Why the Department of Justice Should Investigate Worcester Police.

The Department of Justice, Cleveland Police Report, and Worcester Police Department.

Recently the Department of Justice wrote a negative report regarding misconduct and the poor practices of the Cleveland Police Department. Some of the issues that were found in need of improvement are:

•  The unnecessary and excessive use of deadly force, including shootings and head strikes with impact weapons;
• The unnecessary, excessive or retaliatory use of less lethal force including tasers, chemical spray and fists;
• Excessive force against persons who are mentally ill or in crisis, including in cases where the officers were called exclusively for a welfare check; and
• The employment of poor and dangerous tactics that place officers in situations where avoidable force becomes inevitable and places officers and civilians at unnecessary risk.

The report also described a lack of transparency in the Cleveland Police Department that allowed the misconduct to continue over many years.

In Worcester no one outside of the Worcester Police Department can say with certainty how much police misconduct there is in the police department. For decades this information has been kept secret, even when ordered by the courts to make it public.

The ACLU, the Worcester Telegram, and others have tried to obtain what should be public records from the Worcester Police. With each attempt the Worcester Police has blocked any significant release of public records.

There is evidence of police misconduct. The latest being the allegations that a Worcester Police officer beat up a shackled prisoner in the Worcester lock up. Even here the tape of the alleged misconduct has not been released.

In light of the many allegations of misconduct by the Worcester Police and the lack of transparency an investigation by the Department of Justice would be welcomed. The investigation might find that the Worcester Police are relatively well managed department doing a good job.  The report might find that the Worcester Police is abusive and non compliant to the civil rights of residents.  It might find the police in Worcester to be slightly flawed and in need of some changes.

This investigation will confirm or belay any trust issues with the communities of color. The powers that be should not be afraid of such an investigation by the Department of Justice. After all the City Manager asked it to come to Worcester to help with race relations. It makes sense for the City Manager to now ask the Department of Justice to give its seal of approval or disapproval to the Worcester Police Department.

It is troubling when at the May 18, 2015 Department of Justice facilitation of the discussion of race relations in Worcester that a Black woman was booed by White people when she raised the suggestion of the Department of Justice investigation of the Worcester Police. It was more troubling when a local columnist made light of her suggestion. There still exists a great divide in race relations in Worcester. 

It fairly clear that the so called discussion on race relations will not go any further when the racists are invited to participate. The hearings were never intended to be a debate or a platform for some tea party like people to make racist comments.

There is a need now for the additional action of the Department of Justice investigation of the Worcester Police.  Rumor is that local activists are writing a letter to the U.S. Attorney office of Carmen Ortiz making this petition.

Immigration Day

Immigration Day, Massachusetts Immigrants and Refugees Association, and the Center for Progressive Legislation.

Earlier this Spring of 2015 there was an event called Immigration Day in which people from Worcester and around the State met with their senators and representatives at the State House.  Massachusetts Immigration and Refugees Association (MIRA) initiated this annual event, Immigration Day, several years ago. It was intended as a way to have newly arrived residents to more fully participate in the political process. It never excluded anyone and now all Baystaters are welcomed. Given this inclusivity the Center for Progressive Legislation (CPL) helps MIRA organize a bus or two of people to go to the State House on Immigration Day.

                                                      The bus taking Worcester People to Boston

Both MIRA and CPL have political legislative agendas. The MIRA agenda is more associated with inequalities and disparities found in the immigrant communities. The CPL legislative agenda deals more with disparities in the working class communities and criminal justice matters.

                                                       Some of the People from Worcester. These ladies emigrated from nepal

The event took place in State House Auditorium which was packed with people at first listening to the conditions faced by the new arrivals and a call to action by MIRA organizers.

                                                      Auditorium at State House

As activities in the Auditorium wound down people went to see their respective representatives and senators.  The people from the Worcester area were organized by Ron Madnick who is now the executive director of CPL. He arranged to have all six senators and representatives for Worcester or their respective stand-ins come to the Auditorium.

                                                       Reps and stand-ins

Representative O’Day was the most personable and he seemed truly interested in the concerns raised by the people from Worcester.  Representative Donahue also showed interest, but not with the enthusiasm of Mr. O’Day. Representative Mary Keefe had recently broken her ankle and despite her obvious pain she came and answered the questions asked of her.  Although she seemed distracted, given her injury such distraction was understandable.

 

  CPL is concentration on reforms in the Health Care System and in Criminal justice.   This includes the reduction from felony to misdemeanor for specific cases, removal of the mandatory minimums sentences for certain offenses, and the removal of the five hundred dollar fee to have licenses reinstated.

There was a curious back and forth between Ron Madnick and Mary Keefe regarding Police doing the work of immigration enforcement.  Representative Keefe reminded Ron Madnick that the Worcester Police does not provide the immigration status of the people it arrests. Ron Madnick reminded Representative Keefe that the legislation was aimed at police departments statewide.  

