Article: ACLU criticizes Boston police commissioner’s Facebook post

Howard is quoted in this article in the Boston Globe: ACLU criticizes Boston police commissioner’s Facebook post. On Saturday, Boston police commissioner William Gross published a criticism of the ACLU on his Facebook page, which is visible to journalists. His comments are in response to a lawsuit filed earlier this month. The ACLU is one of several plaintiffs in this lawsuit, which seeks information about the Boston Police Department’s practice of labeling young Black and Latinx people as gang members without strong evidence, and sharing that information with federal immigration officials. Howard suggests that that Police Commissioner Gross should not be reflexively lashing out at critics. Instead he should consider whether there is any truth in the criticism. For many years Boston Police Commissioners have worked with the ACLU to prevent civil rights violations, for example, meeting when demonstrations are going to take place in an effort to protect the constitutional rights of protestors and to protect public safety. Working together can prevent civil rights violations and avoid civil rights suits.