Things Get Uglier For Melrose, Brodeur After National Attention

MELROSE, MA — An apology for a controversial traffic sign was all it took.

Two days after demanding an electronic police sign that said "The safety of all lives matter" be taken down, Mayor Paul Brodeur found himself being retweeted by Ann Coulter, targeted by far-right internet trolls and featured across Tucker Carlson.

Brodeur has been mocked and insulted online even among the confines of his city for condemning the traffic sign. But the abuse hit an ugly new low when far-right conspiracy theorists and high-profile conservative pundits retweeted his apology to the residents of Melrose.

By the end of Friday, Brodeur's face was opposite Carlson on Fox News. Melrose had made national headlines after triggering an online mob.

Locally it wasn't much better. The Melrose Republican City Committee was "feeling energized" by the backlash, sharing this Patch story to its Facebook page and encouraging residents to stand "against #MelroseMA liberals and their political correctness!" The committee linked to a fundraising page.

The usual local chirping had started Wednesday, but things took a turn Thursday when far-right conspiracy theorist Dinesh D'Souza retweeted Brodeur's tweet about the sign.

"It is a mark of our times that a benign sign like this provokes the mayor—an obvious moron—to display a combination of false indignation and insincere penitence," D'Souza said. "How has our society produced such embarrassing specimens, and how do they ascend to high office?"

Then came Diamond and Silk, vocal Trump supporters who were recently cut by Fox News for promoting coronavirus conspiracies. That account retweeted the tweet and told Melrose to vote Brodeur out of office — a common retort against Brodeur's apology for a police sign that contained what many consider to be a dog whistle in times of high racial tension.

The retweets painted a target on Brodeur's account for online trolls. As of Friday evening — after Coulter retweeted his apology with a simple "Wow" — his tweet had well over 22,000 replies, the majority of which were demeaning and lobbed insults from all over the country.

Brodeur has not responded to any of the tweets sent his way.

Melrose Police Chief Mike Lyle on Wednesday night said a traffic officer told him had no ill or purposeful intent when he put the sign up. An investigation has been launched, the results of which will be made public.

Related

• 'All Lives Matter' Sign Revealed Dangling Thread In Melrose
• Residents Have Message Of Their Own In Responding To Police Sign