[HISTORY] US District Court Judge Arthur Garrity ordered the busing of African American students to predominantly white schools and white students to black schools in an effort to integrate Boston's geographically segregated public school system. In his June 1974 ruling, Morgan vs Hennigan, Judge Garrity stated that the Boston school segregation discriminated against black children.
The beginning of forced busing on Sept 12, 1974 was met with massive protests, particularly in S. Boston, the city's Irish Catholic neighborhood. The National Guard and the MA State Police were mobilized to enforce this desegregation order. [End of History]
Joan had two main duties during the first 10 months out of the academy. She was primarily assigned to peace keeping duties at South Boston High School during the forced busing crisis. On the off days, she continued training at the Concord Barracks in preparation for highway patrol. This was to be a time of real experiences; no more protection from the controlled atmosphere of the academy. This was real life on the Massachusetts State Police.
Early in the morning on Mar 3, 1975, Joan and over 100 other officers met at an undisclosed location in Boston, lined up for inspection, and were taken by bus to South Boston High School for duty. After an initial briefing in the basement cafeteria, everyone went to their assigned posts. During this time frame, there were many small skirmishes from angry students on both sides who resisted the court mandated changes, but order was maintained due to the presence of the officers. This State Police operation was impressive, well organized and effective: any daily uprisings were immediately squashed and kept to a minimum.
On May 7, 1975, there was an uprising just outside of the high school and the State Police responded with full riot line formation. The incident was quickly resolved, although it had been reported by the media as something significant. The next day Joan drove to work in her cruiser via the Massachusetts Turnpike. A toll collector recognized her and said, "That wasn't a very good picture of you." She had no idea why he said that, but she was about to find out.
When she arrived at the cafeteria at South Boston High School, she was greeted with a mixture of applause and wolf whistles. Many of her co-workers were holding up a copy of the Boston Herald and suggesting she was in hot water. Through the commotion, it didn't take long for Joan to realize why the guys were teasing her. There on the front page was a picture of her doing something she was not supposed to do: turning around on the riot line. WHOOPS!!!! She realized that the previous day, a news reporter had called out her name and she turned around in response.
Later that summer, a more significant incident occurred at Carson Beach, South Boston. This was a planned uprising meant to be a confrontation between blacks and whites. Joan was called to duty with other officers and found herself in full gear and riot line formation once again. This had the potential to be a true riot.
Several young black women had focused in on Joan and were forming a larger group. As they were closing in on her they were shouting threats and angry comments such as "Honkey Bitch", she stood her ground. The group quickly started to expand with Joan as their target. Somewhere behind her, Joan heard the Captain yell out, "Sergeant, get some cardboard around her. Quick!" She knew what that meant, and as two 6'4" troopers flanked her on each side, the group immediately dispersed. She was thankful to these troopers and the Captain for their swift response to her safety.
Once again, she was amazed and comforted by the professionalism of the Massachusetts State Police!!!
Comments