Accusations, Outrage Erupt Following Tragedy: The HUB

The HUB is a rundown of the stories people in Boston are talking about. Patch publishes the HUB every weekday.

Good morning, Boston. Today is Wednesday, May 5. We're talking the return of the feet, a community in mourning and another step toward freedom.

But first...

Rumors and accusations that were percolating on social media have erupted into full-fledged outrage. The district attorney held a news conference insisting there's been no cover-up.

The developments surrounding the death of Hopkinton teenager Mikayla Miller have been hard to keep pace with, overflowing with emotion and striking at the very bone of some of the national conversations about how Black people are treated not just in life, but in death.

The 16-year-old was found dead in the woods of Hopkinton on April 18. Activists are calling it lynching. Police told her family it was a suicide, something her mother is disputing. Rumors have circulated about a police cover-up, something Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan is forcefully pushing back against.

My colleague Neal McNamara has a comprehensive look at what we do and don't know thus far.

Meanwhile, Ryan and activist Monica Cannon-Grant joined GBH's Jim Braude in what turned out to be a contentious interview. Cannon-Grant, the found of Violence in Boston, called on Ryan to step down and let the FBI handle the investigation. You can watch it below.

Check it out

They're baaaaaaack. Foot traffic is up 95 percent since December, according to the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District’s pedestrian-traffic sensors. Meanwhile, most retailers and restaurants are back in business, signaling an encouraging return to — we always have to use quotes here — "normal" in Boston. There's more from the State House News Service at WHDH.

It's always important after crimes to focus on who and what was taken from us. Jahaira DeAlto Balenciaga was one of two people authorities said were stabbed to death by a Dorchester man Sunday. Tori Bedford at GBH has a tender look at Balenciaga, "a community advocate, anti-domestic violence activist, mother figure and local ballroom drag scene icon."

He's finally free. Sean Ellis spent 22 years in prison for the 1993 killing of a Boston police detective. His murder conviction was overturned a couple years ago, but on Tuesday a judge dropped his conviction of illegal firearm possession. "This whole case is a very sad chapter in the history of our criminal justice system," Suffolk Superior Court Judge Robert Ullmann said. John Ellement at The Boston Globe has the full story.

What I'm reading today: I should preface this by saying what I'm reading isn't necessarily what I am (or am not) endorsing. But it was interesting to read Emma Green's piece titled The Liberals Who Can’t Quit Lockdown in The Atlantic. Brookline and especially Somerville get mentions as communities the author implies stopped listening to the science around COVID-19 once it became time to relax our defenses a bit.

Weather

The National Weather Service says: During the day — Rain and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly before 5 p.m., then a chance of rain and thunderstorms after 5 p.m. Patchy fog between noon and 1 p.m. High near 58. East wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. At night — A chance of rain and thunderstorms before midnight, then a slight chance of showers between midnight and 2 a.m. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 47. Northwest wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Have a swell Wednesday.

You can email me at mike.carraggi@patch.com and follow me @PatchCarraggi.