Bay State Banner 1-7-2016

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inside this week

Coalition seeks solutions for black, Latino students pg A2

A&E

business news

SHIRINE BABB STARS IN PULITZER PRIZEWINNING PLAY ‘DISGRACED’ pg B1

Technological innovations seen driving small business growth pg A9

plus Film review: ‘Where To Invade Next’ pg B1 Gugu Mbatha-Raw stars in ‘Concussion’ pgB2 Thursday, January 7, 2016 • FREE • GREATER BOSTON’S URBAN NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1965 • CELEBRATING 50 YEARS

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MCAD finds bias in BPD Academy

Hearing finds officers showed bias in dismissal of black recruit By YAWU MILLER

In a stinging rebuke of the Boston Police Department, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination found that its training academy violated the rights of a black recruit who was expelled from the academy for cheating while white recruits who were accused of public drunkenness, brawling and other offenses were allowed to graduate. In addition to ordering recruit Claude Defay to be reinstated and compensated for emotional distress damages, hearing officer Betty Waxman ordered the department to “Cease and desist from the disparate treatment of recruits based on race in the imposition of penalties for Training Academy violations.” “I’m extremely happy with the decision,” Defay told the Banner. “This has been a long, drawn-out process.” Defay was represented by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Equal Justice Under Law and the law firm Wilmer Hale. Boston Police spokesman Lt. Mike McCarthy said the department is disappointed with the MCAD ruling.

“The decision by the MCAD confirms that Mr. Defay was untruthful and dishonest during his training at the academy,” McCarthy wrote in an email to the Banner. “Integrity and honesty are two of the most important traits we expect our police officers to possess. We are disappointed that the MCAD doesn’t feel a strongly as we do on this issue.”

Dream deferred

A lifelong Dorchester resident, Defay said he has always wanted to work in law enforcement. While working as a budget analyst at Deutsche Bank in 2009, Defay took the civil service exam for the police department and was accepted into the academy in April of 2010. “I was in financial services for six years, but I knew deep down my passion was to be in law enforcement,” he said. Defay’s alleged violation of Police Academy regulations occurred during an exam. According to the department, fellow recruit Boris Vragovic told supervisors Defay repeatedly questioned him about a specific

See DEFAY, page A14

BANNER PHOTO

The City Council convened at Faneuil Hall on Monday to swear-in returning and entering councilors. In front: Council President Michelle Wu and Councilors Ayanna Pressley, Michael Flaherty, Annissa Essaibi-George. In back: Councilors Matt O’Malley, Sal La Mattina, Tito Jackson, Bill Linehan, Andrea Campbell and Timothy McCarthy. Not shown: Councilors Josh Zakim and Frank Baker.

City Council welcomes new faces, president 2016 to bring education, urban renewal before council By JULE PATTISON-GORDON and YAWU MILLER

An air of camaraderie and celebration filled City Hall on Monday as the Boston City Council welcomed newcomers and elected a new president. A morning swearing-in brought on District 4 Councilor Andrea Campbell and Councilor at large Annissa Essaibi-George. The council reconvened at City Hall in the afternoon where

Councilor at large Michelle Wu won the presidency by a unanimous vote. On Sunday night, presidential contender District 6 Councilor Matt O’Malley announced he was dropping out of the race. As councilors continue to — or join— work on ongoing issues, contemplate new decisions fast approaching and outline their agendas for the term, many officials praised the new council’s diversity of gender, race and

backgrounds and said this will be a source of strength. “A big part of the council is your diversity,” Mayor Martin Walsh told councilors at the swearing-in. “[This] is a council with new faces but also a lot of experience.” Wu highlighted the diverse perspectives of a council whose members’ histories include entrepreneurship, labor union

See COUNCIL, page B9

Foreclosure activists fight to halt law Law limits time to fix wrongful home-loss By JULE PATTISON-GORDON

BANNER PHOTO

Zakiya Alake (left) and Oliv’e Hendricks (center) both lost homes to foreclosure. With them is Grace Ross (right), co-founder of Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending.

A new state law may make it nearly impossible for victims of wrongful foreclosures to regain their homes. If enacted, An Act Clearing Titles to Foreclosed Properties would drastically reduce the time that victims have to sue to get their property back. It would drop from 20 years down to one or three

years, depending on when the foreclosure occurred. The Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending — an organization that seeks to delay the law’s implementation — held a meeting at Tent City last week, where attendees shared stories and spoke out against the law. The new deadlines provide far too little time to ready oneself to sue, attendees said. And once that timeframe is up,

the law would essentially make erroneous foreclosures valid, said City Councilor Tito Jackson, who spoke with the Banner by phone. “Improper procedure carried about by banks [would be] able to be made permanent without actually a court process that determines whether right or wrong has been done in these cases,” Jackson said. As the curtain was pulled back on the complex maneuverings of the banking industry in the early to late 2000’s, on display was the fact that

See FORECLOSURES, page B8


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