Massachusetts
Massachusetts' Haitian community feels the weight and history of racist lies
Hundreds of Haitians and their allies gathered on Boston Common Tuesday to protest the racist lies being perpetuated by presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance.
Among those who spoke at the rally was Boston City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune, herself the daughter of Haitian immigrants, who expressed disdain for former President Trump, saying “someone who used to occupy the highest seat in the land is spreading these hateful xenophobic and racist lies.”
“Do not hit people who already have their backs against the wall,” said Louijeune. “We stand here in solidarity because we must.”
The Tuesday rally came as Massachusetts’ large Haitian population reckons with the ugly rhetoric that’s become a flashpoint in the 2024 election.
Ishtar Pady and her father came to Massachusetts in 2023 through a humanitarian parole program set up by the Biden administration. Her father was suffering from stage four cancer with no possibility of treatment in Haiti, and the family had been subject to kidnapping attempts there, with an uncle being killed. Her father died after their arrival in Massachusetts.
Pady said no one “wants” to leave their home, but challenging circumstances in Haiti have forced many to migrate.
“In general, the population, the country, is going through tough times and we’re not in our strongest point,” she said. “We’re already down. It’s easy to pick on us — like bullies pick on the weak kids at school.”
Pady said the ugly, racist lies about Haitians eating domestic pets, and the absence of compassion from the Republican presidential ticket, has left her baffled and saddened. She hasn’t encountered much hatred that’s targeted her directly, but there was a recent, telling question from a white person.
“I’ve had somebody ask me, ‘Do Haitians eat cats and dogs?’” she recalled. “I wouldn’t qualify it as racism, personally. Maybe ignorance.”
“We’re already down. It’s easy to pick on us — like bullies pick on the weak kids at school.”
Ishtar Pady
The Rev. Myrlande DesRosiers is the founder of the Everett Haitian Community Center, which provides a variety services to the Haitian community, including English for Speakers of Other Languages classes aimed at parents. She said that among the adults she works with, there’s a sense of fear that their children will be attacked in school because of the rhetoric being perpetuated by top Republicans.
“They are lies. Haitians don’t eat pets,” DesRosiers said. “In Haitian Creole, we call them animal domestik. Dogs are considered bon zanmi, which means best friend.”
Changing the conversation
The racist myths being spread by high-level Republicans are hitting especially hard in Massachusetts, which has the third-largest Haitian community in the U.S., according to the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition, MIRA.
Sarah Betancourt
GBH News
The individuals GBH News spoke with for this story say that deep-rooted racism and xenophobia come from a lack of education and misunderstanding about Haitian culture and history.
Haiti was the first Black-led republic in the world, where the enslaved population threw off French colonial rule in 1804.
“[We are] the very first Black people to have fought and gained our independence. So we do know that we have value,” said DesRosiers.
The young nation played a prominent role in world politics, becoming the first country to recognize the Greek Revolution against Ottoman rule in 1821. Greece recognizes this
even today.
But the long-lasting impacts of French colonialism and U.S. foreign policy have led to chronic instability in Haiti, with waves of political and economic refugees fleeing to the United States.
Gabrielle Rene is a local community activist and podcaster who came to Massachusetts from Haiti in the 1980s, when she was 13 years old. The violent reign of Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier and ongoing unrest prompted her family to resettle in Somerville.
“My people have gone through enough. The fact that [Trump and Vance] are using them [Haitians] to get votes, it’s really embarrassing. And it’s not fair to us,” Rene said.
“I’ve spoken extensively about what it means to be an immigrant in this country,” said Rene, referring to her podcast and community work. “Some of what we’ve had to give up. I had hidden my dreams of growing up in my own country and having to come to another.”
Elizabeth Sweet, executive director of MIRA, said the racist rhetoric ignores the valuable ways Haitians have integrated into communities across the United States.
“They [Haitians] are building businesses there. They’re working in our health care system,” she said. “We see so many contributions from Haitians and are really saddened that this kind of information is being said about them.”
“We just have to learn how to sometimes not internalize any shame around us, but also to educate.”
Gabrielle Rene, community activist and podcaster
It’s not the first time
Rene recalls the painful racism prompted by the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention incorrectly suggested that Haitians were at
increased risk for acquiring HIV, and that the nation had been a root cause in its spread. Those claims led to major burdens on Haiti’s economy.
