The Boston Globe - 08.08.2019

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THEBOSTONGLOBETHURSDAY, AUGUST8, 2019 | BOSTONGLOBE.COM/METRO

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Interestis intensifyingin

developing theshuttered

WonderlandParkin Revere

Families ofcrash victims demandfull Boeinginquiry

Falsifieddata allegationsentangle NovartisCEO

Pfizer spinoff tomoveintoCambridge Crossing

It’s hard to imagine Vicar
Edgar Gutiérrez-Duarte
and the parishioners at his
Chelseachurchfeeling
more afraid, giventhe mis-
eries of the last few years.
Yet, here they are.
Stung by President
Trump’s dehumanizing
rhetoric aboutblackand brown people, ter-
rified of arrest by immigration officers that
mightrip themfromtheir families, mem-
bers of the Episcopal Church of San Lucas
are now reckoning with another fear that is
suddenly more immediate after last week-
end’s carnage in El Paso: that some white
supremacist,emboldenedbythepresident
and his enablers, might take it uponhim-
self to attack their community, too.
“It is a weird feeling, whenyou know
that you are the target of that hate,” Gutiérr-
ez-Duarte said. “You feel like a sitting duck.
The people of El Paso couldhave beenus.”
About 90 percent of the congregation is
Hispanic, he estimates, and many are prob-
ably undocumented immigrants. On Sun-
day, the pastor said, they were asking the
samequestions as the rest of us: Why did
this happen? Why doesn’t anybody do
something about the guns?
But they knew one answer already.
“They said, ‘It’s no surprise, because
Donald Trump hates us,’ ” Gutiérrez-Duarte
recalled.
He sure does.How could anybody out-
side Trump’s distressingly wide circle of fel-
low racists and enablersdoubt that, at this
late stage? Why do we waste time and
breath ruminating on whether this presi-
dent was sincere whenhe read a speech-
writer’s condemnation of white supremacy
off a teleprompter on Monday?
The tell is in Trump’s every unscripted
moment: the comparisons of black and
brown people to vermin, their homes“in-
fested”; his constant talk of an “invasion”
by Central Americans crossingthe border;
his obvious enjoyment at a Florida rally
whenone of his devotees shouted that
those immigrants should be shot;his call
for four congresswomen, three of them US-
born, to go back to the “totally broken and
crime-infested places fromwhich they
came”; his infamous “very fine people on
both sides” comment after the deadly may-
hem at a neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville,
Va. If you’re still reading this, you’ve seen
this list, and longer ones, eleventy times
since Saturday, so let’s moveon.
Actually, let’s not, since the long list is
part of the problemhere. Repeat a lie often
enough and it becomes the truth, the say-
ing goes. Obviously, plenty of Americans —
gulled by the sycophants at Fox News — be-
lieve the president’s lies, about immigrants
and everything else. Other Republicans
don’t, but they play along because it serves
themto.
But when you repeat lies endlessly, they
also become part of the wallpaper, and that
is arguablyeven moredangerous. Trump
violates the standards of the presidency —
of humandecency — so often, that many
who mightcall him out barely register most
of his deceptions and transgressions any
more. After more than 10,000 provably
false or misleading claims, muchof the out-
rage that animated the first massive march-
es after his inauguration has drained away.
Trump is utterly indefatigable, and many of
us are exhausted. Those who can, tune him
out, as an act of self-preservation. There is
just too muchof him.
It takes a horrorlike the terror attack at
El Paso, where a white supremacist mur-
dered 22 people because,echoing Trump’s
rhetoric, he was angry about a “Hispanic
invasion” of Texas, to shock us back to full
attention.
At San Lucas, they don’t have the luxury
of tuning out, ever.
“There is always that element of fear,”
Gutiérrez-Duarte said. “As a public figure in
a public place, it is always in the back of my
mind.... We couldeasily be a target. You
have to go into some form of denial, be-
cause we cannotstop living.”
Even before El Paso, someparishioners
wereafraid to cometo church, or use the
food pantry, for fear of arrest by immigra-
tion authorities.
Withone eye on the door, Gutiérrez-Du-
arte tends to thosewho remain.

GlobecolumnistYvonneAbrahamcanbe
reachedat [email protected].
Followheron Twitter @GlobeAbraham.

In Chelsea,

a growing fear

YvonneAbraham

Business

PAGESB6-9
For breakingnews, goto
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business

By Michael Levenson

GLOBESTAFF

R

ecord funding for public schools. More than $1 billion in local aid for

cities and towns. A controversial plan to cut prescription drugcosts.

These are the big-ticket items that generated headlines when Gov-

ernor Charlie Baker signed the state’s $43.3 billion budget on July 31.

But burieddeepwithinthe documentare dozens of pet projects,

someof themobscure and each one the result of intense behind-the-

scenes lobbying by state lawmakers. Derided as pork-barrel projects,

the earmarksfundeverything fromfireworks to fuel tanks. Givenlim-

ited resources, critics say such projects should be chosen according to

needand merit, not political influence. Here’s a sampling of a few that madeit throughthe

gantlet on Beacon Hill.

