Memorial Day and Free Speech in Somerville

Bostonist wrote a while back about a mysterious boat that turned up in an empty city-owned property near Somerville City Hall. Turns out the yacht belonged to Frankie Santangelo, a city employee who violated ethics rules by using city property for personal use. Santangelo was reprimanded by the city, and the brief scandal subsided for the time being. Until this weekend, that is.

According to the Somerville News, during Sunday's Memorial Day parade through the city, the newspaper was victim of the dictatorial tactics of the Curtatone Administration. Apparently seeking to insert some humor into the festivities, the news organization used a large boat as their float and affixed to it a sign that read: "This is not Frankie's boat."

Needless to say, the easily perturbed Mayor Curtatone was not too happy with what he saw and sent a member of the Somerville Police Department to make them take it down:

The officer informed the paper's editor, Neil W. McCabe, that Curtatone had sent him to order the sign off the boat. "Make it easy on yourself and take the sign down," said the officer.

The officer said if the sign did not come down, the mayor had ordered the officer to take the boat out of the parade, McCabe said.

Whether the Somerville News acted innappropriatly by hanging the sign, or whether Curtatone acted correctly by sending the cops to carry out his wish is a debate that Bostonist wishes not to be a part of. But as an organization that thrives on our right to free speech, we did have a similar reaction to the incident as News edithor Neil McCabe. When first approached by the police officer, McCabe thought he must've been kidding. "When he kept it up," McCabe writes in the paper, "I told him that this was not Russia and he had no authority."

Be sure to read the full article here.