Boston police, federal agents and the National Park Service are investigating an incident involving a fire behind the historic African Meeting House, a landmark that is part of Boston’s Museum of African American History.

The National Park Service said it responded to the African Meeting House during the early morning hours of June 3 after an unidentified person was seen on surveillance video opening a package that had been left outside the building. Authorities said the individual removed some of the contents and burned several items in a small alley behind the structure.

Officials said there are no early indications the incident was an attempt to set fire to the building itself, but the case remains under active investigation.

The African Meeting House, built in 1806 on Beacon Hill, is recognized as the nation’s oldest surviving Black church building and is a National Historic Landmark.

“This has been a distressing situation, and quite sobering,” museum President and CEO Noelle Trent said.

Trent said the package contained materials intended for upcoming Juneteenth celebrations. According to the museum, the person scattered and burned some of the contents behind the building.

“A small ember would be devastating, not only for this building but also for the community around us,” Trent said.

Investigators from the Boston Police Department, the Boston Fire Department’s Arson Unit and federal authorities are working to determine a motive.

Trent said the incident is particularly concerning because of the building’s historical significance.

“We do not have many buildings like this in the country, so we are a physical marker and a reminder of the community and what happened here,” she said. “If this goes, there’s nothing else like it anywhere else in the world.”

NBC10 Boston

NBC10 Boston

Mayor Michelle Wu also highlighted the importance of the African Meeting House and said the Civil Rights Division of the Boston Police Department is investigating.

“At a time of unrelenting attacks on Black history and Black communities, the Museum of African American History in Boston stands as a pillar of truth and conscience for our city and our country,” Wu said in a statement. “The African Meeting House — the oldest standing Black church in the United States — continues to be a home for important community convenings to this day. This disturbing incident of suspected arson is under investigation by the Boston Police Department’s Civil Rights Division, and hateful acts of violence will never be tolerated in Boston. The City of Boston stands firmly with Dr. Trent and the entire MAAH team, and we will not be intimidated in our work to make Boston a home for everyone.”

No injuries were reported. Authorities said additional information will be released as the investigation continues.

BOSTON — Karen Read has filed a lawsuit against the Massachusetts State Police and the town of Canton, alleging misconduct and negligence in the investigation that led to her prosecution in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend.

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The suit filed Thursday in Bristol County Superior Court argues that Read’s acquittal last June revealed “an embedded culture of bigotry, misogyny, systemic failures, and institutional rot at the very core of both organizations.” It alleges that the town and the police department were negligent in the hiring, training, and supervision of officers.

The town of Canton and the Canton Police Department did not immediately respond to email requests for comment.

Read walked out of court a free woman about a year ago after more than three years and two trials over the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, who was found on the suburban lawn of a fellow officer’s home after a night of heavy drinking during a snowstorm.

Read faced charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene. The jury convicted her of a lesser charge, drunken driving.

Prosecutors said Read hit O’Keefe with her SUV on January 2022 night of the party, leaving him to die in a blizzard.

Her lawyers successfully defended her, painting a sinister picture of police misconduct and theorizing that O’Keefe was in fact killed by colleagues who then covered it up.

The trial centered in part on lead investigator Michael Proctor, whom defense attorneys described as biased against Read from the beginning. The Massachusetts State Police trial board found Proctor guilty of sending crude and defamatory text messages about Read while leading the investigation into her. He was fired and drew the ire of Read supporters who believe he played a key role in an alleged cover-up to frame her.

The complaint filed Thursday devotes dozens of pages to Proctor and former Canton police Sgt. Sean Goode, citing texts, recordings and other communications that it says demonstrate racist, sexist and other derogatory remarks. Read argues that those materials show both men were unfit to participate in the investigation and that their conduct reflected broader failures in oversight by state and local law enforcement officials.

Goode was placed on leave in November 2025 when the town was notified about allegations of misconduct. He resigned earlier this week, according to news outlets.

Just days after announcing it would shut down for good, Clover Food Lab now says it has found a path forward to reopen some restaurants. 

The vegetarian restaurant chain will reopen its Cambridge and Boston locations for lunch service on Tuesday, June 9, after securing a deal with an investor, CEO Julia Wrin Piper told Boston.com.

