March 17, 2025 • 54 mins
The legal battle over the Franklin Park renovation project of White Stadium goes to trial this week. Plaintiffs in the case argue that the $200 million project is illegal privatization of public trust land. The City of Boston and Boston Unity Soccer Partners (the defendants) have denied the privatization claims, saying the renovated stadium will be accessible to Boston Public School students. Dan discussed the lawsuit and what’s at stake with Gayla Cawley, Renee Stacy Welch, she is a plaintiff, a Franklin Park Defender, a community advocate and a park abutter, and Dot Fennel, a community advocate.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ Boston's Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Welcome back everyone. There has been a ongoing story that
we've kind of heard bits and pieces of for the
last few months, and that involves the future of White Stadium,
which for many, many years was used by Boston Public
schools for football games, that very well might change very
(00:29):
shortly with the arrival of a women's soccer team here
to Boston. On two sides of the issue, the group
that owns the women's soccer team, the Boston Unity Soccer
Partners along with the City of Boston, against a group
that is a very distinguished group, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy,
(00:50):
which basically is very concerned about all of the beautiful
park space that encircles Boston Homestead Necklace. I guess as
it's been as it's been called with us is great
reporter for the Boston Herald who has been with us before,
(01:11):
Gayla calla uh, And I want to start off with Collie.
Excuse me, Gayla, Cally excuse me, Gayla. You've covered this
for some time, we've talked about it before. What happens tomorrow.
Tomorrow is kind of a big day in this.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Story, right, Yeah, it's actually to tought off the press.
The judge in the who's presiding over the case, just
essentially throughout throughout half the case of the plaintiffs, so
there they can't argue their case for one of their
major claims tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
I was surprised, and I haven't talked to you about this,
and I was surprised why the the demolition of White
Stadium was allowed to begin, you know, to begin a
couple of weeks ago at least, while this case really
theoretically the trial, as much as it's going to be
(02:08):
a trial, starts tomorrow. How did the demolition begin? Was
there really no effort to come in and enjoin the
city from starting to knock this structure down?
Speaker 3 (02:22):
So there was amary preliminary injunction that was sought by
the plaintiffs, and the judge actually ruled against that. So
the city, basically under their own duress, decided to proceed
with demolition while the case was still pending in court.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
That might be if I was an outside observer, I
might look at that as kind of perhaps an indicator
of which way this case is going. I know that
the Emerald Necklace Conservancy is a well respected organization, and
I assumed that they would have a lot of weight
in a court. But it looks to me like this
(03:00):
point things are trending against them and in favor of
the women's new professional women's soccer team and the city
of Boston. And in addition, I don't understand this part
of the case. And I'm not asking you to take
a position. I'm just trying to help me understand that.
I'm going to talk or a couple of people, one
(03:20):
at nine point fifteen and one at nine thirty on
each side. I think I've read in one of your
pieces that there are about one hundred and forty five
trees near you know, it's part of Franklin Park or
the whole Franklin Park area that are being taken down
or have been taken down. Where does that stand the
loss of all of that tree cover.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
So, yeah, the work to take down those trees have
started along with demolition work as part of plans to
take down the stadium. So I would I would assume
that's still ongoing.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
That's one of the thing.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yeah, what is the And again again I haven't covered
this case. If I'm asking you questions to which are
you don't have the answer? You feel free to tell
me why are they taking down trees? Uh? That that
whole area is such a beautiful area, and all during
(04:18):
the summer we hear you know, groups and talk about
the value of trees in an urban setting, and you know,
so many uh so many streets and areas don't have
much shade for people and it and it really becomes,
you know, an environmental question. What what's what's going to
replace the trees? Are they building a stadium that's going
(04:39):
to it's going to expand the footprint of white stadium?
Is that? Is that why?
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:44):
I mean, I'm not entirely clear on the tree taking
down the trees, but I would I would think because
the stadium is going to be larger than what's currently there,
there's going to be more seating, there's going to be
more people that they're saying are going to be going
to the stadium to see the professional games, and other
events are going to be held out of there.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Okay, and maybe that could be for I assume for parking.
Maybe I just I have I haven't had much of
a chance to talk to the principles here. How long
is this trial expected to last? I guess that's a
relatively new superior court judge if I'm if I'm not mistaken,
he's been a district court judge for a long time.
(05:25):
Is it Judge Nestor? Is that his name?
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Yeah, So the plaintiffs are saying that they expect the
trial to last a couple of weeks.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Well, that should be interesting. But wow, it's a this
is a fascinating story. How much as a reporter, and
I was a reporter a long time ago, how much
access have you been able to get to the principles
here the plaintiffs and the defendants. Have they been a
talking much off the record? Not that I'm going to
ask you what they said, but sometimes in these cases,
(05:57):
the lawyers make them button up and they can't. They
don't they're not inclined to talk to the reporters of
the story.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
So they've actually they've actually been pretty accessible. They've held
multiple protests where they've made statements about the case. They've
you know, they get on the phone with you. They've
issued numerous press advisories, so they haven't been difficult to
get a hold of. I would I would say, I
don't know if they're if they're going into the nitty
gritty of the case with the media, but they have
(06:30):
been good with being in touch.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
I've seen some of the protests that and again you've
covered them, and the Herald and the Globe that both
cover them. The protests for the most part, seemed to
be in opposition to the plan. Is there some support
within the area of this of Franklin Park that supports
this plan?
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Yeah, So the Franklin Park Coalition is in support of
the plan. And there's actually a grassroots group that popped
up in recent weeks, probably responsive to a lot of
the criticism that's been out there, made up of BPS students, coaches,
parents that have been pretty active in recent weeks with
holding press conferences.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
And have you spent much time to get a sense
of with the community at large how they feel. Is
it kind of split fifty to fifty or do you
have a sense as to how the community feels.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
So, yeah, I would say that it's split. There's vocal opposition,
there's also vocal support. That's particular been prominent in the
past few weeks. The city council took a vote to
halt demolition that was a deadlock vote that they didn't
have enough counselors to come to vote either way. So
(07:50):
I think that pretty much reflects the split nature of
the response to this project.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Yeah, that was the.
Speaker 5 (07:58):
Six to six vote of just about a month ago,
if I'm recalling it correctly on the council or council
I was thirteen members, correct, and there was someone who
was absent that day, and so it was a tie vote.
I assume probably the mayor would have vetoed it anyway,
and I think that the council probably wouldn't have enough
votes to have overridden.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
The mayor's potential veto of that if I hit the guess.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Yeah, so that was a non binding resolution, so it
was more of a we strongly urge you to take
this action if they had voted, if they had the
votes to vote in favor of halting deition demolition. And
also the mayor has been you know, she's been a
champion of this project, and her opponent and the mayor
all race, Josh Craftis, has seized on the opposition. He's
(08:47):
called for demolition be halted. Last week he called for
a cancelation and a lease agreement. So it's been a
prominent issue in the campaign for mayor as well.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Yeah, and I noticed that some of the financial supporters
included Linda Pisudi, the wife of John Henry, the owner
of the Red Sox, has also left the investor group.
I guess with the owner of the ownership group, Galen.
Thank you very much. Always great to talk with you.
You're a great reporter. You deal with us periodically and
(09:18):
I really appreciate the time. Because it's one thing to
read your pieces, it's another thing to talk to you
in the radio. So thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Great, thank you appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
You were very welcome. I appreciate it a whole lot.
When we get back on it be talking with Renee
Stacy Welsh. She is with a group called the Franklin
Park Defenders. We'll get to her right after the break
and we'll find out why they are opposed to this.
We'll be back on Nightside and if you'd like to
join the conversation, we'll try to get some calls in later.
(09:49):
We're going to be talking not only with Renee Stacy Welsh,
but also with a different person on the other side
of the issue. After the nine thirty news, coming back
on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Now back to Dan Ray Live from the Window World
night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
We're talking about the White Stadium legal battle, which comes
to a head tomorrow in a superior court room here
in Boston. Joining us now is Renee Stacey Welsh, a
longtime resident of the Franklin Park area, and she's with
a group called Franklin Park Defender Stacey. Renee, I should
say welcome tonight'satt how are you.
Speaker 6 (10:28):
I'm well, Dan, Thank you for having me tonight.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Very welcome. I know it's a big day tomorrow, and
I know that the judge today had issued some rulings
that the Boston Globe is suggesting the la significant blow
to the paintiffs, to the plaintiffs' hopes of stopping the project.
Why should this project be stopped? In your opinion as
a longtime resident, Renee.
Speaker 6 (10:52):
I think this project deserves true community involvement and input.
They need to be true transparency in all aspects associated
with the development, and I don't think the community at
large truly got all of those things right. I think
that the as community, as a community, we deserve to
(11:14):
have a seat at the table when making these kinds
of decisions. We should be able to say and share
what we want to see in our Park.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Now, the argument, I guess from your side of the
table and also from the other plaintiffs of the Emerald
Necklace Conservancy, which is a long, very respected organization. Here
they claim that Franklin Park was donated to the city
(11:45):
but in trust back in nineteen forty seven, and that
the trust said that that should be in use, should
be used as a public park and recreational land, which
it has been. Is there no way that this be
compromised so that they could build a new stadium and
allow this professional sports team to play their games there,
(12:10):
this women's soccer team play their games there, and yet
the park would still become easily accept the entire park
as well as the stadium would become easily accessible to
the community. Or is this just going to fundamentally change
what you know, what the White Stadium Franklin Park area
(12:31):
will will be will be going forward.
Speaker 6 (12:34):
I think it's going to fundamentally change it. You know,
when you think about they're taking up another two acres
of land from the existing footprint, so one hundred and
something trees are going to be taken down, one hundred
and something mature trees. Some would would want you to
believe that these trees are severely diseased and we're taking
them down. That is not true. And you think they
(12:57):
say they're going to build, they're gonna plant five hundred trees.
It takes eighty years for one tree to be beneficial.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Someone once said, when's the best time to plant a tree?
It's the answer is yesterday. Why are they taking these
trees down? Everybody talks about how that particularly in the
center of major cities, not just Boston. There are plenty
of trees in the suburbs, but trees are much more
sparse in you know, communities like Dorchester, Roxbury, and somebody
(13:27):
will we'll talk about how that those portions of the city,
particularly in the summer months June, July, August and September,
when the sun is burning its brightest, it can be
pretty uncomfortable just walking the streets without some form of cover.
And if you lose all those trees in Franklin Park,
(13:48):
that's going to have an impact on a real impact
on your community.
