Wu’s apology

As I viewed the Boston Herald’s frontpage on Dec. 21 (“Making amends”) and read about the mayor’s apology to the family and Black community in the Stuart case, I wondered why our mayor is apologizing for something from 34 years ago when she can’t seem to apologize for something she just participated in two weeks ago when hosting a holiday party at the city-owned Parkman House on Beacon Hill for Electeds of Color only. No apologies are seemingly necessary in 2023  because it is  so much easier to apologize for the actions the City of Boston took over 34 years ago than it is to apologize for current events needing an apology right now.

I remember where I was on Oct. 23, 1989, I was working as a police officer one block down from the Brigham & Women’s Hospital on Francis Street. I still remember all those assumptions quickly made by city officials elected and appointed, police agencies and, yes, the media who fell for Chuck Stuart’s scam about his wife getting murdered by a Black man. I watched those days unfold and I never believed what Stuart said happened. As a Bostonian back then, I thought the bum’s rush to blame Stuart’s mythical Black man slandered the entire Black community, especially Mission Hill. To his credit, Mayor Ray Flynn personally apologized to the family 34 years ago.

Mayor Wu has nothing to apologize for. She was only 3 years old at the time and living out of state. What happened in the aftermath of this shooting belonged to all of our elected officials who so easily allowed themselves to buy into the Stuart scam. How Boston reacted in 1989 was not one of our city’s finest moments.

Many of those who should also be apologizing are no longer with us, but the most important takeaway from the Stuart case is never to jump to conclusions and leave any biases out of the picture.

We are a better city today when it comes to our race consciousnesses. This is no longer 1989. We are better people today. Boston is a better place today. Everyone’s job should be to make Boston an even better place tomorrow.

Sal Giarratani

Retired Sergeant, Boston DMH Area Police

Boston,

Voters decide

It all started when Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton accused Trump of being an illegitimate president, then Adam Schiff advised he had proof that President Donald John Trump colluded with the Russians into meddling in our elections. Then Congress brought impeachment charges against President Trump not once but twice. Now there are indictments and 91 criminal charges against the front-running Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election. But enough is not enough, numerous states are trying their hardest to take Donald Trump off their primary ballots. Here’s my two cents, let the citizens of the United States make their decision who should be the next president on Nov. 5, 2024.

Tony Meschini

Scituate