STATE HOUSEELEVATORS:$227,610 to main-

tain the State House’s 16 newly installed eleva-

tors. The elevators, relied upon to ferry tourists

and politicians escaping the press, were recently

in the spotlight when WCVB-TV reported that

they feature bronzefixtures,dark cherry lami-

nate, marble-tiled floors, and state seals, and cost

$10,299,000 to install — $483,160 more than an-

ticipated. The latest round of state funding will

pay for an elevator mechanic, ongoing mainte-

nance,and emergency repairs, state officials

said.

STONEBARNROOF REPAIRS:$50,000 to repair

the roof of a 19th-century stone building in Hem-

lock Gorge in Wellesley, believed to be one of the

last remaining industrial structures on the

Charles River. The Stone Barn might have origi-

nallybeenpart of NewtonIron Works. Recently,

it’s beenmaintained by the Friends of Hemlock

Gorge, which hosts twice-annualvolunteer lun-

cheons. John Mordes, group’s president, said if

the roof is not fixed, the building could be ruined,

destroying a rich bit of history. “I was certainly

someone who opposed the Bridge to Nowhere in

PETPROJECTS, PageB4

From the common till,

a big barrel of richness

Embeddedin the state’s$43.3 billionbudgetis

pork-barrel money, earmarks that fundspecial

projectsfromfireworkstofueltanks.

PAT GREENHOUSE/GLOBE STAFF

The Muddy RiverInitiative gets $12,000for a “Watergoat” device to strain trash fromthe brook.

JONATHAN WIGGS/GLOBE STAFF

JONATHAN WIGGS/GLOBE STAFF

By Emily Sweeney

and John Ellement

GLOBE STAFF

The Riverside trolley that

jumpedits tracks earlyWednes-

day morningwas the fourth de-

railmenton the MBTA’s Green

Line alone this year, adding to the

woesof an agency alreadyunder

fire for its safety recordand condi-

tion of its aging equipment.

Massachusetts Bay Transporta-

tion Authority officialssaid an er-

ror by a recentlyhiredtrolley driv-

er caused the car to derail at the

RiversideStation in Newton

around 6

a.m., dis-

rupting

the morn-

ing com-

mute for D

linepas-

sengers for

several

hours. At

the time,

there was

only one

passenger

onthe

train and

no injuries

were re-

ported,according to MBTA

spokesmanJosephPesaturo.

“The preliminary investigation

shows the train’s operator did not

have the signal system’s authori-

zation to proceed,’’ the T said in a

statement. “By not allowing the

track switch to be properly

aligned, the second car of the

DERAILMENT,PageB5

Green

Line

trolley

derails

Error by new driver

blamed for latest of

MBTA’s problems

By Felice J. Freyer

and Danny McDonald

GLOBE STAFF

Police conducting a sweep

Tuesday in the SouthEnd over-

saw the destruction of several

wheelchairs belonging to home-

less people, accordingto witness-

es — resulting in a flurry of con-

demnation on Twitter, including

strongwordsfroma city council-

or.

Less than 24 hours later, city

officials faced heated criticism for

their actions duringa South End

community meeting Wednesday

nightregardingdrug use and

homelessness in the area

“You are targeting the disabled

whocannotsurviveon the

streets!” one person shouted.

“It’s structural violence

against homeless people!” said

another.

So many people turned out for

the meeting at the South End

Branch Library the meeting had

to be held outside the building on

Tremont Street.

City officialsorganizedthe

meeting to brief residents and

businesses aboutthe city’s effort

to combat homelessness and drug

addiction in the area.

MaureoFernandezy Mora, a

24-year-old from Jamaica Plain,

attendedthe meeting lookingfor

an explanation.

“I thought it was unaccept-

WHEELCHAIR,PageB5

Sweep of

homeless

district

draws fire

By Naomi Martin

GLOBESTAFF

The embattled Fall River mayor came under new fire

Wednesday for granting a key city approval to his girlfriend’s

brother to open two marijuana stores.

City councilors and a government watchdog group said

Mayor Jasiel CorreiaII should have recusedhimself to avoid

the appearance of a conflict of interest.

“I don’t think it’s quite proper,” said City Councilor Ste-

phenLong. “It’s a little strange, but hey, it’s not illegal. He

didn’t do anything illegal, at least on this.”

It was the latest controversy for Correia, 27, who also faces

federal fraud and tax evasioncharges. He was bothrecalled

and reelected in the sameelection in March.

The incidentalso highlightsthe powerlocal officials have

in choosing winners in the state’s booming new pot industry.

Last month, Correia awarded New Leaf Enterprises, which

is owned by his live-in girlfriend’s brother, Pedro “Peter” Fer-

nandes, a contract. The so-called host-community agreement

is required to apply for a state cannabislicense. The decision

was first reported Tuesday by the Fall River Herald News.

Correia said that he acted appropriately, and that his

CORREIA,PageB4

A new controversy for Fall River mayor

Critics call pot shop approval

for girlfriend’s brother improper

BARRY CHIN/GLOBESTAFF

‘The optics are poor by those

that are detractors, but the

reality is there’s nothing

wrong withwhat we did.’

MAYOR JASIELCORREIA II

‘The train’s

operator did

nothave the

signal

system’s

authorization

to proceed.’

MBTAstatement