Speaker 6 (13:51):
Of course, I mean, if you think about it, aside
from creating heat islands, let's talk about the respiratory issues
that these communities. Dortsche, the Rock, Gray, Mattapan have the
worst respiratory issues, and you decide to take down one
hundred and forty something trees to build a stadium that
it does not need to be that big, if it's truly,
(14:12):
in fact, for our kids. You know, they talk about
we're doing this for our kids. You spend one hundred
million dollars on one thing versus looking at the kids
and what the kids need and spreading that money out
for our kids. You know, every time they mentioned kids
to me, it does not compute. It doesn't make sense
(14:33):
because if it did, they would spend that money differently.
They wouldn't be spending it the way they're spending it.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Well, I haven't. I go to Franklin Park quite a
bit with my family, but I haven't been inside White
Stadium in a long long time. But I'm told that
White Stadium has fallen into disrepair and the city has
done very little, if anything, to keep it in decent
(14:59):
shape for high school football games. Even the facilities are
not have have not been kept up to date. Would
you agree with that? From you probably know the stadium better,
the White Stadium better than I.
Speaker 6 (15:12):
So I was born in this community. So from nineteen
seventy five until today, I still use that park. You know,
I learned how to ride my bike there. You know,
we had our family cookouts and get togethers in that park.
My uncles were from the Caribbean. They played soccer inside
White Stadium. Whether it was raining, it was sunshine, they
(15:33):
were in their playing soccer.
Speaker 7 (15:34):
We used it.
Speaker 6 (15:35):
We used when there was something going on inside. They
used that two acres that they're going to be taking
to enhance or to expand the size of this footprint.
They used to play all along there. Even in the
summer months, when it's too hot to walk on the outside,
you walk closest to the stadium because the trees keeps
it cooler under there. So to your point, yes, they
(15:59):
have less Franklin Park. They've left White Stadium to fall
in disrepair, and you know, now it's like this is
the only thing we could do. No, it's not the
only thing we can do. You know, they're options, and
we deserve options as taxpayers, as community people, as people
who Franklin Park is the only place that many people
(16:21):
have to go for rest. But in the city, they
don't have second homes, they're not affluent, so they can't
run to the Cape or to Vermont or Maine and
go to their second you know, forest treeline property in
the suburbs. We don't have that ability, many of us don't.
So our summer home, our place of peace is Franklin Park,
(16:45):
and when you take it away for twenty two of
the good weekends a year, Dan, that's unfair.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
Yeah. So the soccer team will play, I believe, is
the beginning in March or April and all the way
into October.
Speaker 6 (17:00):
Yeah, October, November, And my understanding is.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
What happens to the high school football games that will
be played in September and October. Can do they use
the stadium for high school football games during I can't
imagine they use it for high school football games during
the week and then also for a women's professional soccer
team because football is going to eat up the turf
(17:28):
a lot, a lot more than a soccer game will.
Is that? Am I wrong on that?
Speaker 6 (17:34):
No, you're one hundred and ten percent correct.
Speaker 8 (17:36):
They said that the cleats on the cleats on the
cleats on football cleats are different, so it is truly
to your point, it's going to turf up the turf.
Speaker 6 (17:47):
So they do not want football being played there.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
So where will the high school football game. Where will
high school football games be played if not in white
stadium in September?
Speaker 6 (17:58):
I would, I would, I would guests who knows?
Speaker 9 (18:01):
Right?
Speaker 6 (18:02):
You know, they can say that, right, And it's a
football steam for kids, right, And you say the kids
can't play there. But I think it's important to understand
you say it for the kids, but now you're displacing
a group of kids.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
So well, ask you just another question. You tell me,
and you told me earlier that you were born in
nineteen seventy five, so you've been there your entire life.
This has been integral in your entire life. Give me
a sense of how you feel the community has split
on this issue. I know that you haven't done a
(18:40):
poll of every one of your neighbors, but where's the
sentiment of the community. Because we're going to be talking
with a woman who also lives in the areas, I
understand that after the nine thirty news here who is
on the opposite side of this set circumstance from you?
(19:01):
So where where do you feel that the majority of
the community within you know, within the proximity of the
park sits on this topic.
Speaker 6 (19:12):
Well, that's interesting. I you know, I'm I'm down the
street from from the park, and some of my neighbors
who have children who play soccer, who play sports are
against this. Right. Some of my other neighbors that one
still don't know about it, are like, well, why would
we want that in our community, you know, And as
I'm talking to people, I'm saying, well, let's look at
(19:33):
this differently because they hear the it's for the kids,
but then when you break it down to them, they're like,
that makes no sense. So I think that the people
who don't know and you're able to explain, they they're
on the side of I don't really agree with that.
I need more information, I need to understand more. And
I think the ones who are against it are against
(19:53):
it because they understand that the the adverse, the adverse
issues that were gonna come with this, I think. Dennison
also one of my barometers is look into the comment
section and the Globe and listen to the people and
the percentage of people that say they don't agree with this.
People who have been who lived here for you for decades,
(20:15):
they're like, this makes no sense.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
So so your sense is that most of your neighbors
agree with you, is what I'm.
Speaker 6 (20:22):
Hearing you say, I would say so yes.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
Okay, well, look, thank you very much. I do appreciate
your time tonight. You've been a great spokesperson for the
Franklin Park Defenders. Renee Stacy Welsh. In a moment, we'll
be talking with a woman named dot Fennel or Finelle,
I'm not sure how that's pronounced, and get kind of
a different perspective, and then we'll have to see what
the judge does. Certainly, these rulings I think that have
(20:46):
come down late tonight on the eve of the beginning
of the case in fold tomorrow, probably do not augure
very well for your point of view. But you know,
keep up the fight and we'll keep in touch with you.
Speaker 6 (20:59):
Okay, thank you so much, Dan, have a wonderful night.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
Thank you. Renee Cassy Welsh with a group called the
Franklin Park Defenders. Back on nightside, right after the news,
after the news, and we'll talk to another community member
with a different perspective. Back on nightside.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
It's Nightside with Dan Ray on WBS, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
So we just talked with Renee Stacy Welsh with a
group called the Franklin Park Defenders, We're going to talk
with Dot Fennel now and we will take some phone calls.
We're not going to make Dot answer phone questions, but
if you'd like to call, I can get you in
after this interview at six one, seven, two, five, four
ten thirty. Dot welcome. How are you tonight?
Speaker 4 (21:43):
I'm doing so good, Dan, It's been quite a day.
Unlike Renee, who is a staff member did you know
this at the ma Reckless Conservancy, so she is paid
to be here. You're talking to a mom at now
a quarter of ten o'clock and I have go on
from school, take up at the curly, to after school homework,
(22:05):
to after school sport activity, to dinner, back home, uh,
back bedtime, book clean up, do a little bit more work,
and now talking to you. So I mean, this is
just like a day in the life of a parent, but.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
This would be the best best part of your day.
Do let me ask. I'm gonna answer you the same
question because trying to God, can you can you hear me?
Speaker 4 (22:32):
Robert no, Dot, are you able to hear you?
Speaker 2 (22:36):
Trying to have a conversation with you, which is important
so that I can create some questions. Thank you very much,
appreciate that. So my my question to you is, uh,
you live in the neighborhood as I understand that, correct?
Speaker 4 (22:52):
I do? Yeah, so used to live on.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Take turn it down. I do this very rarely to
a guest. DOT. I'm going to ask you to refrain
from attacking Renee personally. Okay, she has a point of view,
You have a point of view, bring her back up.
What I want to do, Dot, is I want to
get your point of view. I'm not interested in you
personally attacking her, just as she did not personally attack you.
(23:22):
Did you hear the interview I did with Renee by
any chance for now?
Speaker 4 (23:26):
Yeah? I did hear it.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
Did she personally attack you? Did she call into question
your motivations or anything like that?
Speaker 4 (23:33):
I have lots of really interesting questions about things that
are being put forth and the responses. So I hope
that we can dig into those.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Well I can. But if you would stop attacking her
personally and getting into, you know, what her motivations might be.
She did not attack your motivation. So I take it
that both of you live in the area. She tells
me she's lived there for fifty years. She was born
close to Franklin Park. I assume you're story is similar.
Are you're a longtime resident as well?
Speaker 4 (24:04):
Yeah, we've been here twenty years.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Okay, well that's good. Fifty years, twenty years. Whatever. Do
you have a group? Are you speaking as an individual
or she has a group called Franklin Park Defenders. I
didn't go into great detail with her about that. Do
you have an organization that you're representing? Your name was
given to us tonight by a representative from Elevate Communications.
(24:29):
Do you have a group or are you you hear
in your capacity? Just in your capacity as a resident
of the area.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
Has a response of the of the misinformation that was
being put out by the Armald Necklace Conservancy. A group
of neighbors came together and suande coalition, which has now
grown into beyond just BPS parents, of which there's an
almost six hundred support letter. Send it to you as well.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
As you don't have to. What is the name of
your group?
Speaker 4 (25:06):
I mean, there's no formal group. We are supporters of
the BPS facility, White Stadium renovation.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Oh fair enough, Okay, that's all.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
You know.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
It's taken us quite a bit of time just to
sort of establish that. That's all I'm trying to do
whenever people get involved. I know that there's been some
demonstrations opposed to the activity, and I think Renee has
been involved in some of those. I assume there probably
have been some demonstrations in support of what might happen
at White Stadium. Is that correct?
Speaker 9 (25:37):
Well?
Speaker 4 (25:38):
There has. I mean, we're we are. We have not
had as much time to be organized. We don't have
the time or the financial backing to be organized. And
you're talking to myself as well as another mother who
frankly aren't being paid to be here, who are reaching
out to after school youth program coordinators, folks who speak
(26:03):
on behalf of students other bps.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
So what Let me give you what I want you to.
I want you to make your case here. So let
me ask you the question which might help you support
the the demolition of the current stadium, the construction of
a new stadium which will be a which will be
in part a soccer stadium. Tell us what, tell us
(26:26):
why that is good for the community. Tell us tell
us why you support it.
Speaker 4 (26:31):
So I have a question for you. So I'm happy
to hear that you spend a lot of time here
at Franklin Park, and I also wanted to ask, do
you have.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
I go to the zoo that count Oh no, I
know that, never never played the golf course, but I
do go to the zoo.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
So we haven't either. Well, So what I'm trying to
get at is that, like, so if I'm speaking parent
to parents, and when I look at the BP educators
who teach my children every day and all the children
across the city and who know my children well, know
their job well, I see them working with so little
(27:10):
and doing so much, And I couldn't imagine getting in
the way of them saying they need something and me
coming in as an interloper and saying, oh, no, no, no,
you don't need that. And I look at our BPS athletes,
I look at their coaches, I look at their administrators,
and I look at the facility team, and I look
(27:30):
at the city saying we need a new stadium. This
is what we want, what our students want. And so
as a BPS parents, I'm seeing what's available to students
who are in the suburbs, who have access to facilities,
and I'm seeing students who are being asked reform with
facilities that are subpak. So as a parent, I want
better facilities for my kids.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
So my under standing and by the way, I'm a
Boston Public School graduate, Boston Latin School. I played sportscast
Latin school baseball in Howe we played in some you know,
you know facilities there's many years ago, in the last century.
