Brookline Group To Hold Rally To Mark Firefighter Case

BROOKLINE, MA — This week, the Supreme Judicial Court denied the town's appeal in the case of firefighter Gerald Alston, who the court determined was fired unjustly. Now, a group of residents wants the town to apologize.

On Sunday, Brookline for Racial Justice and Equity and Brookline Budget Justice are sponsoring a rally at 3 p.m. outside of Town Hall to celebrate the court verdict and to urge three of the five Select Board members to go on the record about the case.

Read more: Court Sides With Ex-Firefighter In Brookline Racism Case - Again

The rally will feature speakers Gerald Alston, Brookline Select Board member Dr. Raul Fernandez, who has gone on record as being against the lawsuit, and former Brookline Select Board member Jesse Mermell. It will be in-person and live-streamed on Facebook, according to organizers.

"At this rally, the community will demand accountability from the Brookline Select Board," organizers said in a news release.

"Justice would have meant Gerald Alston going to work without being subjected to racial slurs from his supervisors, and a town that prioritized holding those supervisors accountable instead of promoting them," Emy Takinami, member of Brookline for Racial Justice and Equity's leadership team said. "While the rally alone will not result in true accountability, we can now begin to repair some of the damage we have caused Alston, his family, and our community, and prevent future harm."

Ahead of the May 4 election, the group is urging voters to consider the positions of the board members up for reelection when they vote.

"Clearly our Town’s leadership has failed both Gerald Alston and the community, but voters have the opportunity to redefine our Town’s leadership on May 4th." said Town Meeting member Deborah Brown, who is also a lawyer, member of Brookline for Racial Justice and Equity's leadership team.