MIRA supports legislation to have immigrant students charged the same tuition and fees as in state students at State colleges, improved access to driver licenses, improved access to local government for non citizen residents, as well as other programs.

                                                     Ron Madnick at State House

Ron Madnick spoke of revitalizing the Worcester Immigrants Coalition and setting up a citizen school. The citizenship test is now more difficult than before and it is likely many native born citizens might not pass it. He also talked about having a meeting of the Worcester legislators to lobby for the legislative goals of CPL and MIRA.

The organizer for MIRA is Christina Aguilera who with her fellow advocates has put forward legislation and programs that have helped people transition well into their new homes. 

Race Discussions on the Road to Failure

The City Manager’s Race Relation Discussions On The Road to Failure

The first of several race relations discussion initiated by City Manager Edward Augustus showed signs failure. The discussions are poorly designed and did not reach the people who needed to be at the table. Young men of color were conspicuously absent.  Young men of color and those who interact with them could be counted on one hand.

Mr. Muhammad Ali-Salaam of the Community Relations Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) explained as best he could what the discussions were about. He had with him a team of facilitators who sat at each table. Mr. Ali-Salaam said that the DOJ came at the request of the City Manager. The discussions on race relations were intended to vet the Manager’s plan for diversity and to get input from the community. He said that he is hopeful that these discussions would be more fruitful than the other discussions on race held previously in Worcester.

In response to a question about the DOJ investigating the Worcester Police for misconduct and the City government for malicious prosecution, Mr. Ali-Salaam said that the petition for such investigations should go to Ms. Carmen Ortiz, the U.S. Attorney for this district. She has a field office in Worcester.

Mr. Culin Owyang, Deputy Attorney General for Massachusetts, said he and the Attorney General hoped to have a positive impact on the discussions on race and to give it some structure.

On the subject of the District Attorney (DA) Joseph Early recusing his office from the prosecution of a Worcester police officer accused of beating a shackled prisoner and transferring the prosecution to Attorney General Maura Healy’s office, Mr. Owyang had no comment. He said that DA Early should be asked those questions. He had no comment on why DA Mr. Early did not erect a legal wall around the prosecution or appoint a special prosecutor.

Several people said the racial tension in Worcester has been centered around Black Lives Matter demonstrations and Worcester Police misconduct, and alleged public safety issues at North High School. There were few if any protesters from Black Lives Matter and no high school students from North. I suppose the outreach could be better for the discussions on public safety and education.

Two young men of color who were at the discussion expressed disappointment with the low turnout of young men of color. Born Taylor, a young Black man, said that he felt that some good could come from the discussions, but he also felt that the division of attendees by table could have been better. He thought that discussions would not attain some of their goals if more young men of color did not attend. Caleb Encarnacion-Rivera, a young Hispanic man, said he came in order to help the improvement of the City. He was especially motivated because now he had a child in the Worcester Public Schools. Like Mr. Taylor, Mr. Encarnacion-Rivera hoped that more young men of color would attend the future discussions.

Two City Councillors, Gary Rosen and Sarai Rivera, said that they were there to learn more. The City Manager said we should not be held captive by the pass where similar discussions started out enthusiastically, but nothing significant came about.

One White woman said that there is no racial problem in Worcester. She said that there was only agitators causing the problems. While she was speaking my thoughts went to the old civil rights movement where Bull Connors said something similar about happy Negroes and outside agitators. Another White woman said that some in the room were unaware that the term “color blindness” in terms of race had shifted from a relative progressive phrase to a code word for institutional racism. Although honest and a plea for discourse, such comments will make the discussions difficult for some people of color.

A Black woman who said that the DOJ should investigate the Worcester Police was booed by some White people, even though the facilitators told the participants that they should be respectful of everyone’s ideas and opinions. Instead of reducing racial tensions the discussion might be the source of increased racial tensions.

One person noticeably absent was Brenda Jenkins. She is an important Black leader in the City of Worcester. Several people came to me and asked where is Brenda.  They speculated that she might not have come because the populations she works with did not go. There are also rumors that the City of Worcester is pressuring her program by reviewing the resources the City makes available to her.

I suppose the politics of Worcester might suddenly change and the City will take more substantial and positive actions towards race relations. Unfortunately it looks a lot like business as usual or worse.

Department of Justice, Real or Fake

Department of Justice Discussions, Real or Deceitful

The City Manager of Worcester Massachusetts, Edward Augustus, has arranged to have the Department of Justice (DOJ) attend some public discussions purportedly about race relations in Worcester. The public discussions are nominally under the direction of the City Manager’s Committee Against Bias and Hate. The reasons given for the public discussions are the so called racial tensions in the City regarding police misconduct and safety at North High School.