So however, my question is my understanding is that some
(28:11):
of the people who are opposed to it feel that
White Stadium will be used by the women's professional soccer
team from the spring until sometime in either late October
or early November, and that football games, which have traditionally
been where Boston Public School teams play football, will be
off limits to the students during the you know, the
(28:35):
months of the early months of the football season September October.
If I'm being given incorrect information on that, please correct me.
Speaker 4 (28:43):
Well, I think if you want to get the exact
specifics from the city on how many games are happening,
then you would need to call the project team. But
it's my understanding that they're going to be able to host.
I think it was up to like five teams and
like ten aims, and yes, they do have to and
it's between different sports. So is there going to be
(29:06):
some adjustment? Yes, is there going to be some sort
of scheduling happening. Of course there is, and this this
constant like, well, we can't do anything because mentality you're making,
you're making a speech.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
I'm just simply asking you the question. What Renee said
to me. I asked her the question. I had heard
it before.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
Yeah, it's about football, it's about football.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
But let me say, could I finish the question? Because
your weren't response to the questions you're making this This
is not intended to be a contentious interview. Trust me,
I know on both sides, and I had a pretty
easy conversation with Renee. It hasn't been as easy with you,
and let me be can it with you? I just
(29:50):
am trying to give you the opportunity to answer the
questions that are out there. My understanding is that the
Boston Students football teams will not have access to the
stadium during the season when the women's professional soccer team
is playing, which is understandable. Okay, yeah, I just wanted
(30:10):
to find out from you. If you have not heard that,
just tell me you haven't heard it and we can
move on.
Speaker 4 (30:16):
But the thing is is that this is not just
a black and white issue. So do you have a sense. Yeah,
so who gets to play football? It is boys between
the ages of seven to twelve three, So off the bat,
it's a support a sport that's not serving the children
from K zero all the way up to twelve. And
(30:39):
so what I would love for my city is to
be thinking, Okay, so moving forward, here's where we're at.
How can we meet the current needs of our football program.
I think there's an shoot as the city. I think
there's like seven teams, seven programs, but then over here
and I don't want to come from football soccer, that's
not fair. But I think like a twenty five plus
(31:01):
growing things. What I want to see is a city
at saying let's do both. So the football while this
has happened, is currently playing at Clemente which is in
Sunway and Clifford down in the South End. So it's
not as if the city is the.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
One in Clifford is the one that has been strewn
with hypodermic needles.
Speaker 4 (31:24):
I know I've talked to yeah, which is like also
a challenge yeah forward for both.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Yeah, okay, last question, and I got to be very
quick on this one, so okay, you know, as I
understand it, and if it's true, great, If it isn't,
set me correct, My understanding is about one hundred and
forty five mature trees that are going to be cut down.
Speaker 4 (31:46):
Oh goodness, okay, so that accurate?
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Is that accurate?
Speaker 4 (31:52):
No? Okay?
Speaker 2 (31:53):
So again, my trees would be cut down, if.
Speaker 4 (31:57):
Any I'm up the town order. But do you know
what the city considers to be on paper a mature tree?
Speaker 2 (32:06):
Well, I assume a mature tree. At least the trees
that I'm familiar with are probably probably at least fifty
or sixty years old. I'm not an arborist either. Yeah,
I'm told that one and one hundred and forty five trees.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
Okay, we'll be cut down.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
And all I'm asking is that number correct?
Speaker 4 (32:28):
It's not stands while I got involved, So hoy, how.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
Many are there any trees going to be cut down?
Speaker 4 (32:36):
Man? It's three inches? So you get to three inches
really quick. And if you walk around that stadium.
Speaker 2 (32:45):
What's three inches? What are you referring to?
Speaker 4 (32:49):
So three inch? Three inch diameter is what the city
considers to be a mature tree. So like there's like
a certain crop by which they lost things.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
So okay, again, here's the thing dark. You tried to
make speeches and I'm going to cut it off. I
hate to do this to you, but I'm way past
my commercial break. I gave You've got more time than
the other side. I wish you had been more responsor
to my questions. But I thank you for being here tonight. Nonetheless.
Uh and perhaps we'll talk again. Have a have a
good evening, and best of luck in court when this
(33:23):
case convenes tomorrow. Okay, thank you, take care, good night. Okay,
if you'd like to call in and comment, I'll give
you an opportunity. One gentleman, Derek and Roxbury has been
holding on. Derek, you're going to be first on the
other side. Six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty
six one seven, nine three ten thirty Bruins just lost
in overtime to the Flo Sabers. The season is kind
(33:46):
of slipping away. We'll be back on Night's side right
after this.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
Now, back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
night Sight Studios. I'm WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
Well, I've had an interesting hour. We haven't talked to
any callers yet, so let's try to get as many
folks in as we can between now and ten o'clock,
we will talk, we will change topics. I'm prepared to
go a little bit into the next hour if you're interested. Again,
I think it's a very interesting issue. Six one, seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty six one, seven, nine, three, one, ten thirty.
Derek is the most patient man of the night. Derek, welcome,
(34:20):
You've been holding on for a while. Go right ahead.
Speaker 7 (34:23):
Thanks. Thanks. I just want to say thank you for this,
and I think you've asked some really good questions and
it's good to see local media do so. In responsible.
One of the questions that you asked about the division
and the well, let me tell you who I am.
My name is Derek. I arrived in Boston from Mississippi,
(34:44):
do a ten Boston College, and I work my way
through BC in the eighties with him arborist who had
grown up in Chestnut Hill, and we did a lot
of work on private Omsted designed properties in Brookline and
Newton in that area because of course there are many
that's home itself in the Gardener Place now.
Speaker 2 (35:03):
The Arboretum, the Olmsted Necklace.
Speaker 7 (35:07):
Yeah, and in ninety two I became a twenty five
year rarity in the Boston Public schools. I was a
twenty five year old African American, a Native American teacher
of American history and social studies at the Phyllis Wheatley
Middle School, which has since been closed.
Speaker 2 (35:25):
I thought their friends.
Speaker 7 (35:28):
Right, right, right, So uh, you know, I've been aware
of and familiar, and I also moved to Roxbury. I
permanently adopted Roxbury where I am now in ninety two
as a homeowner and a small landlord owner in a
concentrated little area across the street from another so called
(35:51):
homestead legacy park called Malcolm X Park. And last year
not unlike now, oh, I guess find that I should say,
I'm also in front England Park defender and in full disclosure.
And this is really my second rodeo unfortunately in the
last three years with the city over a park quote
(36:11):
unquote improvement project in Roxbury. Now White Stadium is located
in Franklin Park and Franklin Park, as a matter of
a historical accident, has spent you know, the last let's
say eighty years, seventy five years, segregated for most of
(36:33):
that time in sort of the same red lined area
of the city of Boston as most of it's black
and brown residents right and likewise has been disinvested in neglected.
And on the one hand, it is or should be
good news to see that the city or anyone else
is interested in investing large sums of capital in the area.
(36:55):
But when it comes to Olmstead's Crown Jewel, which is
three hundred and fifty degrees by state map, highly concentrated
environmental justice census tracks, which have all of this long
list of social inequity indicators, the question is whether or
(37:16):
not that sudden and new investment in the area is
a giver or a grab.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
And Derek, let me do this. You've been very patient,
You've been on a long time on hold in your opinion.
Is it a giver or a grab? Because I think
you have outlined your experience and outlined the circumstances of
that community for many years. I grew up in Boston,
so I'm very familiar. Yeah, played a lot of sports
in Weisby Dorchester as a kid. Is it a giver
(37:44):
a grab? As far as your concern, well.
Speaker 7 (37:46):
Thank you for asking me to that. And while I
can understand those who think that it's a give, there
are reasons that I understand them. I say it's a
grab because what you're losing here is a public equity,
which is I think something that the previous your first
Talk interview, he was saying versus you know, one time
(38:08):
a private opportunities for things like jobs, contracts, what have you.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
I think what I bothered, to be really honest with
the de What bothers me the most is the the
fact that the football you know, I you know, I
never played football in high school. I was baseball and hockey.
But the football guys who I went to school with
at Boston Latin School, you know, September and October. I mean,
that was the football season and then you know, it's
all over by Thanksgiving Day. And that's that is what
(38:33):
concerns me a little bit as.
Speaker 7 (38:35):
To you know, yeah, you know, who's going to happen.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
Yeah, go ahead, I only got a minute left. And
I hate to crunch you here, but go ahead, I'll
give you the final minute.
Speaker 7 (38:46):
Well, I think you and your listeners will appreciate this.
I mean, Fragua Park is an Olmsted part right, which
is by definition, I mean, by definition, it's a meeting
place of urban and democratic social goods right uh in nature,
and it doesn't. I mean, whether that's the floor of
the fauna, of the geology, you know the pudding.
Speaker 2 (39:04):
Everybody knows that, Yeah, go ahead, right right.
Speaker 7 (39:06):
Well, as a result, it's not a place, it's not
a place of displacement. So if football or some other
thing that's been here is here now just needs to
be reinvested and supported and continued, is being displaced or
stands the threat of being displaced, you have to slow
down the process and ask the stakeholders their questions and
(39:31):
respond to their questions, not just feed them. You know
this really great, big idea that looks Listen, after eighty
years of disinvestment, like in a desert, it's going to
be very hard to mistake or to tell for a
lot of people the difference between cold water and cold
say camel urine, because.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
I hate on that point, Derek, But you waited thirty minutes,
but I've flat out a time. We'll we'll deal with this,
I'm sure in the future. I very much appreciate your perspective,
uh and your experience, and I think it's pretty clear
on what side of the issue you come down. So
thank you so much. I wish I had more time
for you. I really, I really do. Thanks. Thanks, thank
(40:13):
you again, Derek appreciated. Keep listening to night Side. I'll
tell you what I'm going to do, folks. I'm going
to give people an opportunity if they want to call in.
I'll take this into the ten o'clock howa. Uh, that
is my decision. If you want to participate, you got
to jump on real quickly. Six one, seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty six one seven, nine three one ten thirty.
Speaker 10 (40:34):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (40:34):
If there's no interest, we're going to move on to
a different topic. We'll be back on Nightside after this.
Speaker 9 (40:39):
It's night Side with Dan Ray.
Speaker 1 (40:41):
I'm telling you easy Boston's news video.