“They had started the rumor that the Haitians were the carriers of HIV/AIDS. And at the time I was a child, I really didn’t know what was happening,” Rene said, recounting how the adults in her life went to a rally to demonstrate against the rhetoric.
“So it happens every generation,” she added. “It happens all the time, and we just have to learn how to sometimes not internalize any shame around us, but also to educate.”
Régine Michelle Jean-Charles, director of Africana studies at Northeastern University, said the current rhetoric is an extension of “a longstanding campaign of vilification and dehumanization of Haitians,” including Trump’s reference to the country as a “shithole” in 2018.
Jean-Charles said that from the U.S. occupation of Haiti in the early twentieth century, through the devastating earthquake of 2010, and up to the present day, Haitians have been targets for American racism and xenophobia. Community members agree.
“It’s an old playbook,” said Dr. Geralde Gabeau. Gabeau is the head of the Immigrant Family Services Institute, a nonprofit in Mattapan that’s helping an unprecedented number of Haitians who’ve fled to Boston. She grew up in Haiti, and still has family there.
“I think anyone who has the smallest appreciation for human dignity to stand with us and say enough is enough,” she said. Gabeau believes that the lies spread by Trump and Vance will continue to reverberate.
“Words do have consequences,” said Gabeau. “Are we still allowed to walk down the street without having any fear?”
Massachusetts
Cool off this summer at these 10 splash pads in central Massachusetts
Worcester’s reflecting pool faced criticism
Amid fanfare, reflecting pool was added to Worcester Common in 1971, a tribute to WWII veterans.
Looking for a way the kids can cool off after the Fourth of July heat wave?
In addition to numerous public beaches and pools, central Massachusetts has multiple splash pads open this time of year, offering the perfect way for children to enjoy being in the water without the hassle of a beach day. While some are ticketed, many of the region’s splash pads are free, with parks, playgrounds and other recreational areas attached.
Here are 10 splash pads where you can beat the heat in central Massachusetts this summer.
Tacoma Street Spray Park
Decked out with umbrellas and chairs, green water buckets and a frog to run under, Tacoma Street Spray Park is one of Worcester’s newer spray parks, located on the 18.9-acre Tacoma Street Playground. The park also has a basketball court and picnic area.
Like all of Worcester’s splash pads, Tacoma Street Spray Park is open from noon to 7 p.m. daily through Sept. 7. Located at 345 Tacoma St. in Worcester.
Park Hill Splash Park
This small splash pad in Fitchburg features rainbow rings to run through and a large sun design painted on the ground. The splash pad is part of Park Hill Park, which also has a skateboard park, two playgrounds, a basketball court, several baseball fields and restrooms.
Park Hill Splash Park is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from June through August. Lifeguards are always onsite, and parking is available off Pratt Road in Fitchburg.
Cowabunga Splash Park
Davis Farmland in Sterling is back for a second year with Cowabunga Splash Park, the largest zero-depth water spray park in New England. Built with a state-of-the-art, computer-controlled water filtration system, the park features every kind of mister and sprinkler imaginable, including horse cannons, a water tunnel, a water table, a toddler spray pad and more. The park also has a giant slip-and-slide, an inflatable water slide and a huge water tower.
Admission to Davis Farmland, which includes access to over 50 activities, costs $35.95 for adults or $32.95 for seniors over 60, though tickets cost more at the gate.
COWabunga Splash Park is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day from now through Labor Day, with the water slide and slip-and-slide opening at 10:30 a.m. Davis Farmland is located at 145 Redstone Hill Road in Sterling.
Cristoforo Colombo Spray Park
Cristoforo Colombo Spray Park is a larger spray pad full of bright colors, water spouts and buckets dropping water from above. It is attached to Cristoforo Colombo Park, which also has a playground, fields, basketball courts and a baseball diamond.
The spray park is open from noon to 7 p.m. daily at 180 Shrewsbury St. in Worcester.
Fournier Park Splash Pad
Located inside the Arthur A. Fournier Sr. Memorial Park, this splash pad spouts water from various flowers, a frog and even a dragon. The water must be turned on by pressing an orange button on the pavilion side of the splash pad, and it runs for 12 to 14 minutes at a time.
This splash pad is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., starting Memorial Day weekend and lasting through Labor Day. Located at 525 Litchfield St. in Leominster.
