August 30, 2024 • 43 mins
Somerville’s Central Library has been forced to close its doors for two hours every weekday after a recent history of continued unruly behavior by rowdy teenagers. Somerville City Councilor Kristen Strezo said this decision came after a year in which library staff complained about rampant misbehavior including reports of teens lighting firecrackers, getting into fights, and disturbing fellow peers. Councilor Strezo joined Dan to discuss the closure.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's with Dan ray On de Boston.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Treating the Boston Globe this morning. It was an interesting
story out of Somerville, and it's a sad story. The
headline on the Globe story was closing over misbehavior. The
Central Library in Somerville now will close its doors on
certain days because young people, teenagers, students, high school students
(00:33):
apparently have been doing some really just crazy things inside
of a library. Now, those of us who grew up
with a library where if you talked of the library
and would come over and say there's no talking in
the library, or they tell us please sh no talking, Well,
I guess the teens have been, amongst other things, lighting firecrackers,
(00:55):
according to the Globe article, getting into fights inside the library.
I mean, this is behavior that is way over the
top and disturbing peers who would come to study relax
after a long day at school. That some kids will
lighten up whatever they will lighten up these days. I
hope it's just cigarettes with us. Is a city councilor
(01:17):
Kristin Stresso Council Stresso. Welcome to Nightside. How are you tonight?
Speaker 3 (01:23):
I'm doing well. Thank you, I'm just fine. Thanks thanks
for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
No, well, thank you very much, And again I just
would like to get a sense from you what is
going on here? You know, this is this is behavior
that shouldn't happen. I think all of us would agree
with that. But what's prompting it? And what do you
think about the response of the library, which which is
(01:48):
to close the library at hours during the week which
would be most convenient to students when school closes. They
basically are saying, Okay, the behavior of some has been abhorrent,
and as a consequence, no one's going to have access
to the library, whether you're someone who misbehaves or someone
who comports themselves perfectly well.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Right, and and that's a great way to summer summarize it.
And I think that a lot of parents, residents, library patrons,
and well everyone is really their mouths are open. However,
the decision to do so was an absolutely last resort.
(02:31):
And I am not speaking on behalf of the librarians,
but it has been a complex issue that has the
what I say by issue a situation of misbehavior happening
inside the library, but it's a it's a culbination of
(02:52):
a few things going on at the same time, and
the decision that the library representatives UH and the trustees
side on. This was the absolute worst of the last
last desperate solution and of this So if we can
(03:12):
break it down, it's it's a couple of things happening
at the same time. We have we have some misbehavior
of some teenagers, but but also we have to make
sure everyone feels safe. So we have to make sure
that everybody feels safe. So when we have incidences of
(03:34):
teenagers dropping firecrackers in the book drop, that's a problem
in our liberation correct during during business hours, not now.
But we also, above everything, we have to make sure
that our teenagers and our youth feel supported as well.
And I'm going to try not to bounce and I'm
(03:54):
gonna trying to talk about because it's the dialog, right,
it's a very it's a couple of things going on.
For while the librarians and the trustees have asked for
over a year and a half now for more support
on what's been going on in the library, more support
via staff, more support the security measures such as cameras,
(04:18):
and so we're really calling on the administration in the
Mayor's office and our city departments to really hop out
with this. There have been a lot of steps in
the past to engage our Somerville youth, our teens and
under under teenagers, such as we opened a team Center,
(04:44):
and they pushed really hard as a counselor to make
sure that happened, because that was one thing that our
teenagers consistently said they wanted some spaces where they can
be teenagers. We don't have that right now. We don't
have we we had a team Center, it had.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
To be relocated.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
We had it when it was opened in November of
twenty one, I believe.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Can I ask you a couple of questions because I
want to try to answer you. When it says Summerville
Central Library, is that the main public library? I know
there were branch libraries. Is that the big one?
Speaker 4 (05:20):
Correct? We have three?
Speaker 3 (05:21):
And the central Library is directly next door to the
high school.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Right, So, therefore, do we have any idea how long
this level of really bad behavior has been going on?
Is this something that has just propped up this summer
or does it have a longer pedigree than that.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
It's been going on for a while. And again we're
not I want to make very clear that there is
no finger pointing of well, these how these teenagers are
these kids? It's not like that at all. It's that
there are numerous steps that we have to be taking.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Oh no, no, I forget that, but I'm just I'm
just focusing first. If I could, you know, just so
I understand this, I don't want to overstate it. So,
if is it been going on for a year? How
long has the library been having to deal with this
level of you know, we'll call it, you know, misbehavior
or juvenile or whatever whatever phrase you want to use.
It's been going on for more than a year.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Definitely over a year.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Okay, so the librarians have been frustrated. Let me ask
a really dumb question. Did anybody come up with the
idea of, hey, why don't we post a police officer
inside the library, you know during the afternoon, you know,
from the time the kids get out of school two
or two thirty until say five o'clock. I mean, did
(06:44):
anyone I mean that I think would serve as that deterred,
would it not?
Speaker 3 (06:49):
It's a good question. And however, we want to make
sure that no and behavior gets completely out of hand.
That is that is still uh that that is an option. However,
we want to make sure that we are uh making
(07:10):
the uh the how do I say this? It's it's
it's ten ten at night. So I'll ask the question.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Did anybody ever say, hey, look, let's have a police
one police officer, just one police officer in that library
beginning let's say two o'clock in the after whatever, you know,
whenever the school gets out two o'clock in the afternoon,
two to five whatever.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
There were questions of ken we hire security, and can
we have security guards? And can we have can we
have a police officer if necessary.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
A security guard? And those kids will laugh at a
security guard, They'll laugh at some guy who shows up.
We're in it, you know, I mean, you and I
both know that. But but if they give a police
officer a hard time, police officers simply calls for us
some backup. And at this point we got kids who
are who are down down in the station house, and
mom and dad have to come by and and and
(08:11):
and pick Junior up. It used to me like a
pretty simple solution here, and the word would spread, Hey,
you know, I mean, you know, let's let's find somewhere
else to cause problems.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
And I haven't been right, and I haven't been in
everyone of the conversations or this, but I know I
do know, right, yeah, but I do know that that, yes,
there have been questions of of everything, and we want
to make sure that we're not we're not uganizing and
criminalizing everything. That the goal is with teenagers, and you
know how teenagers are because we were all teenagers once,
(08:46):
is that we need But.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
I never flung flung. I'm with you.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Yeah, animal house, it doesn't sound.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
Well.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
And that is accountability too. It is very you don't
throw firecrackers either in the book drop and because that
is right next door to the children's section, but also
you just don't do that. Of course they're calling for accountability,
but at the same time, the goal of that first
is to make sure that that we're checking in to
(09:21):
not that that it's not not an issue of criminalizing,
but also checking in what can we do to deflect
and not deflect, but to make sure that we're addressing
issues in front of that, keeping the teams busy, keeping
them engaged, giving them opportunities to thrive, giving them seeing
if we can job placement other things, keeping them busy,
(09:45):
because we know when teenagers are bored, if keep them busy,
because if they're not, they're going to find ways to
not be bored. When teenagers find ways not to be bored,
often things that are not preferred, right because.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Well, Counselor, look, I appreciate, particularly on a Friday night
at ten o'clock, the fact that you'd give us a
little sense of it. I simply would suggest that maybe
just a presence of a police officer would discourage that
sort of behavior. And you know, police officers do have
some authority, and they also have backup. I think a
(10:23):
security guard, some poor guy with a security guard who's
twenty two years old, they probably would be putting firecrackers
down his pants if he was there or she was there.
That's that's not fair. Counselor. Thank you so much for
joining us. You've given us a pretty good sense of it.
I'm gonna I don't want to subject you to phone
lines here, so I'm going to invite folks to call us,
(10:47):
and you probably have enough problems with constituents calling you,
so you've been great to do.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
No, thank you very much for that. I do want
to say that the goal is is that we want
to make sure that that the that we're finding solutions,
and that and that we're being as responsible responsive as possible,
and that and that that city services are being provided.
So we are, so we are so everybody gets a
(11:17):
chance to thrive because it is not I I certainly
don't want to shut out story time. I mean, I'm
not the one who made the decision on closing the library,
but I I can't imagine the concept of not being
able to come for a storytelling with the toddler or
looking at a picture book or teams. We need to
make sure those that that that that that other teams
(11:38):
or other kids that want to come after school and
study and really get to the work, or just pick
out a book that everyone.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
It's a few ruining it for for the for the
for all, and and that has to stop. Keep us
posting on this way, man, if you and if if
you guys, if you guys, put a police officer in
that and that and that calms it down. Give me credit,
will you? Thanks counselor thanks to thank you? All Right,
we take a quick break. If you'd like to join
(12:05):
the conversation. I think that's a fairly straightforward suggestion. If
you've got some rowdy teenagers doing stupid things. They're not
necessarily criminal, but they're stupid. Call it what it is.
