PAX Centurion - May / June 2015

Page 36 • PAX CENTURION • June/July 2015 617-989-BPPA (2772) said he did not hear of any weapons being involved. Waltham resident Tushar Batra said he was taking a stroll in Re- vere when he noticed a crowd and several police officers with dogs, apparently trying to herd people to a certain area. He did not see any brawls, but “there was a lot of confusion there,” he said. “There were more cops coming from all directions.” Despite the huge police response, the area was calm by 7:30 p.m., with beachgoers playing volleyball and eating ice cream both on the sand and along the sidewalk. Police officers stood by while cruisers cast blue and red lights down a mile of the coast. Between 10 and 12 people were arrested during the fray for disor- derly conduct, Richard said. They will probably be arraigned Monday at Chelsea District Court. It is not clear how the disturbance began; the cause is under inves- tigation, Richard said. Several roads along the coast, including Revere Beach Boulevard and OceanAvenue, were closed for over an hour Sunday from the Eliot Circle Rotary to the Revere State Police barracks a mile away. At 10:30 p.m., state troopers were still present at the scene, moni- toring for further disturbances, Richard said. Brawl in Revere draws a huge police turnout… From Brawl on page 15 ...and responses... Dear Kiera, My name is Jim Carnell, editor of the Boston Police Patrol- men’s Association “Pax Centurion” newsletter. I am contacting you regarding your article buried on page B-2 of the Boston Globe dated 5-11-15 “Brawl in Revere draws huge police turnout.” The tone of the article is extremely insulting towards police officers and seems to infer that the evil police officers were somehow responsible for the riotous conduct of the crowd. (“[They] were just throwing plastic bottles at the police” and “by 7:30 p.m…. beachgoers were playing volleyball and eating ice cream” (how nice of them!) “it was not clear how the disturbance began…”.) Are you kidding me? I suppose these Mother’s day rioters were “just turning their lives around”? Or per- haps the police instigated the whole incident? I would like to use your article as a case study in liberal journalism and discuss the effects that it has upon (de)-policing inAmerica. – Jim Carnell, Pax Centurion H H H H H H H H H Hi Jim, I’m sorry you feel that way, but I disagree, and here is why: The first quote, “they were just throwing plastic bottles at police” – I do not know where you got this. This is not in my article. [Ed. Note - It is in your article.] If it was something you heard in the video, that is not me – it is someone who was in Revere at the time. As for the description of the scene at 7:30, that is what was happening, and it was important to let readers know that life was returning to normalcy by then and was not a riotous scene or in any sort of lockdown. Also, I described those there as “beachgoers.” They were not those arrested or involved, so how that could be read an individual “turning their life around” I do not know. And “it’s not clear how the disturbance began” – a police lieutenant from the State Police told me that. I stand by it. Again, I am sorry you feel this way, but I do not feel that this article was in any way insulting toward police and in no way insinu- ated that the police were involved in instigating anything. – Kiera H H H H H H H H H Dear Kiera, Thank you for responding. I actually have the column in front of me – a quote attributed to Lieutenant Dan Richard of the State Police (Page B-2, 5-11-15, column 2, paragraph 3): “he was unsure what kind of bottles were being thrown, he said they were probably plastic soda bottles.” How a spokesman sitting in an office on Mother’s Day knows what was being thrown is unclear, but I assure you, from reports from our own officers, called from across to the City to respond to a riot, that all sorts of objects were being thrown at the cops. That phrase is obviously included to diminish the actions of the uncivilized crowd. (reading your counterpart’s article in the Herald gives a far better idea of the true conduct of the crowd.) I assure you, they were not tossing feathers and lighter-than-air plastic bottles at the police.) And assaulting police officers and interfering with arrests is a little more than “pushing and shoving,” don’t you think?You also list a source named “Tushar Batra” fromWaltham who was “taking a stroll in Revere.” (As we all know, manyWaltham residents prefer Revere Beach for their “strolling,” because of the oppressive nature of theWaltham community…Yeah, right…) “Tushar” did not see any brawls, but there was a lot of confusion”…There were cops com- ing from all directions.”Yes, Tushar, cops fromWest Roxbury and Brighton often respond to Revere Beach on Mother’s Day because of “confused” people. Must have had nothing better to do than harass the happy and contented “beachgoers who were playing volleyball and eating ice cream.”You know how those cops are… “Tushar” also noticed “cops with dogs who were trying to “herd” people to a certain area”.Yes, cops with dogs are known for “herding” confused people. (I noticed the use of the term “herding” – some of us can read critical- ly, Kiera.) A phrase such as “the police attempted to move the violent crowd off the beach so that decent people seeking to enjoy Mother’s Day could also access the area,” but that may have not been simple enough for the Globe’s liking. “Herding confused people” with police dogs conjures up a different image, more suitable to Globe ideology. The article goes no: “It is not clear how the disturbance began, the cause is under investigation”. Ahmm, let me go out on a limb: when 200 drunken, idiot young people smoking pot decide to take over Revere Beach and begin fighting among themselves and then turn on the police who are responding to calls from people within the crowd itself, I think I know what the cause might have been. Really, no need for a federal investigation, but the DOJ will probably call for one any- way. But thank you for responding, Kiera. Most Globe writers were probably spending Mother’s Day with their Mothers, as strange as that sounds. (The police would have liked the same opportunity, after their regular shift ended.) Apparently, at least 200 volleyball players are Motherless, or so it would appear. Poor orphans reduced to play- ing volleyball and eating ice cream on Mother’s day. How sad…. – Jim Carnell, Pax Centurion