Violence in Boston

THE ATTACK ON A black freshman, Dennis J. Henderson '79, by seven white youths in the Maverick Square MBTA station last week, who chased Henderson out of the station, beating him and shouting racial epithets, brings home the problem of racist violence in the city of Boston. Like other incidents in Boston during recent weeks, the attack on Henderson was unprovoked; and as during other unwarranted attacks, no one present came to the aid of the victim.

On the highest level, the blame for these random criminal acts must be affixed to the city's leaders--both to racists ostensibly representing the white community, like anti-busing leader Louise Day Hicks, who implicitly condones acts of violence; and to Mayor Kevin White, who ostensibly serves the entire city, and who has failed both to take a decisive stand in favor of implementing school desegregation laws, and to offer new measures to stamp out racist violence in Boston. We extend our sympathy to Dennis Henderson and to all others who have been victimized by racism in Boston.