Somerville teens arraigned for police brawl
By Nicole R. McEwen
Two Somerville teens accused of assaulting Medford Police officers were arraigned Monday at the Cambridge District Court in a trial scheduled to begin September 7th.
Isiah E. Anderson, 17, and Calvin Belfon Jr., 18, were read a host of charges, including assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and other related charges.
Somerville teens arraigned for police brawl
By Nicole R. McEwen
Two Somerville teens accused of assaulting Medford Police officers were arraigned Monday at the Cambridge District Court in a trial scheduled to begin September 7th.
Isiah E. Anderson, 17, and Calvin Belfon Jr., 18, were read a host of charges, including assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and other related charges. Three other teenagers are being prosecuted in Cambridge Juvenile Court on similar charges resulting from the April 20th incident, in which the Medford Police claim the young men taunted and brutally attacked officers in front of Store 24 on Mystic Avenue in Medford, leaving four officers injured, according to Lieutenant Paul F. Covino of the Medford Police.
Police said the teenagers had ignored their requests to leave the area after a nearby carnival had closed down. Covino said a clerk at Store 24 complained the boys were being disruptive, and when officers approached the group of teens outside the store they were attacked. The teens grabbed weapons off the police officers’ belts and used a baton to hit one officer in the face, said Covino.
However, several community groups are rallying in support of the teens, alleging the five Somerville High School students, who are black, are victims of racial profiling and police brutality.
Groups defending the boys, including the Greater Love Tabernacle Church of Dorchester, the Boston branch of the NAACP, the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement, and International Action Center, hosted a press conference last month and called for all charges to be dropped, highlighting the strong academic, athletic, and personal accomplishments of the five teenagers.
NAACP Boston Branch President Leonard Alkins, who spoke with the boys, said at the press conference that police initiated the altercation by punching one of the kids in the mouth. Pastor William Dickerson of the Greater Love Tabernacle said he knew all five teens, three of which attend “Club 101”, a youth program that puts on performances aimed at teenage audiences.
Dickerson and other activist’s said they are not out to absolve the boys entirely from blame. “We’re not condoning fighting with cops,” he said. “But something happened that night. These are good kids. [They] would not just hit a cop unprovoked.”
Susan Mortimer, whose children attend Somerville schools, helped man a picket line outside the Cambridge District Court during the boys’ arraignment. Holding a sign that read “Drop the Racist Charges Against the Somerville 5,” Mortimer vented anger toward the “oppressive” Somerville school system and its Superintendent, Dr. Albert Argenziano, who suspended the five teens despite a petition signed by 300 SHS students demanding their reinstatement.
“This isn’t the first time the police have physically intimidated kids at the high school,” Mortimer said. “[Principal] Galligani and the headmasters aren’t doing enough to protect the students.”
Edward Childs of the International Action Center says at least twelve to fifty people have attended and protested at each court hearing in support of the “Somerville 5.”
Mortimer said Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone has not responded to calls from families of the Somerville 5, despite having posed for a picture with the boys during a school event prior to the incident.
Mark W. Shey, one of the defense attorneys working on the Somerville 5 case, advised the teens and their families to refrain from talking to the media for the time being.
The police officers involved in the incident have also pledged themselves to silence. “It’s an active, ongoing investigation – I can’t say anything more,” Officer Harold F. MacGilvray said.
Geez could you at least get the headline right? Do you even know your facts? The first thing a "good" journalist finds out is when the event happened!
Who? What? Where? WHEN? and Why?
uh duh!
Posted by: mb | July 26, 2005 at 02:59 PM
The headline says 'Memorial Day police brawl' but the article refers to an 'April 20th incident'. Were these two separate events?
Posted by: Ron Newman | July 26, 2005 at 05:29 PM
These comments in defense two juvenile deliquints are disgusting. First off do these "students" even l;ive in Somerville? If I remeber correctly these are the two same "students" that were deemed ineligable to play by the MIAA and resulted in the Highlanders forfeiting their only victory. Ohyeah and where was the Youth Director when all this happened....oh yeah Tennessee. I guess this is what happens when you give the ex-Patriot keys to the City and let him do as he pleases.
Posted by: hannahslegacy | July 26, 2005 at 08:17 PM
Looks like the headline was changed after the first two comments were made, and no longer refers to 'Memorial Day'.
Posted by: Ron Newman | July 27, 2005 at 03:46 PM
Go Mayor Joe: Thanks for banning SDP from ArtBeat. These folks continue to try to bully somerville residents. First intimidating people questioning them outside the T stops, then after losing a democratic vote by the aldermen trying to disrupt city business and now this. When will they get the message that we in somerville don't want this type of group around. Do you think the white supremacy group would have come to somerville a few months back had it not been for SDP. Think again. This is what we are going to be known for. So, thanks Mayor Joe for standing up to this group. Don't support these people or their initiative. Don't let somerville be known as the ONLY city in America to support divestment from Israel.
Posted by: mark | July 27, 2005 at 07:14 PM
What does that have to do with Somerville teens in Medford?
Posted by: Ron Newman | July 28, 2005 at 09:51 AM
Ron Newman: Your mispelled, inflammatory and ignorant comments only reveal the shallowness of your "thinking". What do you know about the boys whom you call "deliquints"? Nothing. Witnesses to the incident insist the boys were attacked for no reason by police who seemed to have nothing better to do that afternoon than corner these unarmed kids, who were minding their own business, and beat them and hurl racial epithets at them. Get the facts straight.
Posted by: katie m. | August 13, 2005 at 04:46 PM
Katie, I did not write the comments you are responding to. "hannahslegacy" wrote them.
The name of the poster appears below the post, not above it. This has caused confusion on quite a few comment pages here.
Posted by: Ron Newman | August 14, 2005 at 05:25 PM