CAR VANDALIZED ON HUNTINGTON AVENUE

On Feb. 10, police reported a black Honda sedan parked at the corner of Parker Street and Huntington Avenue was broken into. According to the incident report, the victim parked the vehicle at about 5:30 p.m. the previous evening and returned the next morning to find the front passenger-side window smashed. An iPod Nano valued at $300 was the only item reported missing.

ASSAULT REPORTED AT STORE ON HAVILAND STREET

On Feb. 13, police responded to an assault and battery call at Buried Treasures, located at 28 Haviland St. The victim said the store clerk pushed him out of the store causing him to hit his head against a hard object. The clerk told police he asked the victim and his friends to leave the store because some were under the age of 18 and many were acting disrespectful. According to the store employee, when the group refused to leave, the victim put his hands on him and that is why he pushed him out of the store. No medical attention was needed and police advised both parties to stay away from each other.

WOMAN IN CAR ACCIDENT FLEES SCENE

While police monitored a motor vehicle accident at 150 Brookline Ave. on Feb. 11, a witness advised the officers that an elderly female driving a Volvo hit several of the vehicles and then left the area. Later that day an officer spotted the Volvo at the intersection of Newbury and Clarendon Streets; the car had considerable rear end damage. The officer stopped the vehicle and advised the woman that she was being stopped in regards to a car accident at 150 Brookline Ave. The woman said she did not remember being in any car accident. When she exited the vehicle to look at the damages she said there was something wrong with the vehicle’s brakes and that she could not control the car. The officer then drove the woman’s car to her home and parked it in her garage. Witnesses to the accident told officers they felt the woman was confused and unfit to drive.  The officer requested a competency road test examination for the woman.

DISPUTE OVER CAB FARE TURNS INTO ASSAULT

Top Cab vehicle #1825 picked up a man and his girlfriend at 890 Boylston St. on Feb. 14 at about 2:23 p.m. Arriving at 120 Hemenway St., the couple attempted to pay the cab fare using a credit card however the machine was unable to read the card. When the cab driver asked to use the card on his machine in the front of the cab the couple refused.

According to the victims, the driver began to drive at a high speed, causing the man to hit his head on the partition. Fearing for their safety, the victims said they attempted to exit the vehicle but were unable to do so because the driver locked the doors. The male victims then reached through the petition, grabbed the driver’s shirt causing it to rip and eventually the cab stopped the car and called the police.

According to the driver, after both victims refused to pay with their credit cards at the front machine of the vehicle, the male victim reached through the petition and grabbed his shirt and neck.  The disputed $8.90 cab fare was not paid at the time of the police report.

MAN ATTACKED AND ROBBED ON FENWAY FOOTBRIDGE

On Feb. 8 at about 8:33 p.m., a male victim was attacked and robbed by two men (Both males, one wearing a brown hoodie, the other a black hoodie) while walking over the footbridge on the Fenway. The victim said the men stuck a sharp object in his back, removed and broke his eyeglasses, and continued to beat him while he lay on the ground. The attackers took the victim’s cell phone, credit card and $20.

Later that evening, officers conducted a search of the area. At about 8:50 p.m. saw a suspect sitting in the Burger King at 289 Huntington Ave. The officer saw the suspect enter the bathroom at which time he called for assistance. Approximately 15 minutes later, a Burger King employee opened the bathroom door and police found the suspect fully clothed, sitting down. The victim positively identified the suspect as one of the attackers and he was placed under arrest.

Police further searched the area for the second attacker; no other arrests were made.

compiled by Joanna Arpie
FIRE IN BOYLSTON STREET RESTAURANT
On Feb. 5, a small fire broke out in the basement of Pad Thai Restaurant located at 1112 Boylston St. Although the Boston Fire Department was able to extinguish the fire, according to Fire Chief Stalworth, the resulting smoke damage could be as much as $20,000. Police reported no injuries.

LARCENY ON BROOKLINE AVENUE
On Feb. 2, police responded to a larceny report at 180 Brookline Ave. Police spoke with a building resident who said at about 3 a.m. three unknown suspects entered the building and stole a 52-inch Sony television — valued at $4,000 — from the second floor common area. The building’s security cameras recorded two suspects carrying the television and walking towards the building’s Boylston Street exit. Security cameras captured no facial images but the witness said he believes one of the suspects is a former employee already under investigation for a previous incident in the building.

