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Walsh: Boston remains an 'open city'

Marty Walsh takes a look at stuff happening elsewhere and vows not in his city, the Herald reports.

"That can't happen, we are not going to accept it,” Walsh Told the Herald. “If there is bullying in schools, we are going to take the appropriate actions. If there's attacks in the streets, we are going to arrest people and prosecute them."

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Comments

So I should feel safe wearing a Trump hate tonight while walking through the Common?

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Blatantly advertising your hate like that. I think Greyhound has good rates to Ohio, though.

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It is not hate to want the laws of this country enforced.

What is free speech if it can't include speech you dont like?

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Are you that blinded by your Trumphilia that you can't recognize a stupid riff on a stupid spelling mistake?

Yeah, he should be allowed to walk across the Common with his Trump hat on. Sorry, but I draw the line at somebody walking across the Common with his Trump hate on.

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are you so desperate to make a trump joke that you forget that most people don't tend to notice a spelling mistake that makes it all the way to the 'save' button? especially a spelling mistake that won't trigger spell check, as it is an actual word.

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It's called proofreading and it's not difficult.

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I don't normally make cracks about people's spelling, especially given what mine is like. After the past week, though, I admit, this one was just too easy.

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Unless you love the next President, then it's ok to hate you and assault you.

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This reminds me of the quote: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Then again, none of us should yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater when there isn't any fire.

I'm really interested to hear others' thoughts about this.

(I feel the need to caveat that I voted blue, believe very strongly in nonviolence, and I think that Trump's presidency is a major step backward for human dignity, particularly for people of color, immigrants, Muslims, and other groups that have been systematically disenfranchised.)

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Wearing a Trump hat or even exhibiting Trumpish opinions that can be construed as hate are the same as yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theater. Even worst case, we are allowed to have hateful opinions.

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Aren't the same as yelling fire. The typo gremlins struck me too!

Where's the edit button on this thing?

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Then you can edit your comments

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He's not president yet.

Didn't vote for him (or her), but he's the president and he deserves a chance. Maybe we should get behind him and help push before trampling him?

Maybe he'll surprise some people. He's already backpedaling on some things.

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If he actually did all the things he said he would do during his campaign he would be the first person in the history of politics to do so.

and lets face it, he won and thats impressive, but he aint THAT impressive.

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Yah. That.

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If a guy pounds on the door and yells that he's going to kill me, I let him in because why should I always assume the worst of people

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Donald Trump pounded on your door and said he's gonna kill you?

Y'all need to chill out and save your energy for the bogey man. With this guy in office, he could just show up. Until then, much as it pains me, Donald Trump is our president come January.

Deal with it.

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Please, keep me posted when I am permitted to get freaked out about the direction this country is headed in

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i'm willing to give him a chance, but not denouncing hate crimes made in his name is a big problem. Also, hiring a known anti-semite into his top advisors doesnt help.

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Take off your hate if ladies are present

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I was at the rally/protest/whatever on the common yesterday. There were several thousand anti-Trump demonstrators, and right on the edge of the crowd, about a dozen Trump supporters. They were all white, college-age males, wearing MAGA hats and carrying Trump/Pence signs. At one point, one of them came into the middle of the circle and started shouting insults at the protesters. They chanted "love trumps hate" to drown it out until he went back to his friends. Other than that one interaction, the trumpies were simply ignored.

If nothing happened when those boys were outnumbered 500 to one, you'll be fine on your way to the train. Only in your fevered imagination are white conservatives the group with something to fear in Trump's America.

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Ideally it is an open city, but the "rabble-rousers" are out there looking to start trouble and incite violence.

On Thursday night I rode the Green line from Kenmore to No. Station. At Copley two young men got on board who were clearly somewhat intoxicated and started approaching people that were somewhat darker-skinned than themselves asking of they were Mexican. Then stating "you're outta here in a couple of months, dude" and similar.

To their credit, these people ignored them.

The trolley operator, a black man, was about to toss them off the car when they got off at park on their own.

Social media such as FB and Reddit are reporting similar confrontations from a wide mix of age groups.

This is not good. There no harmless fun in this.

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Check out it's website. It advises all people who witness or experience this to first notify the authorities and then to report it. The link for reports is on their website. They do good works and if you have a few $$ looking for a new home, that's one that will give it a good one.

Has anyone become aware of the idea of wearing a safety pin on outerwear to signal people being harassed that they are a safe haven and will shield/help them?

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but let's also remember that it helps no one to engage in passive-aggressive fearmongering and otherizing of the people who didn't vote for your favorite politician.