Ghiloni Park Splash Pad
Ghiloni Park in Marlborough also has a splash pad with flowers and frogs, located right next to the park’s playground. Water is activated by placing a hand on the sensor of the green activator pole.
The Ghiloni Park Splash Pad is open from June 2 through Sept. 7, with daily hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Located at 239 Concord Road in Marlborough.
University (Crystal) Spray Park
Just opened last year, the splash pad at Worcester’s University Park features various tall water spouts for the kids to run through, surrounded by a playground, walking trails, pond views and plenty of umbrellas.
From now through Sept. 7, the spray park is open daily from noon to 7 p.m. Located at 965 Main St. in Worcester.
Philbin Memorial Park and Splash Pad
Clinton’s Philbin Memorial Park has a newly renovated splash pad that turns on by touching the top of the red fire hydrant. The water runs for four to five cycles and then rests for 10 to 15 minutes.
Philbin’s splash pad is open daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day, with hours from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Located at Berlin and Wilson streets in Clinton.
Carbuncle Pond Splash Pad
Located right next to the beach at Carbuncle Pond, this colorful splash pad is conveniently equipped with lifeguard staffing, concessions and indoor public restrooms. Resident and nonresident passes are sold online or at the gate.
The splash pad and the beach are open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 495 Main St. in Oxford.
Greenwood Spray Park
Attached to a new playground, Greenwood Park’s splash pad has various sprinklers and buckets of water. The spray park usually has an attendant, and bathrooms are attached.
Worcester’s Greenwood Spray Park is open from noon to 7 p.m. daily through Sept. 7. Located at 14 Forsberg St. in Worcester.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts man dies in Fiji after becoming critically ill on sailing trip
A Holbrook, Massachusetts man who fell critically ill while sailing through the South Pacific has died, his family told WBZ-TV Tuesday evening.
Scott Winslow was in intensive care at a hospital in Fiji for weeks, as his family fought to get him back home so he could be treated for septic shock and a serious infection.
Winslow’s wife and two daughters had made the 8,000-mile trip to be with him and fight for his care when he died.
“We are at the hospital and just said goodbye to our father,” his daughters told WBZ-TV. “We are heartbroken.”
Winslow was traveling on his nephew’s sailboat in the South Pacific on what was supposed to be a three-month voyage when he noticed what appeared to be a bug bite.
His family isn’t sure exactly what the cause of the illness was, but his condition quickly deteriorated, and he could no longer walk once they diverted the boat to Fiji.
The family provided WBZ medical documents from doctors in Fiji, who said he needed to be evacuated to another hospital.
The family said his insurance company, Aetna, denied the transport and the medical flight to get Winslow home would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Winslow’s family said they had secured medical services with the Mass General Brigham group if he got back to Massachusetts.
“I don’t understand. My problem is, my parents pay for insurance, this is what insurance is for,” Lisa Babbin, Scott’s daughter told WBZ-TV earlier on Tuesday.
Before Winslow died, WBZ-TV reached out to Aetna. In a statement, a spokesperson said they were continuing to work with Winslow’s family “and his providers in Fiji to identify the best way to get him back safely to the United States for continued treatment.”
The Winslow family had also reached out the U.S. Embassy in Fiji for help securing an emergency loan.
Massachusetts
ICE detentions rise in Massachusetts amid World Cup festivities
The past month in Massachusetts has been synonymous with World Cup fan festivals, cheering crowds and tourists from Scotland crowning statues with traffic cones.
Amid concerns that the Trump administrations would ramp up immigration enforcement during the tournament, international soccer fans have posted on social media that they’ve felt welcome in the United States. The World Cup has even served as a distraction for many immigrants who’ve spent the past year and half in fear of the Trump administration’s deportation push.
And yet beneath the surface, immigration lawyers and advocates say detentions have not only continued across Massachusetts since the World Cup started in early June — they’ve increased in frequency.
“It’s supposed to be a joyous time for families, for children, and we’re still seeing an increase of arrests,” Eloa Celedon, an immigration attorney based in Marlborough, said. “Prior to the World Cup, it had settled down a bit — but since the World Cup started, it has been very sad to see arrests happening.”
During May and early June, Celedon said her office received one or two calls a week about potential clients who’ve been recently detained. Over the last month, those calls have increased to four to five a day.
Celedon’s experiences track with a reported nationwide surge in arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Over a recent five-day period, agents across the nation detained more than 10,000 people. The arrests have occurred during routine check-ins with ICE agents as well as during traffic stops.