Speaker 2 (40:45):
All right, we have talked for an hour with a
couple of perspectives on what's going on at White Stadium.
As I mentioned, the judge in this case issued some
decisions today on some motions which would seem to undercut
the the f for the plaintiffs to stop the city
from continuing to take down White Stadium and build a
(41:10):
new women's professional sports stadium. But that court activity we'll
commence in the morning. We did speak with Gayla Colly
of The Boston Herald, as well as Renee Stacey Wells
with a group called the Franklin Park Defenders. They were
opposed to the destruction of White Stadium and the construction
of a women's soccer stadium. And also we spoke with
(41:32):
a woman named Dot Finel who described herself as a
parent who was in favor of the changes. So we're
going to get to phone calls and invite people to
continue the conversation. We can continue it for a little
while and move on to something else. They do want
to talk about the deportations that went on over the
weekend and the controversy around it. But let's start with
(41:56):
the callers who have called in. If you'd like to
join the conversation talking about White Stadium, It's future or
lack thereof six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty
six one seven, nine, three, one ten thirty. Here comes
Michael and Aliborough. Michael, you've held through the news. We
appreciate it. You're next on night, said we're talking about
White Stadium.
Speaker 10 (42:13):
Hey, Dan, how are you?
Speaker 2 (42:15):
I'm doing just great? What's your thoughts?
Speaker 10 (42:18):
I raised, I was raised. I grew up right down
the street from the park. It was a little tough
in the sixties to go there. Yeah, I'm one hundred
and twenty percent with a gentleman who called early. I
think he was before the news.
Speaker 2 (42:33):
I think he was Derek.
Speaker 9 (42:35):
I think he was African American. And that's what this is.
Speaker 10 (42:39):
This is a money grab. As soon as I heard Henry.
Speaker 9 (42:42):
Being involved, this is a money grab.
Speaker 2 (42:46):
Well, she's not well for let me just be clear,
John Henry was not directly involved. His wife, Linda Pizzuti,
was one of the investors. Uh and she uh. And
I understand some others have have left the group. It
may be in part because of that controversy. But just
you know, I just want to be fair to everyone here,
go right.
Speaker 10 (43:04):
Ahead, Okay, it's a money grab. It's a money grab.
But trees are taken down, must be parking, right.
Speaker 2 (43:12):
Well, the trees that were taken down, as I understand,
are trees that are you know, mature, eighty year old trees.
And it's one hundred and forty five trees that were
taken down. And you know, they talk about the the
urban deserts and how that there's lack of foliage and trees,
and not only in Boston but in other American cities,
and I think there that's legitimate. So but I had
(43:36):
a tough interview with the we we lined up another
representative with dot Fennel just trying to get I was
trying to just give her the opportunity to pres that
well it was it was tough, so but hey, that's
the way it happens. And I didn't want her attacking.
Speaker 10 (43:56):
M me put it a different way. Yeah, okay, on
the other side of the thing, that the African America,
I'm a white guy, right.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
Yeah, I don't know that he was African American. His
name was Derek from Roxbury. He said that he lived
in the community. He did not identify to the recollection.
So just what it doesn't matter. His point of view
was his point of view.
Speaker 9 (44:20):
What's your comment the same thing.
Speaker 10 (44:22):
That's what he was getting at the display from the people.
Speaker 9 (44:25):
Who waited thirty forty.
Speaker 10 (44:27):
Fifty years to be able to use.
Speaker 9 (44:29):
That park without any problem.
Speaker 10 (44:33):
Now they're coming in. If Hann me or anybody wants
to get on the board, give the football players five
grand every time they play or something.
Speaker 9 (44:44):
I mean, you know, the football.
Speaker 2 (44:46):
Well, what my concern is, and I was trying to,
you know, square this out, is that the women's soccer schedule,
as I understand that runs from late March or early
April that they play, you know, once a week whatever.
And they're not like baseball that's playing every other every day.
They're not like hockey or basketball, which is playing eighty
(45:08):
two games all over the course of the winter. So
they're playing maybe two three times a week. Soccer, professional soccer,
I think is oftentimes a weekend sport from what I see,
and it's you know, a week between games and all
of that. So it's kind of like football in that regard.
But this season runs into October early November, and the
(45:30):
stadium cannot be used weekdays by the football kids voting.
Speaker 10 (45:37):
I don't know if they play there, but you remember
Latin English well that you.
Speaker 2 (45:41):
Know, Latin English was always played at Harvard Stadium.
Speaker 10 (45:44):
Okay, on Thanksgimming, I mean that was that was That's
that's legendary, like.
Speaker 9 (45:49):
Saint Patrick's says, legendary over in the.
Speaker 10 (45:52):
South all I got you down, I got you down
is the resident.
Speaker 9 (46:01):
But another way, real quick, they wouldn't.
Speaker 10 (46:03):
Have gone near there thirty forty years ago.
Speaker 9 (46:06):
They would have been scared to I.
Speaker 2 (46:08):
Don't look yeah, look, I mean let's deal with today.
There's the zoo has been there a long time. I've
gone in and out of there. People love playing the
golf course. Tom and Nino, the former mayor, used to
that was the course that he loved to play, so
uh yeah, I mean look, bottom line is the area
(46:28):
has gotten a little bit better, which is great, as
have a number of you know, uh communities in the
Boston area. So let's let's hope it continues. Michael appreciated.
I hope you all is well in Attleborough with you.
Speaker 9 (46:43):
Yeah, thank you, Bye bye.
Speaker 2 (46:44):
Bye bye. Let's keep rolling here, going to get Melissa
in Jamaica. Plane, Melissa, you are next on Nisaka right ahead.
Speaker 4 (46:51):
Oh hi yan, thanks for having me on TI calling in.
Speaker 2 (46:56):
Yeah, class cat, go right.
Speaker 4 (47:00):
Ahead, all right, thank you. Feel right at home now. Yeah.
I just want to just say that what we see
happening in Franklin Park is really disturbing. When I first
heard about this project, this partnership between the city and
the professional women's soccer team, I was really kind of
(47:23):
excited about it. It was something intrigued me because I
love watching soccer. I want to support women's sports and
empowered girls. But the devil was in the detail, and
as I started to attend the White Stadium meetings, the
(47:45):
Zoom meetings, what I realized was we were really getting
hung out to dry, not only the taxpayers, but the
students especially. And every time I heard more from this
city about how they were promising us that there was
going to be a great project, they couldn't have they
didn't back it up. And when they saw that the
(48:09):
cost balloon from fifty million to one hundred million, it
just became really clear to me that this was a
bad deal for Boston, a bad deal for the kids,
a bad deal for the community.
Speaker 2 (48:23):
And I think it's now actually, if I'm not mistaken,
isn't it two hundred million? I think the city is
in for one hundred and the soccer team is in
for a hundred.
Speaker 4 (48:32):
Yeah, and it's only going to go up. I mean,
let's face it, with the tariffs and the skyrocketing costs
of construction, the taxpayer is going to be on the
hook for a lot more than one hundred million dollars.
Speaker 2 (48:45):
And I'm a little surprised that the judge allowed the
demolition of the stadium to start two or three weeks
before the court case started.
Speaker 4 (48:57):
Yeah, that's unfortunate. From what I understand the judge that
ruled that there there wasn't the injunction, there was no
need for injunction was probably she made some wrong assumptions
about well.
Speaker 2 (49:18):
It would it would indicate to me that that that
the judge might have a predisposition. I don't know the judge.
He's experienced judge at district court and recently appointed to
supirit Court. I have no question. I'm not questioning motivations,
but it just seems to me that if you allowed
the construction of a facility to begin, uh, and the
(49:42):
question that is before is really the survival of that
facility or the replacement of the facility? Joy until the trial.
Speaker 4 (49:52):
But it's actually two different judges. There was there was
a judge that ruled against the injunction.
Speaker 2 (49:58):
The okay, then thank you, thank you for that clarification.
Then I still don't understand why when there's a case,
I do not understand why a judge in a situation
like that. I know that one of the arguments on
a temporary injunction is always the likelihood of the party
(50:22):
that's requesting the injunction to prevail. That's one element of it,
and then it's called irreparable damages. Well, certainly, if you're
going to take half the stadium down and a couple
of one hundred and fifty trees, there is irreparable damage.
That would indicate to me that the judge probably felt
that the first judge who did not grant the injunction,
(50:43):
did they ever appeal that and take that up?
Speaker 4 (50:46):
You know, no, they did not appeal that. But the
court case is still pending, so the actual trial it's
starting tomorrow, will decide the merits, the legal merits.
Speaker 2 (51:02):
No, but what I'm saying, But what I'm saying is
what are the chances the judge who's now and again
I apologized, I thought it would have been the same judge,
But that's that's my mistake. Thank you for the correction.
What are the chances that the judge is likely to
rule in favor of the opponents if half the stadium
has been knocked down? I don't understand.
Speaker 4 (51:25):
Well, it's certainly, it certainly is not a good look
for public opinion. And that's and that's unfortunate. And because
you know, ideally, you know, justice should be heard fairly, right,
we should both sides should be able to present their
case fairly, and by having the demolition go forward. It
(51:47):
really it's exactly.
Speaker 2 (51:49):
I mean, if this was an eminent domain case and
there were people saying, we don't want our houses to
be knocked down, and and and we case is.
Speaker 4 (52:00):
Heard in the Southwest.
Speaker 2 (52:02):
Right, You're a Bostonian, so that's that's something we all
both know what the Southwest Corridor is. Hey, look, Melissa,
I appreciate your weighing in. I'm past my break, so
I got to jump. Thank you so much for calling
for the first time tonight, and we'll continue to follow
the story. Thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (52:20):
Yeah, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (52:22):
Thanks Melissa, I have a great night. Good night. All right,
we're going to change topics. I am not going to
drag a topic out when we come back. We're going
to talk about the deportations and all the controversy around it.
The administration's decision to invoke the Alien and Seditions Act,
(52:42):
the Alien Enemies Act, which is an act from the
from seventeen ninety eight seventeen ninety eight, the Alien Enemies Act.
I think that the administration, I think the Administration needs
to get this clarified, and I would hope that the
Supreme Court would jump in here and take the case,
(53:04):
and hear the case. We're going to talk about that.
I've watched some of the videos of this prison where
these are so called terrorists, and they are they're bad people.
MS thirteen members, and apparently the Trump administration cut a
deal with the president of Al Salvador. And I got
(53:27):
to tell you, I'm a due process guy, but I'm
probably going to tell you that I think that the
Trump administration is doing the right thing here. All of
my libertarian friends are going to be howling with dismay,
but you can feel make the arguments. I think I
understand them. Let's keep the conversation going, but we're going
to change conversation six one, seven, two, five, four ten
(53:49):
thirty six one seven, nine three one ten thirty. If
you have strong thoughts on the deportations of the people
that the Trump administration has characterized as terrorists, I think
the first thing we need to do is to talk
about who these people are and then go from there.
