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20th anniversary prompts reflection on Stuart incident
20th anniversary prompts reflection on Stuart incident
By Abbie Ruzicka, Globe Correspondent | October 24, 2009
Mission Hill residents gathered last night to reflect on the 20th anniversary of the night Charles Stuart shot his pregnant wife and himself in Mission Hill and blamed it on a black man, a crime that inflamed racial tensions in Boston and left the city polarized.
About 350 people, including former mayor Raymond L. Flynn, Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis, mayoral candidate Michael E. Flaherty and his running mate Sam Yoon, and city councilors attended “Harmony on the Hill,’’ which included a documentary on the Oct. 23, 1989 event and a discussion panel led by Mission Hill residents and community activists Alejandra St. Guillen, Jim Farrow, Ron Bell, and Marta Rivera. The meeting was held at the Tobin Community Center.
Event organizer Bell, who was director of the Tobin center in 1989 when Stuart shot and killed his wife, Carol, and wounded himself, said that as police searched for the fabricated murder suspect in the months that followed, rampant profiling exposed the racism that still stings neighborhood residents. A black man, William Bennett, was on the verge of being indicted when Stuart’s brother, Matthew, informed authorities that Charles had committed the crime himself.
“Starting a discussion is an important part of healing,’’ Bell said. “But we can’t let it end here.’’
“The Stuart tragedy put a cloud over this community for years. Now it’s time to let the sun shine.’’
Davis said he watched the events of the Stuart case unfold as a young Boston police lieutenant and he has seen the efforts police have put forth to avoid a similar situation.
“In spite of the tragic loss of Carol [Stuart] and the tragic aftermath in this community, we have seen tremendous progress,’’ he said. “We’re doing what we can to right the way.’’
Jim Farrow, Mission Hill resident and cochairman of the scholarship fund set up in Carol Stuart’s name, said this was the first event that gave the neighborhood a chance to reflect on the violent crime that shook the roots of the community.
“It’s always important to look at what you’ve accomplished,’’ he said. “It’s not entirely impossible that a similar thing could happen again here, and reflecting like this makes us question things and reflect.’’
Flaherty, who said he was in college when Charles Stuart inflamed the racial divide, said, “Given that racial tensions still exist in our city, everyone who was unfairly searched is owed a personal apology. This was a disgrace.’’
By Abbie Ruzicka, Globe Correspondent | October 24, 2009
Mission Hill residents gathered last night to reflect on the 20th anniversary of the night Charles Stuart shot his pregnant wife and himself in Mission Hill and blamed it on a black man, a crime that inflamed racial tensions in Boston and left the city polarized.
About 350 people, including former mayor Raymond L. Flynn, Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis, mayoral candidate Michael E. Flaherty and his running mate Sam Yoon, and city councilors attended “Harmony on the Hill,’’ which included a documentary on the Oct. 23, 1989 event and a discussion panel led by Mission Hill residents and community activists Alejandra St. Guillen, Jim Farrow, Ron Bell, and Marta Rivera. The meeting was held at the Tobin Community Center.
Event organizer Bell, who was director of the Tobin center in 1989 when Stuart shot and killed his wife, Carol, and wounded himself, said that as police searched for the fabricated murder suspect in the months that followed, rampant profiling exposed the racism that still stings neighborhood residents. A black man, William Bennett, was on the verge of being indicted when Stuart’s brother, Matthew, informed authorities that Charles had committed the crime himself.
“Starting a discussion is an important part of healing,’’ Bell said. “But we can’t let it end here.’’
“The Stuart tragedy put a cloud over this community for years. Now it’s time to let the sun shine.’’
Davis said he watched the events of the Stuart case unfold as a young Boston police lieutenant and he has seen the efforts police have put forth to avoid a similar situation.
“In spite of the tragic loss of Carol [Stuart] and the tragic aftermath in this community, we have seen tremendous progress,’’ he said. “We’re doing what we can to right the way.’’
Jim Farrow, Mission Hill resident and cochairman of the scholarship fund set up in Carol Stuart’s name, said this was the first event that gave the neighborhood a chance to reflect on the violent crime that shook the roots of the community.
“It’s always important to look at what you’ve accomplished,’’ he said. “It’s not entirely impossible that a similar thing could happen again here, and reflecting like this makes us question things and reflect.’’
Flaherty, who said he was in college when Charles Stuart inflamed the racial divide, said, “Given that racial tensions still exist in our city, everyone who was unfairly searched is owed a personal apology. This was a disgrace.’’
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