Put a police officer there. I would bet you in
a week that problem would go away, because I think
the word would spread amongst the teenagers. You don't want
(12:25):
to go down there and do something stupid in the library. Look,
libraries are having a tough time because fewer and fewer
people are using them. Many people are just relying on computers.
I want to hear from you, particularly if you live
in Somerville. Come on, what's going on over there? You
know this is this is something that is unacceptable. Now again,
(12:46):
this is not MS thirteen. I get that this is
not kids using knives or guns. But you're going to
throw firecrackers inside a library. You're gonna be smoking inside
a library. Give me a break, Give me a break.
Get one police officer inside that building beginning the first
day of school, and I guarantee you the problems, the
(13:09):
problems will move. You will not have the problem in
the library anymore, if you agree with me. Again, sometimes
the easiest solutions are the ones that stare you in
the in the eye. More programs wonderful. I don't think
that's going to solve the problem, because if you got
some kids who just want to go in and raise
hell in the library, they're going to do it until
somebody's there to stop them. Coming back on Night Side
(13:30):
six one seven, two, five, four, ten thirty six one seven, nine, three, one,
ten thirty, you don't coddle problem children. You give them
some guidance, and nothing would be would provide more guidance
than officer friendly inside the library, ready to deal with
whatever comes through the door. I'm convinced any say, any
(13:50):
Summerville police officer could handle that task, and if necessary,
you bring in the cavalry and you deal with whatever occurs.
Coming back on night let's have at it now.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
Back to Dan Ray live from the Window World Nightside
Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
You know, I'm reading the Global article here. There's a
young woman named Autumn Lane. She's an eighth grader. Closing
the library and get riding or getting rid of the
safe space altogether is only going to make the problem worse.
You should be the mayor of Somerville, Autumn Lane.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
That's absolutely true. And the way to make the library
a safe space, a safer space than it is with
kids throwing firecrackers, fights.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Very simple. My solution Somerville. You don't even have to
pay me as a consultant. But one police officer, one
you know, younger police officer, maybe one of the police
officers in the late twenties, early thirties, stationed in the
mins the library and if the problem continues, then you
(15:06):
call in the cavalry if you have to. Uh, that's
the problem. And you know, I know that my my friend,
the counselor O Streso was was a little hasardant to
endorse my idea, but I think that she had some
respect for it, although she talked about we need more
programs and all of that. I think again, you got
(15:29):
to say to people, Okay, you you can't behave in
a library, then you don't belong in a library. And
if when we tell you to leave, you don't leave,
you'll be you'll be taken into custody and we will
will bring the wagon up, and we'll bring a few
more people up, and we'll take you down the police
station and we'll call you parents if you have some parents,
(15:50):
or we'll call your guardians or whomever, uh, and they'll
they'll get you out and we'll see you in court.
The next morning, you won't have to go to school.
The next day you get a appointment in front of
the judge. Simple as that. This is crazy. Apparently, this
is the decision that's been made that the library until
further notice would be closed from eleven thirty to two
(16:12):
pm on Wednesdays. That's apparently the half day in school
that the summer those students again, and on the other
weekdays Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from two to four. Let
me go to Gary see what he has to say.
I will bet you he agrees with me. I could
be wrong, but maybe he has a more innovative idea. Gary, welcome.
How are you well?
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Way back one going to high school between eight years
of combination of seventy seven to eighty one. How I
feel is this when I was in the library, way
back when I was a big kid myself. But I
wasn't one of those separate guys that got jollies out
of beating up somebody and punch them in the face,
because some guys did. Way back. When you get that
certain kid, I knew you'd be in the library, Joey,
(16:56):
I can't find you in school and you punch the
guy in the face. What I'm getting I'm getting a
little graphic here is you get a combination of violence
in libraries that go unreported. You get the facing of
books that go unreported. I mean, where are all the
cameras in a library, because the way I look at it,
like it was a floodgated with cameras in a library.
(17:20):
You get that kid audio in video of him, whether
it's the facing or this that, And somehow the cops
get involved and grab those parents and bring them into
court and say you represent your child, your child did wrong,
and throw out the fines like crazy. You can get
them in the pockets.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Agree, well, that's that's a way to go about it.
I mean, some would argue that the parent, it's very difficult.
Just as you don't visit the sins of the father
upon the son, I guess you also don't visit the
sins of the son upon the father. And some would
argue that, hey, even though the parents did allows e
job bringing the kid up, so he's not small not
(18:00):
to do facebooks in the library or throw firecrackers. But
I'm not opposed to that idea that there should be
some responsibility if the kids aren't responsible, parents are responsible.
I just think that it's it's pretty old school when
I'm suggesting, but it's pretty simple. It's pretty straightforward. Put
a police officer inside the library. So when the kids
(18:22):
come in, and they come in, you'll pack four or
five and they're gonna do this, and they're gonna do
something really stupid, and they're gonna be more stupid than
their stupid friends. So we're friend's gonna throw a firecracker
in the library. I got it. I got a Blockbuster
or a cherry baumb You know, you gotta deal with
these kids at their own mentality, which is you do
(18:45):
something stupid, say hello is some new jewelry. We're going
to put you in handcuffs, and we're going to put
you in the wagon or in the squad car, and
we're gonna hold you down in a cell for a
few hours. We're gonna call you parents, and tomorrow morning
you won't have to go to school. Go see the
tell it to the judge. That's all.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
The other fact too, what back one, what I experienced,
And like I said, I was never a choir boy
all the time.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
But I wouldn't expect Dary that you were a quire boy.
I think I know you well.
Speaker 4 (19:15):
Enough to know that, Okay, harassing librarians who are traditionally
usually women, but there are men, and you get the
punky kids that would harass librarians way back when or
even now in the last fifty years. And what I
say to that is this audio video harassment time these kids,
(19:38):
and don't wastn't get away with it and say you
got a summons and find them. I go to your
homes and say your son or daughter is acting very inappropriate.
Your summons to court because of his bad behavior, harassing
a library, just like McDonald's all these past food places
I experienced this cause I go, I drink dis.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Look, if they're doing stupid stuff at McDonald's, it's up
to McDonald's to take care of them. And if McDonald's
really needs to prevent kids from doing stupid stuff, they
will hire a police officer. As a detail, the city
of Somerville has a police force, and they need to
use the police force win a problem arises. Anyway, Gary,
(20:18):
I think you and I pretty much on the same page,
and I think we're just going at it a little differently.
Thanks man, have a great weekend. Okay, thanks by the
way for those of you who are waiting around for
our presidential poll. We do it every I pledged earlier
this year, and we began doing this, believe it or not,
in March, April, May, June, July, and August. This is
(20:42):
our sixth month doing this. So in the eleven o'clock hour,
about a half an hour from now, once the newscast
is over, we're going to open up the phone lines
and give you an opportunity to cast a vote for
whichever presidential candidate you like or you would like to
see win. It's down to, and neither one of them
named Biden. I think this would be the first pole
that we've done without Biden. Technically, well, he wasn't on
(21:07):
the ballot in July, but RFK was. So now we
will see where this pole will go next hour. But
for now, I want to hear from some of you
in Somerville, Okay, and I want to hear from you
in other communities. If this was going on in your library,
in your town, whether it's Medford or Malden or Methuen,
Haveral or Quincy, Broxton, wherever, what would you expect your
(21:30):
political leaders to do? Now? I did talk earlier this
Hour with Somerville City Councilor Kristin Stresso, and she seemed
to stress that maybe there've had to be some more programs,
and she talked about idle minds, idle hands and all
of that sort of stuff. Devil's Workshop. No, if you
do something that's stupid in a library, okay, you do
(21:53):
something really stupid on the street, you get a little
bit more flexibility. Okay, but you've light a fire cracker,
light a cigarette. Are you going to vape inside the library?
Not going to happen. Well, if it happens, we're going
to have a police officer there who's going to go
over and escort you to the door. And if you don't,
(22:13):
and you're going to be told also, you're not welcome
to come back here for thirty days. Okay take the name,
can't come back band for thirty days. That way, you
don't penalize the good people, the good kids who want
to use the library. It's simple. It's simple. So where
is the political leadership in Somerville? I have no clue.
I used to know off the top of my head
(22:33):
who the mayor was. If you're out there, give us
a call. Anyone in Cambridge, Somerville. These are problems that
we're having with young people. It's as simple as that.
There's a lot of reasons, sociological reasons. You know, single
family parents, single parents and all of that tougher to
raise kids when there's just a mom or dad. We
know that. Okay, However, however, that's a problem that has
(22:57):
to be fault have to be solved. If it's not
solved by the parent or parents in the home, eventually
you got to get the police involved. And it's better
to get them involved early than later. We're coming right
back on Nightside. Light these phone lines up. And by
the way, you know that you have a hall past
at eleven o'clock, so if you if you call anytime
(23:18):
this week up till eleven, you can always participate in
our Friday evening eleven PM straw Pole one hour every month,
and we're going to do this again in September and October,
and we'll kind of see if there's a trend amongst
our listeners or not. And of course we'll see you
on November fifth, who's elected. We'll be right back on
(23:40):
Nightside six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty. Those
lines are wide open. Right now, let's have at it.
