury charges, is battling to keep his City Council job in hopes that federal judge Douglas Woodlock slaps him with only probation at his Jan. 25 sentencing.

“Many with experience in the judicial system say that is unlikely given the circumstances of the case that I will receive any jail time,” Turner said in an e-mail sent to his fellow councilors Sunday.

“I was asked by Council President (Michael) Ross on Friday if I intended to resign. I said No. I was elected by my constituents despite my inditement (sic),” the Harvard grad-turned community activist wrote. “I realize that my decision not to resign and to fight to complete my term creates a difficult situation for you. However, I believe that my constituents have a right to have me complete the term to which I was elected.”

That means, if the council declines to oust him, that he will be in play when time comes to vote for a new council president.

“It’s a highly charged environment where it’s difficult to secure a majority. Every vote matters,” said a City Hall insider, noting that an ambitious councilor, angling to become the council’s next president, could court Turner’s vote in exchange for helping him survive a Dec. 1 council vote to strip him of his post.

“Seven is the magic number of votes and Chuck could be that seventh vote for a council president. He could be kingmaker,” the source said, adding that if Turner does survive the vote he would, as the body’s oldest member, be given the honor of serving as temporary president for two weeks when Ross completes his term in mid- December and the council resumes business on Jan. 3.

Ross said yesterday he postponed the hearing on Turner’s fate until Dec. 1 to give councilors a month to review the “legal ramifications” of ousting an elected official.

“The council has never been down this road in (its) history . . . The potential vote to possibly remove a sitting city councilor is of such gravity it should require all 13 members being present to take that vote,” said Ross, who called it “premature” to say how he will vote. But he added: “This issue is about the integrity of the City Council and our service to the city of Boston. It’s not about difficult votes. It’s about doing what’s right on behalf of the citizens.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1293211

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Superintendent moves to delay schools vote

Superintendent moves to delay schools vote
By Edward Mason  |   Tuesday, November 2, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

Photo by Chitose Suzuki

Hub Superintendent Carol R. Johnson is asking the School Committee to delay a vote on the lion’s share of her unpopular plan to shutter five schools until December, in a bid to win over angry parents.

Johnson told the Herald she’ll spend the next month trying to convince parents the city can’t afford to keep the schools open and improve student performance citywide, as the School Department faces a $63 million deficit next year.

“People are focused on their individual schools, but this is the fiscal reality we face,” Johnson said. “We don’t think the community has a sense of the trade off.”

Hundreds of furious parents crowded a School Committee meeting at English High last week, angrily demanding Johnson drop her plan to close their schools.

Committee Chairman the Rev. Gregory Groover said yesterday he, too, needed to hear more from Johnson before voting.

“They need to do their homework to see what we are really saving,” Groover said.

Johnson said she’s willing to delay the vote on closing three grade schools until December — the Ralph Waldo Emerson in Roxbury, and the Roger Clap and the East Zone Early Learning Center, both in Dorchester.

Kenny Jervis, a Clap parent, said he can’t be convinced.

“Closing these schools makes zero sense,” Jervis said. “Even with extra time, I don’t see our opinion swaying.”

Richard Stutman, president of the Boston Teachers Union, said Johnson wants a vote when parents can’t mobilize against her.

“By delaying and moving closer to the holidays, they’re making it more difficult for people to get involved,” Stutman said.

Johnson said she needs time to explain to parents how health insurance, busing and payroll costs are up while revenues are down.

Johnson wants to delay the vote to reconfigure the Lee Academy Pilot School and Joseph Lee School in Dorchester; and close the Social Justice Academy and the Engineering School and part of the Hyde Park Education complex. But Johnson wants the School Committee to vote tomorrow to shut the Gavin High School in South Boston, converting it into a charter school run by UP Academy; and to create Green Academy, another charter school, to replace an as yet undetermined high school.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1293236

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Chelsea teen dies after stabbing to heart

Chelsea teen dies after stabbing to heart
By Laurel J. Sweet  |   Monday, November 1, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

CHELSEA DEATH: Family and friends gather yesterday outside the Grove Street home where 16-year-old Cesar Umana was found stabbed to death.
Photo by Jim Michaud

A 16-year-old boy who friends and family said recently moved back to Chelsea from Miami to be with his mother was found fatally stabbed through the heart on her Grove Street front porch yesterday morning.

“He had no chance, unfortunately,” said Chelsea police Capt. Keith E. Houghton, who identified the teen as Cesar Umana.

Police responding shortly before 1:30 a.m. to a 911 call made from a cell phone regarding a commotion by youth around a car found Umana unconscious in a blood-stained pink Victorian chair, being comforted by a concerned neighbor.

“That’s where they found him,” Houghton said. “Our investigators are trying to find out if it happened there or he was trying to find his way home. We’re still piecing it together. What our detectives are doing now are tracking his last 24 hours.”

Houghton said Umana was taken by ambulance to Whidden Hospital in Everett but died shortly afterward.

He said that at some point, Umana attended Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational School in Wakefield, but it was unclear yesterday if he was still a student there.

Cathy Bryant, a dean of students at the school, said Umana’s name was not immediately familiar to her.

The murder weapon has not been recovered, Houghton said.

Friends and loved ones held each other and wept as they stared blankly at the blood spatter on the cement stairs in front of the beige triple-decker at 60 Grove St. near Chelsea City Hall.

Umana’s cousin Ana Hernandez said he was born in El Salvador and had one brother. She said he left Miami to be with his mother, who she said “is doing all right. She’s sad.”

A friend, Saul Hernandez, said Umana moved to Miami “because there’s too many problems here. You can see it in the faces. Everybody can’t believe it.”

Police ask that anyone with information regarding Umana’s murder call Chelsea detectives at 617-466-4826.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1292969

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Cops hunt Roxbury shooter

Cops hunt Roxbury shooter
By Herald staff  |   Monday, November 1, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

Boston police were investigating the fatal shooting on Catawba Street in Roxbury yesterday morning of a man they said appeared to be in his 20s.

The victim was found shot multiple times outdoors at 9:40 a.m. and was taken to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators were looking for another male dressed entirely in black and wearing a skull cap they said was seen leaving the area on foot.

Anyone with information about the murder or the victim’s identity is urged to call detectives at 617-343-4470.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1293020

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