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Unfinished Justice: A Spotlight Team investigation into felony murder in Massachusetts

They are men who killed nobody but have been condemned to die in prison. Men who never fired a shot or wielded a weapon, who may not even have been in the same room as the killing, or known anything about it.And yet they have been convicted in Massachusetts of first-degree murder, and sentenced to the most draconian penalty under state law.They live, and may die, in a strange corner of the state judicial system, convicted of an offense known as felony murder, which in rare cases allowed someone...
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Police deputy was appointed to state accountability panel. He was then demoted. - The Boston Globe

Chrispin, who was a key player on the Boston Police Reform Task Force that same year, said he was told his May appointment to the commission posed a conflict of interest.Eddy Chrispin, who had been serving as deputy superintendent, said that Commissioner Michael Cox gave him an ultimatum: give up his seat on the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, or lose his position on Cox’s hand-picked command staff. The panel was established in 2020 under criminal reform legislatio...
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Who is Michelle Wu, the first Asian American and first woman to be elected mayor of Boston? - The Boston Globe

With a commanding lead in the polls, Michelle Wu had seemed all but assured of victory in Boston’s mayoral election, and Tuesday’s results fulfilled that expectation. For those who didn’t follow the campaign closely, here are some important things to know about the newly elected mayor and the keys to her win.Wu’s victory demonstrates the power of having a strong ground game in all areas of the city. Wu led in fund-raising, polling, and landing major endorsements. City, state, and community leade...
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Acting Mayor Kim Janey was absent from 30 of 60 mayoral forums held since April - The Boston Globe

Acting Mayor Kim Janey has missed more than 30 of roughly 60 such public events since announcing her candidacy on April 6, according to a Globe review of the forums, town halls, and one-on-one interviews the candidates attended. Her four major campaign rivals, by contrast, have logged near-perfect attendance.Yet alone among the five major candidates, one was a conspicuous no-show — again.The mayoral forum hosted last Saturday by the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, a housing advoc...
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Cosmetology is one of the most popular vocational tracks in Mass. But is it too late for a makeover of Madison Park’s beauty program? - The Boston Globe

Even before the pandemic, the salon chairs were mostly empty. Few outsiders came there to get their hair and nails done for a nominal fee by the Roxbury school’s students who were mastering their craft. Not many educators and administrators from the Boston Public Schools headquarters around the corner, or the personnel at the police headquarters on nearby Tremont Street. Or even nearby residents looking to freshen up.The years have eroded the onetime grandeur of the beauty salon at Madison Park...
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Following long tradition, Black clergy take the lead in coronavirus pandemic - The Boston Globe

“As we continue to fight this pandemic, it is so important that we trust the science and do what the experts advise, and that means receiving the vaccine, continuing to social distance and wear a mask,” Warnock, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, said in a statement Friday after he was vaccinated.Warnock’s vaccination, captured on video and shared on his Twitter feed, is highlighting the pivotal role Black pastors are playing in the fight against a pandemic that has devastated Black and l...
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In Lawrence, leaders push to boost historically low voter turnout - The Boston Globe

It was one more frustration in a city where activists have been working for years to boost civic engagement. Lawrence has a lot at stake in this election, with rising coronavirus cases and climbing unemployment hitting the city hard, and community leaders want to make sure residents’ voices are heard.Staffers, wearing blue masks with the word “Vote” on them, had spent the morning making calls to registered voters to remind them to vote Tuesday. But then the Internet crashed and everything slowed...
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As schools reopen, students struggle with COVID trauma - The Boston Globe

De La Cruz, a senior, lives with her 83-year-old grandmother and father, both of whom had cancer. Her father also struggles with a heart condition. Her sister, who lives in Chelsea, was hospitalized with the coronavirus in the spring and has since recovered, she said.When some high school students return to in-person classes at the Margarita Muñiz Academy in Jamaica Plain later this fall, Alejandra De La Cruz won’t be among them.Sign up to receive a newsletter for The Great Divide, an investigat...