MAN FOUND DEAD IN PARK DRIVE APARTMENT
Police responded to a radio call for a well-being check at 223 Park Drive at 6:25 p.m. on Feb. 5. Upon arrival, Officer McManus knocked on the apartment door but received no response. Officers then used force to gain entry to the apartment where they discovered the resident (70-year-old, white, male) lying unresponsively on his bedroom floor. The Health and Hospitals Ambulance pronounced the victim dead at 7:04 p.m. Police reports did not mention a cause of death.

NOISE DISPUTE RESULTS IN THREATS BETWEEN NEIGHBORS
On Feb. 6, police responded to a threat report at 400 Huntington Ave. Police spoke with the caller and her daughter who said the tenants living directly above them threatened to kill them. The victims said they have a history of disputes with the accused tenants because of the constant noise and partying that goes on. One of the victims said she knocked on the tenants’ door a couple weeks earlier and asked them to quiet down or she would call the police. She also reported that some of the people she saw in the apartment that night were also the ones outside her door, yelling threats on the night of the incident in question.  The victim reported seeing a male through the peep-hole of her apartment door and heard him say “We should just kill them.”
Officers spoke to a female tenant of the accused apartment, who said she lives with all females. She said the males in question are friends of her roommates. Police advised her to keep the noise levels down and to speak to her roommates about courteous behavior for their guests.

compiled by Joanna Arpie

BREAKING AND ENTERING AT TERIYAKI HOUSE
On Jan. 8 at about 10:30 a.m., police responded to a radio call from a Teriyaki House employee. The witness said upon arriving to work around 10 a.m., he saw that the restaurant was broken into and robbed.

The witness said the cash register holding approximately $900-$1000 was emptied. According to the witness nothing else was missing. Police recorded no visible damage to either the front or side door. However, the witness said the owner might have left the side door open when closing the restaurant the night before.

The restaurant’s side door opens out to a common hallway shared with Boston Conservatory. An officer spoke with a Longwood Security Officer who said the only people who have access to the hallway are employees and students of Boston Conservatory. D-4 detectives were notified and security footage will be made available.

SHAWS EMPLOYEE ARRESTED LARCENY
On Jan. 18 police received a radio call for an employee being held for larceny at the Shaws Supermarket located at 33 Kilmarnock Street. When police arrived a witness said he saw the suspect on a store surveillance camera, “suspending” a transaction and placing $30 into her uniform apron. The witness said the cashier then used the money to purchase a pack of cigarettes and a prepaid phone card.

When confronted, the employee confessed to taking the money. She also admitted to taking approximately $40 every shift she has worked over the past year through a combination of “voided” and “suspended” transactions while cashiering. The store reported that to be about $11,520 in total.

The employee signed an admission of her actions. She told officers she was taking the money and giving it to her mother to help her buy a house. The employee was placed under arrest for larceny and transported to District C-8 for booking.

DISTURBANCE OF THE PEACE ON GAINSBOROUGH STREET
On Jan. 22 at approximately 12:25 a.m., a Northeastern University Police Officer was flagged down in front of 52 Gainsborough St. by the staff of “Our House East” bar. They said a black college age male, had started a fight in the bar and because of this was removed from the premises. Once outside the bar, the man preceded to throw a large sign and a stand up ash try on the ground. Afterwards he walked away screaming and yelling.

NUPD encountered the man and told him the bar’s management did not want him to return tonight. Police said it was evident that he was extremely intoxicated. He started to yell at the police officer stating that he was only being stopped because he was black. He was clinching his fists and police had to tell him several times to keep his hands out of his pockets.
Police told the man to go home to which he responded “no,” and began following the officers, yelling to them that he would not go home. Police asked him again to leave the area.

At this time a female exited the bar and attempted to get him to leave but he began yelling at her as well. Police told him to leave a third time and he refused. Because the situation was causing cars to stop and people to gather and watch, the man was placed under arrest for disorderly person

He was transported to Boston Police Area D4 for booking. While en route to the station he began to hit his head on the plastic cage and while in the booking area he started punching himself in the face. No visible injuries were caused.

TROUBLE ON EDGERLY ROAD
On Jan. 4, police received a call from a woman who said two unknown individuals threatened her over a parking space on Edgerly Road. The victim said as she drove down the road looking for a parking spot she noticed a car without a resident parking sticker and asked if they could move their vehicle. The victim said they refused to move and when she asked them again they started screaming at her. She said they were yelling profanities and stated, “You will see.” The victim described the pair as a Caucasian male and female, 18-20 years old. The male is about 5’10”, thin build and brown hair while the female is about 5’5”, thin and also with brown hair.

