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Look for Carol’s Globe article today

Posted on July 4, 2023 | Comments Off on Look for Carol’s Globe article today

Please read my lawyer colleague, attorney Carol Steinberg’s article in today’s Globe, “Finding freedom at the head of the class” that appears above the fold on the op ed page, on her work educating 4th graders about people’s disabilities. I have learned incredible amounts about disability issues in the past ten years of my working with Carol. She is currently on the ABA’s national attorney committee on disabilities and formerly served on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Architectural Access Board, which makes decisions about required standards for buildings. She has long been active about disabilities, including authoring several other Globe articles and lobbying for needed legislation.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/04/opinion/finding-freedom-head-class/

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June 24, 1675 King Philip’s War Breaks Out

Posted on June 24, 2023 | 1 comment

Daily emails from Mass Humanities are often fascinating, and always interesting. This is the one from today:

June 24, 1675 King Philip’s War Breaks OutMass Moments

On this day in 1675, Wampanoag warriors killed seven colonists in Swansea in retaliation for a series of injustices suffered at the hands of the English. This raid is generally considered the beginning of King Philip’s War, a bloody conflict that would involve every New England colony and Algonquian peoples throughout the region. Over the next year, members of the Abenaki, Narragansett, Nipmuc, and Wampanoag tribes attacked more than half of all the settlements in New England and reduced about a dozen towns in Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies to ashes. By August of 1676, more than 600 settlers had died and 1,200 homes had been burned. An estimated 3,000 Native Americans died at the hands of the English.
By the 1670s there were more than 50,000 English colonists living in New England, and they were steadily encroaching on land held by Native people.

In 1662 the governor of Plymouth Colony summoned Wamsutta, the young sachem, or chief, of the neighboring Wampanoag tribe, to meet with him. Distrustful of the Englishman’s intentions, Wamsutta refused and was forcefully escorted to Plymouth by armed settlers. Days later, Wamsutta’s men carried their leader home, dead. Inexplicably he had become ill shortly after his conference with colonial officials. Wamsutta’s brother Metacom, called Philip by the English, succeeded him as sachem. Metacom firmly believed white settlers had poisoned Wamsutta; many Wampanoags agreed, further heightening tension.
By the 1670s there were more than 50,000 English colonists living in New England, and they were steadily encroaching on land held by Native people. Decimated by diseases Europeans brought to America in the early 1600s, the Algonquian population had fallen to about 20,000. The settlers and Native Americans were no closer to understanding each other and their respective cultures than at the beginning of the century. The Reverend Increase Mather captured English sentiments toward Philip and the Indians when he described the Wampanoag leader as one of the “heathen people amongst whom we live, and whose Land the Lord God of our Fathers hath given to us for a rightful Possession.”
Time and again, ill-trained and poorly-prepared colonists found themselves thwarted by Native warriors . . .
In June 1675 simmering hostilities erupted into open warfare. Early in the month, following a highly questionable trial, Plymouth authorities hanged three Wampanoag men for the alleged murder of John Sassamon, a Native American who had been raised and educated among the Puritan elite. Metacom was enraged. On June 20th, Wampanoag warriors burned several farms in Swansea. Three days later, a Swansea man shot and mortally wounded a Wampanoag. The attack on the 24th was the Native warriors’ revenge. Terrified Swansea settlers abandoned their farms and took refuge in garrisons.
Plymouth Colony sought help from Massachusetts Bay Colony and together their militias tried to corner Philip. He eluded them and fled to his Nipmuc allies in central Massachusetts. In the month that followed, Wampanoags attacked Taunton and Old Rehoboth; they burned much of Middleboro and destroyed the village of Dartmouth.
Time and again, ill-trained and poorly-prepared colonists found themselves thwarted by Native warriors who used guerilla-type tactics, were far more skillful marksmen, and could easily pick up and move their camps.
While the Native peoples’ tactic of remaining constantly on the move prevented the English from counterattacking, it made it impossible for the them to grow and harvest food.
The Narragansett, feared and respected for the prowess of their warriors, had initially stayed out of the conflict, but in the late fall of 1675 rumors circulated among the English that the tribe was preparing for war. On December 19th the English staged a pre-emptive strike. A combined force of 1,000 men from Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, and Connecticut colonies attacked a fortified Narragansett village. (Rhode Island, under Roger Williams’s leadership, declined to participate.)
In what became known as the Great Swamp Fight, Englishmen slaughtered approximately 600 Narragansett men, women, and children. The English declared it a huge victory — a questionable conclusion since the Narragansett immediately joined the alliance of Native warriors and subsequently killed scores of settlers and destroyed hundreds of homes.
By the spring of 1676, the English had abandoned Springfield, Deerfield, Northfield, Brookfield, Lancaster, Groton, Mendon, Wrentham, Swansea, Rehoboth, and Dartmouth. Algonquian warriors staged raids in Chelmsford, Andover, Haverhill, Woburn, and as close to Boston as Braintree.
While the Native peoples’ tactic of remaining constantly on the move prevented the English from counterattacking, it made it impossible for them to grow and harvest food. Algonquian food supplies began to run low, a fact their enemies were quick to notice.
. . . the English staged an offensive and forced the Indians to abandon their newly planted fields. In July colonists resumed their pursuit of King Philip.
In May 1676 the Nipmuc established camps along the Connecticut River, about five miles north of Deerfield, to fish and plant crops. Flush with recent victories, they let down their guard. The English had good intelligence and, when word reached them, 150 men staged a dawn attack. They killed primarily women, children, and old people as they slept. The Nipmuc warriors regrouped, fought back and then pursued the English, killing 39 of them. The Nipmuc’s losses were estimated at 200.
The following month, the English staged an offensive and forced the Indians to abandon their newly planted fields. In July colonists resumed their pursuit of King Philip. They captured his wife and nine-year-old son and sold them into slavery. King Philip was betrayed by one of his own men, who shot and killed him on August 12, 1676. Englishmen decapitated and quartered his body. They placed his head on a stake and marched it through the streets of Plymouth, where it remained in public view for years.
Colonists systematically hunted down the other Native American leaders, killing some of them on sight and convincing others to surrender with promises of amnesty, then executing them. In September, Massachusetts Bay Colony declared that any Native person responsible for English deaths would be killed and all remaining Indians sold into slavery. Most of the enslaved were shipped to the West Indies, an almost certain death sentence.
By late 1676, English settlers had effectively cleared southern New England of its native inhabitants. A small number of King Philip’s people — Metacom’s Wampanoags — managed to survive. They sustained their culture in Mashpee on Cape Cod and on Martha’s Vineyard.

