Letter To The Editor: On September 6, Brookline Should Choose Courage

BROOKLINE, MA — The following letter to the editor was written by former Brookline firefighter Gerald Alston.

Twelve years ago, I was working for the town of Brookline as a firefighter when my supervisor left a racial slur on my voicemail. I was fired by the Town six years later. During the years before and after, my life was marked by racism, character assassination, and financial hardship. Some incredible allies rallied to my side, even when it wasn't popular. Others hid in the shadows — willing to march in the streets and declare "Black Lives Matter," but unwilling to stand up to Brookline's power structure when the life of a Black man was at stake.

Right now in Brookline, two men are competing to serve as the State Representative for the 15th Norfolk District. One an incumbent. The other a challenger. On paper, their positions on many issues may seem similar. Both men cite equity as one of their key priorities. And yet, only one of these men has a track record that matches that rhetoric. I know, because only one of these men fought for justice in my case. The other was silent, year after year.

When Raul Fernandez ran for the Brookline Select Board in 2019, he promised to deliver a just resolution to what had become a nine-year-long legal battle between me and the town of Brookline. He made good on that promise: in 2019, he successfully pushed the town to issue a formal apology to me, and in 2021, he negotiated a major settlement and ensured that it passed through Town Meeting. Raul did all of this in the face of immense pressure and vocal criticism, including from many so-called progressives in Brookline’s most influential circles.

I didn’t ask to become part of Brookline politics, and generally, I’m not inclined to reenter them. But I’m weighing in on this September’s State Representative race because based on everything I’ve learned over the last twelve years, the stakes are too high to stay on the sidelines.

When it meant speaking up about my case after a decade of silence from Select Board members, Raul stood on the side of justice. When it meant writing an amicus brief pushing for a just resolution, Raul stood on the side of justice. When it meant receiving threats to himself and his family, Raul stood on the side of justice. Raul didn’t just hold the line — he pushed it, for years, and justice won.

Now Raul is challenging the incumbent Representative for a seat in the legislature.

I’ve learned more about the incumbent from his absence and silence than from our few interactions. Over the course of 11 years, the incumbent failed to use the platforms afforded to him by his positions in town — and later in state government — to weigh in on my behalf. During the summer of 2020, he blanketed social media with posts about George Floyd and Black lives. When it came to me his lips were sealed. He was conspicuously absent for a vote on the most important warrant article related to my case. It’s no surprise that most of the former Select Board members and town officials that fired me have lined up behind him.

As I see it, this election is a choice between political courage and political convenience. Between moral clarity and equivocation. Between pushing the line and defending the status quo. For years, Raul spoke up. The incumbent didn’t — ever. I am reminded of the words of the great bell hooks “All our silences in the face of racist assault are acts of complicity.”

I’ve met enough good people in Brookline to know that the town leaders who failed to step up on my behalf aren’t reflective of the town as a whole. I’ve said before that Town Meeting’s vote in favor of my settlement doesn’t mean that Brookline has eliminated racism in town, but does show that Brookline is a town that chooses justice, courage, and moral clarity in the end. I hope Brookline voters will make the same choice on September 6th.

Gerald Alston