Leominster police misconduct

Dear Mayor Mazzarella,





Since reading an account of police officers in your town assaulting and arresting innocent young people outside an all-ages concert I have been downright horrified that something like this could happen in the United States.





After speaking with several people who actually witnessed the assault/arrest, it has become clear that not only were police behaving in an unprofessional manner, but their actions could very well have been illegal.





All accounts portray the band members as cooperating with the police when the concert was ended (due to the misbehavior of a few troublemakers who weren't even arrested) and being violently antagonized by Leominster police officers as they attempted to pack up their van and depart.





Verbal and physical provocation came to a climax when officers assaulted one band member, then another who objected to his friend's arrest, and yet another who attempted to flee the savage, bloody scene. Numerous witnesses tell of police initiating the entire incident with no provocation from the band, and then of officers using excessive force with a maniacal zeal.





Police officers should embody the values that they purport to uphold, and society rightly holds them to the highest standard of morality and professionalism. Unfortunately, it seems like a few bad apples in your town do not take this responsibility seriously.





As the charges have yet to be dropped and the police are pushing forth with a story that numerous witnesses are willing to testify is a flat out fabrication, this whole affair could become very embarassing for your town. Friends and fans of the band plan to bring this story to every possible media outlet to best ensure that this injustice is not suffered quietly.





I urge you to look to demand a fair investigation of this incident. Serious treatment of police misconduct is vital to any free society.