Mayor, Organizers Speak On Controversial Medford Pro-Police Rally

MEDFORD, MA — Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn condemned the actions of some attendees of a police appreciation rally in Medford last week. The rally was held July 15 at City Hall, but neither Lungo-Koehn nor Police Chief Jack Buckley were in attendance, as the mayor "did not believe that such an event would be helpful or further the important conversations that are ongoing in Medford," she said.

"Notwithstanding these concerns and objections, the event did not need approval from me or the city in order to take place," Lungo-Koehn said. "Chief Buckley and I were invited to speak at the rally. We both declined."

In the days since the rally, conflicting narratives of what took place emerged online, with counterprotesters describing inappropriate actions and comments toward teenage girls, a man wearing a Nazi SS pin and insinuations of violence toward those protesting the message of the rally, and organizers saying the agitation happened after the event ended.

"What happened after the rally Wednesday evening is unacceptable and has no place in this community," Lungo-Koehn said. "The language that was used by some attendees to rebut the message being put forth by a number of Medford's youth supporting Black Lives Matter was disgusting, abhorrent, and has no place anywhere."

Organizers of the event disputed Lungo-Koehn's contention that she declined to speak. In a statement Friday, Patrica Brady Doherty, Kelly Sheehan Catallo and Maury Carroll said the rally was rescheduled from July 16 to July 15 so the mayor could participate. They said they also met with Buckley the Friday before the event.

"Two days before the rally on Monday, the Mayor called [Carroll] a couple of times to discuss the details," the organizers wrote on Facebook. "During one of the calls, her chief of staff and PR person were also on the line. After a conversation amongst ourselves, Maury called the Mayor back to say we decided to not have her speak because it was a non-political event."

Some residents have criticized Lungo-Koehn and Buckley for speaking at a Black Lives Matter rally at Hormel Stadium last month, while not showing up to Wednesday's event. In her statement, the mayor described the BLM rally, where members of the police department, city staff and residents knelt for eight minutes and 46 seconds to honor the life of George Floyd and other black victims of police brutality, as a "powerful and important moment at a critical time in our city's history."

"But for us, it did not end there," Lungo-Koehn said. "We declared systemic racism a public health crisis in the city; started conversations about our policies and procedures that will continue for months; posted and disclosed information through the Medford Police; and worked across the administration to see what we can do better to address these issues."

Medford is currently compiling a list of policies under review and a series of action items to address systemic racism. Lungo-Koehn credited those who participated in a series of community dialogues with helping to advance the conversation.

"The community conversations to date have not and will not go unnoticed or unanswered," she said. "I know that there are those who will not agree with this statement. I consider many of these people friends and have for years. But I cannot in good conscience stay silent. Hate speech, threatening behavior, or intimidation tactics have no place here and never will."