Homeless In A College Town

First Baptist Church, 434 North Pleasant Street

The Housing & Sheltering Committee hosted the unveiling of a report last night done by two area college students over the past semester under the direction of John Hornik dissecting the overall operation of Craig's Doors, the seasonal homeless shelter operated part-time out of the First Baptist Church at the main gateway to UMass.

 John Hornik, Sakshi Bhatnager, Grace Nash

The homeless shelter originally started in 2010 as simply a "warming place", morphed into an overnight shelter run by Milestone Ministries and then became "Craig's Doors".

The facility runs on a $300,000 operation budget, two-thirds from the state and one-third from the town and is open from November until April 30 during New England's most dangerous season of the year, winter.

 Most recent year unique visitors are down, but utilization is up

The shelter has a capacity of 22 beds (16 men, 6 women) and oftentimes turns away two or three potential users, although during particularly bad weather they can get permission from Town Manager John Musante to expand capacity to 34 guests.  

The shelter has a close working relationship with Amherst police who visit nightly just as a courtesy call.  That way should their emergency services be needed residents do not view them as hostile outsiders. 

Year's worth of public safety calls (or about a weekend's calls to students' parties disturbances)

One of the criticisms of the shelter is that it does not enforce a strict policy of alcohol abstention prior to coming into the facility.  This of course can lead to behavior that requires the services of Amherst police.

 Click to enlarge/read

The other drawback that's a concern to downtown businesses is the facility attracts individuals to town who do not have a job or meaningful ways to occupy their time during the day.   Town center becomes a magnet for some of them to hang out ... panhandling, or a roughhousing in such a way as to make potential customers uncomfortable.

Of course the alternative is potential death due to the elements, so the inconvenience of occasional bad behavior is offset by the greater good:  keeping people safe.

 Comparison with Interfaith Cot Shelter in Northampton, a "dry" shelter i.e. no under the influence of alcohol admissions allowed 

John Hornik pointed out that Craig's Doors is safe for a few more years at its current location, but needs a permanent home.

Funding is also not guaranteed as the lion's share comes from the state as "earmarked funds," which means they have to be renewed annually and as such are subject to the vagaries of the state legislature.

Although having state senator Stan Rosenberg about to assume his powerful leadership roll should be comforting.

The Camera Never Blinks

An athlete oftentimes performs a little better while being observed by others, or trains a little harder when a "personal trainer" is giving encouragement. In sport psychology it's called "social facilitation".

In a larger sense, during competition, it can become a home field/court advantage.

Simply put, we all tend to behave better while under observation.

A recent study of a police department that has embraced use of the body cameras in Rialto, California showed a dramatic drop in complaints filed against officers as well as a reduction in police use of force.

What a difference these cameras would have made if UMPD and APD had been wearing them during the infamous "Blarney Blowout".  One of the suggestions published in the $160,000 Davis Report was to have better trained police photographers filming such interactions.

But if every patrol cop had a camera running, rather than selective outtakes that make it to Youtube, the whole story would be easier to see.  And you would not need to designate one or two officers to act as photographers, thus freeing them to help out fellow officers with the disturbance. 

APD has been experimenting with the body cameras since before the Ferguson incident. The Chief tells me it comes down to a budgetary issue as to whether his department will adopt them.  No real complaints have been issued by officers or their union concerning adoption.

Kind of like adopting cameras in all our patrol cruisers, something APD did two decades ago.   Or the early adoption (1984) of video taping drunk driving arrests/bookings.  Amherst was the 4th community in the state to adopt 911 as a means of emergency communications (1970).

When you're well trained, confident about your abilities and judgement, and in many cases young enough to embrace the digital age, cameras are nothing to be afraid of.

 #####

I asked District Attorney Dave Sullivan about the supposed conflict of interest Mr. O'Connor mentioned in his monologue and received this reply:

We have had two police-involved shootings. There was a fatal shooting of Corey Navarette in Orange on July 3, 2013, in which the decedent pointed a loaded assault rifle at a state trooper who entered his home with a search warrant. First Assistant District Attorney Steve Gagne investigated and issued our full investigative report for publication. The report was fair, balanced, and exonerated the trooper.

A second shooting, nonfatal, occurred in Ware on Sept. 23, 2014.  Sajid Dacres and passenger were stopped for motor vehicle charges and credit card fraud. Dacres revved the engine to flee arrest, striking the police officer with the car he was driving. Shots fired by a Ware police officer resulted in non-life threatening injury. Dacres was arraigned today. It was determined by the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit attached to the Office and the Office of the Northwestern District Attorney that the officer was justified in shooting.

I see it as entirely appropriate for the District Attorney, who is Chief Law Enforcement Officer and has jurisdiction over all death cases and criminal cases, to investigate police-involved shootings. I am elected and accountable to the people to insure that an independent investigation of a police shooting is conducted and justice is served.

