Cockeyed Payout

Boston mayor Thomas Menino [pictured] said yesterday that the City of Boston will soon announce a settlement with the family of Victoria Snelgrove, the Emerson College student who was killed by a pepper pellet shot by Boston police who had to quell a near riot by hundreds of drunk college students following the Red Sox’s historic elimination of the New York Yankees from the postseason last fall.

Menino mumbled that the settlement would be between four and seven million dollars. One report said that Boston has only budgeted three-and-a-half million for settlements this year, a clear example of Massachusetts math. Also reported was that the City is in settlement talks with other hooligans shot by the pellets, including those who climbed onto the exterior rafters (trespassing) of Fenway Park.

Last year, Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen M. O’Toole said it best: “While I firmly and emphatically accept responsibilities for any errors, I also condemn in the harshest words possible the actions of the punks Wednesday night who turned our city’s victory into an opportunity for violence and mindless destruction.”

It’s amazing how short our memories can be. While paying off the Snelgrove family may be justified (even though we’re always being assured that it’s never about the money), by paying off the other punks we’ve just legitimized criminal behavior and given it a potential pay check.

But what else should we expect from Massachusetts?

Bob Parks is a former congressional candidate, ex-Navy, single dad, graphic designer, life-long New England Patriots fan, and member/writer for the National Advisory Council of Project 21.