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Just how tough are the windows on the new Orange Line cars?

Howard

Transit Police report arresting an alleged dumbass from Leominster who kicked and punched the windows on an Orange Line door hard enough to create spider-web fractures.

Police say Brian Howard, 27, of Leominster, did his acting out on a moving train around 11:10 a.m. yesterday, then fled at State Street.

A Transit motorcycle cop spotted him on Boylston Street, where he was arrested on a charge of malicious destruction of public property, police say.

The first of the new Orange Line trains, with six cars, is due to pull out of Wellington for the trip south around 10:30 a.m. tomorrow.

Innocent, etc.

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Comments

Is this some new tough guy move, beating on a train window? I hope others on trains take things into their own hands and beat the crap out of anyone doing such a thing.

(Yes, before anyone asks. I'm 62, had a heart operation six months ago, and I'd still do it. I've confronted people in the T before for obnoxious behavior.)

Suldog

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Suldog, you just made my day. I have no doubt whatsoever that you'd step up when needed. Too bad you weren't on the trolley Saturday night when that nitwit hit a 77 year old man for sticking up for the trolley driver. Cops went to Butler station, he ran; however, they caught up with him on River St.

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As much as I would love to agree with you, I can't. It is inherently known throughout the many years violence with violence only breeds more violence. It doesn't work. I am not confused I am not talking about self defense. I'm talking about confronting certain violence with more violence. Shit it even sound insane.

I personally look at this situation as a privileged white kid decided to come in to the city and didn't know how to behave. I hope the MBTA forces this guy to pay for the damage he caused and be required to wear a sign that says I was stupid for breaking the MBTA train window and having to go throughout the system.

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Let the guy know you don't like what he did.
Yell at him.
Take pics/video of the guy.
Follow him, looking for a cop.

Of course, what you do is dependent on your size vs. the dickhead, how scary they look, etc. Just making a lot of noise and harassing the guy does a lot and will get others involved.

Whatever you do, don't do nothing.

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Just because something bad might happen, you won't yell at the guy? Wow. Definitely don't threaten him, but definitely call him out. I'm a skinny 160 lb. guy that looks as threatening as a puppy and have never been in a fight, but I'll certainly let some asshole know he's being a dick.

Seriously, nothing?

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Is not 'privileged'. And 37 is not a 'kid'.

And Leominister is not a suburb.

Jusy sayin', Anthony.

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We can't have nice things.

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Seriously ... 27 years old and still hasn't "outgrown" this shit?

Would sending this jackass back to high school be considered "torture"?

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How is he a year younger than me but looks 20 years older than me?

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We have a very bad mental health crisis. They've been dumped onto the streets for decades now, but it's getting worse.

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I agree.

I agree that they should stand reopening refurbishing or build new mental health facilities.

I also agree, that they should reopen refurbished or build new substance abuse recovery facilities.

However, it has to be a significant substantive process to commit an individual to these facilities. These facilities have to be staffed by certified professionals not paraprofessionals.

And I believe before anyone is released from these facilities they have to go through an extensive exiting process.

Finally there should be a significant re-entry process for the recovered individuals including a free plan of action and supportive Foundation outside facility.

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Let's see - we have for profit prisons and county lockup sherrifs like Mr. Hogwash in Bristol trying any and every gambit to increase their incarceration numbers.

What could possibly go wrong with for-profit "aslylums"???

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I was on a special type of jury a few couple years ago

Our job as jurors was to decide whether someone who had been convicted and sentenced as a pedophile when he was in his early 20's should be released to the public now that he was in his mid 40's.

No one contested his original guilt [it was a mixture of pedophilia and other anti-social behaviors] nor his confinement as originally sentenced in a state facility [sometimes a prison special unit and sometimes in a special facility]. What we the jury had to decide in this trial was whether his advocates had made the case that he was "cured-enough" to be released in a kind of parole, or should "we just keep him locked up".

Unfortunately, just because a person is unfit for civil society [there are lots of formal terms for all the kinds of misfitting which are not germane to the general issue] doesn't at all mean that they are not clever or bright. This guy was very clever from an early age, and also had the ability to master complex technical topics [unrelated to his "crime"] and indeed had done some tutoring of other inmates in the past few years. He also clearly had problems fitting in to our kind of civil society or even his family as he manifested throughout his child and adolescent stages of development. He had trouble at home, in school and out on the streets -- but until he committed the acts which got him confined -- his anti-social behavior was just dismissed as adolescent "what ever." Finally, he committed acts which were brazen and serious enough that no-one could ignore his actions. He was convicted, sentenced to a prison term and then the sentence was suspended so that he could be "cured."

I was the only one on the jury to read all of the hundreds of pages of reports by the mental health professionals [that was the majority of the trial -- voluminous depositions and reports -- No -- Perry Mason, The Practice, or even Boston Legal moments]. Based on what had been testified and presented to us -- I held out for over a week -- tying to get the other jurors to do more than skim the volumes of material. In the end I joined with the majority of the jurors -- as the alternative was a hung jury and a mistrial [the whole process would then have to repeat with a different jury] and we then unanimously found him able to be paroled -- we told the judge and then we were off the hook.

I still don't know if in the nearly 25 years he spent in "our care" that he changed, or that he just out-witted the people who were interviewing him. I suspect more of the latter.

The reality is that neither the jury of citizens of the Commonwealth, nor the highly respected professionals involved on both sides in the case -- really know anything about the future behavior of this individual as he tries to re-integrate into society. It a bit like long-range weather forecasts for the coming winter season -- we understand a bit about what is involved -- but there is no realistic way to do other than a slightly biased "flip of the coin". {warmer than normal or not, snowier than normal or not}.

I was reminded of my experience on the jury [about 5 years ago] by the recent stories in the media of Wayne Chapman the convicted pedophile, convicted child rapist and registered sex offender who has just been released into our midst. While Chapman is older and seemingly physically more limited -- what I've seen and heard of him and his recent behavior while "under our care" is strongly reminiscent of the individual whose case I just summarized and with which I had the "pleasure" of being on the jury and deciding.

All - in -- All -- We as society -- just have to admit that we bought the hopeful story of cure and release into society -- its at best a crap-shoot and we can't afford to stay at the table as people's lives are more and more at risk due to people who shouldn't be on the street shooting [knifing or burning, exploding, etc.] members of the public.

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I believe the new orange line trains have surveillance cameras which will help. It would also help if Transit cops cops got off the motorcycles and out of their cars and actually rode a train like the rest of us.

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Dude's mugshot looks like he's posing in a Boston 311 complaint.

"Sad vandal is sad."

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For mentally ill, druggie homeless.Demand the federal and state government foot the bill for appropriate safe facilities for mental health and adddiction. Including modern facilities to institutionalize those who are a danger to themselves and others.

Demand serious attention to this issue from local, state ans federal politicians. Especially including presidential candidates. It is the root cause for these mass shootings by young males (all had histories of mental health problems; they are all prime age for full onset of severe mental illness).

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If you think that this will ever happen without "FOR PROFIT" getting involved, I have a nice bridge for you to use as a "government funded" facility.

Sounds like someone owns stock in one of those for-profit incarceration and enslavement corporations, no?

I mean, look at how Epstein was "guarded" and tell us that these would be adequately funded and limited to medical treatment and not enslavement of a vulnerable population.

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Do your homework - mental illness has little to do with mass shootings. Entitlement has much to do with it.

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The first of several stories on him.

(He's not the pit bull guy. Scroll down a bit. )

https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/2012/10/16/police-leominster-man-u...

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I think "alleged dumbass" needs to make its its way to the courts.

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