We'll start that conversation right after this break on Nightside
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ Boston's Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Welcome back everyone. There has been a ongoing story that
we've kind of heard bits and pieces of for the
last few months, and that involves the future of White Stadium,
which for many, many years was used by Boston Public
schools for football games, that very well might change very
(00:29):
shortly with the arrival of a women's soccer team here
to Boston. On two sides of the issue, the group
that owns the women's soccer team, the Boston Unity Soccer
Partners along with the City of Boston, against a group
that is a very distinguished group, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy,
(00:50):
which basically is very concerned about all of the beautiful
park space that encircles Boston Homestead Necklace. I guess as
it's been as it's been called with us is great
reporter for the Boston Herald who has been with us before,
(01:11):
Gayla calla uh, And I want to start off with Collie.
Excuse me, Gayla, Cally excuse me, Gayla. You've covered this
for some time, we've talked about it before. What happens tomorrow.
Tomorrow is kind of a big day in this.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Story, right, Yeah, it's actually to tought off the press.
The judge in the who's presiding over the case, just
essentially throughout throughout half the case of the plaintiffs, so
there they can't argue their case for one of their
major claims tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
I was surprised, and I haven't talked to you about this,
and I was surprised why the the demolition of White
Stadium was allowed to begin, you know, to begin a
couple of weeks ago at least, while this case really
theoretically the trial, as much as it's going to be
(02:08):
a trial, starts tomorrow. How did the demolition begin? Was
there really no effort to come in and enjoin the
city from starting to knock this structure down?
Speaker 3 (02:22):
So there was amary preliminary injunction that was sought by
the plaintiffs, and the judge actually ruled against that. So
the city, basically under their own duress, decided to proceed
with demolition while the case was still pending in court.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
That might be if I was an outside observer, I
might look at that as kind of perhaps an indicator
of which way this case is going. I know that
the Emerald Necklace Conservancy is a well respected organization, and
I assumed that they would have a lot of weight
in a court. But it looks to me like this
(03:00):
point things are trending against them and in favor of
the women's new professional women's soccer team and the city
of Boston. And in addition, I don't understand this part
of the case. And I'm not asking you to take
a position. I'm just trying to help me understand that.
I'm going to talk or a couple of people, one
(03:20):
at nine point fifteen and one at nine thirty on
each side. I think I've read in one of your
pieces that there are about one hundred and forty five
trees near you know, it's part of Franklin Park or
the whole Franklin Park area that are being taken down
or have been taken down. Where does that stand the
loss of all of that tree cover.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
So, yeah, the work to take down those trees have
started along with demolition work as part of plans to
take down the stadium. So I would I would assume
that's still ongoing.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
That's one of the thing.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yeah, what is the And again again I haven't covered
this case. If I'm asking you questions to which are
you don't have the answer? You feel free to tell
me why are they taking down trees? Uh? That that
whole area is such a beautiful area, and all during
(04:18):
the summer we hear you know, groups and talk about
the value of trees in an urban setting, and you know,
so many uh so many streets and areas don't have
much shade for people and it and it really becomes,
you know, an environmental question. What what's what's going to
replace the trees? Are they building a stadium that's going
(04:39):
to it's going to expand the footprint of white stadium?
Is that? Is that why?
Speaker 1 (04:44):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:44):
I mean, I'm not entirely clear on the tree taking
down the trees, but I would I would think because
the stadium is going to be larger than what's currently there,
there's going to be more seating, there's going to be
more people that they're saying are going to be going
to the stadium to see the professional games, and other
events are going to be held out of there.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Okay, and maybe that could be for I assume for parking.
Maybe I just I have I haven't had much of
a chance to talk to the principles here. How long
is this trial expected to last? I guess that's a
relatively new superior court judge if I'm if I'm not mistaken,
he's been a district court judge for a long time.
(05:25):
Is it Judge Nestor? Is that his name?
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Yeah, So the plaintiffs are saying that they expect the
trial to last a couple of weeks.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Well, that should be interesting. But wow, it's a this
is a fascinating story. How much as a reporter, and
I was a reporter a long time ago, how much
access have you been able to get to the principles
here the plaintiffs and the defendants. Have they been a
talking much off the record? Not that I'm going to
ask you what they said, but sometimes in these cases,
(05:57):
the lawyers make them button up and they can't. They
don't they're not inclined to talk to the reporters of
the story.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
So they've actually they've actually been pretty accessible. They've held
multiple protests where they've made statements about the case. They've
you know, they get on the phone with you. They've
issued numerous press advisories, so they haven't been difficult to
get a hold of. I would I would say, I
don't know if they're if they're going into the nitty
gritty of the case with the media, but they have
(06:30):
been good with being in touch.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
I've seen some of the protests that and again you've
covered them, and the Herald and the Globe that both
cover them. The protests for the most part, seemed to
be in opposition to the plan. Is there some support
within the area of this of Franklin Park that supports
this plan?
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Yeah, So the Franklin Park Coalition is in support of
the plan. And there's actually a grassroots group that popped
up in recent weeks, probably responsive to a lot of
the criticism that's been out there, made up of BPS students, coaches,
parents that have been pretty active in recent weeks with
holding press conferences.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
And have you spent much time to get a sense
of with the community at large how they feel. Is
it kind of split fifty to fifty or do you
have a sense as to how the community feels.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
So, yeah, I would say that it's split. There's vocal opposition,
there's also vocal support. That's particular been prominent in the
past few weeks. The city council took a vote to
halt demolition that was a deadlock vote that they didn't
have enough counselors to come to vote either way. So
(07:50):
I think that pretty much reflects the split nature of
the response to this project.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Yeah, that was the.
Speaker 5 (07:58):
Six to six vote of just about a month ago,
if I'm recalling it correctly on the council or council
I was thirteen members, correct, and there was someone who
was absent that day, and so it was a tie vote.
I assume probably the mayor would have vetoed it anyway,
and I think that the council probably wouldn't have enough
votes to have overridden.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
The mayor's potential veto of that if I hit the guess.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Yeah, so that was a non binding resolution, so it
was more of a we strongly urge you to take
this action if they had voted, if they had the
votes to vote in favor of halting deition demolition. And
also the mayor has been you know, she's been a
champion of this project, and her opponent and the mayor
all race, Josh Craftis, has seized on the opposition. He's
(08:47):
called for demolition be halted. Last week he called for
a cancelation and a lease agreement. So it's been a
prominent issue in the campaign for mayor as well.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Yeah, and I noticed that some of the financial supporters
included Linda Pisudi, the wife of John Henry, the owner
of the Red Sox, has also left the investor group.
I guess with the owner of the ownership group, Galen.
Thank you very much. Always great to talk with you.
You're a great reporter. You deal with us periodically and
(09:18):
I really appreciate the time. Because it's one thing to
read your pieces, it's another thing to talk to you
in the radio. So thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Great, thank you appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
You were very welcome. I appreciate it a whole lot.
When we get back on it be talking with Renee
Stacy Welsh. She is with a group called the Franklin
Park Defenders. We'll get to her right after the break
and we'll find out why they are opposed to this.
We'll be back on Nightside and if you'd like to
join the conversation, we'll try to get some calls in later.
(09:49):
We're going to be talking not only with Renee Stacy Welsh,
but also with a different person on the other side
of the issue. After the nine thirty news, coming back
on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Now back to Dan Ray Live from the Window World
night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
We're talking about the White Stadium legal battle, which comes
to a head tomorrow in a superior court room here
in Boston. Joining us now is Renee Stacey Welsh, a
longtime resident of the Franklin Park area, and she's with
a group called Franklin Park Defender Stacey. Renee, I should
say welcome tonight'satt how are you.
Speaker 6 (10:28):
I'm well, Dan, Thank you for having me tonight.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Very welcome. I know it's a big day tomorrow, and
I know that the judge today had issued some rulings
that the Boston Globe is suggesting the la significant blow
to the paintiffs, to the plaintiffs' hopes of stopping the project.
Why should this project be stopped? In your opinion as
a longtime resident, Renee.
Speaker 6 (10:52):
I think this project deserves true community involvement and input.
They need to be true transparency in all aspects associated
with the development, and I don't think the community at
large truly got all of those things right. I think
that the as community, as a community, we deserve to
(11:14):
have a seat at the table when making these kinds
of decisions. We should be able to say and share
what we want to see in our Park.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Now, the argument, I guess from your side of the
table and also from the other plaintiffs of the Emerald
Necklace Conservancy, which is a long, very respected organization. Here
they claim that Franklin Park was donated to the city
(11:45):
but in trust back in nineteen forty seven, and that
the trust said that that should be in use, should
be used as a public park and recreational land, which
it has been. Is there no way that this be
compromised so that they could build a new stadium and
allow this professional sports team to play their games there,
(12:10):
this women's soccer team play their games there, and yet
the park would still become easily accept the entire park
as well as the stadium would become easily accessible to
the community. Or is this just going to fundamentally change
what you know, what the White Stadium Franklin Park area
(12:31):
will will be will be going forward.
Speaker 6 (12:34):
I think it's going to fundamentally change it. You know,
when you think about they're taking up another two acres
of land from the existing footprint, so one hundred and
something trees are going to be taken down, one hundred
and something mature trees. Some would would want you to
believe that these trees are severely diseased and we're taking
them down. That is not true. And you think they
(12:57):
say they're going to build, they're gonna plant five hundred trees.
It takes eighty years for one tree to be beneficial.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Someone once said, when's the best time to plant a tree?
It's the answer is yesterday. Why are they taking these
trees down? Everybody talks about how that particularly in the
center of major cities, not just Boston. There are plenty
of trees in the suburbs, but trees are much more
sparse in you know, communities like Dorchester, Roxbury, and somebody
(13:27):
will we'll talk about how that those portions of the city,
particularly in the summer months June, July, August and September,
when the sun is burning its brightest, it can be
pretty uncomfortable just walking the streets without some form of cover.
And if you lose all those trees in Franklin Park,
(13:48):
that's going to have an impact on a real impact
on your community.
Speaker 6 (13:51):
Of course, I mean, if you think about it, aside
from creating heat islands, let's talk about the respiratory issues
that these communities. Dortsche, the Rock, Gray, Mattapan have the
worst respiratory issues, and you decide to take down one
hundred and forty something trees to build a stadium that
it does not need to be that big, if it's truly,
(14:12):
in fact, for our kids. You know, they talk about
we're doing this for our kids. You spend one hundred
million dollars on one thing versus looking at the kids
and what the kids need and spreading that money out
for our kids. You know, every time they mentioned kids
to me, it does not compute. It doesn't make sense
(14:33):
because if it did, they would spend that money differently.
