Plymouth justice

Learning from the Matthew Shepard case

Every week, this page shines the spotlight on an important issue. But what happens after the spotlight moves on? Here are some of the more interesting answers to that question.

Peace in Plymouth

This week, the town of Plymouth finally reached an agreement with Native American protesters who organize a yearly march there on Thanksgiving Day. Last year's march was stopped by a heavy-handed police response, with officers using pepper spray against a crowd whose intentions and history were clearly nonviolent. Prosecutors filed criminal charges against more than 20 protesters. The demonstrators, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, charged that the police had used excessive force -- and, more broadly, that the town was stomping on one of their most fundamental rights under the Constitution: the right to political protest.

As the Phoenix argued earlier this year, the situation should never have been allowed to deteriorate so far. The town seemed to be going out of its way to stop the protest, instead of finding a way to allow it to proceed without trouble.

Now, apparently, the town has seen the light. Both sides have agreed to drop all charges. Plymouth has agreed to pay a $135,000 settlement, most of which will be used to educate the public about the Native American view -- that Thanksgiving represents the beginning of centuries of suffering. Most important, the march will proceed this year without harassment. The protesters will be heard.

Making welfare reform work

This summer, the Phoenix argued that Massachusetts welfare reform was shortsighted and inhumane, more concerned with kicking recipients off the rolls than with making sure they could keep themselves afloat. Now, with a December 1 benefit cutoff looming for some 8000 families, the state has still done nothing to amend the more nonsensical aspects of the reform legislation introduced by Bill Weld in 1995. Education, the path to higher wages and job security for welfare recipients, still doesn't count toward the 20-hour-a-week work requirement. And a family of four still has to earn less than $1236 monthly -- a threshold set back in 1986 -- to qualify for emergency housing. Now welfare reform is an issue in the governor's race, with Paul Cellucci standing by his predecessor's policy and Scott Harshbarger arguing for a more constructive and forward-looking approach. Making welfare reform work shouldn't be a partisan issue. It should be a matter of human decency.

Supporting the arts

The arts play a crucial role in making the Boston area what it is. So why, the Phoenix asked in July, hasn't City Hall been able to match the efforts of other cities? The City Arts Commission has had some nice moments since then: it organized the long-planned "Great Day" photo (see "A 'Great Day' in Boston," News, October 9) -- a group portrait of hundreds of city artists -- and the Newbury Art Fest for galleries and local artists. The Laconia development, an artists' housing and workspace in the South End, continues to take shape. But the commission still hasn't been given the kind of funding it really needs. And Bruce Rossley, who headed the commission for 12 years, is stepping down in January, leaving its future direction uncertain.

In the public schools, meanwhile, there are high hopes. The city's much-delayed Arts Academy finally opened in September. There is also a new policy in effect this year that requires every student to complete a set amount of arts education in order to move toward graduation. In time, this will produce another generation that appreciates the arts -- and makes them a part of Boston's urban landscape.

What do you think? Send an e-mail to letters[a]phx.com.