The Office of Police Accountability & Transparency (OPAT) held its first public meeting on October 4th, 2021 For additional information and contact: https://www.boston.gov/departments/police-accountability-and-transparency
MAYOR WALSH & BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNOUNCE COMPLETION OF $17.2 MILLION RENOVATION OF THE ROXBURY BRANCH The Branch Has Been Reimagined to Best Serve the Roxbury Community; Now open for BPL To Go Service BOSTON – Tuesday, October 27, 2020 – Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Boston Public Library today announced that the renovation of the Roxbury Branch (formerly Dudley) is complete. The branch is now open for BPL To Go services; allowing patrons to place holds, check out, and return books, CDs, and DVDs. The branch has undergone a $17.2 million renovation that began in November 2017. The programming, design and construction was managed by the City of Boston’s Public Facilities Department, with consultation from the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture, and architecture firm Utile, Inc. “Libraries are an essential resource for Bostonians across the city, and we are excited that this newly-renovated branch will bring improved access and vital services to Roxbury,” said Mayor Walsh. “I am grateful to everyone who helped bring this next chapter of the Roxbury Branch to life, which was designed with a focus on workforce development, community engagement, and Black heritage and culture. I look forward to celebrating its completion when it’s safe for all of us to gather together again, and having neighbors experience the spaces that our teams worked so hard to create.” The renovation was designed with the input of Nubian Square residents and the wider Roxbury community, and entirely reimagined and opened up the prior space. The 27,000 square foot renovation includes a new welcome area overlooking a redesigned plaza; improved visibility and openness; dedicated spaces for patrons of all ages – including a brand-new children’s corner; a prominently featured African-American collection space; a nutrition lab and a learning lab; a community room with state-of-the-art technology; new computer workspaces; and more. Additionally, a new roof, windows, insulation, and modernized HVAC and lighting will significantly reduce the building’s energy consumption and carbon footprint. The space will also feature two interior Percent for Art installations. The former Roxbury Branch building opened its doors in April 1978, replacing two smaller locations. The Mount Pleasant Branch opened in 1915 on Vine Street, while the Roxbury Branch, housing the Fellowes Athenaeum, opened on Millmont Street in 1873, and served patrons for more than 100 years. The two locations were merged into what became the largest branch in the Library’s system, serving the entire Roxbury community. The Branch was renamed “The Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library” by the BPL Board of Trustees in May 2020. The name was chosen in recognition of the Roxbury’s contributions to Boston history, which date as far back as the Revolutionary War, and the neighborhood the branch serves today. Before the renaming, Roxbury was one of the only large Boston neighborhoods without a branch named for it. “The construction on the Roxbury Branch was a complete reimagination of what a library branch could be,” said David Leonard, President of the Boston Public Library. “As the largest branch library in the BPL system, it was essential that the renovations help us create an accessible, versatile space with new resources to meet the needs of the community today. Although we cannot invite patrons into the branch yet, we are excited to start up BPL To Go services, and just to begin reconnecting with our community in person.” Once open for additional services, the Roxbury branch will also host programming and staff from King Boston. While still in formation, programming and partnerships will include collaboration on creating a King Center for Economic Justice, and continuing to grow the African American collection at the branch into a destination for African American scholarship and collections. “On behalf of the Friends of the Roxbury Library, we are so excited that the branch is reopening to the public,” said Elizabeth Nagarajah, President of the Friends of the Roxbury Library. “While we are all still learning to adjust to this unique moment in time, we believe it’s important to provide the community with access to reading materials and virtual services. We’re thrilled that the Roxbury Branch is once again able to share valuable resources with patrons, and we look forward to the day when we can welcome visitors into the new space.” Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, and for the safety of staff and patrons, the building is not currently open for visitors. Mayor Walsh and the BPL hope to hold a community celebration when public health guidelines dictate it is safe to do so. Patrons can learn more about the branch’s available BPL To Go and Printing To Go services at bpl.org/takeout. In addition to the Roxbury Branch renovation, the City of Boston’s most recent capital plan (FY21-25) includes more than $130.5 million for libraries. The FY21 budget includes the construction of a new Adams Street Branch, major renovations to the Roslindale and Faneuil Branches, design for a major renovation at the Fields Corner Branch, continued repair, renovation and master planning projects at the Central Library in Copley Square, planning activities for the Upham’s Corner and Chinatown Branches, and programming studies at the Codman Square, West End, and Egleston Square branches, These projects include community engagement to gain input, feedback, and insight from patrons and local organizations. More information on these additional projects can be found at bpl.org/capitalprojects and apps.boston.gov/capital-projects/. Photo by Anton Grassl Photo by Anton Grassl ABOUT THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library is a