I’m not sure which is a sadder commentary on the current state of
affairs: that the Boston Police Department had to issue a public warning
to the local citizenry to behave in the event of a New England Patriots
Super Bowl win on Sunday (or even, God forbid, a loss), or that the City
of Boston has already declared the public area around North Station and
Kenmore Square to be off limits to post-game congregants. I mean, what
are we here, Vancouver?
Still, while I’ll be as ecstatic as anybody if Tom Brady has an
MVP performance on Sunday, or multiple Rob Gronkowski end-zone spikes
(should he be able to perform at his normal level), or Aaron Hernandez
big yardage gains after receptions, or Vince Willfork run-stuffs and a
sack, or a Devon McCourty interception or two, each or all carries the
Pats to victory, it is important to understand the BPD does mean business
here and will be out in force after The Game in suspected problem areas,
loaded for bear.
There will be no Pats-win immunity. There will be no mitigation with a
Pats loss. What there will be is zero tolerance for the type of offenses
that are sadly becoming synonymous with public reaction to major sporting
event results elsewhere in this country and abroad: malicious destruction
of property, assault and battery, inciting a riot, drunk and disorderly,
disorderly person, minor in possession, and in extreme cases assault and
battery with a dangerous weapon, arson, and even rape. While the latter
three offenses are luckily not as yet a staple of post-event rampages,
the former predictably are. And all are crimes that will result in a permanent
record of at least an arrest, even if the charge itself is ultimately
dismissed and at worst a permanent conviction that cannot be expunged.
Some, depending on both the degree and extent of injury/harm , may well
result in jail-time, too, and with the round-em-up mentality of riot-control,
malfeasers can also count on the likelihood of being held over-night,
if not to sleep-off extreme intoxication from a protective custody standpoint
more probably because to be frank, the BPD won’t have the time or
resources to process everyone before morning, anyways. So, while this
may well present multiple business opportunities for experienced criminal
defense attorneys like me, whether in Juvenile court, Clerk Magistrate
Sessions, Municipal, District and even, in some instances, Superior Court,
frankly, it’s not how I want to gain business.
Don’t get me wrong, if you call me, I’ll try to help you.
But as a true sports fan and life-long Boston’s teams rooter, I
understand the impact bad behavior can have on our teams, our cities and
even on our images of ourselves, not to mention the image outsiders will
have of us. Simply put, the Patriots are a class-act organization and
the City of Boston is a class-act city. Let’s show everyone, win
or lose (And here’s to hoping hard for a win!) that, to paraphrase
former NFL coach Dennis Green "we are what we think we are":
Good Sports in the truest sense, regardless of outcome, and fans and citizens
to whom the rest of the sporting world can and should always look up to
after time has expired and all the confetti has dropped. Okay?
With that said, GO PATS!!!
If you have been accused of a crime and you need a lawyer to represent you please contact Brad Bailey at 781-589-2828