It's Nightside with.
Speaker 4 (23:50):
Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Thank you all, let's continue to talk. I'm a little
disappointed in my audience. I think this is a really
simple solution, and I also think that all of the
sociologists and this is not a criticism of my guests,
the City Council of Kristen Stresso. She had a very thoughtful,
(24:13):
I thought thoughtful response, but her emphasis she did not
warm to the idea of putting a police officer inside
the library. Why would you not? Could someone explain to
me maybe why that would not be a good idea,
And if you think it's a good idea, please back
me up on it, because I think that too many
of these cities have said, well, we don't want to
have this is sort of the George Floyd consequence. Because
(24:38):
one police officer loses his mind in Minneapolis and literally
kills an individual that now we have to assume in
some of these progressive communities, and some of it would
be in that category, we don't need the police. Oh,
if there's somebody with a machine gun killing people dout, yeah,
we'll call the police in. But on something like this,
(25:00):
this is you work on something like this, and you
get it done early, and you send a message to kids.
This sort of behavior will not be tolerated in our community.
Plain and simple. I'm going to go to Marty and
Marty down down in Saint Augustine. Marty, welcome back.
Speaker 4 (25:15):
How are you pleasure? And I could relate to this,
but an opposite way.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Sure.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
I moved to Saint Augustine in nineteen ninety three. I
bought my house in nineteen ninety four. I'll be in
here thirty years.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Beautiful, beautiful community. I was there once once. Yeah it's
twice Williams great.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
I mean I'm in a neighborhood. I call it a
gated community without a without a gate.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (25:40):
The community is over one hundred years old. It has
some old houses, new houses and anyway. I used to
ride around several days, five o'clock at night. We don't
have any youth, as they say in Brooklyn. We don't
have no youth problems. We have no graffiti, no vandalism.
Most people don't have boys on a windows. Some of
them you alarms, which I don't like because neighbors look
(26:03):
out for neighbors. However, I was in contact with some
people I went to a meeting and I was talking
to some women from what they call communities. They have
too much development over here, and they're putting what they
call communities and they have what they call amenities that there,
which is the clubhouse. And these women were telling me
(26:23):
about the kids, what they're doing over there and what
it is is because in most cases the parents are
too busy working and they don't have any contact with
the kids or whatever. Now, as far as the library,
I live near the main library in Saint John's County,
ten blocks away. I love my librarians. They go above
(26:46):
and beyond and they have private security there. I guess
what for. I'm a big champion of homeless people. I work,
I support, I'm a representative, and I just look out
for homeless people. They get a lot of stuff is
blamed on them over here, but they come to the
library mostly to use the computer. Some of them come
(27:08):
into the library, they stay there as the air condition until
the library closes and then they go to a field.
So therefore, we do have a private guard company, and
some of these guards I'm six three. Some of these
guards look like if I sneeze, they would fall down.
But there's a presence and.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
At that how does that relate to the problem of teenager.
I'm just trying to make that connection to unruly, belligerent
teenagers in a Somerville is a is a suburb of Boston,
just like probably.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
Let me ask you is there?
Speaker 2 (27:40):
Let me let me finish body if I could, because
I want to ask you a question. You have experience
in law enforcement, Okay. Somerville is a suburb of Boston,
kind of like what Yonkers would be to New York.
It's not part of New York New York City, Yonkers,
as I understand it, It's not one of the boroughs.
So Somerville is close to bar But you got these
(28:01):
kids who are trouble. They got too much time in
the hands. Not too many of the kids who are
coming out of Somerville are coming out as you know,
there's a lot of them who don't see the value
of high school. Let me put it as gently as
I can, okay, And they don't realize that education is
going to be the key to their success in life.
(28:22):
So they go into the library and they raise hell
in the afternoon, fire throws a few firecrackers around the library.
Behavior that is just way over the top. My simple solution,
put a genuine police officer in there, not a security guard,
a genuine Somerville cop, and guess what that will tamt
this whole thing down in about two days.
Speaker 4 (28:42):
Now. Mostly all of our schools in Saint John's County
have what they call a school resource deputy, Okay, And
I really don't like that because, in other words, you're
telling me that somebody is there would have gone in
order to keep order. However, Mike County is known as
people getting involved. So when you're telling me people throwing
(29:02):
firecrackers in the library, that's called apathy because I'll tell
you right now, me or a lot of people I know,
somebody's throwing firecrackers in the library, somebody's going to grab them,
or they're going to follow them. We don't take that
over here to a large.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
One, okay. So in some of them, in some of
the same quality of people who live down where you are, okay,
And I understand the community you live in all of you,
and I think you would be the sort of guy
who would step up and help out. But in some
of them, it's like the lunatics run the asylum, Okay,
(29:36):
in the sense that you know, you have a you
have a bunch of politicians over there who are progressive, uh,
and they don't want to This all comes out of
the George Floyd era.
Speaker 4 (29:48):
Where people said you a question, we'll go right ahead.
The question is I guess I was trying to ask
you before, trying to keep it very gentle. Is there
an ethnic component to those who no, no, no, the
perpetrators are all white kids.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
No, they're all mixed kids. You have all sorts of kids.
Speaker 4 (30:08):
White kids do things bad too.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
Yeah, of course they do. What I'm saying is I
haven't gone over there and decided what percentage of this
what percentage? Because I don't care. They're teenagers. They're teenagers
who have no direction. They're teenagers who no one has
even disciplined them. There's teenagers who have never suffered consequences
for their actions. And so now they're getting to the point. Look,
once you get away throwing firecrackers in a in a library,
(30:35):
or or smoking in a library. You imagine smoking in
the library, then the next thing is, you know what,
I can go in and steal a case of beer.
Speaker 4 (30:43):
Is you a police department and active or a type
that does nothing well?
Speaker 2 (30:48):
First of it's not my police department. It's one city.
Some of them has a bunch of tough police officers. Okay,
we'd be proud to be a member of the somervill PD.
But it's your leadership, your political the leadership in that community.
Speaker 4 (31:02):
Who wants to New York City.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
Well maybe on writ large, ritt large, but no, this
is a very progressive city. They call it the People's
Republic of Somerville. That's all you need to know, Marty.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
Thank you. Well anyway, listen, listen, the progressive politics doesn't work.
And my city of Saint Augustine is also a socialist city.
But the County of Saint John's has twice as many
Republicans as Democrats. And it's regarded as well actually North
Florida as a law in order to place the sheriff's
(31:35):
like to say, if you do something over, he's going
to go to jail.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
Well, I love most of those sheriffs in Florida. I
see some of them as had very creative mechanisms to
invoke and involve law enforcement earlier, earlier in the lives
of young people. They got to understand it when I
was growing up. The police officer was not your enemy.
The police officer was your friend. If you got lost
(31:59):
in a city and you were going into the big
city and you and you were eleven or twelve years old,
you go to a police officer, officer, I'm not sure
where I am. Yeah, but it's all changed money. And
that's why I'm using this as an example.
Speaker 4 (32:13):
I figure, well, then people, if the people are the
way they are progressive and if they vote a certain way,
the problems are going to be there. It's like it's
like having German cockerroaches and just praying when that's not
the way to get rid of them.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
All right, I gotta go money. I'm up against that.
I'm normally you and I are on the same wavelength.
I think that we're in a different wavelength early on,
but I think I.
Speaker 4 (32:33):
Think I when I'm voting, I'm voting for Donald Trump,
not some communists.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
Well you got to call back during the and she's
not a communist. Come on, they're real. The communists are real, bad, bad,
bad people. We've got a different view of the world
that you.
Speaker 4 (32:48):
And I that you and I might have eleven All.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
Right, thanks, money, appreciate it. Thank well, We'll take a break.
Coming right back at night Side. Now back to Dan
Way live from the Window World Nice Side Studios on
WBZ News Radio. Just to emphasize it. The Boston Globe
says one of the members of the school committee there,
he said, we're all kind of blindsided. This school comp
(33:15):
member said he was dismayed to see that one of
the last remaining third spaces in somer of It where
young people can gather without having to buy anything, would
close his stores. Not to mention a library which is
supposed to be a refuge for kids, perhaps especially for
those who were bored and prone to trouble if left unattended.
Here's a quote. Too many disengaged kids in the library
(33:36):
is not a problem, It's an opportunity. I'm hoping we
have the leadership to seize that opportunity. What problem. Let's
go next to Sandy and West Roxbury. She knows libraries, Hi, Sandy,
how are you good? I think it's a simple solution.
Put officers friendly in there who can maintain some order,
(33:58):
and if not, he can call in the count.
Speaker 5 (34:00):
But look what happened when they tried to well, when
they had police in the schools, and then they got
rid of them.
Speaker 4 (34:06):
Well know that parents.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
Yeah, what happened is is you know, I know, got crazy.