Good & Bad

LifeFlight helicopter dropped in for a visit to Amherst College

The crew of the Worcester based UMass Memorial LifeFlight helicopter dropped in to do all-day EMT training at Amherst College on Sunday. That is of course the good.  In fact, great.

 Amherst College quad late Saturday night (the not so good)

 Shaki Holines, age 20, stands before Judge Payne

The AFD weekend report shows the bad influence on public safety wrought by the Amherst College "Crossett Christmas" late Saturday night. Amherst police also made two arrests.

   Weekend Runs Crossett XMass by Larry Kelley

In Eastern Hampshire District Court yesterday Mitchell Arthur and Shaki Holines had pleas of "not guilty" entered in their behalf for their Assault & Battery cases which were continued until January 26th.

 Mitchell Arthur, age 18, stands before Judge Payne

They both were released on their own recognizance.

We Gotta Get Out Of This Place

ARHS 12:15 PM Thursday

A response from Jennie Traschen to Amherst Regional High School Principal Mark Jackson's email sent to all parents concerning the Thursday afternoon walk out to "honor" a black man shot to death in self-defense by a white #Ferguson police officer set off an interesting email string sent to ALL Amherst Regional School Committee members  (thus making them public documents) prior to the walk out.

I'll let the emails speak for themselves.  Maybe Dr. Shabazz and Dr. Baptiste didn't see the email in time.  Or they don't care what the Superintendent thinks about "adults interceding on this student event".

   Amherst Student Walk Out Emails

 Adult cheerleaders ARHS 12:15 PM Thursday

 

Regional School Committee member posted to their Facebook page

In response to my records request for walk out numbers:

Click to enlarge/read

Student walkout statistics (Only in Amherst!)

Top Cop Chastises OML Violation

Trevor Baptise, then Vice Chair reads opening statement at 7/14 RSC meeting

Once again the Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee has been found guilty of an Open Meeting Law violation by the Attorney General, this time for the renegade 7/14 meeting brashly called by then Vice Chair Trevor Baptiste and attended by 5-of-9 members, which is a legitimate quorum.

The AG found, however, the meeting had not been properly posted in Amherst.  Although the AG does admit that for a brief time it was legally posted, but not for a long enough period.

   Amherst Schools OML violation

The meeting with only one item on the agenda was called by Trevor Baptiste (then Vice Chair, now Chair) to countermand a memo sent out by Chairs of School Committees who make up the Region decrying a statement made by Amilcar Shabazz at a public meeting talking about a covered up in-school racial incident where black youth beat up a white student.

"What Democracy Looks Like"

 Coming up North Pleasant Street

A large group of about 100 mostly college aged youth marched from UMass to Amherst center with APD in front and trailing behind as they chanted their way through town center and then descended Main Street to demonstrate in front of the Amherst police station.

 APD Chief Scott Livingstone on scene

After more than a half-hour at the police station they marched back up into town center, over to the Rt 9 intersection, down college street and into Amherst College. All the while Amherst PD, UMPD and Amherst College PD kept their distance, simply trying to stay ahead of the crowd but closing off roads before they crossed.

Around 3:15 PM, after just over two hours of marching around the downtown, they headed back to campus.  



No doubt this is one of but many protests nationwide today over the highly publicized deaths of Mike Brown and Eric Garner.

Holiday Cheer (In A College Town)

Police pushed about 400 or so students off the quad area Amherst College

Amherst Police came to the assistance of Amherst College PD around midnight last night to clear out a large party in the quad area near Crossett Dorm which had, like last year, gotten out of hand.

The annual event, known as Crossett Christmas, attracts a bevy of off campus students from our other institutes of higher education.

And when you attract an extra few hundred college aged youth, mix in alcohol, loud music, and somewhat hospitable weather, things can quickly go wrong.

Amherst College PD:  If you see non AC students with backpacks and they will not let you inspect them, escort them off campus.
— Larry Kelley (@amherstac) December 7, 2014

So many fire alarms were pulled AFD ended up stationing a engine at the scene for well over an hour.

The crowd was never anywhere that of the Blarney Blowout (400 vs 4,000) and it only took ten minutes to disperse.  Umass Police also assisted with foot traffic as hundreds of youth ended up on busy Rt 9 walking back to town center to catch the PVTA buses.

 Engine 1 East entrance 11:30 PM

Engine 1 parked in front of Crossett Dorm

APD briefly staged at Orr Rink then moved in from the south

AFD ambulance had trouble getting through fleet of taxis that were coming and going 

Timing

Battleship Row 7:55 AM

If we had the Internet, social media and smart phones back then maybe the two bored, hungry operators of that newfangled gizmo could have sent HQ a screen shot of that large blob appearing on their radar fast approaching from the north.

The rookie Captain of the USS Ward could have texted a photo of a periscope peeking up from waters where it should not be.

