The Boston Globe - 05.08.2019

Metro

THEBOSTONGLOBE MONDAY, AUGUST5, 2019 | BOSTONGLOBE.COM/METRO

B

BySharonBegley

STAT

George Church,the prominent

Harvard University biologist, offereda

full-throated apology for having meet-

ings and phonecalls with accused sex

trafficker Jeffrey Epstein even after the

financier pleaded guilty in 2008to so-

liciting a minorfor prostitution.

“I certainlyapologize for my poor

awareness and judgment,” Church

told STAT in his first publiccomments

aboutEpstein.

Expressing regret that he and other

scientists weren’t more cautiousin

theirdealings withEpstein,he said:

“There should have beenmoreconver-

sations about, ‘Shouldwe be doing

this, should we be helpingthis guy?’

There was just a lot of nerdtunnel vi-

sion.”

He added, “My main concern is for

the people who have been hurt,” the

girls and young womenEpstein was

accused last monthof having brought

to his Manhattan and Palm Beach,

Fla., homesfor sex (a charge Epstein

denies).

Since the indictment last month,

news reports have described numer-

ous meetings Epstein organized, both

before and after his 2008conviction,

with physicists, biologists, mathemati-

cians, and other researchers. He

seemedto believe his interactions with

scientists, especially thoseat Harvard,

wouldbuff his reputation in the finan-

cial world, saying on his website that

he had “the privilege of sponsoring

many prominent scientists.”

Asked how so many of themcould

have associated with Epstein after his

guilty pleaand 13-monthsentence,

Churchsaid that scientists “might not

have realized the enormity of his

transgressions,” especiallysinceEp-

stein seemedto be welcomedback into

society after he served his sentence.

“That’s my most generous interpreta-

tion.”

In addition,he said,scientists are

as vulnerable to flattery and attention

fromprominentpeople as anyone. “If

it’s a rich person [askingabouttheir

CHURCH,PageB

Harvard

biologist

rues ties

to Epstein

Accused sex trafficker

contacted scientists

Churchapologizes for

his ‘poor judgment’

ByJohnHilliard

GLOBECORRESPONDENT

and GalTzipermanLotan

GLOBE STAFF

A

s hundredsof parishio-

ners weregatheringfor

Mass Sunday at Most

Holy RedeemerCatho-

lic Church in East Bos-

ton, many dressedin

blue and whiteto honor

El Salvador’s patron saint, the Rev. Ameri-

co Santossaid he worriesfor theirsafety.

Santosgrappledwith how to protect

them,he said,shouldsimilarviolence

strike closeto home.

“We don’t know in this churchif some-

one will appear,” Santossaid in an inter-

view before Mass. “We trust that Jesus

will protect us.”

Duringthe Mass, they prayed for the

victims of the weekend’s two massshoot-

ings in El Paso and in Dayton,Ohio,that

claimeda total of 29 lives.Authoritiesbe-

lieve the Texas suspect publisheda mani-

festo before the shootingthat targeted

Hispanicimmigrants.Investigators did

not give a motivein the Ohiomurders.

Iván Espinoza-Madrigal,executivedi-

rector of Lawyersfor Civil Rightsin Bos-

ton, said even thoughthe shootingstook

placefar fromhome“the fear is tremen-

dous”here.

“It creates a chillingeffect, even in our

REACTION,PageB

‘WE TRUST THAT JESUS

WILL PROTECT US’

Even as localHispanicspray for victims

of shootings,they fearfor theirownsafety

PHOTOSBY PATGREENHOUSE/GLOBESTAFF

Lizbeth Salazarof Maldenandherboyfriend,JosueRamosof East Boston,prayedin preparationforHoly CommuniononSunday at

Most Holy RedeemerCatholicChurchin East Boston.“It actuallytearedmeup,howpeoplecandoso muchdamage,” Salazarsaid.

The Rev. AmericoSantos,whosaidheworriesaboutthesafety of hisparishioners,

preparedto celebrate thenoonMass onSunday at Most Holy RedeemerCatholicChurch

in East Boston.The predominantlyLatinochurchhasdeeprootsin El Salvador,

Colombia,theDominicanRepublic,Puerto Rico,andMexico.

ByJeremyC. Fox

GLOBECORRESPONDENT

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley said she

believes PresidentTrumpis a racist and has

been one for decades, but the Dorchester

Democrat is focused not on what the former

reality TV star believes but the effects of his

policieson people’s lives.

That’s what Pressley toldco-hosts Ed

Hardingand Janet Wu on WCBV-TV’s “On

the Record” Sunday morning, as the threeen-

gaged in a wide-ranginginterview that

touchedon topicsfromthe president’s at-

tacks on “the Squad,” to the 2020 race, to

Pressley’s efforts to eliminate the federal

death penalty.

“Do you believe the president’s a racist?”

Hardingasked less than threeminutes into

the televised interview.

“Yes, I do, absolutely,” Pressley responded,

with a facial expression that suggested she

was surprised by the question.

Then she quicklyadded, “ButI just want

PRESSLEY,PageB

President’s actions

prove that he is a

racist, Pressley says

ByAlisonKuznitz
GLOBECORRESPONDENT
CAMBRIDGE— MichaelGravito still
vividly remembers a schoolassemblyfrom
1991, when he and nearly 70 othersecond-
graders were told they’d been awardedfull-
ride scholarships to college.
As a youngboy, Gravito couldn’t under-
stand why so many parentsand teachers
werejoyfullyweepingin that East Cam-
bridge auditorium.
“It didn’t really dawn on us what it all
meant,” said Gravito, of Methuen, recalling
his childhoodconfusion during a reunion of
that class Saturday nightat Lesley Universi-
ty, one of the partners in the initiative. “It’s
absolutely incredible.”
Through a surpriseannouncementthat
SCHOLARSHIPS,PageB

KennedyHill funeral

Saoirse Kennedy Hill will be remem-

bered Monday in a funeral Mass on

Cape Cod, according to a family

spokesman.B

Man shotafter chase

A Lynn man, 32, was fatally shot by

police after a chase into Revere.B

OfPresident

Trump,Ayanna

Pressley told

WCBV-TV, “I think

andknowthat he’s

a racist basedona

patternof

behaviorthat

beganwellbefore

hewasthe

occupantof this

WhiteHouse.”

Echoes of a 1991 grade-school promise

College grads reunited

with their benefactor

‘I wanted to make everyone proud. Everyone was very supportive.

They were very loving.’

JENNIFER AMAYA-NOBLE

One of nearly70 Cambridge second-graders who,backin 1991,were awarded full-ridescholarshipsto college

MATTHEWJ. LEE/GLOBE STAFF

GeorgeWeisshuggedAdeliaCafuaonSaturday at Lesley University.