ASSAULT & BATTERY CHARGES AT MCKINLEY PREP HIGH SCHOOL
About 12:55 p.m. on Jan. 4, a police officer was escorting a prisoner to a BPD cruiser when he heard and observed a student yelling and getting out of control. The student (White-Hispanic male, about 5’5”, weighing approximately180 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes) then pushed and punched two teachers. In fear of anyone else being battered in attempts to restore the peace, a police officer attempted to place the student under arrest. After a brief struggle, the officer was able to safely place the student under arrest. The student was charged with two counts of A&B and Disturbing a  School Assembly.

COMPUTER STOLEN ON HEMENWAY STREET
On Jan. 20, police responded to a radio call for a breaking and entering report at 165 Hemenway St. Police spoke to the victim’s who said when they returned home they discovered their laptop computer was missing from their kitchen table. The victim’s said they noticed the window next to the kitchen table was open. Security bars were on the window however suspect(s) could have easily reached inside and snatched the computer. D-4 detectives will further investigate the matter.

IPOD STOLEN FROM CAR ON BROOKLINE AVENUE
A woman reported that her car (a black, 1999 Honda CRV-station wagon) was broken into while it was parked in an alley near 160 Brookline Avenue. The victim discovered the small window on the passenger side had been smashed and her IPod Nano was taken from the glove department.

STUDENT ROBBED ON HEMENWAY
On Jan. 25 at approximately 5:30 p.m., while walking down Hemenway Street a student (Male, 19 years of age) was approached by five white males. According to the victim, the unknown persons surrounded him and demanded he hand over his money and watch. The victim described one of the persons as being 5’10”, in his early twenties, with facial hair on his chin and dressed in a black hoodie and puffy coat. The victim handed over $240 and a Marc Echo watch valued at $200. According to the victim, no weapon was present during the incident. After receiving the money and watch the suspects ran toward the Fens.

ROBBERY AT KNIFE POINT ON WESTLAND
On Jan. 26 a student was robbed at knifepoint while walking near 8 Westland Avenue at approximately 7:30 p.m. The victim described the suspect as a 6’2” black male, weighing around 200 pounds, and wearing a black hoodie, baggy blue jeans and white footwear. While holding a folding knife measuring about 7” long, the suspect demanded the victim give him whatever money he had. The victim handed over $40, after which the suspect continued to flee towards Massachusetts Avenue.

ASSAULT & BATTERY AT 80 FENWAY
On Jan. 29 police responded to an assault and battery report at 80 Fenway at about 10 p.m. Upon arrival they spoke with the victim who said he was attacked by three men. The victim said he met the suspects earlier at the Mass Ave T Station and “hung out and smoked weed” with them. Afterwards the victim and suspects walked around the Fenway area, stopping at 80 Fenway to get shelter from the cold. According to the victim it was then that the suspects “jumped” him. The victim said he was able to fought off the three suspects until he accidentally punched in a glass window at the front entrance of the building, causing the suspects to flee. The victim suffered only minor injuries and according to police reports the incident is under further investigation.

LARCENY AT HOTEL INTERNATIONAL
On Jan. 26 at about 11:45 a.m., a guest at the Hotel International at 12 Hemenway St. discovered his wallet was stolen from his room. The contents of the wallet were valued at about $300.

FIGHT ENSUES OUTSIDE OUR HOUSE BAR ON GAINSBOROUGH
At about 3:46 a.m. on Jan. 29, police responded to an assault and battery report at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Police spoke with two victims who said they were beaten outside Our House Bar at 52 Gainsborough St. after requesting that the manager call the police in regards to their stolen jackets. The manager told the victims the stolen property was not his responsibility and refused to call the police. The victims were then escorted out of the bar where words were exchanged and a fight ensued.
According to the victims they were punched and kicked repeatedly. One of the victims recalled being hit across the face by what he thinks to be baseball bat. He says he also saw his brother get struck on the head with a bottle. One of the victims was found with a large lump in the middle of his forehead while the other suffered severe swelling across the right side of his face along with various cuts on his face. The victims could not describe the assailants but said they believed them to be bar employees.

AUTO THEFT OUTSIDE HOUSE OF BLUES
On Feb. 1, a woman reported her car, parked at 1 Yawkey Way, stolen. The victim stated she parked and locked the vehicle at about 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 31. She then attended a concert at the House of Blues and upon returning from the show found her car missing. The victim and her friend took a cab to the nearest police station where police notified the stolen vehicle unit.

MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT AT FORSYTH AND HUNTINGTON
On Jan. 26 at 2:28 p.m. Boston Police and Fire responded to a motor vehicle accident report at Forsyth Way and Huntington Avenue in which two cars were involved in a minor rear-end collision. One of the car operators said she was unaware that she hit the other car until the other operator got out of her vehicle and began yelling. She also stated the other two passengers in the hit vehicle exited the car and began threatening her. Police spoke with said passengers who denied such claims and said the car operator refused to exchange information and that they believed she was thinking of leaving the area. According to police reports, no visible damage to either vehicle resulted from the accident and all parties involved agreed. The operator of the hit vehicle said she was two months pregnant and was transferred to Beth Israel Hospital with abdominal pain. The other driver suffered no injuries.

We got this message 6 days ago, but misplaced it in the post-elections shuffle:

Councilor Turner released the following message to his supporters:

November 4, 2009

Dear Supporters,

I am thrilled to have won such a landslide victory in yesterday’s
District 7 City Council race. I view this victory not only as a
mandate to continue my leadership as Councilor but also to continue my
fight to prove that former US Attorney Sullivan tried to publicly
humiliate and jail me despite his knowledge that I am innocent.

Now that my continuation as the District 7 Councilor is assured, I
will focus my attention on disposing of the government’s bogus case.
As long as the question of my guilt or innocence is unresolved, I will
not be able to serve as a Chair of any Council Committee based on a
ruling by the Council President. Thus to eliminate this impediment to
my service I have directed my lead lawyer, Barry P Wilson, to prepare
a motion to dismiss the charges.

I have also instructed him to take whatever steps necessary to secure
the “so called evidence” that the government claims to have. I
continue to believe that the government’s demand that I give up my
freedom of speech in order to receive “their evidence” is an
outrageous denial of justice. However, my lawyers advise me that their
ability to see the “evidence” strengthens their ability to prove
former US Attorney Sullivan joined the historic pattern of government
persecution of black elected officials by basing his case on his
political desires not on the pursuit of justice.

Since receipt of the “evidence” will limit my ability to discuss the
particulars of the case, I will focus my discussion in the court of
public opinion on US Attorney Sullivan –his history, his objectives,
and his relationship to the press. It is amazing that the Boston media
has focused so little attention on former US Attorney John Ashcroft’s
bankrolling Sullivan’s future despite the profile of Sullivan as a
weak, somewhat inept US Atty.

In closing, let me thank all of you who supported me during the
darkest moment of my life. Without your support, I would not have
survived the early assaults and certainly would not have had the
strength and courage to persevere despite the odds and the attacks. I
am truly indebted to you all. Let me end by publicly thanking Terri,
my wife, for her love and faith which has served as a shield against
the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

Sincerely,
chuck

BY STEPHEN BROPHY

Three men sexually assaulted a woman as she walked on Agassiz Road early in the early morning hours of October 25, according to a report in The Boston Globe.
“The woman said she tried to ignore the men [after they stopped her on the sidewalk], but one of them knocked her down, dragged her into a bushy area, and sexually assaulted her,” said James Kenneally, a Police Department spokesman. “The woman said the men fled toward Park Drive after the assault.” The Department has asked that anyone with potential information call the Sexual Assault Unit at (617) 343-4400.

Ironically, with the increased police presence in the Victory Gardens, a police cruiser was likely nearby, but Agassiz Road is not very visible from the gardens.

While apparently an isolated incident, the assault has awakened the concerns of Fenway residents about the safety of that particular stretch of road. Erica Mattison, a board member of the Fenway Civic Association, gave this reporter via email a list of “some … measures for which we [Fenway Civic] have advocated and will continue to do so.” The list includes getting the Parks Department to cut back reeds close to the sidewalk and do more regular maintenance on trees and shrubs to eliminate hiding places; working with various departments of the City to “restore the Duck House and have it occupied;” getting the State’s Department of Conservation and Recreation to install better lighting; and getting the Police Department to increase after-dark patrols on Agassiz Road.

When told that other residents were thinking about asking for a police call box somewhere on the road, Mattison said the association would add that measure to its list. She asserted that “We will be contacting our elected and other officials to ask for their action on these items. We will be encouraging other organizations to do the same.”

Matti Kniva Spencer, a long-time West Fens resident who organized the Peterborough Street Crime Watch several years ago, advocated for concerned residents to “go to meetings. The police hold two community meetings every month…and people should really go to them.”

This month’s meetings will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at Morville House, 100 Norway Street, at 6 p.m. (East Fens) and Wednesday, Nov. 18, in the District 4 Police Substation in the Landmark Center at 5 p.m. (West Fens) See “Community Meetings on our calendar page every month for dates and times of future meetings. Spencer’s crime-watch group meets less frequently, and he says that anyone who wants to know when the next one is scheduled should e-mail him at comeshome@verizon.net.

The Fenway Community Development Center is considering a variety of responses, including calling a meeting with City Councilor Mike Ross to advocate for a call box. It has encouraged people to 1) go to the community police meetings and 2) contact their elected officials with their concerns. It says it will also offer support to any other organization or individual who wants to organize a public meeting or workshop on safety issues.

Police Patrolling the Agassiz Road
Sidewalk – photo by Steve Wolf

by Meena Ramakrishnan

Last month, police increased patrols in the Fens after residents and gardeners complained about finding condoms, needles and trash in the Victory Gardens. Gardeners have been pleased with the response, but some argue that the police presence has jeopardized gay rights by patrolling a well-known gay cruising site.

“The perception in the gay community is that police have been targeting gay men who use the parks,” said Don Gorton, Chair of the Anti-Violence Project. “That has created considerable concern–that there is a desire to sweep loitering gay men out of the park.”

GLBT liaison Officer Javier Pagan said that after receiving complaints, police sent officers to patrol the area on foot after the mounted horse patrol was disbanded because of budget cuts. “There must be a misunderstanding about what is supposed to be going on,” Pagan said.

In response to the concerns over civil rights, City Councilor Mike Ross posted a statement in the Bay Windows to address the intentions of the police in the Fens. He said the police cannot ignore a legitimate complaint and have a responsibility to maintain safety. “The Boston Police Department is working to police the area to prevent crime that hurts the Fenway community — not profile those who may utilize the Victory Gardens as a meeting place,” Ross said.

“I’ve been pleased by the Police Department’s ability to recognize the difference between regulating behavior and preventing crime, which is illustrated by the fact that no one has been arrested for public sex after patrols were increased.”

According to Gorton, however, a gay man had been arrested for a sex crime. Gorton did not have exact details of the case, but the Anti-Violence Project is hoping to have the charges dismissed. Pagan said the person was summoned to court, but he did not have any further information.

“Despite command intentions, command communications were not publicized. Public information, I think is the answer,” said Gorton. He also said gay men have told the Anti-Violence Project that patrol officers were “terry-stopping” them in the Fens without suspicion that a crime was or will be committed. In a terry-stop, officers are allowed to briefly detain the person, ask questions and take down contact information.

“The number of stops involving gay men in the fens has increased after heightened patrols began,” said Gorton. Pagan said that while officers have been instructed to enforce the closing time of the Fens, they are not there to prevent people from using the reeds. “But if you enforce the park closing at dusk, then people can’t go in there and do what they do,” he said.

While sex in public is illegal in Mass., civil rights lawyers say that if consenting adults are concealed from passersby, then no law is being broken. Pagan said there have been previous law suits regarding public sex in Boston, so officers are not concerned with searching in the reeds. “When they have sex outside in the phragmites [an invasive species of reeds that lines the Muddy River], it gives them the expectation of privacy. You are surrounded by woods, and technically you’re not violating any laws by having sex in public,” said Pagan.

The phragmites around the Muddy River will be removed under the Muddy River Restoration Project’s plans to restore the landscape and improve flood control and water quality. Plans for removal are already underway. “Muddy River Restoration Project is going to change the entire landscape. Eventually they’ll have to close the entire area,” Pagan said.

The Victory Gardens was vandalized after the patrols started. Some gates were bashed, fence posts uprooted, and fence wiring damaged. More than 40 garden fences were affected. No one has been found responsible for the destruction, but some think that the vandalism was in retaliation to the patrols.

According to Pagan, around eight robberies occurred in the Fens a few months ago. Six of those involved gay men who had met someone in a bar, and then were robbed by that person in the Victory Gardens. Pagan posted signs in gay bars in Boston and has advised people to be smart about who they meet. He said the police have been working with gay rights groups, such as Fenway Health and Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD).

Meena Ramakrishnan is a journalism student at Northeastern.