pioneer of public library service in America. It was the first large, free municipal library in the United States; the first public library to lend books; the first to have a branch library; and the first to have a dedicated children’s room. The Boston Public Library of today is a robust system that includes the Central Library in Copley Square, 25 neighborhood branches, the Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center, the Kirstein Business and Innovation Center, and an archival center, offering public access to world-class special collections of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and prints, along with rich digital content and online services. The Boston Public Library serves nearly 4 million visitors per year and millions more online. All of its programs and exhibitions are free to all and open to the public. The Boston Public Library is also a department of the City of Boston, under the leadership of Mayor Martin J. Walsh. To
Celebrating the Roxbury, Boston & American Legacies of Henry Hampton (1940-1998): The African-American Genius and Giant Who Walked Among Us As the 1968 founder of Blackside Inc., the creator of award-winning films and books including Eyes on the Prize, and an early champion of Black historic preservation in Boston and New England, Roxbury resident Henry Hampton’s reverberating legacies as a citizen, educator, mentor, and friend remain without parallel.Don’t miss this timely and one-of-a-kind program of documentary film clips, personal remembrances, and a surprise exhibit honoring Hampton, Roxbury, and Boston’s civil rights history — each to brighten our future in the era of Black Lives Matter, the 2020 Elections, overt Racism in the Boston Public Schools, Gentrification in Roxbury, and and a plan to redevelop a part of the Henry Hampton homestead – the garage bays where Blackside’s original work was created and stored.From Henry’s twentieth-century Boston to ours of today — no historical arc of struggle, victories and setbacks remains more impactful, instructive, or urgent than education or community development — both of which Henry, his Blackside colleagues, and their hundreds of mentee filmmakers, educators, scholars and advocates have captured in Eyes on the Prize and elsewhere. As inheritors and stewards of this instructive legacy with roots in Roxbury/Boston, our eyes must be on history, preservation, appropriate community development, and above all, EDUCATION.Please join community elders, advocates, educators, and youth in this spirited reunion and “revival” for collective rediscovery and self-determination. “Keep your eyes on the prize! Hold on! Hold on!”Sunday, November 1, 2020 4:00 – 7:00 PM The Nubian Drive-in Theater at Bartlett Yard2565 Washington Street, Roxbury MA 02119Save your space – Register Online at bit.ly/2HBewh2 Please arrive in a vehicle – no walk-ins/no bikesSponsor – Highland Park Neighborhood Coalition Introduction – Blackside Inc. “alum” Derrick Evans Donations appreciated at https://www.gofundme.com/f/henry-hampton-film-screening*A Free, Safe Physically Distanced Public Event
On October 13th 2020, Mayor Marty Walsh formally accepted the final recommendations of the Boston Police Reform Task Force. Please see the Final Report below. For additional information and multi-language translations please see City of Boston website: https://www.boston.gov/departments/mayors-office/bostons-movement-end-racism/boston-police-reform-task-force
By The Boston Police Reform Task Force The inequitable policing of people of color has been a persistent issue throughout this country’s history. Beginning with the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, a public consciousness began to form. While initial awareness gave rise to some level of police reform, the necessary systemic changes were never fully implemented. With each subsequent incident of excessive force perpetuated upon unarmed black men and women, the injustice was thrust back into the spotlight, reigniting calls for reform that too often fell upon deaf ears. The tragic and gruesome death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, following the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor in her bed by a police officer on March 13, 2020, however, resonated in a way no prior incidents have. People across the country took to the streets in protest in record numbers. This time, the movement sustained longer than a news cycle and calls for reform moved beyond talk, as cities and states across the country began taking more consequential action. In response to concerns and cries for justice, Mayor Martin J. Walsh convened the Boston Police Reform Task Force (the “Task Force”) to examine key policy areas of the Boston Police Department (“BPD”), determine the changes that were needed to combat systemic racism, and deliver recommendations to address those areas. To our knowledge, never before has a Mayor so publicly called for and repeatedly expressed his commitment to implementing such reform. To achieve this goal, the Mayor assembled a Task Force comprised of varied voices from neighborhoods across the city, representing a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and skill sets. All Task Force members came to this work with a full understanding of the gravity of the moment and that positive change could enhance the safety of our community members and improve their relationship with the BPD. Members of the Task Force brought their talents and perspectives to the table and worked tirelessly over the course of several months. In addition to reviewing scholarly research and data, we interviewed local and national experts, spoke directly with community members impacted by inequitable policing, and convened five community hearings to obtain input from the people of Boston. We have listened. We have learned. We have challenged one another. And we have offered what we believe are bold, robust recommendations that can set a foundation for forward thinking policing that is racially equitable, transparent, accountable