Brian Moore spotted workers installing security cameras atop the Parkman Bandstand today, in advance of tomorrow's racist protest and counter demonstrations.
Meanwhile, Union Capital Boston has sort of formalized the idea of making lemonade from Nazi lemons with a pledge-a-dollar-for-every-racist site. Use the site to pledge $1 for every white supremacist and your money will go to a variety of anti-racist groups.
Also, the city Parks and Recreation Department confirmed this morning that, in addition to banning pushcart vendors and shutting the Swan Boats, the city has ordered the Earl of Sandwich to shut down for the day.
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
Free tagging:
Like the job UHub is doing? Consider a contribution. Thanks!
Ad:
Comments
$1 per racist?
By Dante
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 9:36am
By the time this is over, with all the security and prep and cops and cameras, these racist jerk offs (all 150 of them by my prediction) are going to cost the city of Boston tens of millions of dollars.
What's the per capita expense on these shitheads at the end of the day?
It would be nice if ALL protesters
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 10:18am
intent on being attention whores and a pain in the ass, protesters of all political persuasions, including anarchists, do their attention whoring somewhere else. Saturday is a day the majority of people, who aren't living off a trust fund, have off and must do chores. These endless attention whoring protests cause A LOT of problems for the majority of people. And lets not forget the 'who must work in tue city and use the MBTA. They have my utmost sympathy. The whole thing sucks.
It would be great if "whataboutist" ranters
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 10:57am
... learned punctuation and spelling and word usage ...
New phone,
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 12:17pm
smart ass. I have to change the keyboard.
Again,
ATTENTION ALL NARCISSISTIC 'Warriors':
GET AN F'ING LIFE...nobody wants to deal with your endless demands and attention whoring.
There is no improper use of an ellispe
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 1:26pm
in the above post. Perry is making an asumption that the poster didn't, in fact, leave text out.
Hint
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 1:48pm
Look up "logical fallacy" in wikipedia
such ... as
By PerryD
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 12:24pm
... the proper use of ellipses?
Never mind ellipses,
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 1:20pm
why not comment specifically about the substance of the post?
Actually
By SamWack
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 4:51pm
there was more substance in the ellipses.
Bad Strategy by Counter Protesters
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 11:08am
I have been saying since this entire hoo-ha started that the counter protesters need to stay home. It is the counter protesters causing this massive tie-up. Left to their own devices, the racists without any audience or opposition to feed on would fall away of their own weight and their silly little protest would pass like a minor irritation. But with hordes of reactionary "counter protesters" reacting out of emotion and not strategy, look what an ordeal this has already become. A large and positive rally against racist groups such as this could be held on another occasion with a great outcome. But nobody will listen to me about this. A few years ago I inadvertently stumbled onto one of these neo-Nazi rallies at Faneuil Hall, believe it or not. They were a sad bunch and nobody was paying any attention t them, despite a large police presence. IIn fact, a concurrent protest of PETA folks protesting something about veal was attracting a far larger crowd.
And strangely -
By fnolan
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 1:43pm
After that experience of being ignored, here they are gathering again and with greater numbers.
There are more effective strategies
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 3:09pm
"After that experience of being ignored, here they are gathering again and with greater numbers."
Nobody said the hate groups would cease to exist by being ignored. But that potential violence, turmoil and free for all, caused by the presence of "counter protesters", would not ensue. There are more effective and strategic ways to show disapproval of these groups than to try shout them down. A well planned event on another day is one of them.
Enlighten us, then
By lbb
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 5:28pm
Please tell us about the depths of your activist experience that lead you to such conclusions. Because you sure sound like an armchair warrior talking out your ass.
Anon has been saying a lot of things
By cinnamngrl
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 3:15pm
Anon says there not enough single family homes
Anon said I attended many gay rights rallies at the Parkman Bandstand
Anon said "Bless your hearts. I'm gonna pray for you."
Isn't that...
By Really???
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 4:16pm
Exactly how the Nazis grew in popularity? Good ole Germans and neighboring European Countries just let the Nazis be...because you know what squashes hate-ignoring, said no one ever.
False Equivalence
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 11:25am
Fallacy. 5 yard penalty.
what errands are you running on the Commons?
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 2:43pm
Other than tshirt vendors and people selling lemonaid, the only thing you can normally get on the Commons is drugs.
