Debunking the ‘liberal conspiracy’ narrative

Dear Editor:

Let’s go point by point to rebut Tom Taylor’s letter from last week’s Citizen. For starters, the folks who collected signatures for the recent Special Town Meeting did so because of the lack of response they had gotten from the Select Board.

Regarding Chris Albert’s victory at the polls last spring, he wasn’t the only winner in that election; JR McCourt was too. The difference is McCourt was qualified for the job. For instance, many who voted for him were unaware of his lengthy record of unpaid taxes. It’s a low bar to ask that our Select Board members are tax-paying, law-abiding citizens. Chris Albert is neither.

It is conjecture on Mr. Taylor’s part to say that things would’ve been different had Lisa Lopez been re-elected. But I would ask him this: Do you devote your free time to volunteering for the community? Ms. Lopez has made Canton her home for 40 years, and in that time both she and her husband have devoted countless hours to this community. Both were also instrumental in getting rid of the toxic waste dump at the former Plymouth Rubber site and turning it into a nine-acre green space enjoyed by the entire community.

While many people were disappointed with the results of the last town election, the Read/O’Keefe story, despite similar timing, was a completely unrelated development. In fact, it was the pre-trial remarks of Karen Read’s defense team — including the revelation about the now infamous google search — that generated the bombshell headlines that caught the eye of a certain local blogger. And it was that blogger’s continued reporting on the story that prompted me and hundreds, if not thousands like me, to do a little research and learn that the town, because of the actions of one off-duty Canton police officer, had to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to settle the LoPilato case — far more than the audit will cost.

We also thought back to 2018, when the police responded to a one-car accident and failed to see a body ejected out of the car, incorrectly assuming the driver left the scene. (The homeowner later found the body on her lawn.) In 2021, a young pregnant woman, Sandra Birchmore, was found dead in her Canton apartment, and while her death was immediately ruled a suicide, there is footage of the married man that Birchmore was seeing (a former Stoughton police officer) entering and leaving her building on the day of her death. Other details point to a young woman who seemed intent on living, not killing herself. Both cases were covered by multiple news sources — not just by one blogger — and both illustrate the fact that the CPD needs to improve its operating procedures.

Regarding John O’Keefe’s death, acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy has convened a grand jury and has the FBI looking into corruption. It sure looks like the CPD, likely the State Police, and the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office are already in the federal government’s crosshairs. So the U.S. attorney and the FBI are apparently “moon bats,” whatever the heck that means.

Contrary to Taylor’s claims, this is neither a liberal nor conservative issue; this is about the integrity of our police force. To reduce it to a partisan dispute trivializes O’Keefe’s death and the potential scope of corruption that exists in Norfolk County.

Finally, reread the Citizen — it appears that town officials have already met to discuss lessons learned from the Nov. 20 STM and intend to resolve any technological issues prior to the next town meeting in May.

Trish Boyden

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