Tito: Cops `categorically wrong' for stopping parade bicyclists
City Councilor Tito Jackson joined Boston Herald Radio’s “Morning Meeting” program yesterday to talk about stunt bikers in his campaign’s Caribbean Festival parade contingent being stopped by police last weekend:
Q: The police said it’s unsafe to have riders in the parade because all of the cars and everything else that are involved, that it’s an unsafe environment.
A: Yeah. So they’re absolutely categorically wrong. ... I’m telling you because I’ve done this parade for my whole life, right? So the elected officials in this parade go in the front, they are actually not part of the revelers. And so, in fact, there was not another vehicle behind me for another 20 minutes, right? So my contingent — and by the way last year I had someone ride their bike in the parade — and it also must be noted that we were three blocks from the end of the parade when those young men were stopped ... it’s categorically not true because the roadway is completely clear, there are barriers on both sides of the roadway and there was only one vehicle traveling and we were three blocks from the end of the parade . ... In addition, these young people actually participated in the Gay Pride Parade, and the Puerto Rican Parade as well as the Dominican Parade. There are hundreds of bikes. In the South Boston parade there are hundreds of bikes and even unicycles . ... They were not doing anything wrong and they should not have been stopped and they should not have been pulled out. And I don’t believe that incident should have ever occurred. These are great young people who decided to be part of a process ... and I would ask, if bikes are banned in the Caribbean Carnival, where’s the ban in every other parade that bikes participate in?
Q: You’ve had some spats with (police Commissioner William B. Evans). You said if you were to be mayor you would not keep him. You’ve been critical of the body camera program in terms of its future. You’ve been critical of the police department when it comes to clearing murders in the city of Boston. So do you think there could have been a personal vendetta against you?
A: I have no idea why this happened, I don’t understand why it escalated to having to speak with that many officers. What I do know is simply this, that I’m going to stand up for young people who want to civically engage and who want to be part of the process. And it makes no sense to have that type of police response for bicycles.