Ruining a good man’s name

By Guest

Dear Editor:

I love my newspapers: the Boston Globe and the Canton Citizen. But no newspaper can publish all the truth; they can only publish what their reporters dig out. We need to raise our children to understand that and to analyze what they read for credibility and veracity.

You no doubt have read the career-destroying attacks on Senator Brian Joyce in the Globe. But contrary to what has been reported, the senator is a good and honorable man. For over 20 years he has fought the abusive practices at the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center (JRC), a Canton-based school for emotionally disabled children. Through his faithful work, Joyce was able to reduce the number of patients there who could be shocked to control them to 88. I was at the hearing at the State House when the New York doctor in charge of sending their students to this horrible place testified that they had changed their contract to forbid the shocking of any New York citizen sent there. With the exception of one female legislator, who came in specifically to testify against the inhumane practices allowed there, the others were dead-eyed, apathetic.

Nonetheless, the state of Massachusetts finally acted to somewhat control the behavior of a savage place that had already been ejected from Rhode Island — a place where at least six children have died in its care. When Senator Joyce got up to testify at that hearing, he mentioned that many of the “citizens” testifying were on the payroll of the JRC.

I investigated for myself after reading the expose in Mother Jones Magazine from 2007. They reported that there were beautiful rooms in that prison adorned with an arcade and racks of new clothes, but never visited by the kids themselves. Just as the swing sets outside never have children in them. All of this is just for show. I saw it for myself. You should go and visit.

And now the legislative sharks are bloodying the waters, out for the blood of Senator Joyce. Who asked the owner of that cleaning company to come forth with spurious charges that he gave the senator free dry cleaning since 1997? That matter involving the petty action of having ‘free cleaning’ ended in 2008. The cleaning was just barter for legal services he provided this guy — legal services that “far exceeded any dry cleaning offered,” according to Joyce.

Bringing up something like this after seven years have passed is questionable in itself. Why would anyone bring forth any charges now? “I did free cleaning for you,” therefore you must resign? There’s something rotten in this state. That’s ridiculous.

I find this whole matter, this piling on by legislators already infamous for the corruption of the Big Dig and hiring unfit parole officers for contributions to certain legislators, nauseating. Please let Senator Joyce know that you appreciate the efforts he has gone to to try and keep our community humane and compassionate. Don’t believe these attacks. Senator Joyce should be governor, not persecuted.

Alice Copeland Brown

Share This Post

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=32592