Dueling Melrose Standouts On 9/11 Spilling Into Stoneham

MELROSE, MA — A "Back The Blue" standout on Sept. 11 will be met with protestors' "Standout for Black Lives," setting the stage for a potentially contentious morning usually reserved for solemn remembrance.

The events are organized for Melrose residents but will take place outside J.J. Grimsby's in Stoneham, where police are aware of the plans.

Both events are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. — the same time the City of Melrose is hosting a socially distanced "non-partisan observance" by the Essex Street entrance to City Hall.

The "Back The Blue" rally was posted on a community Facebook page by Melrose GOP Chair Christian Hashem, who described it as "not a partisan event, or affiliated with a single candidate; All who support our first responders are invited!"

However, the post was accompanied by an image of grainy black-and-white American flag with a blue and red line running through the middle. On the bottom left was the Melrose GOP logo next to one for Caroline Colarusso, a Stoneham selectwoman running for U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark's House seat in November.

The paradox was quickly picked up by the online community. Hashem changed the photo to a stock image of the American flag next to a Thin Blue Line flag.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own flags and signs.

In response, a protest has been set up at the corner next to the Grimsby's parking lot. Proclaiming "9/11 should never be used as an excuse for racism," Fighting for Black Lives in our Neighborhood is calling for a silent stand-out "for all those who believe Black lives matter."

The protest isn't in memory of 9/11, but its flyer claims that neither is the GOP one.

"This is a cynical appropriation of the sacrifices of frontline workers in 2001 to support racist policing in 2020," it reads.

Stoneham Police Chief James McIntyre told Patch he supports people exercising their First Amendment rights in a responsible — and socially distant — manner.

"We're all adults and everyone has different opinions," McIntyre said.

Related: In Arlington, 'Back The Blue' Organizers Deny Affiliation With Hate Group