Clover announced May 26 it would close all 11 of its restaurants and its meal-box delivery operations, citing inflation, thin margins, and limited ability to raise prices.

Wrin Piper said the company is focusing on Boston and Cambridge as it reopens some locations. Before last week, the chain also had restaurants in Sudbury, Burlington, Westford, and Somerville.

“We are intentionally focusing on shrinking our footprint to focus on our core communities,” Wrin Piper said. “The operational plan is still being worked out.”

Since March, the company had been searching for a buyer but was unable to find one. However, late last week, Clover finalized an investment deal that will allow the company to continue operating, Wrin Piper said.

Wrin Piper declined to identify the investor or disclose further details about the deal. In an email announcing the reopening, Clover described the investor as “mission-aligned” with the brand and motivated by the “differentiation of [Clover’s] locally-sourced menu.”

“Now, we’re in a position where we’re resourced enough that we’ll be able to move forward with some of the operational changes that will be essential for long-term financial sustainability, specifically reduced footprint, really focusing on serving truly the local community,” Wrin Piper said. 

The reopening also comes after an “outpouring of love” from customers following the closure announcement, Wrin Piper noted.  

Clover locations saw an increase in traffic, and sales surged as supporters flocked to restaurants in their final days, the company said in the email.

The company also received messages from customers sharing memories and expressing appreciation for the brand. In notes shared with Boston.com, customers described Clover as “irreplaceable” and a “unique Boston institution.” Others reflected on years of meals and experiences tied to the restaurant. 

“My memories are mostly about the vibe — welcoming, delicious, passionate, sustainable, and community oriented,” one note reads. “Clover staff were always friendly and helpful. I estimate I had at least 2,000 Clover sandwiches over the 17 years. I tried them all and had my favorites.” 

Wrin Piper said the response was deeply touching. 

“It’s meaningful to see a customer really enjoy a sandwich or really connect with a story that we’re telling about a local farm,” she said. “It’s exciting if you see one customer doing it. If you see literally 1,000 customers do it over the course of a day, it’s incredibly meaningful.” 

Founded as a food truck outside MIT in 2008, Clover built its reputation on vegetarian meals made with ingredients sourced from local farms. What began as a single truck eventually expanded into a regional fast-casual chain and meal-box delivery service. 

Clover went public with its financial issues when it filed for bankruptcy protection in 2023, citing rising costs, slow sales, and difficulty raising capital. The restaurant emerged from bankruptcy the following year with two fewer restaurants and 240 employees. 

Inflation was one of the factors behind the company’s recent closure announcement, and Wrin Piper acknowledged those pressures have not disappeared. 

However, she said Clover’s restructuring efforts are designed to better position the company for long-term stability. 

“Our restaurant portfolio, as a whole, was profitable,” she said. “But because we were challenged with some of these pressures, it’s very important in this next iteration to really focus on the core stores that are not only profitable but also very economically service as a tight community around Boston and Cambridge.” 

While the company’s long-term operating plan is still being finalized, it will include reducing its store count and scaling back on infrastructure built for expansion. 

Clover currently operates a large commissary in East Cambridge, where ingredients from local farmers are processed and prepared for restaurants throughout the system. Wrin Piper said that model was designed to support “scaled growth” and is no longer what the company needs. 

“Right now, it’s important that we’re focused on a reduced store portfolio,” she said. “We’ll be closing or downsizing our commissary, because it’s simply too big for our needs.” 

The chain also faces growing competition from other healthy lifestyle chains that have popped up in the region, such as Life Alive, CAVA, and Sweetgreen. Still, Wrin Piper said she believes Clover’s distinct identity and local sourcing will continue to set it apart. 

“I think providing super fresh, exciting food with really warm and inviting customer service is the way that we’re going to continue to raise sales,” she said. 

Wrin Piper noted that many customers choose Clover for its sourcing that “stays 100 percent the same” despite the operational challenges the company faces, adding that reinvesting in the local agriculture economy has been core to Clover’s mission.

“[Sourcing is] never something we’ve compromised on,” Wrin Piper said. “We will keep our commitment to sourcing from local farms in New England that you can drive to within a few hours.”