They wouldn't be spending it the way they're spending it.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Well, I haven't. I go to Franklin Park quite a
bit with my family, but I haven't been inside White
Stadium in a long long time. But I'm told that
White Stadium has fallen into disrepair and the city has
done very little, if anything, to keep it in decent
(14:59):
shape for high school football games. Even the facilities are
not have have not been kept up to date. Would
you agree with that? From you probably know the stadium better,
the White Stadium better than I.
Speaker 6 (15:12):
So I was born in this community. So from nineteen
seventy five until today, I still use that park. You know,
I learned how to ride my bike there. You know,
we had our family cookouts and get togethers in that park.
My uncles were from the Caribbean. They played soccer inside
White Stadium. Whether it was raining, it was sunshine, they
(15:33):
were in their playing soccer.
Speaker 7 (15:34):
We used it.
Speaker 6 (15:35):
We used when there was something going on inside. They
used that two acres that they're going to be taking
to enhance or to expand the size of this footprint.
They used to play all along there. Even in the
summer months, when it's too hot to walk on the outside,
you walk closest to the stadium because the trees keeps
it cooler under there. So to your point, yes, they
(15:59):
have less Franklin Park. They've left White Stadium to fall
in disrepair, and you know, now it's like this is
the only thing we could do. No, it's not the
only thing we can do. You know, they're options, and
we deserve options as taxpayers, as community people, as people
who Franklin Park is the only place that many people
(16:21):
have to go for rest. But in the city, they
don't have second homes, they're not affluent, so they can't
run to the Cape or to Vermont or Maine and
go to their second you know, forest treeline property in
the suburbs. We don't have that ability, many of us don't.
So our summer home, our place of peace is Franklin Park,
(16:45):
and when you take it away for twenty two of
the good weekends a year, Dan, that's unfair.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
Yeah. So the soccer team will play, I believe, is
the beginning in March or April and all the way
into October.
Speaker 6 (17:00):
Yeah, October, November, And my understanding is.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
What happens to the high school football games that will
be played in September and October. Can do they use
the stadium for high school football games during I can't
imagine they use it for high school football games during
the week and then also for a women's professional soccer
team because football is going to eat up the turf
(17:28):
a lot, a lot more than a soccer game will.
Is that? Am I wrong on that?
Speaker 6 (17:34):
No, you're one hundred and ten percent correct.
Speaker 8 (17:36):
They said that the cleats on the cleats on the
cleats on football cleats are different, so it is truly
to your point, it's going to turf up the turf.
Speaker 6 (17:47):
So they do not want football being played there.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
So where will the high school football game. Where will
high school football games be played if not in white
stadium in September?
Speaker 6 (17:58):
I would, I would, I would guests who knows?
Speaker 9 (18:01):
Right?
Speaker 6 (18:02):
You know, they can say that, right, And it's a
football steam for kids, right, And you say the kids
can't play there. But I think it's important to understand
you say it for the kids, but now you're displacing
a group of kids.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
So well, ask you just another question. You tell me,
and you told me earlier that you were born in
nineteen seventy five, so you've been there your entire life.
This has been integral in your entire life. Give me
a sense of how you feel the community has split
on this issue. I know that you haven't done a
(18:40):
poll of every one of your neighbors, but where's the
sentiment of the community. Because we're going to be talking
with a woman who also lives in the areas, I
understand that after the nine thirty news here who is
on the opposite side of this set circumstance from you?
(19:01):
So where where do you feel that the majority of
the community within you know, within the proximity of the
park sits on this topic.
Speaker 6 (19:12):
Well, that's interesting. I you know, I'm I'm down the
street from from the park, and some of my neighbors
who have children who play soccer, who play sports are
against this. Right. Some of my other neighbors that one
still don't know about it, are like, well, why would
we want that in our community, you know, And as
I'm talking to people, I'm saying, well, let's look at
(19:33):
this differently because they hear the it's for the kids,
but then when you break it down to them, they're like,
that makes no sense. So I think that the people
who don't know and you're able to explain, they they're
on the side of I don't really agree with that.
I need more information, I need to understand more. And
I think the ones who are against it are against
(19:53):
it because they understand that the the adverse, the adverse
issues that were gonna come with this, I think. Dennison
also one of my barometers is look into the comment
section and the Globe and listen to the people and
the percentage of people that say they don't agree with this.
People who have been who lived here for you for decades,
(20:15):
they're like, this makes no sense.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
So so your sense is that most of your neighbors
agree with you, is what I'm.
Speaker 6 (20:22):
Hearing you say, I would say so yes.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
Okay, well, look, thank you very much. I do appreciate
your time tonight. You've been a great spokesperson for the
Franklin Park Defenders. Renee Stacy Welsh. In a moment, we'll
be talking with a woman named dot Fennel or Finelle,
I'm not sure how that's pronounced, and get kind of
a different perspective, and then we'll have to see what
the judge does. Certainly, these rulings I think that have
(20:46):
come down late tonight on the eve of the beginning
of the case in fold tomorrow, probably do not augure
very well for your point of view. But you know,
keep up the fight and we'll keep in touch with you.
Speaker 6 (20:59):
Okay, thank you so much, Dan, have a wonderful night.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
Thank you. Renee Cassy Welsh with a group called the
Franklin Park Defenders. Back on nightside, right after the news,
after the news, and we'll talk to another community member
with a different perspective. Back on nightside.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
It's Nightside with Dan Ray on WBS, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
So we just talked with Renee Stacy Welsh with a
group called the Franklin Park Defenders, We're going to talk
with Dot Fennel now and we will take some phone calls.
We're not going to make Dot answer phone questions, but
if you'd like to call, I can get you in
after this interview at six one, seven, two, five, four
ten thirty. Dot welcome. How are you tonight?
Speaker 4 (21:43):
I'm doing so good, Dan, It's been quite a day.
Unlike Renee, who is a staff member did you know
this at the ma Reckless Conservancy, so she is paid
to be here. You're talking to a mom at now
a quarter of ten o'clock and I have go on
from school, take up at the curly, to after school homework,
(22:05):
to after school sport activity, to dinner, back home, uh,
back bedtime, book clean up, do a little bit more work,
and now talking to you. So I mean, this is
just like a day in the life of a parent, but.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
This would be the best best part of your day.
Do let me ask. I'm gonna answer you the same
question because trying to God, can you can you hear me?
Speaker 4 (22:32):
Robert no, Dot, are you able to hear you?
Speaker 2 (22:36):
Trying to have a conversation with you, which is important
so that I can create some questions. Thank you very much,
appreciate that. So my my question to you is, uh,
you live in the neighborhood as I understand that, correct?
Speaker 4 (22:52):
I do? Yeah, so used to live on.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Take turn it down. I do this very rarely to
a guest. DOT. I'm going to ask you to refrain
from attacking Renee personally. Okay, she has a point of view,
You have a point of view, bring her back up.
What I want to do, Dot, is I want to
get your point of view. I'm not interested in you
personally attacking her, just as she did not personally attack you.
(23:22):
Did you hear the interview I did with Renee by
any chance for now?
Speaker 4 (23:26):
Yeah? I did hear it.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
Did she personally attack you? Did she call into question
your motivations or anything like that?
Speaker 4 (23:33):
I have lots of really interesting questions about things that
are being put forth and the responses. So I hope
that we can dig into those.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Well I can. But if you would stop attacking her
personally and getting into, you know, what her motivations might be.
She did not attack your motivation. So I take it
that both of you live in the area. She tells
me she's lived there for fifty years. She was born
close to Franklin Park. I assume you're story is similar.
Are you're a longtime resident as well?
Speaker 4 (24:04):
Yeah, we've been here twenty years.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Okay, well that's good. Fifty years, twenty years. Whatever. Do
you have a group? Are you speaking as an individual
or she has a group called Franklin Park Defenders. I
didn't go into great detail with her about that. Do
you have an organization that you're representing? Your name was
given to us tonight by a representative from Elevate Communications.
(24:29):
Do you have a group or are you you hear
in your capacity? Just in your capacity as a resident
of the area.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
Has a response of the of the misinformation that was
being put out by the Armald Necklace Conservancy. A group
of neighbors came together and suande coalition, which has now
grown into beyond just BPS parents, of which there's an
almost six hundred support letter. Send it to you as well.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
As you don't have to. What is the name of
your group?
Speaker 4 (25:06):
I mean, there's no formal group. We are supporters of
the BPS facility, White Stadium renovation.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Oh fair enough, Okay, that's all.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
You know.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
It's taken us quite a bit of time just to
sort of establish that. That's all I'm trying to do
whenever people get involved. I know that there's been some
demonstrations opposed to the activity, and I think Renee has
been involved in some of those. I assume there probably
have been some demonstrations in support of what might happen
at White Stadium. Is that correct?
Speaker 9 (25:37):
Well?
Speaker 4 (25:38):
There has. I mean, we're we are. We have not
had as much time to be organized. We don't have
the time or the financial backing to be organized. And
you're talking to myself as well as another mother who
frankly aren't being paid to be here, who are reaching
out to after school youth program coordinators, folks who speak
(26:03):
on behalf of students other bps.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
So what Let me give you what I want you to.
I want you to make your case here. So let
me ask you the question which might help you support
the the demolition of the current stadium, the construction of
a new stadium which will be a which will be
in part a soccer stadium. Tell us what, tell us
(26:26):
why that is good for the community. Tell us tell
us why you support it.
Speaker 4 (26:31):
So I have a question for you. So I'm happy
to hear that you spend a lot of time here
at Franklin Park, and I also wanted to ask, do
you have.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
I go to the zoo that count Oh no, I
know that, never never played the golf course, but I
do go to the zoo.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
So we haven't either. Well, So what I'm trying to
get at is that, like, so if I'm speaking parent
to parents, and when I look at the BP educators
who teach my children every day and all the children
across the city and who know my children well, know
their job well, I see them working with so little
(27:10):
and doing so much, And I couldn't imagine getting in
the way of them saying they need something and me
coming in as an interloper and saying, oh, no, no, no,
you don't need that. And I look at our BPS athletes,
I look at their coaches, I look at their administrators,
and I look at the facility team, and I look
(27:30):
at the city saying we need a new stadium. This
is what we want, what our students want. And so
as a BPS parents, I'm seeing what's available to students
who are in the suburbs, who have access to facilities,
and I'm seeing students who are being asked reform with
facilities that are subpak. So as a parent, I want
better facilities for my kids.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
So my under standing and by the way, I'm a
Boston Public School graduate, Boston Latin School. I played sportscast
Latin school baseball in Howe we played in some you know,
you know facilities there's many years ago, in the last century.