COMMON, not "Commons"
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 3:02pm
Thanks.
price per hater
By Lisfnord
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 4:29pm
You can pledge as much or as little as you want per person marching. It can be 10 cents if you want.
So the rally has not even
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 9:38am
So the rally has not even happened yet, but you're ready to declare it to be racist.
I hope the counter protester folks will at least let them speak, rather than trying to shut it down. We'll see.
That would be because they are racists
By adamg
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 10:27am
Oh, but don't take my word for it. You know Medlar, the organizer photographed on his little dorm bed at Fitchburg State? Here he is at the May Nazi rally on the Common. He's the one wrapped in the green Nazi-inspired racist flag on the left.
Hey look
By anon²
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 10:32am
A racist collaborator is worried they'll look racist.
Yeah, man
By erik g
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 10:52am
What if the confederate apologists waving swastikas and beating black people are just here to play Ultimate Frisbee on the Common? Why should we believe them when they openly pronounce their own white supremacist views? I think we should give them the benefit of the doubt, despite them never having done a damned thing to deserve it. All this talk of "racism" is probably just an elaborate disinformation campaign by those mean leftists.
Rally organizers aren't hiding their white supremacist views
By peter
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 11:01am
Why do you act like the rally's organizers or topic will be a surprise? The speakers who were announced were pretty blatant about their views. Yes, many of them have since canceled, but why would you assume the tone of the event would suddenly change?
Why do you hate self-identification so much?
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 11:27am
These idiots self identify as racists.
It isn't an insult to call them racists. It respects their heritage and their right to self-identification to call them racists!
What part of that do you not get? The part where you agree with them but don't even have the guts to self-identify as a coward?
I attended many gay rights
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 10:09am
I attended many gay rights rallies at the Parkman Bandstand. Are the haters spraying it for cooties? Homo germs can last decades.
Not to mention...
By CopleyScott17
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 10:27am
...costing businesses a day's revenue.
I'm a little bit uncomfortable with the city ordering vendors to relocate and businesses to shut down. I don't see how they would be increasing potential for violence, and if they freely chose to stay open despite any potential danger, they would assume the risk for whatever damage they might suffer.
Plus, if the Earl of Sandwich is forced to close, why not the nearby Tremont Street businesses like McDonald's, Burger King, et. al.? Seems kinda arbitrary to me, but perhaps I'm missing something?
[This was a reply to Dante's comment above]
Tremont Street to be shut to traffic
By adamg
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 10:28am
Don't know about the stores, though.
I may be wrong-- this could
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 2:30pm
I may be wrong-- this could have changed since I got the email, this morning-- but I work on Tremont & we were told that only the businesses directly on the Common (slushie stands, hot dogs stands, arepas stands, etc) would be closed. As far as we've been told, only bars on Tremont will be closing, and that was at bar owner's decision, not the city's.
Bar owners discretion?!?
By roadman
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 4:02pm
More like "Well, if I remain open and a neo-nazi and a counter protestor get into a fight outside my bar, I win a free trip to the Licensing Board."
Discretion? Try "self-preservation."
City owned property
By Blondie
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 11:50am
Police will be focusing their attention within the perimeter of the Common. Having lines or crowds at the vendors with be a distraction. As the City holds the lease for the Earl and street vendors/carts, they can close or restrict hours.
The City is actually is discouraging people from coming to the Common at the time of the rallies. This makes sense to me. As a resident, I will be heading completely in the opposite direction.
I am hopeful that the City of Boston can hold both rallies simultaneously without incident. We have successfully held demonstrations with opposing views in the past.
So, we let the vendors stay open.
By roadman
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 12:13pm
Do you really expect the Hitler Youth and the counter-protesters standing in the same lines to ignore each other and play nice?
Avoiding potential confrontation is far more important than insuring that you can buy a hot dog or a T shirt. And it's only for ONE day.
Instead of letting the day go
By wow!
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 10:53am
Instead of letting the day go on as usual.. Mahty is playing political theater to win re-election.
I'm a trump voter and still support our president.
This event has to do with freedom of speech and it happened in May as well.
This will be a big major dud unless some real nazis (alt left or whichever group they belong to) instigate fights.
Free Speech Rally supporters are just testing the censorship in cities where its being threatened.
In Charlottesville the police had stand down orders.
Our Boston police won't take crap from anyone. They are the best and i pray for their safety and all protesters on either side.
But closing things down like this is just martys way of showing he has control of the city so he can get re-elected.