Although good people there, the Manager’s Committee on Bias and Hate has not taken any position that opposes the City government ever; it serves at the pleasure of the City Manager.  It was absent regarding the issue of the killings by the police of unarmed low income people, especially young Black men.

These discussions will be held every Monday from May 18, 2015  through July 13, 2015, except for May 25^th  which is Memorial day. The public discussions will be from 6 PM to 8 PM at various locations around the City.

Several of the public discussions seem to be unrelated to racial tensions or are of an organizational nature. The May 18, 2015 public discussion is about organizing how the discussions should take place. I am always wary of meetings to discuss meetings. The July 13, 2015 public discussion is about what to do with the contents of the public discussions. This should have already been determined that the City Manger would use the contents to improve the City.  By the time of the last public discussion the budget process for fiscal year 2016 will have been completed.

The public discussions on social media and representative government seem far from the mark of what are issues for the City.  The June 8, 2015 public meeting on Public Safety and the June 15^th meeting on Youth and education are on issues that City Manager and School Department have found more challenging in terms of race.

There are some rumblings among some of the groups that are in the Black Lives Matter civil rights movement that the Department of Justice should be petitioned to investigate the Worcester Police and its lack of transparency and the allegations that the City Manager and Chief of Police are maliciously prosecuting Black Lives Matter protesters.

The people with whom I spoke want direct talks with the City Manager and the Police Chief and the City Council on the issues that plague the City. These public hearings with the DOJ are a potential roadblock to such direct talks. Yesterday the Police Chief, Gary Gemme, said that he had fourteen new positions of supervision and that he wanted at least five “minority” to fill these positions.

How the Chief of Worcester Police arrived at these numbers is somewhat of a mystery as there is no transparency or direct talks with the public or public interest groups. The Chief’s credibility comes into question given the several discrimination cases based on race by officers within the Worcester Police Department.

Also mysterious is the action of District Attorney (DA) Joseph Early who recused his office from the prosecution of the Worcester Police officer who was caught on tape beating a shackled prisoner. The rationale offered by DA Early of conflict of interest is not credible as a “legal wall” had been erected between departments in the DA’s office in similar situations. It also does not explain why a Special Prosecutor could not have been appointed.  The case has been passed onto the Attorney General’s office of Maura Healy. The Attorney General’s office is good at civil cases, but weak in criminal matters involving the police. This might be the opening moves to a cover up of the Worcester Police misconduct. However I have an open mind on the ability of Attorney General to get a conviction in this case.

In a few months we will know whether these public hearings are real or fake.  

Green Rainbows Meet in Worcester for State Convention 2015

The 2015 Green-Rainbow Party State Convention in Worcester

The Green-Rainbow Party (GRP) is the Massachusetts affiliate of the Green Party USA. The GRP was formed in 2000 when the Green Party and the Rainbow Coalition Party merged. As of the 2014 election GRP is an official ballot party in Massachusetts by means of three of its candidates polling three percent of the vote in their respective elections, Danny Factor, Ian Jackson, and Merelice.

                                           Photo of Green Rainbow candidates rally in front of Worcester Courthouse 10-14-15

The convention will take place on May 30, 2015, 9:00 AM at 90 Main St. in the Public Hall of the Universalist Unitarian Church.

According to GRP organizers, most are from the Worcester County Nashua River chapter, the convention has several goals. The primary goal is to facilitate the presidential primary in which there appears to be several Green Party candidates, including a favorite daughter Jill Stein. Ms. Stein is scheduled to make an appearance at the convention.

                                 Green National Convention 2012

Besides the presidential candidates, there will be educational speakers on topics important to the GRP: 

       1.Abolition of poverty and homelessness –  Jason Murphy, Professor of Ethics and Political Philosophy,  The restoration of income guarantees and other safety net benefits will be discussed as an to the issue.

     2. No Fracking in Massachusetts –Rosemary Wessel, The organizing against the proposed gas pipeline in Northern Worcester County will also be discussed.

     3. Black (all) Lives Matter –Leetka Katzenblickstien organizing the new civil rights movement will be discussed. Ms. Katzenblickstien is twelve years old and helped to organize a Black Lives Matter rally in her town of Westford.  In addition there will be a workshop led by Darlene Elias on the same topic.

From Ms. Elias’ workshop a resolution will be developed expressing the condemnation of the police killing of low income people especially young Black men. The GRP may the only electoral party to take on this issue of Black Lives Matter new civil rights movement.

There will be seven workshops including one of the workshops that will have a Worcester connection, Peace Education in Worcester. This workshop will be presented by the Non Violence Center of Worcester.

The GRP has a strategy of winning local elections with the goal of creating enough local support to win a statewide election. To this end the GRP has a member on the Board of Southbridge Selectmen. Merelice is running for Selectman in Brookline. There is another GRP member running for Board of Selectmen in Shrewsbury.