Pioneers Run Crew at the Boston Marathon was surrounded by police in Newton: ‘This is racially targeted overpolicing’
Members of the running community are alleging ‘racially targeted overpolicing’ after officers at the Boston Marathon surrounded a predominantly Black running group and blocked them from giving out high fives at their electric cheering spot in Newton on Monday.
Pioneers Run Crew, a Black- and Brown-led running group in Boston, sets up a tent every year along Heartbreak Hill at Mile 21 — helping power marathoners up the toughest stretch of the 26.2-mile course. It’s a highlight of the race for many runners to pass by Pioneers Run Crew, and get that extra lift when they desperately need it.
On Monday, a group of police officers with bicycles lined up at the running group’s spot in Newton, restricting their cheering access to the road and their ability to give out high fives. Police officers also took positions behind the group’s tent.
This doesn’t happen at other parts of the course, the members said, showing in a video how the opposite side of the road did not have any police blocking spectators.
“Why are we surrounded by police? I mean, why are we surrounded by police? Is it like this the whole way of the course?” Jean Mike Remy asked police officers in a video that has gone viral after Monday’s race.
“We can’t cheer no more,” he added. “I guess we can’t cheer no more… that’s not overpolicing at all.”
The City of Newton and the Boston Athletic Association did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
A Newton Police spokesperson in a statement said, “After being notified by the B.A.A three times about spectators traversing the rope barrier and impeding runners, the Newton Police Department responded respectfully and repeatedly requesting that spectators stay behind the rope and not encroach onto the course.
“When spectators continued to cross the rope, NPD with additional officers calmly used bicycles for a short period to demarcate the course and keep both the runners and spectators safe,” the police spokesperson added.
This type of blocking police presence occurs in Boston along Boylston Street during the marathon, but not at running groups’ tents in the suburbs.
Like other running groups, members of Pioneers Run Crew will occasionally step onto the course and run with their friends up the hill.
“Thousands of spectators have jumped onto the course,” November Project Boston, another running group that was set up at Mile 18, wrote on Instagram. “Thousands of spectators cheered their hearts out. But the only group that saw a massive police presence as a result was a group of predominantly Black and Brown spectators (in an affluent, overwhelmingly white suburb).
“Make no mistake — this is racially targeted overpolicing,” November Project wrote.
Earlier in the day before the police arrived, past marathon champion Des Linden can be seen on video pumped up as she ran by Pioneers Run Crew at Mile 21. The group showered her in confetti.
“We’re having a blast,” Remy said describing the scene before police showed up. “We’re cheering everybody on. We’re high fiving. We’re waving. Confetti’s popping. DJ’s spinning. And along the way, a strong police presence shows up, specifically to our cheer zone to back us on up, to keep us from high fiving, to keep us… from celebrating too much, from having too much fun.”
“It is such an amazing party, but this just left a sour taste in my mouth,” he later added.
Olympian Kara Goucher tweeted about the incident, “Really upsetting to see this today. I cannot imagine this happening — yet it did. A day of celebration and joy tainted by this. What are we doing? Running community — we preach inclusivity but we have a long way to go. This is not ok.”
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/xjDgmpG
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