Walsh Warned Police Commissioner Not To Meet With US Attorney

BOSTON — Mayor Marty Walsh advised police commissioner William Gross against holding a meeting with U.S. Attorney General William Barr, which happened Thursday without Walsh, and set off a firestorm of criticism across social media.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr made a visit to Boston on Thursday, meeting with the police commissioner, prompting widespread criticism.

"I advised against [the meeting] because of what the attorney general and the Trump administration stand for," Walsh told WBZ. Walsh added he would not have met with Barr had he been asked to because "he has a general lack of respect for people and their rights, and they’re a danger to our country."

Gross said during a news conference that when the top law enforcement official in the country requests a meeting, you accept.

Gross said they discussed the racial divide in the country, police reform, how to define the Black Lives Matter movement and how Boston was handling protests, accountability and building trust. Gross said he thought it would be helpful for Barr to hear about it from his perspective.

"There is a racial divide like I haven't seen since the 60s and 70s. So when I talked to the Attorney General about this racial divide in police reform, [I said] 'we serve the public. We have every right to expect they want to review our rules our regulations and our policies. That's called accountability. Because right now trust is out the window.'"

Previously:

Boston Police Commissioner Defends Meeting With US Attorney General