The schools aren't safe. Look what's going on down in
place like Brockton. My god, that that's them system out
of control, out of control.
Speaker 5 (34:22):
It's it's parents.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
I don't think it is. I think the parents are
they're concerned about the safety of their own kids. But
what happens is they vote in the progressive politicians whose
attitude is like the fellow, who's whose I just read that? Uh,
to many disengaged kids in the library. It's not a problem,
it's an opportunity. I'm hoping.
Speaker 5 (34:45):
It goes back to the broken windows thing. I know
when I was growing up, I talked once during lunch
I did, I admit it. I tell my parents had
my father had to take that day off from work.
My parents had to come to school. And that was
in second grade. And I'll tell you I never talked
again in months until I was there.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
You used to have the nuns. They were great. You'd
hear the nuns coming down the hall and everybody would
shush up and they'd blow into the into the classroom,
which by the way, was forty five students. Okay, that's
how many kids I had in all of my classes
in eighth grades at Saint Anne's and Reidville. There were
no classes with twenty kids. It was forty five kids anyway,
(35:26):
And the nuns would control us and then walk in
and the nuns will say I heard people talking. Who
was talking? Identify yourselves. Nobody would fess up, Okay, you're
all staying late after school. I mean you know they
had it down. They had it down. Yeah, And look,
you want to if libraries are not a safe place
(35:47):
and a safe refuse, put a police officer in there.
Speaker 4 (35:50):
Oh.
Speaker 5 (35:51):
I agree that it's not going to happen.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
Well in the progressive community like the People's Republic of Somerville.
Maybe not, But I don't know. I'm hoping to hear
from some Somerville people who might agree with me. Who knows.
Speaker 5 (36:01):
I was teaching in a Catholic school on time, and
I had this small group of kids that just wouldn't
stop talking. And they weren't bad kissed, but they were
just stopping the class because it wouldn't stop talking. So
you couldn't keep them after school because of the buses.
So the principal said, no, I wouldn't think of keeping
them after school. I'm going to keep the parents after school.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
How did they do that? What did they do?
Speaker 5 (36:25):
And they just said, if you don't show up here
and sit detention, So three days in a row, your parents,
your children will be stuff. And the parents showed up
and the kids didn't make a problem after that.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
It's just knowing a pressure point.
Speaker 5 (36:42):
Yeah, you really have to get it. Well, it's all
one word respect. When I was growing up, we everybody
respected everybody else until somebody broke a rule, you know, and.
Speaker 4 (36:53):
Then it was looked.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
I was watching the news tonight. There's a young police
officer in Dallas, Texas assassinated in a squad car last night.
Looked to me like a young minority officer. There was
a young female officer in Baltimore who was assassinated in
her squad car by a year and a half, more
than a little bit more than a year and a
half an hour ago. You know, we got to basically say, hey, look,
you know there are some police who have done who
(37:16):
have done the wrong things, but we're paying a much
greater price. No one cares about the death of this
police officer in Dallas.
Speaker 5 (37:24):
You got it.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Thanks Andy, Love, your good night. All right, good night.
That's next. Up is we're going to go next let's
go to Mike and Newton and we're going to get
Dave and Worcester in as well. Michael, I'm doing great, Mike.
What's your take on this? Uh?
Speaker 4 (37:41):
You know.
Speaker 6 (37:42):
My take on it is, uh, you know, the parents
they cannot tell the kids no anymore. The kids don't
know the word no, and and and I've seen it.
I've seen it over here. I'm here to get into it.
But the parents give the as everything they want.
Speaker 4 (38:01):
The kids do this, they do that. They say, oh no, no,
well it's not all it's not all kids.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
By the way, Mike, are you want to Are you
on to speak a phone?
Speaker 4 (38:10):
Uh?
Speaker 6 (38:10):
Yeah, I'm on my uh cell phone.
Speaker 2 (38:14):
So you're talking right into the cell phone and you're
not on it. You're not standing five feet away while
you got it on speaker on the on the on
the desk of the table.
Speaker 4 (38:24):
I'm right here talking to you. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (38:26):
Okay, Well here's what it sounds like. It sounds like
you're talking to me like this. Why don't you put
the cell phone right by your mouth so I can
hear you better? Okay, please go ahead?
Speaker 4 (38:34):
Is that better right there.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
Much better, much better, Thank you. It's it's not all
all what I'm saying. It's not all kids. It's a
bunch of trouble makers. And you got to you gotta
corral the trouble makers because it's going to metastasize it.
Instead of having five percent trouble makers, you'll let fifty
percent trouble makers go ahead.
Speaker 4 (38:52):
And I totally agree with that. Put a police officer
in there. I got paddled.
Speaker 6 (38:57):
I grew i Central Pennsylvania, Williamsport, Pennsylvania. I got paddled
from sixth grade on two or three times a year.
Speaker 4 (39:07):
And I went home and I go, my, hey, dad,
I got paddled. What you do wrong?
Speaker 2 (39:12):
Yeah, that's that's not a good move. But your father
probably paddled you again. So you grew up in Williamsport, Pennsylvania,
home of the Little League World Series.
Speaker 4 (39:20):
Right yeah, home in Little League Baseball? Yeah uh yeah uh.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
And also the home the hometown of great pitcher for
for the Yankees and the Oriols, Mike Messina.
Speaker 6 (39:32):
Oh Messin he was eva grew up and williams Sport Mattersdale.
Speaker 4 (39:36):
Actually so okay, well he played by Maturersaw High School.
Speaker 2 (39:39):
Gotta be close, gotta be close. I almost saw. I'm
no hit the Red Sox back a weekend before nine
to eleven. Mike, I'm with you, and I'm not advocating
corporal punishment, but I'm advocating having a police officer in
that library. And I think you're the first caller who
has agreed with me.
Speaker 4 (39:53):
Totally, and I completely agree with you.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
Thanks man, I appreciate it. Have a great labor day weekend. Okay,
thank We're going to get one more caller in here,
uh this hour before you wrapped there are going to
go to a David in Worcester. David, we got a
couple of minutes for you, go right ahead.
Speaker 4 (40:10):
I want to say that I agree with you, except
when you just said that you don't. You're not advocating
corporal punishment. As a parent, you know, father or grandfather,
great grandfather. I know that there's a certain age at
which children bologna and just stand, you know, you know,
certain seeing uh uh instructions and and then there would
(40:34):
begin learn to respect rules. But I want to say
it about some of them.
Speaker 2 (40:37):
So I'm confused. I said, I am not an advocate
of corporal punishment in the classroom. I'm not suggesting that.
Do you agree with me on that or do you
think there's a place for corporal punishment?
Speaker 4 (40:49):
Uh, you know, I'm not here just agree to do
you know? Some people say only in the headmaster's office,
but I say that sometimes it has to be in
the classroom.
Speaker 2 (40:58):
So I don't think it should be in the head masters.
I think it's up to the parents and and and
they should not abuse their kids physically, you know, to
give a little kid a tap on the butt that
that's you know, when they're five or six years old,
just to get their attention, Okay, but much more than that.
I'm not a fan of that at all. But I
(41:19):
am a fan of police being in the library and
maintaining order and decor in the library and telling the
kids who are troublemakers. If you cause trouble, you're out
of here. And if and if you don't go quietly,
we'll take you down and you'll have an appointment to
see the judge in the morning.
Speaker 4 (41:37):
I qulled about that. I quote about that. I wanted
to say this, we have to be fair and decent
to policemen. You cannot send one policeman, just one policeman
to that library. If there's not much kills, there should
be in my opinion, at least four policemans in every
in every library.
Speaker 2 (41:56):
No, I only David would think that that it would
be uh to send four. Some of these cities only
have you know, ten police officers on a shift. I
think one is fine. And if if a police officer
is going to be in trouble in a library with
some teenagers, he could call in the cavalry pretty quickly.
Speaker 4 (42:18):
In my opinion, maybe maybe then they should call some
of the parents to actually be reserved reserved police to
watch you land the library and understand the rules of
the library that they should be not talking right alone
during firecrack.
Speaker 2 (42:33):
I'm with you totally, David. Sometimes we agree, sometimes they disagree,
but I think on this one you and I are
on the same page of common sense. Thank you, my friend.
Have a great weekend.
Speaker 4 (42:44):
We just don't want to overburden one policeman.
Speaker 2 (42:47):
I'm with you. I don't want to I don't want
to endanger policeman, but I think that there are more
dangerous spots to be than monitoring in a library. Thanks David.
I appreciate your call, have a great one. All right,
we come back our presidential poll for August. This is
the last Friday eleven o'clock hour, twentyeth hour coming up,
so dial away, get on early. Who are you gonna
Who will it be? Will it be Donald J? Trump?
(43:10):
Or Vice President? Come Kamala Harris?
Speaker 5 (43:14):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (43:14):
Those are the two choices. Joe Biden's off the board.
RFK is off the board. We're gonna take your phone calls.
