Boston mayor: Positive rally was tarnished by chaos, destruction

BOSTON — As Boston cleaned up the aftermath of a night of chaos and destruction that broke out after a protest march, Mayor Martin Walsh said it will be a priority of his "to create more spaces for people to have peaceful outlets."

"Those who want to participate in vigils can express their message and do so safely, and they should be able to do that safely and not worry about having a brick thrown at somebody and hitting them in the head," Walsh said at a Monday afternoon press conference. "That is not what this is all about."

The march in Boston on Sunday, like others across the country held to push for racial justice and condemn police brutality, was sparked by the recent death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man in Minneapolis who said that he could not breathe while a police officer knelt on his neck.

Addressing the media alongside Police Commissioner William Gross and Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins, Walsh said much of what occurred Sunday -- including young people "speaking from the heart" and faith leaders providing guidance -- was "overwhelmingly positive," and that the 20,000 people who took to the city's streets were spreading a message that would move society forward.

What happened after the protest -- including clashes with officers, the burning of a police car, smashing of store windows and looting -- was an attack on the values espoused by the demonstrators, and on the city of Boston and its people, Walsh said.

He said "some of our most cherished public spaces," including the Boston Common memorial honoring Civil War officer Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment, were damaged, and that there was "untold economic damage" to businesses downtown and in the Back Bay.

"This was the very last thing that our city, quite honestly, needed," he said. "Some of those stores have been badly hurt by the pandemic, and are just on the verge of coming back. They're fighting to survive."

Officials said nine police officers and 18 civilians were taken to the hospital Sunday night, and 53 people were arrested. Twenty-seven of those arrested were from Boston, 24 from other communities, and two were from other states. A summons was also issued for an out-of-state resident.

Gross said he broke down the arrests by residence to combat a stereotype "that those hell bent on destruction just came from the inner city of Boston."

In addition to the officers hospitalized, "there were several more that said, this is not going to happen in our city and no one's going to take over our city and burn it to the ground," Gross said. Dozens of officers were treated on city streets for their injuries, according to the police department.

Rollins said three sessions of Boston Municipal Court were involved in "prosecuting individuals that disgraced George Floyd's memory by looting and burning police cars and throwing objects and debris and, in fact, even shooting at officers, I am told, in a drive-by situation."

"That is unacceptable. You will be prosecuted and held accountable," Rollins said. "But I will also say that buildings can be fixed, and I am happy that those officers, I hope, will make it out of it, as well as civilians. There are lives that were stolen, and people that were lynched and murdered, and they are never coming back."

Rollins described herself as "exhausted."

"As your elected district attorney, we have looked around this country and seen police officers -- people that Black lives pay taxes to fund these positions -- shoot us in the street, as if we were animals," she said.

Rollins thanked the police officers and members of the Massachusetts National Guard who responded to the unrest Sunday night and said there exists a "burning rage" around the numbers of Black Americans who have died at the hands of police.

"People are disgusted and outraged, and they should be," she said. "And it is completely ironic to have to say to you, please don't be violent. Please keep your voice down. Please be silent and comply with all of the police's requirements, when in fact, it's those very people that murder us with impunity. But that's where we are right now."

Walsh said he wanted the city's Black community to know that "I hear your message, and I will continue to be your ally." He said the thousands of protestors showed up Sunday to express sadness, frustration and anger and that "hundreds of thousands of people" in Boston's neighborhoods are angry as well.

"The actions of some last night hurt that cause and hurt a community that is already hurting more than anyone should ever have to bear," he said.

He said he wanted to express gratitude to the city's police officers, firefighters and EMTs for their "courageous and compassionate service last night and every night" and described Boston as a "united city."

"We will heal from this and we will come back stronger," Walsh said.