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Action demanded after ‘kids’ allegedly attack a disabled man at Danvers park
“These kids cannot be doing what they’re doing to people.”
Danvers residents have had enough of the teenage “hoodlums” who are terrorizing their downtown by weaving in and out traffic, catcalling, trespassing private property, and causing chaos near businesses. In one recent case, a group of teens allegedly attacked a disabled man at a Danvers park, sending him to the hospital.
At a Danvers Select Board meeting Tuesday evening, residents delivered a clear message: They called the police, but the police took no action. And now, residents want a solution.
“These kids are a goddam bunch of hoodlums,” said Antoinette Anderson, the mother of the disabled man who the teens allegedly attacked.
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Anderson said that in the past, the teenagers had given her the finger and yelled at her. Then, “They go and damn near kill my son, who wouldn’t hurt a flea. I have had it up to here,” she said, raising her hand to her forehead. “I want something done about them.”
Anderson added, “I’ve already hired a lawyer, and I will sue them for every damn penny they will ever make.”
Her son, Chris Anderson, also pleaded with the Select Board to do something.
“I was scared to death of those kids,” Chris Anderson told the board. “It breaks my heart every day, and I can’t sleep at nighttime. It’s hard. Can you guys do more for me, please?”
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The Select Board chair, Daniel Bennett, said, “It is obvious that there is work to be done.” He added that the chief of police would come to speak to the board next month about their plans for handling the situation.
Maureen Bernard, a Select Board member, apologized to Chris Anderson, saying the incident never should have happened.
“These kids cannot be doing what they’re doing to people,” she said. “We need to take control.”
The outgoing town manager, Steve Bartha, noted that the police department knows what is happening. Chief of Police James Lovell did not attend Tuesday’s meeting due to a conflict.
“I don’t want anyone to think no action has been taken,” Bartha said. The police department “will do what is within the law to keep people safe.”
On Wednesday, the chief declined to comment on the trend of these incidents in Danvers. He noted that the incident at Plains Park remains under investigation. The police department did not release the name of the victim or suspect.
Resident Rick Bettencourt wants a downtown improvement committee to return to the town. When he first opened his business in 2005, he actively participated in communicating with the Select Board and the police about what was happening downtown.
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But that committee has since dissolved, and with that, the leadership has lagged in addressing issues downtown, he said.
“I’m disgusted on the way downtown Danvers is starting to look,” Bettencourt said at the meeting. “I hope you find a way now to work closely with the police department to stop these kids from terrorizing.”
A few residents spoke of how the teens, often seen “popping wheelies” and “hooting and hollering,” can get away with their actions because there are no repercussions.
Select Board member Michael Bean said he drafted a proposal for the police department to return to community policing. He hopes to build up a paper trail against the perpetrators and get more police on the streets.
“Public safety has to be No. 1,” Bean said. “If we can’t take care of one person, then we aren’t taking care of anybody.”
Select Board member Dutrochet “Dee” Djoko agreed.
“This matter has gone on too long, and it just has to stop,” Djoko said. “Our children deserve to feel safe, and so do we. No one should be worried when they walk the street. That is unacceptable.”
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He added, “There is a difference between kids being kids and being criminals. We have to take it seriously.”
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