Todd Pomerleau, an immigration attorney and the president of Mass Deportation Defense Project, called the spike in arrests a “remarkable” contrast to the international goodwill that’s been on display during the World Cup. He pointed to a recent game he was at in California between Belgium and Iran, recounting the way players and fans cordially listened to both teams’ national anthems played before the match.
“Juxtapose that with what I’ve seen as an immigration attorney,” Pomerleau said. ”The government seems like it goes out of its way to basically arrest people without justification a lot and then just throw them in detention facilities.”
No attorneys have heard of any cases of immigrants being detained around the World Cup matches at Gillette Stadium, temporarily renamed Boston Stadium.
A closer look at recent enforcement numbers
ICE didn’t respond to questions about how many people it has detained in Massachusetts since the start of the World Cup — the agency usually doesn’t provide time-specific enforcement figures.
Still, there are other ways to get rough estimates. Attorneys often file habeas petitions in federal court, asking judges to intervene in alleged unlawful detentions and keep immigrants from being sent to detention centers in other states.
There have been nearly 190 habeas filings in Massachusetts federal district court since the beginning of the World Cup matches, according to Habeas Dockets, a tracker run by the nonprofit Immigration Justice Transparency Initiative. Cases rose by 21% in June overall from the month before, going from 183 in May to 222.
One of those filings was for Malton Lacerda, who was detained June 28 by ICE agents after shopping at a Walmart in Halifax with his son Victor Lacerda, a Navy vet. The elder Lacerda wore a T-shirt saying “Navy Dad” as he put groceries in the car.
“Then we get rushed by a bunch of different ICE agents with guns drawn and threatening us. And we were confused,” Victor Lacerda, the son, said. “I looked back to see what was going on, because at first I couldn’t even believe it was happening to us, because we were just getting groceries. We hadn’t done anything wrong. And that’s when I saw them putting hands on my father and detaining him. But they were still asking me questions about my citizenship and my father’s citizenship.”
Victor Lacerda, who was born in the United States, served in the Navy after high school and lives in Kingston, Massachusetts. His father, who’s undocumented, is originally from Brazil and has lived in the United States for at least 25 years. He’s currently being held at Plymouth County’s ICE detention facility.
Pomerleau, the Lacerdas’ attorney, says the father was in the process of securing a green card when he was detained. He’s eligible for permanent residency in the United States through a special process for veteran family members.
Pomerleau called the father an exemplary member of his community, noting that he works as a horse trainer and provides horse therapy for disabled veterans. He and his son also march in local parades, and planned on doing so again for the Fourth of July.
“He’s done a lot of work for the community for years. He marched in the 400th Thanksgiving Parade down in Plymouth, Memorial Day parades,” Pomerleau said.
Courtesy of Victor Laceda
Lacerda has two 20-year-old cases of driving without a license and paying fines, and a misdemeanor assault and battery charge from 2008 that was dismissed, involving his ex-partner who’s now raising funds for his legal expenses. ICE didn’t return requests for comment on the case.
Local immigration advocates say the recent spike in arrests is one more way the Trump administration has cherry-picked which foreigners and immigrants can enjoy the world’s biggest sporting event.
Celedon noted that the federal immigration crackdown has also made it impossible, or very difficult, for people from countries on full or partial travel ban lists to visit the United States to attend World Cup games. Those countries include Haiti and others in Africa.
“It feels like almost like racial profiling people of certain countries that are allowed to come and those that are not allowed to come and not allowed to stay,” Celedon said.
-
World10 seconds ago
Le Pen, France’s Far-Right Leader, Launches Her Presidential Campaign
-
Lifestyle42 minutes agoWe unpack the 2026 Emmy nominations : Pop Culture Happy Hour
-
Technology50 minutes agoGet a $30 credit when you reserve Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy phones
-
World57 minutes agoCritics say Turkey’s verbal attacks on Israel have crossed into antisemitism
-
Politics60 minutes agoWATCH: Dana White drops 2028 hints while raving about his favorite Trump cabinet secretary
-
Health1 hour agoKatie Couric couldn’t remember the year or the president during frightening brain episode
-
Sports1 hour agoJustin Verlander announces he will retire after this season: ‘I’ve realized that time has come’
-
Technology1 hour agoApple AI security update proves hackers move fast