Take a deep breath. Stop overhyping this.
Um, no
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 11:35am
The event that happened in May? LOTS OF PICTURES. It had shit all to do with "freedom of speech".
Nice try, asshole. If there is anyone more chickenshit than a racist coward, it is a racist coward who can't even manage to own being a racist coward.
Go hide under your bed or get therapy or whatever - JUST STOP LYING ABOUT THIS.
Minimization
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 11:45am
A favorite of bullies!
Anyone with the standard school "anti-bullying" training is trained to spot this cognitive distortion problem, which our Mr. Wow! has ably demonstrated for us.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimisation_(psychology)
Agree
By CalmTFDown
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 1:57pm
Exactly. Hysteria and paranoia anyone? The right is making the left look like fools.
no stand down order
By cinnamngrl
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 2:57pm
Chief Al Thomas of the Charlottesville Police Department on Monday said it was "simply not true" that officers had been told to stand down. But he acknowledged that the police force was "spread thin once the crowds dispersed" and that he had "regrets" about the way the protests were handled.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia also acknowledged that the police were reluctant to engage — but only because they were largely outgunned by far-right militias."It's easy to criticize, but I can tell you this: Eighty percent of the people here had semiautomatic weapons," McAuliffe told The New York Times on Sunday.
Out of curiosity, why did you
By baustin
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 3:00pm
Out of curiosity, why did you mention you were a trump voter and support the president? I am trying to figure out how it advances the argument. I'm not judging, I am truly curious. It just struck me as such a random claim to throw in there, unless it's provided for credibility, like folks who say "I understand flight patterns because I used to work for the FAA" or something.
I see what you did there
By Scratchie
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 4:56pm
Aren't you a clever little boy?
Are these just for this rally?
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 11:43am
Do the cameras get taken down afterwards or are they a new fixture on the Common? Might not be bad if they are permanent. Would catch a lot of goings on on the Common.
I strongly suspect the cameras are temporary
By roadman
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 1:02pm
and will be removed immediately after the "yah vohl" fest.
Permanent cameras, although they make perfect sense, would likely require approval of the Friends of the Common, the Boston Landmarks Commission, the Massachusetts Historical Commission, and perhaps even a Legislative Act.
and if you think I'm kidding, no I'm not
Utter bullshit
By Bob Leponge
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 3:24pm
Friends groups, neighborhood associations and the like are private entities with absolutely no power to regulate or restrict anything, other than via political influence same as any other private entity.
To the extent that they develop a reputation for being sane, for operating transparent processes, and for genuinely representing their constituency, they can have quite a bit of credibility and tend to get taken seriously, but anyone who tells you that a friends group or neighborhood association blocked X or restricted Y, is completely blowing smoke.
I call BS on your claim of BS
By roadman
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 4:18pm
If the Boston Landmarks Commission or the Massachusetts Historical Commission or one of the umpteen neighborhood associations in Boston are opposed to something, they'll get it stopped.
The fact you need "mother may I" review and permission to do something as basic as installing cameras is an example of how pathetic our laws and rules have become.
Those cameras should be taken down
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 5:51pm
"Temporary" power too often becomes permanent power, and we know that we'll have corrupt officials in the future who will be in a position to abuse that power.
What's on the other end?
By PerryD
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 12:43pm
I'm more concerned about the cameras than I am about a handful of racists. How long are the cameras to remain? Who is monitoring them? Is a facial recognition system being used? How long will the images be stored? How will the images be used?
Let's go through this again
By roadman
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 5:20pm
There is NO expectation of absolute privacy in a public place. Period.
I expect some privacy in a
By anon
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 2:51pm
I expect some privacy in a public space.
For example, you can't put a mirror on the ground under my skirt and aim a camera at it.
And maybe you could find a judge who says the government has the legal right to put a camera with face recognition on every iron rung of the fence around the Public Garden, but I'd certainly complain loudly if they did it.
For example, you can't put a
By Scratchie
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 4:57pm
Actually, you could in Massachusetts, until very recently.
We're the ones holding the leash...
By Bob Leponge
Fri, 08/18/2017 - 3:28pm
While there is in general no expectation of privacy in a public place, and while any private individual is free to take any pictures they want there (modulo upskirting, commercial use, etc.), it does not follow that we automatically need to give the police permission to do so. They work for us, the decision as to whether we want them operating surveillance camera networks is completely up to us.
Add comment