If you've called this week, you get a free haul
pass to call again in the eleven o'clock hour. Who
will you be voting for if the election were held today?
Six one, seven, two, five, four ten thirty six one seven, nine,
ten thirty. We'll be right back on night side.
It's with Dan ray On de Boston.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Treating the Boston Globe this morning. It was an interesting
story out of Somerville, and it's a sad story. The
headline on the Globe story was closing over misbehavior. The
Central Library in Somerville now will close its doors on
certain days because young people, teenagers, students, high school students
(00:33):
apparently have been doing some really just crazy things inside
of a library. Now, those of us who grew up
with a library where if you talked of the library
and would come over and say there's no talking in
the library, or they tell us please sh no talking, Well,
I guess the teens have been, amongst other things, lighting firecrackers,
(00:55):
according to the Globe article, getting into fights inside the library.
I mean, this is behavior that is way over the
top and disturbing peers who would come to study relax
after a long day at school. That some kids will
lighten up whatever they will lighten up these days. I
hope it's just cigarettes with us. Is a city councilor
(01:17):
Kristin Stresso Council Stresso. Welcome to Nightside. How are you tonight?
Speaker 3 (01:23):
I'm doing well. Thank you, I'm just fine. Thanks thanks
for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
No, well, thank you very much, And again I just
would like to get a sense from you what is
going on here? You know, this is this is behavior
that shouldn't happen. I think all of us would agree
with that. But what's prompting it? And what do you
think about the response of the library, which which is
(01:48):
to close the library at hours during the week which
would be most convenient to students when school closes. They
basically are saying, Okay, the behavior of some has been abhorrent,
and as a consequence, no one's going to have access
to the library, whether you're someone who misbehaves or someone
who comports themselves perfectly well.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Right, and and that's a great way to summer summarize it.
And I think that a lot of parents, residents, library patrons,
and well everyone is really their mouths are open. However,
the decision to do so was an absolutely last resort.
(02:31):
And I am not speaking on behalf of the librarians,
but it has been a complex issue that has the
what I say by issue a situation of misbehavior happening
inside the library, but it's a it's a culbination of
(02:52):
a few things going on at the same time, and
the decision that the library representatives UH and the trustees
side on. This was the absolute worst of the last
last desperate solution and of this So if we can
(03:12):
break it down, it's it's a couple of things happening
at the same time. We have we have some misbehavior
of some teenagers, but but also we have to make
sure everyone feels safe. So we have to make sure
that everybody feels safe. So when we have incidences of
(03:34):
teenagers dropping firecrackers in the book drop, that's a problem
in our liberation correct during during business hours, not now.
But we also, above everything, we have to make sure
that our teenagers and our youth feel supported as well.
And I'm going to try not to bounce and I'm
(03:54):
gonna trying to talk about because it's the dialog, right,
it's a very it's a couple of things going on.
For while the librarians and the trustees have asked for
over a year and a half now for more support
on what's been going on in the library, more support
via staff, more support the security measures such as cameras,
(04:18):
and so we're really calling on the administration in the
Mayor's office and our city departments to really hop out
with this. There have been a lot of steps in
the past to engage our Somerville youth, our teens and
under under teenagers, such as we opened a team Center,
(04:44):
and they pushed really hard as a counselor to make
sure that happened, because that was one thing that our
teenagers consistently said they wanted some spaces where they can
be teenagers. We don't have that right now. We don't
have we we had a team Center, it had.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
To be relocated.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
We had it when it was opened in November of
twenty one, I believe.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Can I ask you a couple of questions because I
want to try to answer you. When it says Summerville
Central Library, is that the main public library? I know
there were branch libraries. Is that the big one?
Speaker 4 (05:20):
Correct? We have three?
Speaker 3 (05:21):
And the central Library is directly next door to the
high school.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Right, So, therefore, do we have any idea how long
this level of really bad behavior has been going on?
Is this something that has just propped up this summer
or does it have a longer pedigree than that.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
It's been going on for a while. And again we're
not I want to make very clear that there is
no finger pointing of well, these how these teenagers are
these kids? It's not like that at all. It's that
there are numerous steps that we have to be taking.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Oh no, no, I forget that, but I'm just I'm
just focusing first. If I could, you know, just so
I understand this, I don't want to overstate it. So,
if is it been going on for a year? How
long has the library been having to deal with this
level of you know, we'll call it, you know, misbehavior
or juvenile or whatever whatever phrase you want to use.
It's been going on for more than a year.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Definitely over a year.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Okay, so the librarians have been frustrated. Let me ask
a really dumb question. Did anybody come up with the
idea of, hey, why don't we post a police officer
inside the library, you know during the afternoon, you know,
from the time the kids get out of school two
or two thirty until say five o'clock. I mean, did
(06:44):
anyone I mean that I think would serve as that deterred,
would it not?
Speaker 3 (06:49):
It's a good question. And however, we want to make
sure that no and behavior gets completely out of hand.
That is that is still uh that that is an option. However,
we want to make sure that we are uh making
(07:10):
the uh the how do I say this? It's it's
it's ten ten at night. So I'll ask the question.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Did anybody ever say, hey, look, let's have a police
one police officer, just one police officer in that library
beginning let's say two o'clock in the after whatever, you know,
whenever the school gets out two o'clock in the afternoon,
two to five whatever.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
There were questions of ken we hire security, and can
we have security guards? And can we have can we
have a police officer if necessary.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
A security guard? And those kids will laugh at a
security guard, They'll laugh at some guy who shows up.
We're in it, you know, I mean, you and I
both know that. But but if they give a police
officer a hard time, police officers simply calls for us
some backup. And at this point we got kids who
are who are down down in the station house, and
mom and dad have to come by and and and
(08:11):
and pick Junior up. It used to me like a
pretty simple solution here, and the word would spread, Hey,
you know, I mean, you know, let's let's find somewhere
else to cause problems.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
And I haven't been right, and I haven't been in
everyone of the conversations or this, but I know I
do know, right, yeah, but I do know that that, yes,
there have been questions of of everything, and we want
to make sure that we're not we're not uganizing and
criminalizing everything. That the goal is with teenagers, and you
know how teenagers are because we were all teenagers once,
(08:46):
is that we need But.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
I never flung flung. I'm with you.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Yeah, animal house, it doesn't sound.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
Well.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
And that is accountability too. It is very you don't
throw firecrackers either in the book drop and because that
is right next door to the children's section, but also
you just don't do that. Of course they're calling for accountability,
but at the same time, the goal of that first
is to make sure that that we're checking in to
(09:21):
not that that it's not not an issue of criminalizing,
but also checking in what can we do to deflect
and not deflect, but to make sure that we're addressing
issues in front of that, keeping the teams busy, keeping
them engaged, giving them opportunities to thrive, giving them seeing
if we can job placement other things, keeping them busy,
(09:45):
because we know when teenagers are bored, if keep them busy,
because if they're not, they're going to find ways to
not be bored. When teenagers find ways not to be bored,
often things that are not preferred, right because.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Well, Counselor, look, I appreciate, particularly on a Friday night
at ten o'clock, the fact that you'd give us a
little sense of it. I simply would suggest that maybe
just a presence of a police officer would discourage that
sort of behavior. And you know, police officers do have
some authority, and they also have backup. I think a
(10:23):
security guard, some poor guy with a security guard who's
twenty two years old, they probably would be putting firecrackers
down his pants if he was there or she was there.
That's that's not fair. Counselor. Thank you so much for
joining us. You've given us a pretty good sense of it.
I'm gonna I don't want to subject you to phone
lines here, so I'm going to invite folks to call us,
(10:47):
and you probably have enough problems with constituents calling you,
so you've been great to do.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
No, thank you very much for that. I do want
to say that the goal is is that we want
to make sure that that the that we're finding solutions,
and that and that we're being as responsible responsive as possible,
and that and that that city services are being provided.
So we are, so we are so everybody gets a
(11:17):
chance to thrive because it is not I I certainly
don't want to shut out story time. I mean, I'm
not the one who made the decision on closing the library,
but I I can't imagine the concept of not being
able to come for a storytelling with the toddler or
looking at a picture book or teams. We need to
make sure those that that that that that other teams
(11:38):
or other kids that want to come after school and
study and really get to the work, or just pick
out a book that everyone.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
It's a few ruining it for for the for the
for all, and and that has to stop. Keep us
posting on this way, man, if you and if if
you guys, if you guys, put a police officer in
that and that and that calms it down. Give me credit,
will you? Thanks counselor thanks to thank you? All Right,
we take a quick break. If you'd like to join
(12:05):
the conversation. I think that's a fairly straightforward suggestion. If
you've got some rowdy teenagers doing stupid things. They're not
necessarily criminal, but they're stupid. Call it what it is.
Put a police officer there. I would bet you in
a week that problem would go away, because I think
the word would spread amongst the teenagers. You don't want
(12:25):
to go down there and do something stupid in the library. Look,
libraries are having a tough time because fewer and fewer
people are using them. Many people are just relying on computers.
