Boston Pride Parade To Take on New Meaning in Wake of Bombings
Although Boston’s annual Pride Parade is intended to celebrate the city’s LGBT community, this year, in the wake of the marathon bombings, Boston Pride has taken on a whole new meaning. Boston Pride organizers said that even a few days after the events at the marathon they knew this year’s event would be different. “We felt that even our name was going beyond what it was understood to mean,” said Sylvain Bruni, a member of the Boston Pride Board of Directors. “We are an organization designed to promote awareness and inclusivity of the LGBT community, but Boston Pride is also about being proud of Boston and celebrating all of our diverse communities here.” This year’s Boston Pride Parade, the culminating event of Boston’s Pride Week, will be bigger and better than ever, Bruni said. The parade, which takes place on Saturday at noon, will feature 247 organizations, up from 170 last year. As many as 35,000 people are expected to participate or watch the parade. But along with the large crowds come security concerns, especially in the wake of the bombings at the Boston Marathon in April. Boston Police officials said the department has already patrolled a number of significant events in the city since the marathon, including the Walk for Hunger, and will be doing what they can to make sure the parade route is safe. “We will have bomb sniffing dogs and technicians on the parade route,” said Cheryl Fiandaca, spokesperson for the Boston Police. “The BPD evaluates all public events—and will have an appropriate number of officers deployed for the parade.” Bruni said that Boston Pride has also taken steps to make the parade more secure, including hiring more volunteers than ever, having parade participants take special safety training and improving communication with the police. “This year, there will be more eyes on the ground observing wht’s going on in the parade,” Bruni said. “Obviously we thought it was very important for us to take those proactive measures.” The post-parade Pride Festival will be held at City Hall Plaza, rain or shine, from 12-6 p.m. You can see the full parade route and street closings here. “This year is going to be the biggest and best year,” Bruni said. “People will have a great time in a totally safe, secure, and welcoming environment.” SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
Police, Residents Attend Officer Sean Collier’s Wake
Flags at half-staff, a police caravan leading a hearse and the Patriot Guard Riders lining Main Street in Red, White and Blue. A long, almost silent trail of mourners waiting to enter a local funeral home and a row of TV news trucks. Bystanders and passersby no longer have to ask, “What happened?” “What’s going on?” They know. It’s a scene that’s become all too familiar – Sunday in Medford, Monday in Stoneham and at Boston University and soon in Dorchester. On Monday in Stoneham, police paid respects to one of their own, 27-year-old Sean Collier, an officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who was shot and killed Thursday night in his police car. Hundreds of others also attended the wake for Collier, a Wilmington native and Somerville resident, at the Anderson-Bryant Funeral Home on Common Street. The wake was private. A public memorial ceremony is scheduled for noon Wednesday, April 24, at MIT’s Briggs Field (270 Vassar St., Cambridge). Collier’s death led to the manhunt for the two Boston Marathon bombing suspects, one of whom was killed in Watertown. The other was captured hiding in a boat behind a home there and was recently charged. Police believe the suspects, brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, respectively, killed Collier before fleeing. The bombing at the marathon killed three more, 29-year-old Medford native Krystle Campbell, Lu Lingzi, a 23-year-old BU graduate student from China, and 8-year-old Martin Richard of Dorchester, and injured nearly 200 others. More than 1,000 locals remembered Collier, a 2004 Wilmington High School graduate, Saturday night in a vigil at Wilmington Town Common. At the vigil, Collier’s brother, Andrew, asked residents to keep Collier in their hearts. “Sean will continue to live on and his legacy will continue to live on,” he said. South End Patch
Sean Collier’s Wake Turns Out Large Police Crowd
They call it the thin blue line. But there was nothing thin about the amount of support shown for a fallen brother on Monday afternoon in Stoneham. A long line of police officers from across the region attended the wake of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Police Officer Sean Collier Monday at the Anderson-Bryant Funeral Home on Common Street. Collier was killed in the line of duty on Thursday, April 17, allegedly by the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing. Over 1,000 residents showed their support on Saturday during a vigil in Wilmington. A public memorial service is scheduled for Wednesday at 12 p.m. in Cambridge. According to reports Vice President Joe Biden will be among those in attendance. South End Patch
Hundreds Attend Wake for Krystle Campbell
Friends and family began the process of saying goodbye to Krystle Campbell Sunday, showing strength in their numbers. Campbell, 29, was a Medford native and Arlington resident killed in Monday’s Boston Marathon bombings. The line that formed at Dello Russo Funeral Home on Main Street was lengthy even before the doors opened at 3 p.m., eventually wrapping around the corner of Billings Avenue. The program Sunday’s wake, provided to Patch by funeral director Fred Dello Russo, Jr., was adorned with pictures of Campbell, a 2001 Medford High School graduate, throughout her life. Inscribed in the middle of the program was the following message: “Always remember we love you. Although you could not stay, you’ll always remain in our hearts, until we meet again, our beautiful Krystle.” The wake brought out some who had no previous connection to Campbell. Roberto Garutti, a Medford resident who lives on nearby George Street, said he didn’t know Campbell or her family. But he felt compelled Sunday to come and pay his respects. “It effects everybody,” Garutti said. “It effects Medford, too. She was part of the city here.” Garutti said he was impressed by the show of support from the community. He was impressed with all the stories about Campbell, saying she seemed like a “wonderful girl.” “She deserves all of this,” he said of the turnout. “One-hundred percent.” Campbell will be laid to rest Monday. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Parish, 118 High St. in Medford. Burial will then take place at Oak Grove Cemetery. South End Patch