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Eagle Scout Parker Kilmer

Posted on June 13, 2023 | Comments Off on Eagle Scout Parker Kilmer

Troop 10 honored Parker Kilmer for attaining his Eagle Scout award last Saturday at the UCC. 102 merit badges, and only a Medfield High School sophomore. Parker attributed his getting so many merit badges so fast to the COVID shut down, which allowed him to do a lot on-line.

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Then town administration consults

Posted on June 3, 2023 | 1 comment

Town leaders donned thinking caps: L -R: Mike Sullivan, Mark Fisher, me, and Sarah Raposa at a benefit Medfield trivia evening (MCPE?), where the scores documented that we were not so knowing. However, we did have the most interesting hats in the room. I was asked to field a Town House team, and Mike, Mark and Sarah were the good sports that joined me. And wore the hats I brought.

OneDrive amuses me by putting up old photos every day and this was one from today, so the trivia event was in early June.

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The Garden Continuum keeps Straw Hat Park beautiful

Posted on June 2, 2023 | 1 comment

Thank you Garden Continuum!

Monique Allen and her landscaping business, The Garden Continuum, volunteered lots of time to design and plant the Straw Hat Park. They made the Straw Hat Park a reality, and now today The Garden Continuum was back comping their time to spread mulch.

Mike Thompson

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Fall Car Wash Fundraiser Dates Now Open

Posted on June 1, 2023 | 1 comment

Photo by Colleen Sullivan, like most really good Medfield photos

June 01, 2023
Fall Car Wash Fundraiser Dates Now Open

Late summer/early fall car wash fundraiser dates are now open. Please sign up for your date of choice using the link on our website.… Read on

What is Medfield’s Car Wash Fundraiser Policy?

Applicants must be local Town of Medfield non profit organizations. There is only one car wash per Saturday, choice of 9AM to 1PM or 10AM to 2PM. Please use this link to sign up for late summer/early fall 2023 dates. If you would like assistance signing up, please contact Brittney Franklin at bfranklin@medfield.net. 