I want to hear from you, particularly if you live
in Somerville. Come on, what's going on over there? You
know this is this is something that is unacceptable. Now again,
(12:46):
this is not MS thirteen. I get that this is
not kids using knives or guns. But you're going to
throw firecrackers inside a library. You're gonna be smoking inside
a library. Give me a break, Give me a break.
Get one police officer inside that building beginning the first
day of school, and I guarantee you the problems, the
(13:09):
problems will move. You will not have the problem in
the library anymore, if you agree with me. Again, sometimes
the easiest solutions are the ones that stare you in
the in the eye. More programs wonderful. I don't think
that's going to solve the problem, because if you got
some kids who just want to go in and raise
hell in the library, they're going to do it until
somebody's there to stop them. Coming back on Night Side
(13:30):
six one seven, two, five, four, ten thirty six one seven, nine, three, one,
ten thirty, you don't coddle problem children. You give them
some guidance, and nothing would be would provide more guidance
than officer friendly inside the library, ready to deal with
whatever comes through the door. I'm convinced any say, any
(13:50):
Summerville police officer could handle that task, and if necessary,
you bring in the cavalry and you deal with whatever occurs.
Coming back on night let's have at it now.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
Back to Dan Ray live from the Window World Nightside
Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
You know, I'm reading the Global article here. There's a
young woman named Autumn Lane. She's an eighth grader. Closing
the library and get riding or getting rid of the
safe space altogether is only going to make the problem worse.
You should be the mayor of Somerville, Autumn Lane.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
That's absolutely true. And the way to make the library
a safe space, a safer space than it is with
kids throwing firecrackers, fights.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Very simple. My solution Somerville. You don't even have to
pay me as a consultant. But one police officer, one
you know, younger police officer, maybe one of the police
officers in the late twenties, early thirties, stationed in the
mins the library and if the problem continues, then you
(15:06):
call in the cavalry if you have to. Uh, that's
the problem. And you know, I know that my my friend,
the counselor O Streso was was a little hasardant to
endorse my idea, but I think that she had some
respect for it, although she talked about we need more
programs and all of that. I think again, you got
(15:29):
to say to people, Okay, you you can't behave in
a library, then you don't belong in a library. And
if when we tell you to leave, you don't leave,
you'll be you'll be taken into custody and we will
will bring the wagon up, and we'll bring a few
more people up, and we'll take you down the police
station and we'll call you parents if you have some parents,
(15:50):
or we'll call your guardians or whomever, uh, and they'll
they'll get you out and we'll see you in court.
The next morning, you won't have to go to school.
The next day you get a appointment in front of
the judge. Simple as that. This is crazy. Apparently, this
is the decision that's been made that the library until
further notice would be closed from eleven thirty to two
(16:12):
pm on Wednesdays. That's apparently the half day in school
that the summer those students again, and on the other
weekdays Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from two to four. Let
me go to Gary see what he has to say.
I will bet you he agrees with me. I could
be wrong, but maybe he has a more innovative idea. Gary, welcome.
How are you well?
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Way back one going to high school between eight years
of combination of seventy seven to eighty one. How I
feel is this when I was in the library, way
back when I was a big kid myself. But I
wasn't one of those separate guys that got jollies out
of beating up somebody and punch them in the face,
because some guys did. Way back. When you get that
certain kid, I knew you'd be in the library, Joey,
(16:56):
I can't find you in school and you punch the
guy in the face. What I'm getting I'm getting a
little graphic here is you get a combination of violence
in libraries that go unreported. You get the facing of
books that go unreported. I mean, where are all the
cameras in a library, because the way I look at it,
like it was a floodgated with cameras in a library.
(17:20):
You get that kid audio in video of him, whether
it's the facing or this that, And somehow the cops
get involved and grab those parents and bring them into
court and say you represent your child, your child did wrong,
and throw out the fines like crazy. You can get
them in the pockets.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Agree, well, that's that's a way to go about it.
I mean, some would argue that the parent, it's very difficult.
Just as you don't visit the sins of the father
upon the son, I guess you also don't visit the
sins of the son upon the father. And some would
argue that, hey, even though the parents did allows e
job bringing the kid up, so he's not small not
(18:00):
to do facebooks in the library or throw firecrackers. But
I'm not opposed to that idea that there should be
some responsibility if the kids aren't responsible, parents are responsible.
I just think that it's it's pretty old school when
I'm suggesting, but it's pretty simple. It's pretty straightforward. Put
a police officer inside the library. So when the kids
(18:22):
come in, and they come in, you'll pack four or
five and they're gonna do this, and they're gonna do
something really stupid, and they're gonna be more stupid than
their stupid friends. So we're friend's gonna throw a firecracker
in the library. I got it. I got a Blockbuster
or a cherry baumb You know, you gotta deal with
these kids at their own mentality, which is you do
(18:45):
something stupid, say hello is some new jewelry. We're going
to put you in handcuffs, and we're going to put
you in the wagon or in the squad car, and
we're gonna hold you down in a cell for a
few hours. We're gonna call you parents, and tomorrow morning
you won't have to go to school. Go see the
tell it to the judge. That's all.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
The other fact too, what back one, what I experienced,
And like I said, I was never a choir boy
all the time.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
But I wouldn't expect Dary that you were a quire boy.
I think I know you well.
Speaker 4 (19:15):
Enough to know that, Okay, harassing librarians who are traditionally
usually women, but there are men, and you get the
punky kids that would harass librarians way back when or
even now in the last fifty years. And what I
say to that is this audio video harassment time these kids,
(19:38):
and don't wastn't get away with it and say you
got a summons and find them. I go to your
homes and say your son or daughter is acting very inappropriate.
Your summons to court because of his bad behavior, harassing
a library, just like McDonald's all these past food places
I experienced this cause I go, I drink dis.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Look, if they're doing stupid stuff at McDonald's, it's up
to McDonald's to take care of them. And if McDonald's
really needs to prevent kids from doing stupid stuff, they
will hire a police officer. As a detail, the city
of Somerville has a police force, and they need to
use the police force win a problem arises. Anyway, Gary,
(20:18):
I think you and I pretty much on the same page,
and I think we're just going at it a little differently.
Thanks man, have a great weekend. Okay, thanks by the
way for those of you who are waiting around for
our presidential poll. We do it every I pledged earlier
this year, and we began doing this, believe it or not,
in March, April, May, June, July, and August. This is
(20:42):
our sixth month doing this. So in the eleven o'clock hour,
about a half an hour from now, once the newscast
is over, we're going to open up the phone lines
and give you an opportunity to cast a vote for
whichever presidential candidate you like or you would like to
see win. It's down to, and neither one of them
named Biden. I think this would be the first pole
that we've done without Biden. Technically, well, he wasn't on
(21:07):
the ballot in July, but RFK was. So now we
will see where this pole will go next hour. But
for now, I want to hear from some of you
in Somerville, Okay, and I want to hear from you
in other communities. If this was going on in your library,
in your town, whether it's Medford or Malden or Methuen,
Haveral or Quincy, Broxton, wherever, what would you expect your
(21:30):
political leaders to do? Now? I did talk earlier this
Hour with Somerville City Councilor Kristin Stresso, and she seemed
to stress that maybe there've had to be some more programs,
and she talked about idle minds, idle hands and all
of that sort of stuff. Devil's Workshop. No, if you
do something that's stupid in a library, okay, you do
(21:53):
something really stupid on the street, you get a little
bit more flexibility. Okay, but you've light a fire cracker,
light a cigarette. Are you going to vape inside the library?
Not going to happen. Well, if it happens, we're going
to have a police officer there who's going to go
over and escort you to the door. And if you don't,
(22:13):
and you're going to be told also, you're not welcome
to come back here for thirty days. Okay take the name,
can't come back band for thirty days. That way, you
don't penalize the good people, the good kids who want
to use the library. It's simple. It's simple. So where
is the political leadership in Somerville? I have no clue.
I used to know off the top of my head
(22:33):
who the mayor was. If you're out there, give us
a call. Anyone in Cambridge, Somerville. These are problems that
we're having with young people. It's as simple as that.
There's a lot of reasons, sociological reasons. You know, single
family parents, single parents and all of that tougher to
raise kids when there's just a mom or dad. We
know that. Okay, However, however, that's a problem that has
(22:57):
to be fault have to be solved. If it's not
solved by the parent or parents in the home, eventually
you got to get the police involved. And it's better
to get them involved early than later. We're coming right
back on Nightside. Light these phone lines up. And by
the way, you know that you have a hall past
at eleven o'clock, so if you if you call anytime
(23:18):
this week up till eleven, you can always participate in
our Friday evening eleven PM straw Pole one hour every month,
and we're going to do this again in September and October,
and we'll kind of see if there's a trend amongst
our listeners or not. And of course we'll see you
on November fifth, who's elected. We'll be right back on
(23:40):
Nightside six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty. Those
lines are wide open. Right now, let's have at it.
It's Nightside with.
