"Mayor Michelle Wu Continues to Silence Dissent in the City of Boston"
#ShameOnWu #bospoli #mapoli #1A #firstamendment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mayor Michelle Wu Continues to Silence Dissent in the City of Boston
BOSTON - Two peaceful protestors were unlawfully arrested on Sunday afternoon in the Fields Corner neighborhood of Boston at the annual Dorchester Day Parade. Boston City Council Candidates, Joao Depina and Shawn Nelson, are scheduled to be arraigned Monday morning in the Dorchester District Court after being charged with trespassing, disturbing the peace, and willful violation of a city ordinance.
This news comes as no shock to Boston as Michelle Wu has been weaponizing the police force against her critics and abusing her power as mayor since being elected to the position in 2021 with an extremely low voter turnout. After being protested by hundreds of residents and city employees numerous times throughout her first 3 months in office, Wu convinced the City Council to pass a city ordinance to essentially ban protesting in front of her Roslindale home. When the ordinance didn’t deter her constituents from attempting to remonstrate with her, she made a list of 15 names of her most vocal critics:
“Rob Burke
Catherine Vitale
Sana Cottone
Shawn Nelson
Michelle Efendi
Molly Ferdinand
Padma Scott
Shannon Kay
David Rolde
Karina Lusine
Samantha Muise
Joao Depina
Mendoza Brothers from the North End
A woman with the last name of Thuy”
This list was sent in an email from the mayor’s office to then Boston Police Captain Robert Ciccolo on June 10, 2022. Since this list was sent to BPD, almost every person on the list has been arrested or in some way retaliated against by local government and/or police.
The arrests of Shawn Nelson and Joao Depina were retaliatory and unlawful, and express a major abuse of power by Michelle Wu and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox.
Domingos DaRosa, opponent of Michelle Wu in the upcoming September 9 election, was at the Nashua Street Jail to show support for Nelson and DePina as they were being released on bail. "It's not fair when someone speaks their rights and gets stepped on because of the positions that other people hold," DaRosa says, "these charges are [nonsense] and hopefully people notice that and realize that the regime that's in [the mayor's office] now is not about the people, it's about themselves."
These people are not being arrested because they're committing crimes. They're being arrested because they're effective in embarrassing Michelle Wu! You may disagree with some of their words or their political leanings, but that doesn't mean they aren't entitled to the same rights to free speech as you are!
When did it become illegal to protest in Boston?
Why is it okay for certain groups to use megaphones in public spaces but not others?
These are questions that every Bostonian should be asking - when did the First Amendment die in Boston?
We are living in a place where disagreeing with your local "authorities" can land you in a jail cell!
Nelson was released on $2,000 bail and DePina was released on $1,000 bail.
Donations to Shawn Nelson’s legal defense fund can be made here: https://www.givesendgo.com/shameonwu
Catherine Vitale (Vitale617@gmail.com | 857-257-0120)
RELATED:
