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ACLU looks at First Amendment issues in Cambridge restaurant-licensing decision

By adamg on Mon, 12/17/2018 - 6:48pm

Cambridge Day reports on the latest wrinkle in a never-ending controversy over the UpperWest wine bar. This time, the ACLU is looking at the police commissioner's vote, as one of three licensing commissioners, to punish the restaurant over comments an owner allegedly made to fire inspectors on a visit. He said the comments were threats that demanded punishment; the ACLU, buttressed by comments by the inspectors themselves, said they were not physical threats and fall under the First Amendment.

Neighborhoods: 
Cambridge
Topics: 
Business


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Comments

By Daan on Mon, 12/17/2018 - 7:29pm.

Did someone forget to make their detail payment?

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By anon on Mon, 12/17/2018 - 9:50pm.

So is the police commissioner going to get away with this type of behavior?

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By perruptor on Tue, 12/18/2018 - 5:15am.

During their testimony Nov. 7, each of the fire inspectors recalled the events of that night for the commissioners. A viewing of the video shows that each of their testimonies was inaccurate in the same way: Each misquoted Courtney identically and suggested her comments were the final words uttered, failing to describe what took place after.

Reporter Levy doesn't tell us exactly how the inspectors misquoted Courtney, and it's important because their testimony was the basis for the commissioners' decision.

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By Kim-Impossible on Tue, 12/18/2018 - 10:55am.

Levy is a blogger. He's not to be confused with a reporter. Reporters are unbiased. Levy is in cahoots with Upperwest. It would behoove Upperwest to release the full video to a real news agency unless there's something they are afraid of hiding. I notice that they didn't submit it to the License Board and Levy only ran a still in his blog. Why are they afraid of showing people the entire video? Could it be that one or both of the owners of this establishment WERE bullying the inspectors in the video and only showed the portion of the video that didn't make them look like total crackpots?

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By Marc Levy on Tue, 12/18/2018 - 2:54pm.

I'm in cahoots with UpperWest to do what?

You don't seem to know much about journalism, but if you're interested in learning more about it and/or what I do, you can email me at [email protected]. We can even talk on the phone or meet.

The full audio of the Nov. 7 hearing of the License Commission hearing is at https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/licensecommission/hearingminutes.... The law enforcement inspectors who were there say Kim Courtney got close to them and at least at one point snatched away papers they were hold so she could read them. Do you think that should be punishable by law?

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By anon on Tue, 12/18/2018 - 5:11pm.

Reporters are unbiased.

What planet is this true on?

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By Pete X on Tue, 12/18/2018 - 5:59pm.

The idea that the owners were "bullying" a couple of firefighters is laughable. Even the individuals themselves did not say they were being bullied.

“I did not take it as a physical threat. [Maybe] she wanted to get me in trouble somehow with my position,” Deputy Chief Peter Donovan said. “I took that to mean … that we would get in trouble for being wrong and harassing her,” Capt. Philip Arsenault said.

From the previous article: http://www.cambridgeday.com/2018/11/08/in-wine-bar-candle-case-non-viole...

Based on the previous shenanigans the Cambridge License Commisioners have inflicted on the proprietors of Upper West over the years, I'm gonna have to tend to side with Upper West. This appears to be bullying by over-enforcement of a regulation.

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