Applicant is responsible for picking up water key the Friday before the Fundraiser, water key must be returned in the Green Box on Janes Avenue at the conclusion of the fundraiser.  An Adult must be present at all car wash fundraisers. All car wash fundraisers will be postponed if the Board of Selectmen has declared a partial or total Water Ban.

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Office Hours this Friday 9-10

Posted on May 31, 2023 | Comments Off on Office Hours this Friday 9-10

Select Board Office Hours this Friday


I hold regular monthly office hours at The Center on the first Friday of every month from 9:00 to 10:00 AM. 
Residents are welcome to stop by to talk in person about any town matters.
Residents can also have coffee and see the Council on Aging in action (a vibrant organization with lots going on).
I can be reached via 508-359-9190 or this blog about Medfield matters https://medfield02052.wordpress.com, where any schedule changes will be posted. 

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Memorial Day 2023

Posted on May 29, 2023 | Comments Off on Memorial Day 2023
DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF fa~/2 $, Yty@rb United States Navy, WWII MEMORIAL DAY SERVICES Monday, May 29, 2023 Jabez Boyden John B. Chenery William R. Holbrook Curtis W. Jones Frank E. Morse Eugene Sumner Silas Arsenault Arthur A. Cleversee Ralph E. Leighton Vincent P. Bravo Ocran G. Knehr Joseph W. Pace Stephen Hinkley Under the auspices of the citizens of the Town of Medfield, Massachusetts Honor Them and Never Forget IN MEMORIAM American Revolution Samuel Cole Lemuel Thompson Civil War William Dailey Caleb Howard Allen A. Kingsbury Gabriel Strang World War I Joseph Hardy Eleazar Johnson Daniel McMahan John A. Strang William Vennoh Wesley J. Beckwith William M. Beckwith Clarence M. Cutler J. Earl Kerr Herbert Paine Harrison R. Ryan World War II Thomas M. Clewes Earl W. Lee John P. Ross, Jr. Richard C. Werner Korean War George T. Snyder Vietnam John P. Crowder Douglas C. MacKeatchie Robert B. Sproul Peter Kristof

Thank you to all who planned and participated this year!!!

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SBC asks for your input

Posted on May 25, 2023 | Comments Off on SBC asks for your input

May 25, 2023

School Building Committee – Wants your feedback!

This first survey will inform the SBC of your perspective on the prior proposal and what is currently important to you as the new process begins. Please visit…… Read on

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Hate crimes up 30% in Massachusetts

Posted on May 24, 2023 | Comments Off on Hate crimes up 30% in Massachusetts

From WBUR – read or hear the full article/program her – hate crimes in Massachusetts are up 30% in a year –

Hate crimes increased by 30% in 2022, ADL report finds

May 23, 2023

  • Alison Kuznitz, State House News Service

A masked group display a banner with the words "Keep Boston Irish," along the route of the St. Patrick's Day parade on March 20, 2022. (Steven Senne/AP)
A masked group display a banner with the words “Keep Boston Irish,” along the route of the St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 20, 2022. (Steven Senne/AP)

Hate crimes reported in Massachusetts rose more than 30% between 2021 and 2022, according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League. The report indicates the rise in hate and extremism has been driven by antisemitic attacks, white supremacist propaganda and anti-LGBTQ+ threats and harassment.

Trailing only Texas, Massachusetts recorded the second highest number of white supremacist propaganda incidents last year, the report found. The distribution of white supremacist propaganda increased by 71% from 2021 and 2022 — rising from 272 instances to 465 — largely attributed to groups like Patriot Front, the Nationalist Social Club and the Goyim Defense League, according to the report.

Read or hear the full article/program here – hate crimes in Massachusetts are up 30% in a year

Resources I have found so far –

In terms of reporting:

https://www.mass.gov/service-details/protections-against-hate-crimes

“File a civil rights complaint

You should immediately contact your local police department if you feel you are the victim of a hate crime. Victims of hate crimes can file a civil rights complaint with the Attorney General’s Office or call the office’s special hotline at 1-800-994-3228.”

For Massachusetts state government annual reports:

https://www.mass.gov/lists/reports-on-hate-crimes-in-massachusetts

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