FIRST AMENDMENT AUDITORS SWEEP THROUGH THE AREA
‘Harass and humiliate' town officials on camera
When approached by two strangers filming in her office, Director of Veterans Affairs Regina Jackson had some concerns.
Citing potentially confidential information about her clients, Jacksonasked themto step aside. She said she felt "intimidated," evenmore so when they declined to share their names, told her she was acting hostile and lacked manners and suggested she was failing other veterans.
The interaction was uploaded in a Youtube video, in which Josh Abrams — the face behind the channel "Accountability For All" — enters the Chelmsford Townoffices alongside his fiancé and fellowyoutuber "Bananer Anna" to conduct a First Amendment audit: an exercise in which people filmtown officials in public to ensure they "are representing their citizens in the right way" and don't violate the expression of residents' constitutional rights, Abrams said.
But Jackson said she believes Abrams' mission was solely "to provoke a response" from municipal workers and make them "look foolish."
"They didn't ask any questions about veterans issues," Jackson said. "They didn't want to make an appointment to sit down for a claim. They weren't interested in getting any information about Chelmsford veterans or any veterans or any issue at all … They were just two people trying to make money off of silly Youtube made-up controversies."
Abrams' visit to Chelmsford is one of his latest encounters, which are oftenmetwith anger, confusion and discomfort. His confrontations with employees and town leaders garner thousands of clicks, and his stop in Chelmsford, posted last week, has almost 30,000 views. Since sharing his first video nearly four years ago, Abrams has amassed 122,000 subscribers.
Abrams recently stopped in Littleton, Westford, Fitchburg andwilmington to conduct similar audits, some by request. In Littleton, onmay 15 — the same day as his Chelmsford visit — Abrams said town staff couldn't be nicer, but that's a pretty rare phenomenon.
"It's a shame I don'thavemore positive interactions," Abrams, a Stonehamnative, said, "because when they're positive, I post them too … We really do want the folks that are doing a great job for their community to get the same exposure as thosewho react negatively, which is probably about 85% of the time."
Abrams declined to tell The Sun where he resides now, but The Boston Globe reported he lives in Townsend.
Littleton Interim Town Administrator Ryan Ferrara said the town's portrayal was simply a result of successful preparation. Having heard about the First Amendment audits in the area, Ferrara said staffwere
briefed on the group and told to "answer their questions and be polite," Ferrara said.
While such an incident may be "shocking" to those untrained or unaware of the audits, Ferrara said it's par for the course. He said he feels it's within their rights to film and that it's something that "goes with the territory" for public-facing employees.
"Ultimately, it's important for staff to remember we serve the public," Ferrara said, "and we need to always be courteous and professional regardless of who comes to our door."
Littleton Select Board members addressed the video with Ferrara during their Monday night meeting. Though he thinks the video's thumbnail "is incredibly clickbaity," member Matthew Nordhaus said the video was generally positive and showcased the great work of the town's employees.
"I think they're a little bit trollish," Nordhaus said at the meeting. "Nevertheless, the Littleton Town Hall staff could not have been shown in a better light. Everyone was incredibly friendly, polite, warm, and the person who was recording the video was impressed with their professionalism."
Though Chelmsford also expected the auditors' arrival and understood their purpose, Town Manager Paul Cohen said those who conduct the walkthroughs seem to purposefully irritate people. In his view, the videos are "just meant to harass and humiliate."
"I think public officials and employees respect the values of transparency and public records and right to information so forth, but that's not what these efforts are about," Cohen said. "These are efforts about who they can agitate so they can get something on film that they can then put online to humiliate people. That's sort of the unfortunate part of it."
As a result of Jackson's experience, Cohen said they'll be installing a Dutch door to her office to provide a slight protective barrier between her and the public.
Cohen said Jackson's longtime dedication to public service and effective outreach to her clientele outweigh a minuteslong conversation with random people with alternative intentions. After speaking with Jackson about the incident, Cohen characterized the pair's behavior as "reprehensible."
"Here's a woman who devotes and has devoted her career to helping veterans, particularly those in need," Cohen said, "and that's not what this was about … I'm going to rely on the track record as opposed to somebody who's in there with a video trying to get a reaction out of people for entertainment purposes."
Though her office had no issues with Abrams,
Chelmsford Town Clerk Tricia Dzuris said Jackson handled their presence "with dignity and grace" and if anything, Abrams' and his fiancé's response "showed the kind of character and the motivation for them."
Overall, Dzuris said she was proud of how the town dealt with the Youtubers and feels the experience was one she can "check off" in her career as a public official.
"We greeted them with a smile," Dzuris said, "and when you do that and there's no defensive action, I think they're just perfectly content to walk away."
Tempers also flared in Westford on Monday, when Abrams filmed Building Commissioner Henry Fontaine's objection to being on camera. When Abrams defended his right to record, Fontaine said they'd be calling the police.
Officers later showed up, reiterating Abrams' ability to exercise his rights, and Fontaine explained he was seeking more information on who they were and the reason they were there.
When asked about the encounter over the phone, Fontaine said the office was too busy for him to comment. Town Manager Kristen Las said she would not comment on the incident, adding that she was not present in the building when the auditors stopped by but was already aware of their actions in other communities.
"I've spoken with various employees, and various employees have had different reactions and takes on it," Las said.
Police were called during Abrams' audit in Fitchburg, but for more serious reasons. While Abrams was filming, ironically, outside the city auditor's office a few weeks ago, a new employee expressed her discomfort with the camera and reached for Abrams' phone and wrist.
City officials called the police, but Abrams said he decided not to press charges for assault and battery when he learned the staffer is not originally from the United States.
"That's not a great way to start her life in a new country," Abrams said, "so I decided to give her the opportunity to apologize, and she did and she was very remorseful and I dropped the charges, they were let go."
Despite Abrams' understanding, Jackson said Abrams and others like him are just looking to capture a viral moment. In the aftermath, she said she hopes to still provide an open- door policy to local veterans.
"It's a welcoming environment," Jackson said, "but when you come in with the purpose of trying to get us angry or mad or provoke us, that's just a waste of my time, a waste of their time."
Fitchburg Mayor Stephen Dinatale did not respond to multiple requests for comment prior to this article's publication. The City Auditor's Department in Fitchburg also did not respond to a request for comment.