The rule of law works because we all believe it does. If half of us don't, that'll be a self-fulfilling prophecy faster than that exact same half would like it to be.

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That if a person is concerned they may be the target of violence it's kinda their fault for believing it may happen?

Or that it's very reassuring that our mayor has such confidence in the rule of law being able to keep all Bostonians safe?

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that saying "we're a country of laws for everyone at all times" has a different flavor to it than "we're still an open city." The former is confident, the latter is fearful.

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Or perhaps just a warning to would be lawbreakers that they won't be able to pull that crap here.

And to answer the inevitable retort: Yes, of course, the city should be working to fight homegrown crime. And it is. And it's possible for a large city to deal with more than one problem at a time.

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And to style. I read that and I hear the guy trying to reassure and pander at the same time. The former is fine, given that so many libs seem to be honestly traumatized.

The latter's in the same ballpark of "do not want" as Trump making an off-color joke about unfair protests and Hillary blaming Comey for saying the word "email" out loud.

Ya know? Adulthood: someone harrasses a lawful resident on the street? String 'em up for all to see (metaphorically, after due process). Someone doesn't feel like they know where they are anymore? Don't feed the fear.

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Would seem to include Mr Walsh if he is engaging in a conspiracy to violate federal immigration laws.

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Thanks to the federal system we have in this country (you do know what that is, don't you?), local authorities do not work for the feds. If ICE wants to conduct their own raids, they're free to do so, but there's no law that requires BPD (or Somerville Police) to make immigration a part of their everyday work.

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I do know what the federal system is, and I know that federal law supercedes local law. Mr Walsh seemed to be implying that he would continue sanctuary policies regardless of any possible changes to federal law.

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Go dig a deeper hole.

Or, maybe, Teh Google is for you!

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Unfounded concern is not a legitimate concern. If anyone truly feels threatened there is recourse for that. Get in touch with your local police department.

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By the time somebody is in a threatening situation, it might be too late to summon police help. Better the kind of people who might pull that sort of thing be on notice before they get here.

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That's an NRA talking point in its nymph stage. You can't say that. Those are our words.

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The Mayor's statement is so unnecessary, unless he knows something we don't.

Bostonians recently been handling civil disobedience pretty well without going to the extreme.

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I'm glad the mayor (and the attorney general) have reassured us that, as Roman would put it, the rule of law still applies in Boston and that the city will react appropriately to violations. I was heartened to see Gov. Baker make a similar declaration in the Globe about health care; would be nice to see him make similar reassurances about all the other reasons people in this particular state might have to worry (if he has, and I've missed that, would be grateful for a link).

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Nice to see Mayor Trashbag waking from his coma!

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Well, now that he lost his ticket to D.C., maybe he will stay awake for us!

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Is Walsh equating bullying of legal immigrants with not being a safe haven for illegal immigrants?

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He wasn't talking about sanctuary-city status, he was talking about how the city is going to protect all of its residents and how it will remain, well, open, to them. Immigrants, undocumented or otherwise, are hardly the only people worried about their future in Trumpland.

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-- how the city is going to protect all of its residents --

This resident protection scheme you speak of... is it provided by law or is it just a casual policy of the current administration? If it is law. then what are the penalties for when the city fails to protect all of its residents? Are the residents of the next town over covered by this protection scheme in any way while on city property?

For the record, I like government empowered with the ability to dispense justice - and even then only the judicial branch should be allowed to do so. Residential protection via government... not a fan. Not a fan at all. Government protecting the rights of the residents, now that is a peach of an idea.

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If some one is victimizing people who are afraid to speak up, that raises the chances that you will also be victimized because that person isn't caught and convicted.

If some one is afraid to turn in their uncle or brother or cousin for fear of deportation, that makes you less safe.

These are the realities that the police and mayors are addressing - not making your feelings feel good by regurgitating talking points that you want to hear.

Thinking is hard!

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-- this protects you too --

I am not protected by the city of Boston - not that I would much care to be. I am not a resident of the city of Boston. I grew up in, was schooled in/by, and am a regular visitor.

My current town does not protect it's citizens. We have a few town-provided services that can be used as a temporary tool of protection if needed but the ratio of such personnel is like 800 to 1, so only an idiot would ever think of relying on the government for protection.

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I hope Michael Flaherty, Ayanna Pressley or Michele Wu runs against this dingbat next year!

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Agreed! Marty has made the
assumption that he can ride
rough shod over sections of
the electorate and it won't
matter. Note his spineless
performance during the
BLS bruhaha. But a lot
folks would back a viable
canidate. Michelle wu?

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