Attorney General in Lawrence
The media advisory we received said that representatives of Maura Healey’ office would be at Iglesia de Dios de la Profecia, 54 East Haverhill St., Lawrence, on Tuesday night from 7:30 to 9:30 and it said that her staff “will be answering questions on a variety of issues including civil rights, workers’ rights, health care, consumer issues and insurance.”
Around 80 individuals attended the meeting in the hope of sharing their concerns and quietly sat through a PowerPoint presentation on the Minimum Wage Law, Earned Sick Time law and the domestic worker’s law. It was important information that could benefit our community but, when Jose Alfonso Garcia pressed the presenter with a question about retaliation, she got flustered and could not answer. She even suggested that municipal employees are a different breed not covered by workers’ laws applicable to private industries.
Apparently, she had not read a flyer that I picked up at one of the tables entitled, Anti-Retaliation Protections Under the Massachusetts Wage and Hour Laws, which doesn’t show any distinctions or categories of employees.
Soon thereafter, the meeting ended at 8 o’clock, not 9:30 as scheduled. I was not given an opportunity to present my complaints dealing with basic human rights and civil rights violations, workers’ rights that are being trampled on, health care benefits of the dozens of workers fired and their families left unprotected as part of the retaliation going on from Mayor Daniel Rivera.
I hope the statement I left with Mr. Marcony Almeida-Barros is read by someone before it is forgotten.
I wanted bring to their attention how we are being condemned to a life of ignorance by the lack of news and information offered to the residents, namely the local daily newspaper and Lawrence Community Access Television. This is a service for which cable subscribers pay but we have no access to produce our own programs as the law provides. The community is completely unaware of important issues going on because of the lack of information. I firmly believe that this is a concerted effort from Lawrence Community Access Television to keep us ignorant.
Lawrence police has serious problems of discrimination, racism, harassment, poor relations with the Spanish-speaking community and a huge need for more Spanish-speaking officers. This city spends millions of dollars each year as a result of litigations over police brutality cases in legal fees and settlements.
The Community Policing Department is composed of three officers, all white, non-Spanish-speakers who live outside of the city. How can we expect to have good rapport and communication with over 80% population?
The mayor violates the City Charter at will by hiring people without following the proper process, whether or not the position exists on the books or a salary has been assigned for it.
The most blatant violation is the hiring of his supporter, an agronomist, as city engineer without any knowledge of civil engineering, education or experience. The city council canceled his salary after one year on the job as a way to force the mayor to hire a real civil engineer. Instead, two DPW employees received notification that they will be laid off in order to compensate for his friend’s salary.
Then, the three members of the Finance Committee failed to make a decision regarding a $100,000 supplemental budget the mayor had requested within the required 45 days. This method of squirting the law was a blatant disregard of their duties.
Money is being spent in the city like water, according to department heads I spoke to. The mayor hires outside legal firms for everything. Sean Cronin is the Fiscal Overseer appointed by the Commonwealth but he is silent on all the financial problems going on in the city. He was invited by the City Council president to appear at a regular session but never responded. It is estimated by department heads that the city will soon be going on a deficit, in spite of the $15 million Rivera found of free cash in January of 2014.
This city is divided by language and by hatred from both sides. The recall movement taking place outlines these and many other wrongdoings by Mayor Rivera yet, he has not addressed any of them while he is fighting it in the courts system. I believe that all that may result in more political retaliation. The days of McCarthyism are not over and have never been more evident.
While they claim that crime is going down in the city, we published on August 1st crime statistics showing how crime has doubled this year. The local newspaper would not print anything negative about this administration such as the many shootings resulting in injuries going to the hospitals. There was a shooting Monday morning at approximately five in the morning at 161 Park St., between Saratoga and Bennington. Two men were shot and brought to Lawrence General before officers responded to the scene. On of them was shot in the chest and buttocks. Another was shot in the legs.
People are curious and feel frustrated for not getting any news turning to Facebook as a way to share their concerns. Since the Boston media picks up their news from regional newspapers, it explains why they don’t come around as in the past believing that Lawrence is paradise now.
And yes, we have a Human Rights Commission that no one knows what they have been doing all these years except for meeting monthly with the former police chief and giving him a plaque upon his leaving the city, in spite of all the abuses.
More money for Lawrence
Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito came last week to sign a compact with Mayor Dan Rivera. We have the story on page 2 but, while explaining what the mayor plans to do with part of that money, what caught my attention was his plan to hire a second recycling coordinator.
I advised the mayor that now that he has the money, he should give a budget to that department for printing materials and launched an education campaign. Residents need to learn the importance of recycling and how much money the city can save – which will benefit us all.
Lieutenant suspended
Police Chief James Fitzpatrick recently suspended Lieutenant Steve Scheffen, supervisor on the third shift for irregularities in payroll and staffing records.
Plans are now underway to promote Sargent Maurice Aguiler to provisional lieutenant to fill that position while the investigation continues. I only have one question: Why not Sargeant Jose Martinez who is a 30-year veteran of the department and is number one on the lieutenant list?
