“We are troubled that these reports may be arising in an attempt to inflame anti-Indigenous sentiment and somehow paint us as criminals or terrorists.”
You would think, or at least hope that news outlets learned a thing or two about racial justice this past year, and would be reluctant to spread rumors that make vulnerable people more vulnerable. But that’s not the case. Here’s what the assholes at Boston 25 were reporting over the weekend:
Police are investigating a potential planned “disruption” to the 2021 Boston Marathon in protest of the event coinciding with Indigenous Peoples Day, according to a law enforcement advisory. “We have received uncorroborated intelligence indicating that people may attempt to disrupt the 2021 Boston Marathon with nonviolent direct action in support of Indigenous Peoples’ concerns,” the Joint Situational Awareness Bulletin reads. “The 2021 Boston Marathon is being held on Indigenous Peoples’ day and some believe that marathon organizers have not taken enough steps to recognize the holiday or indigenous communities.”
In response, Jean-Luc Pierite, President of the North American Indian Center of Boston (NAICOB), issued the statement, “We are not aware of any such plans, and no one has consulted in this regard. We feel concerned that this may lead to profiling by police of Indigenous people who are running or attending the Boston Marathon and may also lead to targeted harassment of Indigenous people there by spectators. NAICOB is not involved with any investigations.”
Mahtowin Munro, co-leader of United American Indians of New England (UAINE) and the statewide Indigenous Peoples Day campaign in Mass, added, “At a time when communities across the state are celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day, at a time when our Indigenous community in the Boston metropolitan area just had a beautiful and peaceful march of several hundred people on October 9, it’s unfortunate that such an alert would be issued when it is based on what law enforcement admits is uncorroborated information.”
Munro continued, “During Saturday’s Boston march, we made our demands known, none of which involved the BAA or the Boston Marathon. We are troubled that these reports may be arising in an attempt to inflame anti-Indigenous sentiment and somehow paint us as criminals or terrorists, given that the reports are supposedly coming from the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC) and the Commonwealth Fusion Center.”
Dig Staff means this article was a collaborative effort. Teamwork, as we like to call it.