And field workers, who do not get Sunday morning off, could have confirmed things with a panoramic Facebook post of a flock of inbound fighters, set against a gorgeous Hawaiian sky, bearing a distinctive red zero at the end of each wing.

Thus the fleet in general would have had precious advance warning.  The USS Arizona in particular would have been able to scramble anti-aircraft personnel to their battle stations, perhaps in time to distract the pilot before he dropped his payload with a one-in-a-million result.

 USS Arizona, December 7, 1941 "A day that will live in infamy"

In fact, if the Japanese had broken off their 2 hour bombardment just 10 minutes into the attack, half the causalities had already been inflicted by the catastrophic explosion of the USS Arizona, snuffing out the lives 1,177 sailors and marines, including 23 sets of brothers. 

And if he were still alive on that fine Sunday morning 73 years ago, Colonel Billy Mitchell could have sent out a single tweet:  "I told you so."

USS Arizona today

Walk out? What Walk Out?

Thursday 12:20 PM Amherst Regional High School

Apparently Amherst School Superintendent Maria Geryk is too young to have learned the valuable lesson from that iconic Paul Newman movie concerning a, "failure to communicate."  

Her email blast update on Friday, the day after the BIG walkout, talks about all sorts of somewhat mundane -- but certainly interesting to parents -- in house school matters, but carefully avoids mentioning the walkout, err,  I mean, "Walk-out Dialogue". 

Hmm ... So an event occurs during the school day that impacts upwards of half the High School and according to Middle School principal Marisa Mendonsa 90% of those younger students participating via a "sit in" (APD also responded to to a 911 call from the MS and stayed on site until school ended) and it's gets no mention?

Certainly one dot in her email that could have been connected to the walkout was the HR report about "Staff of Color" and progress towards getting it to be "reflective of the community".   

The Regional School District definitely has a long way to go, with staff of color now standing at 18% while student enrollment of color is 43.5%.

But still, the Amherst Regional School District is in the top ten percent statewide for highest proportion of employees of color in a public school system. 

It would be interesting to see the percentage of employees of color in highly-paid administrative positions (both in the schools and the town).

The Amherst School Committee has a 20% minority make up.  And Amherst Town Meeting is probably in the 1% or 2% range.

Now that's worthy of a walkout.

Amherst Town Meeting last May

Just So You Know

 Tow truck used same route through Amherst College to get to wrecked truck

Three weeks after a vegetable truck downsized the hard way while trying to negotiate under the railroad bridge on South East Street, the town has put up a couple of signs warning about the stingy clearance.

Sign on rt faces the dirt road that comes down Fort Hill

Apparently the new Book & Plow farm on Amherst College property has increased traffic from the dirt road that connects from their the tennis courts to South East Street coming out very near the bridge.



The other equally low bike path bridge up by Mill Lane, a half mile away, is clearly marked on both sides so the theory used to be you would never make it under that bridge to get to this one.

Not any more.

DUI Dishonor Roll

APD attempting to perform FSTs on Deborah Mercier, age 21, Wednesday 7:35 PM

If you were out and about early Wednesday night Christmas shopping, attending an Amherst Planning Board meeting, or heading to your local health club, consider yourself lucky you did not run into Deborah Mercier, age 21.   Or more precisely, she did not run into you.

 Click to enlarge/read

An off-duty Amherst Fire Department Captain called Dispatch to report a beyond erratic driver on Snell Street, a heavily traveled cut through to busy Rt 116 and even busier Rt 9.  Amherst police handled it from there.

 Deborah Mercier, all 90 pounds of her, stands before Judge Payne

In Eastern Hampshire District Court yesterday morning Judge Payne entered a plea of "not guilty" and continued her case until December 29th, when she will appear with her private attorney.

Not a great way to start the New Year.  But at least she's alive.

Amherst Town Gown: Moving Forward

Town Gown Steering Committee co-Chairs Nancy Buffone, David Ziomek

In its final public meeting 13 months after formation the Town Gown Steering Committee discussed and then voted unanimously to support the final letter of conveyance drafted by member Stephanie O'Keeffe that will accompany the $60,000 U3 Advisers final report -- both narrative and Powerpoint overheads. 

   Amherst Town Gown Letter

The entire package will be sent to UMass Chancellor Subbaswamy and Amherst Town Manager John Musante, and committee co-chairs David Ziomek and Nancy Buffone will also meet with them in person to go over "next steps."

One additional amendment was added by member Ken Rosenthal to the bullet point about creating an "Economic Development Director".  Forming a new committee charged with economic development to work hand-in-hand with the town hired Director and potential developers.

Even though the town already has an Amherst Redevelopment Authority, Town Commercial Relations Committee, Chamber of Commerce and Business Improvement District.