So however, my question is my understanding is that some
(28:11):
of the people who are opposed to it feel that
White Stadium will be used by the women's professional soccer
team from the spring until sometime in either late October
or early November, and that football games, which have traditionally
been where Boston Public School teams play football, will be
off limits to the students during the you know, the
(28:35):
months of the early months of the football season September October.
If I'm being given incorrect information on that, please correct me.
Speaker 4 (28:43):
Well, I think if you want to get the exact
specifics from the city on how many games are happening,
then you would need to call the project team. But
it's my understanding that they're going to be able to host.
I think it was up to like five teams and
like ten aims, and yes, they do have to and
it's between different sports. So is there going to be
(29:06):
some adjustment? Yes, is there going to be some sort
of scheduling happening. Of course there is, and this this
constant like, well, we can't do anything because mentality you're making,
you're making a speech.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
I'm just simply asking you the question. What Renee said
to me. I asked her the question. I had heard
it before.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
Yeah, it's about football, it's about football.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
But let me say, could I finish the question? Because
your weren't response to the questions you're making this This
is not intended to be a contentious interview. Trust me,
I know on both sides, and I had a pretty
easy conversation with Renee. It hasn't been as easy with you,
and let me be can it with you? I just
(29:50):
am trying to give you the opportunity to answer the
questions that are out there. My understanding is that the
Boston Students football teams will not have access to the
stadium during the season when the women's professional soccer team
is playing, which is understandable. Okay, yeah, I just wanted
(30:10):
to find out from you. If you have not heard that,
just tell me you haven't heard it and we can
move on.
Speaker 4 (30:16):
But the thing is is that this is not just
a black and white issue. So do you have a sense. Yeah,
so who gets to play football? It is boys between
the ages of seven to twelve three, So off the bat,
it's a support a sport that's not serving the children
from K zero all the way up to twelve. And
(30:39):
so what I would love for my city is to
be thinking, Okay, so moving forward, here's where we're at.
How can we meet the current needs of our football program.
I think there's an shoot as the city. I think
there's like seven teams, seven programs, but then over here
and I don't want to come from football soccer, that's
not fair. But I think like a twenty five plus
(31:01):
growing things. What I want to see is a city
at saying let's do both. So the football while this
has happened, is currently playing at Clemente which is in
Sunway and Clifford down in the South End. So it's
not as if the city is the.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
One in Clifford is the one that has been strewn
with hypodermic needles.
Speaker 4 (31:24):
I know I've talked to yeah, which is like also
a challenge yeah forward for both.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Yeah, okay, last question, and I got to be very
quick on this one, so okay, you know, as I
understand it, and if it's true, great, If it isn't,
set me correct, My understanding is about one hundred and
forty five mature trees that are going to be cut down.
Speaker 4 (31:46):
Oh goodness, okay, so that accurate?
Speaker 2 (31:51):
Is that accurate?
Speaker 4 (31:52):
No? Okay?
Speaker 2 (31:53):
So again, my trees would be cut down, if.
Speaker 4 (31:57):
Any I'm up the town order. But do you know
what the city considers to be on paper a mature tree?
Speaker 2 (32:06):
Well, I assume a mature tree. At least the trees
that I'm familiar with are probably probably at least fifty
or sixty years old. I'm not an arborist either. Yeah,
I'm told that one and one hundred and forty five trees.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
Okay, we'll be cut down.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
And all I'm asking is that number correct?
Speaker 4 (32:28):
It's not stands while I got involved, So hoy, how.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
Many are there any trees going to be cut down?
Speaker 4 (32:36):
Man? It's three inches? So you get to three inches
really quick. And if you walk around that stadium.
Speaker 2 (32:45):
What's three inches? What are you referring to?
Speaker 4 (32:49):
So three inch? Three inch diameter is what the city
considers to be a mature tree. So like there's like
a certain crop by which they lost things.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
So okay, again, here's the thing dark. You tried to
make speeches and I'm going to cut it off. I
hate to do this to you, but I'm way past
my commercial break. I gave You've got more time than
the other side. I wish you had been more responsor
to my questions. But I thank you for being here tonight. Nonetheless.
Uh and perhaps we'll talk again. Have a have a
good evening, and best of luck in court when this
(33:23):
case convenes tomorrow. Okay, thank you, take care, good night. Okay,
if you'd like to call in and comment, I'll give
you an opportunity. One gentleman, Derek and Roxbury has been
holding on. Derek, you're going to be first on the
other side. Six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty
six one seven, nine three ten thirty Bruins just lost
in overtime to the Flo Sabers. The season is kind
(33:46):
of slipping away. We'll be back on Night's side right
after this.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
Now, back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
night Sight Studios. I'm WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
Well, I've had an interesting hour. We haven't talked to
any callers yet, so let's try to get as many
folks in as we can between now and ten o'clock,
we will talk, we will change topics. I'm prepared to
go a little bit into the next hour if you're interested. Again,
I think it's a very interesting issue. Six one, seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty six one, seven, nine, three, one, ten thirty.
Derek is the most patient man of the night. Derek, welcome,
(34:20):
You've been holding on for a while. Go right ahead.
Speaker 7 (34:23):
Thanks. Thanks. I just want to say thank you for this,
and I think you've asked some really good questions and
it's good to see local media do so. In responsible.
One of the questions that you asked about the division
and the well, let me tell you who I am.
My name is Derek. I arrived in Boston from Mississippi,
(34:44):
do a ten Boston College, and I work my way
through BC in the eighties with him arborist who had
grown up in Chestnut Hill, and we did a lot
of work on private Omsted designed properties in Brookline and
Newton in that area because of course there are many
that's home itself in the Gardener Place now.
Speaker 2 (35:03):
The Arboretum, the Olmsted Necklace.
Speaker 7 (35:07):
Yeah, and in ninety two I became a twenty five
year rarity in the Boston Public schools. I was a
twenty five year old African American, a Native American teacher
of American history and social studies at the Phyllis Wheatley
Middle School, which has since been closed.
Speaker 2 (35:25):
I thought their friends.
Speaker 7 (35:28):
Right, right, right, So uh, you know, I've been aware
of and familiar, and I also moved to Roxbury. I
permanently adopted Roxbury where I am now in ninety two
as a homeowner and a small landlord owner in a
concentrated little area across the street from another so called
(35:51):
homestead legacy park called Malcolm X Park. And last year
not unlike now, oh, I guess find that I should say,
I'm also in front England Park defender and in full disclosure.
And this is really my second rodeo unfortunately in the
last three years with the city over a park quote
(36:11):
unquote improvement project in Roxbury. Now White Stadium is located
in Franklin Park and Franklin Park, as a matter of
a historical accident, has spent you know, the last let's
say eighty years, seventy five years, segregated for most of
(36:33):
that time in sort of the same red lined area
of the city of Boston as most of it's black
and brown residents right and likewise has been disinvested in neglected.
And on the one hand, it is or should be
good news to see that the city or anyone else
is interested in investing large sums of capital in the area.
(36:55):
But when it comes to Olmstead's Crown Jewel, which is
three hundred and fifty degrees by state map, highly concentrated
environmental justice census tracks, which have all of this long
list of social inequity indicators, the question is whether or
(37:16):
not that sudden and new investment in the area is
a giver or a grab.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
And Derek, let me do this. You've been very patient,
You've been on a long time on hold in your opinion.
Is it a giver or a grab? Because I think
you have outlined your experience and outlined the circumstances of
that community for many years. I grew up in Boston,
so I'm very familiar. Yeah, played a lot of sports
in Weisby Dorchester as a kid. Is it a giver
(37:44):
a grab? As far as your concern, well.
Speaker 7 (37:46):
Thank you for asking me to that. And while I
can understand those who think that it's a give, there
are reasons that I understand them. I say it's a
grab because what you're losing here is a public equity,
which is I think something that the previous your first
Talk interview, he was saying versus you know, one time
(38:08):
a private opportunities for things like jobs, contracts, what have you.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
I think what I bothered, to be really honest with
the de What bothers me the most is the the
fact that the football you know, I you know, I
never played football in high school. I was baseball and hockey.
But the football guys who I went to school with
at Boston Latin School, you know, September and October. I mean,
that was the football season and then you know, it's
all over by Thanksgiving Day. And that's that is what
(38:33):
concerns me a little bit as.
Speaker 7 (38:35):
To you know, yeah, you know, who's going to happen.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
Yeah, go ahead, I only got a minute left. And
I hate to crunch you here, but go ahead, I'll
give you the final minute.
Speaker 7 (38:46):
Well, I think you and your listeners will appreciate this.
I mean, Fragua Park is an Olmsted part right, which
is by definition, I mean, by definition, it's a meeting
place of urban and democratic social goods right uh in nature,
and it doesn't. I mean, whether that's the floor of
the fauna, of the geology, you know the pudding.
Speaker 2 (39:04):
Everybody knows that, Yeah, go ahead, right right.
Speaker 7 (39:06):
Well, as a result, it's not a place, it's not
a place of displacement. So if football or some other
thing that's been here is here now just needs to
be reinvested and supported and continued, is being displaced or
stands the threat of being displaced, you have to slow
down the process and ask the stakeholders their questions and
(39:31):
respond to their questions, not just feed them. You know
this really great, big idea that looks Listen, after eighty
years of disinvestment, like in a desert, it's going to
be very hard to mistake or to tell for a
lot of people the difference between cold water and cold
say camel urine, because.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
I hate on that point, Derek, But you waited thirty minutes,
but I've flat out a time. We'll we'll deal with this,
I'm sure in the future. I very much appreciate your perspective,
uh and your experience, and I think it's pretty clear
on what side of the issue you come down. So
thank you so much. I wish I had more time
for you. I really, I really do. Thanks. Thanks, thank
(40:13):
you again, Derek appreciated. Keep listening to night Side. I'll
tell you what I'm going to do, folks. I'm going
to give people an opportunity if they want to call in.
I'll take this into the ten o'clock howa. Uh, that
is my decision. If you want to participate, you got
to jump on real quickly. Six one, seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty six one seven, nine three one ten thirty.
Speaker 10 (40:34):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (40:34):
If there's no interest, we're going to move on to
a different topic. We'll be back on Nightside after this.
Speaker 9 (40:39):
It's night Side with Dan Ray.
Speaker 1 (40:41):
I'm telling you easy Boston's news video.
Speaker 2 (40:45):
All right, we have talked for an hour with a
couple of perspectives on what's going on at White Stadium.
