Saturday, December 2, 2023

‘Boston cops: Paul Revere’s tombstone vandalized’

    
Lowell Sun

Boston Police said a homeless man was arrested during the morning of Sunday, November 26, after a lengthy vandalism spree victimizing a number of properties—and gravesites, including that of Founding Father and Freemason Paul Revere.

“Around 10:44 a.m., officers responded to the Granary Burying Ground, located in the area of Tremont Street and Bromfield Street, for a vandalism report,” a police report stated. “Officers were advised that multiple tombstones on the property had been vandalized, including Paul Revere’s. A total of fourteen tombstones were vandalized by being pulled from the ground or broken into pieces.”

(I have been unsuccessful in finding a photo from local media of Revere’s headstone. I’ll update this if I find one.)

Boston Herald
Lawrence Hawkins

For reference, that’s less than half a mile from Grand Lodge.

A man identified as Lawrence Hawkins, age 46,  described as homeless and said to have a history of mental illness, drug abuse, and arrests, was arrested. The suspect allegedly smashed the windshield of a police car, broke a window at the New England Holocaust Memorial, and damaged several businesses. Between the Granary Burying Ground and the King’s Chapel Burying Ground, a total of twenty headstones were damaged, many from the Colonial period. Police say one stone had been “pulled from the ground or broken into pieces.”

Lowell Sun

Hawkins was charged with multiple counts of destruction of property, and destruction of a place of worship. He was arraigned Monday on three of the alleged incidents, WCVB (local channel 5) reported. “A judge set bail at $7,500 for each of those three incidents he heard Monday morning, and ordered Hawkins to be seen by a doctor for a dangerousness hearing. In court it was revealed that Hawkins previously spent time at Bridgewater State Hospital. Hawkins at times during Monday’s arraignment was swearing, talking about the FBI and had to be told several times to listen to the allegations against him. Hawkins’ defense attorney said after court that Hawkins client suffers from psychiatric and substance abuse issues, which makes it difficult for him to speak with Hawkins.”

Of course he pleaded not guilty.

Three other acts of the alleged vandalism involved federal properties, and Hawkins will be arraigned for those incidents separately.

This sad news comes weeks before the city’s and the fraternity’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.

Bro. Paul Revere served as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts from 1794-97. Thursday was the 253rd anniversary of his installation as Worshipful Master of St. Andrew’s Lodge (that’s St. Andrew’s Day).

Boston, founded in 1630, is today at the mercy of woke politicians, like District Attorney Kevin Hayden, who does all he can to keep criminals on the streets, employing “restorative justice” and other tactics to promote the interests of criminals.
     

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