  Roughly half the Town Gown Steering Committee

Not a single member out of the 18 who showed up for this final meeting spoke against the formation of University Town of Amherst Collaborative (UTAC) an outgrowth of -- but downsized from --  the Town Gown Steering Committee.

 Or the recommendation the town (unfortunately not half subsidized by the University) should hire a "Economic Development Director."

 Other half of the Town Gown Steering Committee

The meeting as usual, was not completely free of dissent:  Rolf Karlstrom reiterated he would be issuing a "minority report" outlining key points of disagreement or "lost opportunities" with the U3 final report.  So far two other members have signed on.  Co-chair David Ziomek agreed to include it in the final package.

Now the key question is will the committee report became a vital road map to the future for two super powers, or just another dead end waste of time, money, paper and bandwidth?

No School For You!

 Crowd of students gather ARHS front entry  12:10 PM

Adult bystanders in front of school

Encouraged by a handful of adult bystanders and more than a few members of the media, hundreds and hundreds of Amherst Regional High School students walked out of school just after noon today to protest the #Ferguson non-indictment of a police officer who used deadly force in self defense.

After 4.5 minutes of silence the crowd, lead by a student with a bullhorn, headed toward town center chanting as they went.

 APD briefly blocks town center to enable crowd to cross

The crowd snaked its way down Lessey Street and up Main Street to town center where the Amherst Police Department swooped in to block traffic for the few minutes it took to amble across the main intersection enroute to the Jones Library.

Originally a dozen students signed a statement advertising the walkout, but that was amplified prominently in this morning's Daily Hampshire Gazette, encouraging a huge response.

And, of course, the weather was hospitable. 

Event promoted on Facebook, but not all that many confirmed "going"

Not to be left out even the Middle School got involved

Click to enlarge/read

1 Is NOT The Loneliest Number

1 East Pleasant Street, a new downtown anchor on the north end of town center

5th time was the charm for the proposed mixed use five-story building with 84 residential units located on the north end of downtown, as the Planning Board last night, finally, gave Site Plan Approval with waivers for 1 East Pleasant, Archipelago Investments 4th commercial Amherst development in just the past few years.

 Kyle Wilson, Dave Williams (behind)

Determined opposition had switched tactics for this final meeting suggesting the Planning Board hold off giving final approval of the project until September of 2015. That way, they reasoned, nearby Kendrick Place with 36 rental units would be open and clientele demographics could be ascertained.

 Kendrick Place under construction next door

Only in Amherst do NIMBYs micromanage private developments right down to the target customers.

The vote to approve was 6-0 with 2 abstentions.  Since two members were not present at the original hearing that started w-a-y back on October 1st, they could not legally vote on the project.

 Building abuts sacred West Cemetery

The approval comes with a boatload of conditions but the developers thus far have been overly attentive to details so it's unlikely they will not keep up their side of the agreement.  The developers are also pursuing LEED-Gold certification, which also comes with a great number conditions.

 A couple dozen residents showed up for "public comment" period

The Planning Board showed extra concern for how the new building would be managed.  Archipelago responded that they are "developers not property managers," and they were in the final process now of picking a management company that would handle all four of their Amherst developments.

1 East Pleasant will have an on-site manager living in one of the units and a front desk will be operational during peak hours.   The lease will not allow rental by the room, only by the unit, and anyone not on the lease will be subject to sanctions.  

The specter of rowdy student behavior clung to this project like a wet blanket.  Fortunately with the town and UMass joining forces to reign in such bad behavior that concern is getting less and less valid.  Although hard to convince neighbors of that.

Wilson and Williams in the not-overly-hot seat before Planning Board last night

Kyle Wilson repeated stressed this building would be well-managed ... something to make the town proud.  The Planning Board unanimously agreed.

Remember

On 9/11, we remember the 343

Today, or more precisely tonight, marks the 15th anniversary of the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire in a hulking windowless beast of a building perfectly described by District Chief McNamee as "the building from Hell."

Six firefighters perished, just doing their job.  They were searching for a homeless couple who, it turns out, started the deadly inferno. 

RIP:

Lt. Thomas E. Spencer
Lt. Timothy P. Jackson Sr.,
Lt. James F. Lyons III
Firefighter Jeremiah M. Lucey,
Firefighter Paul A. Brotherton
Firefighter Joseph T. McGuirk

See The Light

Vince O'Connor

So if grandma gets run over by a reindeer and it happens in a downtown crosswalk this holiday season, after dark, Vince O'Connor thinks the town will be liable.



Yes this is the same Grinch who brought before Amherst town meeting a "Dark Sky Initiative" back in 2007 that would have fined downtown businesses for keeping their lights on after 11:00 PM.

Town Meeting quickly said "Bah, humbug!" to that.

CVS crosswalk (on a dark and story night)

Hastings crosswalk

Post office crosswalk

Kendrick Park crosswalk