Speaker 4 (23:50):
Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Thank you all, let's continue to talk. I'm a little
disappointed in my audience. I think this is a really
simple solution, and I also think that all of the
sociologists and this is not a criticism of my guests,
the City Council of Kristen Stresso. She had a very thoughtful,
(24:13):
I thought thoughtful response, but her emphasis she did not
warm to the idea of putting a police officer inside
the library. Why would you not? Could someone explain to
me maybe why that would not be a good idea,
And if you think it's a good idea, please back
me up on it, because I think that too many
of these cities have said, well, we don't want to
have this is sort of the George Floyd consequence. Because
(24:38):
one police officer loses his mind in Minneapolis and literally
kills an individual that now we have to assume in
some of these progressive communities, and some of it would
be in that category, we don't need the police. Oh,
if there's somebody with a machine gun killing people dout, yeah,
we'll call the police in. But on something like this,
(25:00):
this is you work on something like this, and you
get it done early, and you send a message to kids.
This sort of behavior will not be tolerated in our community.
Plain and simple. I'm going to go to Marty and
Marty down down in Saint Augustine. Marty, welcome back.
Speaker 4 (25:15):
How are you pleasure? And I could relate to this,
but an opposite way.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Sure.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
I moved to Saint Augustine in nineteen ninety three. I
bought my house in nineteen ninety four. I'll be in
here thirty years.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Beautiful, beautiful community. I was there once once. Yeah it's
twice Williams great.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
I mean I'm in a neighborhood. I call it a
gated community without a without a gate.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (25:40):
The community is over one hundred years old. It has
some old houses, new houses and anyway. I used to
ride around several days, five o'clock at night. We don't
have any youth, as they say in Brooklyn. We don't
have no youth problems. We have no graffiti, no vandalism.
Most people don't have boys on a windows. Some of
them you alarms, which I don't like because neighbors look
(26:03):
out for neighbors. However, I was in contact with some
people I went to a meeting and I was talking
to some women from what they call communities. They have
too much development over here, and they're putting what they
call communities and they have what they call amenities that there,
which is the clubhouse. And these women were telling me
(26:23):
about the kids, what they're doing over there and what
it is is because in most cases the parents are
too busy working and they don't have any contact with
the kids or whatever. Now, as far as the library,
I live near the main library in Saint John's County,
ten blocks away. I love my librarians. They go above
(26:46):
and beyond and they have private security there. I guess
what for. I'm a big champion of homeless people. I work,
I support, I'm a representative, and I just look out
for homeless people. They get a lot of stuff is
blamed on them over here, but they come to the
library mostly to use the computer. Some of them come
(27:08):
into the library, they stay there as the air condition until
the library closes and then they go to a field.
So therefore, we do have a private guard company, and
some of these guards I'm six three. Some of these
guards look like if I sneeze, they would fall down.
But there's a presence and.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
At that how does that relate to the problem of teenager.
I'm just trying to make that connection to unruly, belligerent
teenagers in a Somerville is a is a suburb of Boston,
just like probably.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
Let me ask you is there?
Speaker 2 (27:40):
Let me let me finish body if I could, because
I want to ask you a question. You have experience
in law enforcement, Okay. Somerville is a suburb of Boston,
kind of like what Yonkers would be to New York.
It's not part of New York New York City, Yonkers,
as I understand it, It's not one of the boroughs.
So Somerville is close to bar But you got these
(28:01):
kids who are trouble. They got too much time in
the hands. Not too many of the kids who are
coming out of Somerville are coming out as you know,
there's a lot of them who don't see the value
of high school. Let me put it as gently as
I can, okay, And they don't realize that education is
going to be the key to their success in life.
(28:22):
So they go into the library and they raise hell
in the afternoon, fire throws a few firecrackers around the library.
Behavior that is just way over the top. My simple solution,
put a genuine police officer in there, not a security guard,
a genuine Somerville cop, and guess what that will tamt
this whole thing down in about two days.
Speaker 4 (28:42):
Now. Mostly all of our schools in Saint John's County
have what they call a school resource deputy, Okay, And
I really don't like that because, in other words, you're
telling me that somebody is there would have gone in
order to keep order. However, Mike County is known as
people getting involved. So when you're telling me people throwing
(29:02):
firecrackers in the library, that's called apathy because I'll tell
you right now, me or a lot of people I know,
somebody's throwing firecrackers in the library, somebody's going to grab them,
or they're going to follow them. We don't take that
over here to a large.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
One, okay. So in some of them, in some of
the same quality of people who live down where you are, okay,
And I understand the community you live in all of you,
and I think you would be the sort of guy
who would step up and help out. But in some
of them, it's like the lunatics run the asylum, Okay,
(29:36):
in the sense that you know, you have a you
have a bunch of politicians over there who are progressive, uh,
and they don't want to This all comes out of
the George Floyd era.
Speaker 4 (29:48):
Where people said you a question, we'll go right ahead.
The question is I guess I was trying to ask
you before, trying to keep it very gentle. Is there
an ethnic component to those who no, no, no, the
perpetrators are all white kids.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
No, they're all mixed kids. You have all sorts of kids.
Speaker 4 (30:08):
White kids do things bad too.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
Yeah, of course they do. What I'm saying is I
haven't gone over there and decided what percentage of this
what percentage? Because I don't care. They're teenagers. They're teenagers
who have no direction. They're teenagers who no one has
even disciplined them. There's teenagers who have never suffered consequences
for their actions. And so now they're getting to the point. Look,
once you get away throwing firecrackers in a in a library,
(30:35):
or or smoking in a library. You imagine smoking in
the library, then the next thing is, you know what,
I can go in and steal a case of beer.
Speaker 4 (30:43):
Is you a police department and active or a type
that does nothing well?
Speaker 2 (30:48):
First of it's not my police department. It's one city.
Some of them has a bunch of tough police officers. Okay,
we'd be proud to be a member of the somervill PD.
But it's your leadership, your political the leadership in that community.
Speaker 4 (31:02):
Who wants to New York City.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
Well maybe on writ large, ritt large, but no, this
is a very progressive city. They call it the People's
Republic of Somerville. That's all you need to know, Marty.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
Thank you. Well anyway, listen, listen, the progressive politics doesn't work.
And my city of Saint Augustine is also a socialist city.
But the County of Saint John's has twice as many
Republicans as Democrats. And it's regarded as well actually North
Florida as a law in order to place the sheriff's
(31:35):
like to say, if you do something over, he's going
to go to jail.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
Well, I love most of those sheriffs in Florida. I
see some of them as had very creative mechanisms to
invoke and involve law enforcement earlier, earlier in the lives
of young people. They got to understand it when I
was growing up. The police officer was not your enemy.
The police officer was your friend. If you got lost
(31:59):
in a city and you were going into the big
city and you and you were eleven or twelve years old,
you go to a police officer, officer, I'm not sure
where I am. Yeah, but it's all changed money. And
that's why I'm using this as an example.
Speaker 4 (32:13):
I figure, well, then people, if the people are the
way they are progressive and if they vote a certain way,
the problems are going to be there. It's like it's
like having German cockerroaches and just praying when that's not
the way to get rid of them.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
All right, I gotta go money. I'm up against that.
I'm normally you and I are on the same wavelength.
I think that we're in a different wavelength early on,
but I think I.
Speaker 4 (32:33):
Think I when I'm voting, I'm voting for Donald Trump,
not some communists.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
Well you got to call back during the and she's
not a communist. Come on, they're real. The communists are real, bad, bad,
bad people. We've got a different view of the world
that you.
Speaker 4 (32:48):
And I that you and I might have eleven All.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
Right, thanks, money, appreciate it. Thank well, We'll take a break.
Coming right back at night Side. Now back to Dan
Way live from the Window World Nice Side Studios on
WBZ News Radio. Just to emphasize it. The Boston Globe
says one of the members of the school committee there,
he said, we're all kind of blindsided. This school comp
(33:15):
member said he was dismayed to see that one of
the last remaining third spaces in somer of It where
young people can gather without having to buy anything, would
close his stores. Not to mention a library which is
supposed to be a refuge for kids, perhaps especially for
those who were bored and prone to trouble if left unattended.
Here's a quote. Too many disengaged kids in the library
(33:36):
is not a problem, It's an opportunity. I'm hoping we
have the leadership to seize that opportunity. What problem. Let's
go next to Sandy and West Roxbury. She knows libraries, Hi, Sandy,
how are you good? I think it's a simple solution.
Put officers friendly in there who can maintain some order,
(33:58):
and if not, he can call in the count.
Speaker 5 (34:00):
But look what happened when they tried to well, when
they had police in the schools, and then they got
rid of them.
Speaker 4 (34:06):
Well know that parents.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
Yeah, what happened is is you know, I know, got crazy.
The schools aren't safe. Look what's going on down in
place like Brockton. My god, that that's them system out
of control, out of control.