As I mentioned, the judge in this case issued some
decisions today on some motions which would seem to undercut
the the f for the plaintiffs to stop the city
from continuing to take down White Stadium and build a
(41:10):
new women's professional sports stadium. But that court activity we'll
commence in the morning. We did speak with Gayla Colly
of The Boston Herald, as well as Renee Stacey Wells
with a group called the Franklin Park Defenders. They were
opposed to the destruction of White Stadium and the construction
of a women's soccer stadium. And also we spoke with
(41:32):
a woman named Dot Finel who described herself as a
parent who was in favor of the changes. So we're
going to get to phone calls and invite people to
continue the conversation. We can continue it for a little
while and move on to something else. They do want
to talk about the deportations that went on over the
weekend and the controversy around it. But let's start with
(41:56):
the callers who have called in. If you'd like to
join the conversation talking about White Stadium, It's future or
lack thereof six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty
six one seven, nine, three, one ten thirty. Here comes
Michael and Aliborough. Michael, you've held through the news. We
appreciate it. You're next on night, said we're talking about
White Stadium.
Speaker 10 (42:13):
Hey, Dan, how are you?
Speaker 2 (42:15):
I'm doing just great? What's your thoughts?
Speaker 10 (42:18):
I raised, I was raised. I grew up right down
the street from the park. It was a little tough
in the sixties to go there. Yeah, I'm one hundred
and twenty percent with a gentleman who called early. I
think he was before the news.
Speaker 2 (42:33):
I think he was Derek.
Speaker 9 (42:35):
I think he was African American. And that's what this is.
Speaker 10 (42:39):
This is a money grab. As soon as I heard Henry.
Speaker 9 (42:42):
Being involved, this is a money grab.
Speaker 2 (42:46):
Well, she's not well for let me just be clear,
John Henry was not directly involved. His wife, Linda Pizzuti,
was one of the investors. Uh and she uh. And
I understand some others have have left the group. It
may be in part because of that controversy. But just
you know, I just want to be fair to everyone here,
go right.
Speaker 10 (43:04):
Ahead, Okay, it's a money grab. It's a money grab.
But trees are taken down, must be parking, right.
Speaker 2 (43:12):
Well, the trees that were taken down, as I understand,
are trees that are you know, mature, eighty year old trees.
And it's one hundred and forty five trees that were
taken down. And you know, they talk about the the
urban deserts and how that there's lack of foliage and trees,
and not only in Boston but in other American cities,
and I think there that's legitimate. So but I had
(43:36):
a tough interview with the we we lined up another
representative with dot Fennel just trying to get I was
trying to just give her the opportunity to pres that
well it was it was tough, so but hey, that's
the way it happens. And I didn't want her attacking.
Speaker 10 (43:56):
M me put it a different way. Yeah, okay, on
the other side of the thing, that the African America,
I'm a white guy, right.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
Yeah, I don't know that he was African American. His
name was Derek from Roxbury. He said that he lived
in the community. He did not identify to the recollection.
So just what it doesn't matter. His point of view
was his point of view.
Speaker 9 (44:20):
What's your comment the same thing.
Speaker 10 (44:22):
That's what he was getting at the display from the people.
Speaker 9 (44:25):
Who waited thirty forty.
Speaker 10 (44:27):
Fifty years to be able to use.
Speaker 9 (44:29):
That park without any problem.
Speaker 10 (44:33):
Now they're coming in. If Hann me or anybody wants
to get on the board, give the football players five
grand every time they play or something.
Speaker 9 (44:44):
I mean, you know, the football.
Speaker 2 (44:46):
Well, what my concern is, and I was trying to,
you know, square this out, is that the women's soccer schedule,
as I understand that runs from late March or early
April that they play, you know, once a week whatever.
And they're not like baseball that's playing every other every day.
They're not like hockey or basketball, which is playing eighty
(45:08):
two games all over the course of the winter. So
they're playing maybe two three times a week. Soccer, professional soccer,
I think is oftentimes a weekend sport from what I see,
and it's you know, a week between games and all
of that. So it's kind of like football in that regard.
But this season runs into October early November, and the
(45:30):
stadium cannot be used weekdays by the football kids voting.
Speaker 10 (45:37):
I don't know if they play there, but you remember
Latin English well that you.
Speaker 2 (45:41):
Know, Latin English was always played at Harvard Stadium.
Speaker 10 (45:44):
Okay, on Thanksgimming, I mean that was that was That's
that's legendary, like.
Speaker 9 (45:49):
Saint Patrick's says, legendary over in the.
Speaker 10 (45:52):
South all I got you down, I got you down
is the resident.
Speaker 9 (46:01):
But another way, real quick, they wouldn't.
Speaker 10 (46:03):
Have gone near there thirty forty years ago.
Speaker 9 (46:06):
They would have been scared to I.
Speaker 2 (46:08):
Don't look yeah, look, I mean let's deal with today.
There's the zoo has been there a long time. I've
gone in and out of there. People love playing the
golf course. Tom and Nino, the former mayor, used to
that was the course that he loved to play, so
uh yeah, I mean look, bottom line is the area
(46:28):
has gotten a little bit better, which is great, as
have a number of you know, uh communities in the
Boston area. So let's let's hope it continues. Michael appreciated.
I hope you all is well in Attleborough with you.
Speaker 9 (46:43):
Yeah, thank you, Bye bye.
Speaker 2 (46:44):
Bye bye. Let's keep rolling here, going to get Melissa
in Jamaica. Plane, Melissa, you are next on Nisaka right ahead.
Speaker 4 (46:51):
Oh hi yan, thanks for having me on TI calling in.
Speaker 2 (46:56):
Yeah, class cat, go right.
Speaker 4 (47:00):
Ahead, all right, thank you. Feel right at home now. Yeah.
I just want to just say that what we see
happening in Franklin Park is really disturbing. When I first
heard about this project, this partnership between the city and
the professional women's soccer team, I was really kind of
(47:23):
excited about it. It was something intrigued me because I
love watching soccer. I want to support women's sports and
empowered girls. But the devil was in the detail, and
as I started to attend the White Stadium meetings, the
(47:45):
Zoom meetings, what I realized was we were really getting
hung out to dry, not only the taxpayers, but the
students especially. And every time I heard more from this
city about how they were promising us that there was
going to be a great project, they couldn't have they
didn't back it up. And when they saw that the
(48:09):
cost balloon from fifty million to one hundred million, it
just became really clear to me that this was a
bad deal for Boston, a bad deal for the kids,
a bad deal for the community.
Speaker 2 (48:23):
And I think it's now actually, if I'm not mistaken,
isn't it two hundred million? I think the city is
in for one hundred and the soccer team is in
for a hundred.
Speaker 4 (48:32):
Yeah, and it's only going to go up. I mean,
let's face it, with the tariffs and the skyrocketing costs
of construction, the taxpayer is going to be on the
hook for a lot more than one hundred million dollars.
Speaker 2 (48:45):
And I'm a little surprised that the judge allowed the
demolition of the stadium to start two or three weeks
before the court case started.
Speaker 4 (48:57):
Yeah, that's unfortunate. From what I understand the judge that
ruled that there there wasn't the injunction, there was no
need for injunction was probably she made some wrong assumptions
about well.
Speaker 2 (49:18):
It would it would indicate to me that that that
the judge might have a predisposition. I don't know the judge.
He's experienced judge at district court and recently appointed to
supirit Court. I have no question. I'm not questioning motivations,
but it just seems to me that if you allowed
the construction of a facility to begin, uh, and the
(49:42):
question that is before is really the survival of that
facility or the replacement of the facility? Joy until the trial.
Speaker 4 (49:52):
But it's actually two different judges. There was there was
a judge that ruled against the injunction.
Speaker 2 (49:58):
The okay, then thank you, thank you for that clarification.
Then I still don't understand why when there's a case,
I do not understand why a judge in a situation
like that. I know that one of the arguments on
a temporary injunction is always the likelihood of the party
(50:22):
that's requesting the injunction to prevail. That's one element of it,
and then it's called irreparable damages. Well, certainly, if you're
going to take half the stadium down and a couple
of one hundred and fifty trees, there is irreparable damage.
That would indicate to me that the judge probably felt
that the first judge who did not grant the injunction,
(50:43):
did they ever appeal that and take that up?
Speaker 4 (50:46):
You know, no, they did not appeal that. But the
court case is still pending, so the actual trial it's
starting tomorrow, will decide the merits, the legal merits.
Speaker 2 (51:02):
No, but what I'm saying, But what I'm saying is
what are the chances the judge who's now and again
I apologized, I thought it would have been the same judge,
But that's that's my mistake. Thank you for the correction.
What are the chances that the judge is likely to
rule in favor of the opponents if half the stadium
has been knocked down? I don't understand.
Speaker 4 (51:25):
Well, it's certainly, it certainly is not a good look
for public opinion. And that's and that's unfortunate. And because
you know, ideally, you know, justice should be heard fairly, right,
we should both sides should be able to present their
case fairly, and by having the demolition go forward. It
(51:47):
really it's exactly.
Speaker 2 (51:49):
I mean, if this was an eminent domain case and
there were people saying, we don't want our houses to
be knocked down, and and and we case is.
Speaker 4 (52:00):
Heard in the Southwest.
Speaker 2 (52:02):
Right, You're a Bostonian, so that's that's something we all
both know what the Southwest Corridor is. Hey, look, Melissa,
I appreciate your weighing in. I'm past my break, so
I got to jump. Thank you so much for calling
for the first time tonight, and we'll continue to follow
the story. Thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (52:20):
Yeah, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (52:22):
Thanks Melissa, I have a great night. Good night. All right,
we're going to change topics. I am not going to
drag a topic out when we come back. We're going
to talk about the deportations and all the controversy around it.
The administration's decision to invoke the Alien and Seditions Act,
(52:42):
the Alien Enemies Act, which is an act from the
from seventeen ninety eight seventeen ninety eight, the Alien Enemies Act.
I think that the administration, I think the Administration needs
to get this clarified, and I would hope that the
Supreme Court would jump in here and take the case,
(53:04):
and hear the case. We're going to talk about that.
I've watched some of the videos of this prison where
these are so called terrorists, and they are they're bad people.
MS thirteen members, and apparently the Trump administration cut a
deal with the president of Al Salvador. And I got
(53:27):
to tell you, I'm a due process guy, but I'm
probably going to tell you that I think that the
Trump administration is doing the right thing here. All of
my libertarian friends are going to be howling with dismay,
but you can feel make the arguments. I think I
understand them. Let's keep the conversation going, but we're going
to change conversation six one, seven, two, five, four ten
(53:49):
thirty six one seven, nine three one ten thirty. If
you have strong thoughts on the deportations of the people
that the Trump administration has characterized as terrorists, I think
the first thing we need to do is to talk
about who these people are and then go from there.
We'll start that conversation right after this break on Nightside
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