First Amendment auditors sweep through the area
CHELMSFORD >> 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, Jackson asked them to step aside. She said she felt "intimidated," even more 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 Town Offices alongside his fiancé and fellow Youtuber "Bananer Anna" to conduct a First Amendment audit: an exercise in which people film town 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 often met with 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 and Wilmington to conduct similar audits, some by request. In Littleton, on May 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't have more positive interactions," Abrams, a Stoneham native, 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 those who 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 staff were 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
"The History of Railroads in Tewksbury and Wilmington" on Saturday, June 3, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., at the Tewksbury Public Library, 300 Chandler St.
The presentation is led by Ronald Dale Karr, who will talk about the railroad lines of the region, which lines remain in service, and the right-of-way out-of-service lines. Karr is the author of "The Rail Lines of Southern New
England" and "Lost Railroads of New England." He is a retired reference librarian at Umass Lowell and is currently chair of the Pepperell Historical Commission. Registration is recommended, but walk-ins are welcome. To register, go to bit.ly/43o3yah. For information, call 978-640-4490 ext. 205 or email rhayes@ tewksburypl.org.
A note to patrons that the library will be closed today through Monday, May 29 in recognition of Memorial Day weekend. Regular operating hours resume Tuesday, May 30 from 10
a.m. to 9 p.m.
Theater auditions
LOWELL — Auditions for Dramatically Incorrect Theater & Dance Group's "Avenue Q" will be held Monday, June 12 and Wednesday, June 14 from 7 to 9 p.m., and Sunday, June 18 from 6 to 8 p.m., with callbacks that same night from 8 to 10 p.m., at The Loft, 9 Central St., fourth floor.
Attendees should prepare 16 measures of a song in the style of the show or from the show, and will be asked to do a cold reading
of the script from the show. Rehearsals are scheduled for Wednesdays from 7 to 10 p.m., and Sundays from 2 to 7 p.m., with show dates at the Middlesex Community College theater on Friday, Aug. 18 through Sunday, Aug. 20.
"Avenue Q" tells the story of a recent college graduate trying to find his way in New York City. The play won several Tony awards for best musical, score and lyrics. To fill out an audition form, go to bit.ly/4347gfq. For information, call 877834-8432 or email Info@ Ditgdc.org.