Speaker 5 (34:22):
It's it's parents.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
I don't think it is. I think the parents are
they're concerned about the safety of their own kids. But
what happens is they vote in the progressive politicians whose
attitude is like the fellow, who's whose I just read that? Uh,
to many disengaged kids in the library. It's not a problem,
it's an opportunity. I'm hoping.
Speaker 5 (34:45):
It goes back to the broken windows thing. I know
when I was growing up, I talked once during lunch
I did, I admit it. I tell my parents had
my father had to take that day off from work.
My parents had to come to school. And that was
in second grade. And I'll tell you I never talked
again in months until I was there.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
You used to have the nuns. They were great. You'd
hear the nuns coming down the hall and everybody would
shush up and they'd blow into the into the classroom,
which by the way, was forty five students. Okay, that's
how many kids I had in all of my classes
in eighth grades at Saint Anne's and Reidville. There were
no classes with twenty kids. It was forty five kids anyway,
(35:26):
And the nuns would control us and then walk in
and the nuns will say I heard people talking. Who
was talking? Identify yourselves. Nobody would fess up, Okay, you're
all staying late after school. I mean you know they
had it down. They had it down. Yeah, And look,
you want to if libraries are not a safe place
(35:47):
and a safe refuse, put a police officer in there.
Speaker 4 (35:50):
Oh.
Speaker 5 (35:51):
I agree that it's not going to happen.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
Well in the progressive community like the People's Republic of Somerville.
Maybe not, But I don't know. I'm hoping to hear
from some Somerville people who might agree with me. Who knows.
Speaker 5 (36:01):
I was teaching in a Catholic school on time, and
I had this small group of kids that just wouldn't
stop talking. And they weren't bad kissed, but they were
just stopping the class because it wouldn't stop talking. So
you couldn't keep them after school because of the buses.
So the principal said, no, I wouldn't think of keeping
them after school. I'm going to keep the parents after school.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
How did they do that? What did they do?
Speaker 5 (36:25):
And they just said, if you don't show up here
and sit detention, So three days in a row, your parents,
your children will be stuff. And the parents showed up
and the kids didn't make a problem after that.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
It's just knowing a pressure point.
Speaker 5 (36:42):
Yeah, you really have to get it. Well, it's all
one word respect. When I was growing up, we everybody
respected everybody else until somebody broke a rule, you know, and.
Speaker 4 (36:53):
Then it was looked.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
I was watching the news tonight. There's a young police
officer in Dallas, Texas assassinated in a squad car last night.
Looked to me like a young minority officer. There was
a young female officer in Baltimore who was assassinated in
her squad car by a year and a half, more
than a little bit more than a year and a
half an hour ago. You know, we got to basically say, hey, look,
you know there are some police who have done who
(37:16):
have done the wrong things, but we're paying a much
greater price. No one cares about the death of this
police officer in Dallas.
Speaker 5 (37:24):
You got it.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Thanks Andy, Love, your good night. All right, good night.
That's next. Up is we're going to go next let's
go to Mike and Newton and we're going to get
Dave and Worcester in as well. Michael, I'm doing great, Mike.
What's your take on this? Uh?
Speaker 4 (37:41):
You know.
Speaker 6 (37:42):
My take on it is, uh, you know, the parents
they cannot tell the kids no anymore. The kids don't
know the word no, and and and I've seen it.
I've seen it over here. I'm here to get into it.
But the parents give the as everything they want.
Speaker 4 (38:01):
The kids do this, they do that. They say, oh no, no,
well it's not all it's not all kids.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
By the way, Mike, are you want to Are you
on to speak a phone?
Speaker 4 (38:10):
Uh?
Speaker 6 (38:10):
Yeah, I'm on my uh cell phone.
Speaker 2 (38:14):
So you're talking right into the cell phone and you're
not on it. You're not standing five feet away while
you got it on speaker on the on the on
the desk of the table.
Speaker 4 (38:24):
I'm right here talking to you. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (38:26):
Okay, Well here's what it sounds like. It sounds like
you're talking to me like this. Why don't you put
the cell phone right by your mouth so I can
hear you better? Okay, please go ahead?
Speaker 4 (38:34):
Is that better right there.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
Much better, much better, Thank you. It's it's not all
all what I'm saying. It's not all kids. It's a
bunch of trouble makers. And you got to you gotta
corral the trouble makers because it's going to metastasize it.
Instead of having five percent trouble makers, you'll let fifty
percent trouble makers go ahead.
Speaker 4 (38:52):
And I totally agree with that. Put a police officer
in there. I got paddled.
Speaker 6 (38:57):
I grew i Central Pennsylvania, Williamsport, Pennsylvania. I got paddled
from sixth grade on two or three times a year.
Speaker 4 (39:07):
And I went home and I go, my, hey, dad,
I got paddled. What you do wrong?
Speaker 2 (39:12):
Yeah, that's that's not a good move. But your father
probably paddled you again. So you grew up in Williamsport, Pennsylvania,
home of the Little League World Series.
Speaker 4 (39:20):
Right yeah, home in Little League Baseball? Yeah uh yeah uh.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
And also the home the hometown of great pitcher for
for the Yankees and the Oriols, Mike Messina.
Speaker 6 (39:32):
Oh Messin he was eva grew up and williams Sport Mattersdale.
Speaker 4 (39:36):
Actually so okay, well he played by Maturersaw High School.
Speaker 2 (39:39):
Gotta be close, gotta be close. I almost saw. I'm
no hit the Red Sox back a weekend before nine
to eleven. Mike, I'm with you, and I'm not advocating
corporal punishment, but I'm advocating having a police officer in
that library. And I think you're the first caller who
has agreed with me.
Speaker 4 (39:53):
Totally, and I completely agree with you.
Speaker 2 (39:56):
Thanks man, I appreciate it. Have a great labor day weekend. Okay,
thank We're going to get one more caller in here,
uh this hour before you wrapped there are going to
go to a David in Worcester. David, we got a
couple of minutes for you, go right ahead.
Speaker 4 (40:10):
I want to say that I agree with you, except
when you just said that you don't. You're not advocating
corporal punishment. As a parent, you know, father or grandfather,
great grandfather. I know that there's a certain age at
which children bologna and just stand, you know, you know,
certain seeing uh uh instructions and and then there would
(40:34):
begin learn to respect rules. But I want to say
it about some of them.
Speaker 2 (40:37):
So I'm confused. I said, I am not an advocate
of corporal punishment in the classroom. I'm not suggesting that.
Do you agree with me on that or do you
think there's a place for corporal punishment?
Speaker 4 (40:49):
Uh, you know, I'm not here just agree to do
you know? Some people say only in the headmaster's office,
but I say that sometimes it has to be in
the classroom.
Speaker 2 (40:58):
So I don't think it should be in the head masters.
I think it's up to the parents and and and
they should not abuse their kids physically, you know, to
give a little kid a tap on the butt that
that's you know, when they're five or six years old,
just to get their attention, Okay, but much more than that.
I'm not a fan of that at all. But I
(41:19):
am a fan of police being in the library and
maintaining order and decor in the library and telling the
kids who are troublemakers. If you cause trouble, you're out
of here. And if and if you don't go quietly,
we'll take you down and you'll have an appointment to
see the judge in the morning.
Speaker 4 (41:37):
I qulled about that. I quote about that. I wanted
to say this, we have to be fair and decent
to policemen. You cannot send one policeman, just one policeman
to that library. If there's not much kills, there should
be in my opinion, at least four policemans in every
in every library.
Speaker 2 (41:56):
No, I only David would think that that it would
be uh to send four. Some of these cities only
have you know, ten police officers on a shift. I
think one is fine. And if if a police officer
is going to be in trouble in a library with
some teenagers, he could call in the cavalry pretty quickly.
Speaker 4 (42:18):
In my opinion, maybe maybe then they should call some
of the parents to actually be reserved reserved police to
watch you land the library and understand the rules of
the library that they should be not talking right alone
during firecrack.
Speaker 2 (42:33):
I'm with you totally, David. Sometimes we agree, sometimes they disagree,
but I think on this one you and I are
on the same page of common sense. Thank you, my friend.
Have a great weekend.
Speaker 4 (42:44):
We just don't want to overburden one policeman.
Speaker 2 (42:47):
I'm with you. I don't want to I don't want
to endanger policeman, but I think that there are more
dangerous spots to be than monitoring in a library. Thanks David.
I appreciate your call, have a great one. All right,
we come back our presidential poll for August. This is
the last Friday eleven o'clock hour, twentyeth hour coming up,
so dial away, get on early. Who are you gonna
Who will it be? Will it be Donald J? Trump?
(43:10):
Or Vice President? Come Kamala Harris?
Speaker 5 (43:14):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (43:14):
Those are the two choices. Joe Biden's off the board.
RFK is off the board. We're gonna take your phone calls.
If you've called this week, you get a free haul
pass to call again in the eleven o'clock hour. Who
will you be voting for if the election were held today?
Six one, seven, two, five, four ten thirty six one seven, nine,
ten thirty. We'll be right back on night side.
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