and builds public trust. The Task Force undertook its charge of examining the aspects of the BPD and its operations identified by the Mayor with three overarching goals: advancing racial equity; increasing accountability; and building community trust. These objectives are interconnected and, we believe, evident in the recommendations offered by this body. Advancement of racial equity includes examination of the policies and institutions guiding BPD operations and culture both internally and externally. People of color within our community must be treated fairly by the police and not disproportionately subjected to field interrogations and observations, arrested, or otherwise impacted by biases either implicit or explicit. To that end, we examined the various BPD policies aimed at equitable policing, sought to improve the training provided to uniformed officers and civilian employees, and introduced measures to ensure greater accountability in instances where rights are violated. Further, we proposed organizational changes to ensure law enforcement reflects the communities it serves at all levels through recruitment, hiring, retention, and promotion. Our efforts to increase accountability included overhauling the institutions tasked with examining allegations of police misconduct by forming the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency (OPAT). Armed with sufficient resources, capable leadership, and investigatory and subpoena power, OPAT will ensure the fairness of BPD adjudications of civilian complaints, provide transparency into the process, and ensure all such matters are timely addressed. Further, OPAT will address the disparate treatment of officers within the BPD and provide insight into policies and procedures that perpetuate discrimination. Additionally, accountability and transparency will be enhanced by recommended improvements to the body-worn camera program ensuring that all interactions between BPD and the community are recorded, and providing broader access to any such footage by both the public and any individuals directly impacted. Further, the Task Force’s objectives were advanced both through amendments to the use of force policy to ensure adequate discipline for any violations, and by promoting aggregation and dissemination of all relevant data pertaining to BPD operations. Building community trust in the BPD begins with fostering positive interactions amongst officers and community members by eliminating biases, promoting de-escalation, and improving communication. Further, community members must have confidence that allegations of officer misconduct will be thoroughly investigated and impartially assessed, with those found to have violated police policy held accountable. We believe that the proposed changes set forth by the Task Force, if instituted in a timely fashion and appropriately administered, will have the collective impact of increasing community trust in the BPD. The recommendations are intended to substantially diminish, if not eliminate, the wariness with which communities of color have long looked at police departments and those that work within that system. The BPD must look like the communities that it serves, reflect the values of the people in its neighborhoods, and provide services without regard to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, financial status or age. Change doesn’t happen overnight, and decades of distrust will take a long time to repair. Our hope is that this guidance can be a step towards eliminating the fear that many now have of how their encounters with the police may play out. Additionally, we hope that it will help to build institutions that promote community faith that their concerns and complaints will be properly vetted in a timely manner and that officers will be punished appropriately when they have failed the public trust invested in them. The Task Force took on the challenge presented by Mayor Walsh with the loftiest of ideals, expectations, motivations, and investments. It is our hope that this work will provide
[Source] BOSTON — 5 Investigates has learned that a former president of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association has been arrested on charges connected to child rape allegations. Sources told 5 Investigates that retired Boston Police Officer Pat Rose was taken into custody on Wednesday after allegations involving child rape surfaced.Advertisement The Massachusetts State Police confirmed that Rose was arrested Wednesday and brought to the Milton Barracks. “I am deeply disturbed by these horrific allegations, which must be investigated to the fullest extent of the law,” Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement. Rose joined the Boston Police Department in 1994 and spent most of his career working in Dorchester. In December 2014, the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association voted in Rose as the union’s president at their annual elections, replacing longtime union boss Thomas Nee. He retired from the Boston Police Department in 2018. According to the sources, Rose will be arraigned Thursday on charges including indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. The director of communications at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that Rose will be arraigned Thursday in West Roxbury, but did not disclose any of the charges Rose is facing. The Boston Police Department and the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association did not comment on Rose’s arrest. NECN Boston Globe
“The Trustees Mobile Farmers Market sells vegetables, fruit, meat, milk, and eggs from Trustees and other Massachusetts farms. All food is fresh from the farm, to you!”- Trustees Thursdays 2-4PM The Dimock Center 55 Dimock St. Roxbury, MA 02119
“The Trustees Mobile Farmers Market sells vegetables, fruit, meat, milk, and eggs from Trustees and other Massachusetts farms. All food is fresh from the farm, to you!”- Trustees Thursdays 11AM-1PM Whittier Street Health Center 1290 Tremont St. Roxbury, MA 02120 ˚
