Black Lives Matter rally critical of Quincy policies, officials

QUINCY — More than 100 people marched from Faxon Field to a Black Lives Matter rally in Quincy Square on Sunday night, asking city officials to declare racism a public health crisis.

The rally, which was critical of the city and Mayor Thomas Koch, follows another high-profile police shooting of a Black American, this time in Kenosha, Wisconsin, a Midwest city about the size of Quincy. A white Kenosha police officer shot 29-year-old Jacob Blake in the back seven times while police were investigating a domestic dispute. Blake survived the shooting, but his family says he is now paralyzed.

Black Lives Matter rallies, occasional violence, and pro-police counter-rallies have become the norm across the country as racial tension reaches a fever pitch due to the deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police.

The crowd in Quincy marched about a quarter-mile from Faxon Field to the steps of the United First Parish Church on Sunday night, where speakers called on the city to do more to address systemic racism.

"We are here to demand the city of Quincy acknowledge that racism exists in the city," said the Rev. Mat Thomas of Bethel Church of the Nazarene in Germantown. "Racism is a public health crisis. Why isn't our leadership in Quincy treating it like one?"

Lindsay Laguna, of Quincy, echoed that sentiment.

"We need to make sure this city is not the next hashtag," Laguna said. "Why has the city not taken more action?"

In a statement Monday, Koch said he and the city are continuing to listen and take seriously issues of race in the community.

“This is part of what makes our country great: A group of people coming together to express themselves and letting their voices be heard," Koch said. "We’re going to continue to listen, and we’re going to continue to talk about the issues of race and racism as a community. We won’t agree on everything, and that’s OK, but it’s an important discussion taking place now and continuing in the coming months.”

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The crowd chanted phrases including "Black Lives Matter" and "We don't want a racist town, take those black and blue flags down," a reference to the recent South Shore controversy over "thin blue line" flags.

The flags are a black-and-white version of the American flag with one blue stripe in the middle. Supporters of the flags say they honor police officers killed in the line of duty. Detractors say they glorify a broken policing system and an “us-vs.-them” mentality, pointing to their use by white supremacist groups formed to defy the Black Lives Matter movement.

After Hingham firefighters were ordered to take the flags off their engines because of its possible political meaning in July, fire unions across the South Shore, including Quincy's, have displayed it. Rally organizers said the flag is a symbol of intimidation for people of color in the city.

Massachusetts General Hospital infectious disease physician Robbie Goldstein, of Boston, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch for his seat in today's Democratic primary, participated in the march.

Tiffany Adams, a Quincy organizer and executive director of Unified Gospel Ministries Inc., told the crowd she was upset about not getting a response from Koch to emails she sent, and said the administration is not making a powerful enough statement in support of Black people like herself.

"Quincy has shown me that my life does not matter," Adams said. "Mayor Koch, does my Black life matter?"

Adams said she was upset to see Koch addressing a pro-police rally earlier this summer.

"The city of Quincy has not stepped up to do anything that it should," Adams said in an interview after the rally. "Quincy has had Blue Lives Matter rallies where the mayor has spoken, it has put Blue Lives Matter flags on our firetrucks ... and the mayor has still not responded to our emails."

Sean Martin, of Quincy, said Adams' message resonated with him.

"Why is it taking so long to respond?" Martin said. "This is where politics need to be put aside."

Rohan Campbell, of Quincy, said he went to the rally because he wanted to support the message of Black Lives Matter.

"We need to be able to use our voices to make some kind of change," Campbell said.

The mayor's Chief of Staff Chris Walker, said on Monday that the mayor takes all emails very seriously, and that they've had a lot of communications come their way over the past few months.

"The mayor takes great pains to make sure emails are responded to. Adams is in a working group that has met with the mayor and he will continue to work with them," Walker said.

Sue Doherty, an organizer in Quincy and a member of the anti-racist organization Quincy for Transformative Change, said at the rally that the city is in denial about racism.

"A lot of Black people don't want to live here because it's racist," Doherty said. "Racism seems worse here. It's almost like the city thinks it's stuck in a 1950s utopia, but it's not. The attitude is like, 'We don't have that problem here.' It's frustrating."