Volume 4, Number 7 February 15, 1990 Newsstand Price Only 3 S ¢ Youth killed in suspici·ous fire People's Federal By Daniel Hurewitz backs off rent An apparent burglary and arson attempt turned into tragedy this increases weekend when an Allston-Brighton By Daniel Hurewitz youth died from the fumes offires he is thought to have set People's Federal Savings Bank backed off its planned Eighteen year-old Scott Carpen­ rate increases for tenants of its Washington Street block this ter was found unconscious on the Monday, and removed real tor Jerome Dangel as negotiator. floor of the Action Bearing Com­ Each tenant's lease or rental rate will now be negotiated pany when fire fighters broke down directly by the bank officers. the door to extinguish fires in a Naming "tenant satisfaction" as his motivation, bank· building police had surrounded on a chair Maurice J. Sullivan Jr. told the Journal Monday that burglary call. the bank's president had been instructed to infonn the ten­ District 14 police officers were ants that their letters ofincrease were rescinded and that the called to Action Bearing at 6:50 bank would sit down with each merchant to negotiate their Sunday morning, when a silent rates. "I'll personally negotiate the leases," said Sullivan. alarm was triggere.d by a break-in. Rate negotiations were being conducted by Dangel, a Upon arrival, they heard sounds Brockton-based reaJtor who had originally expressed inter­ from inside the Brighton Avenue est in purchasing the property but backed out of the deal building and began to surround it, because of impatience with wning delays. As of Monday, but an explosion of paint cans inside said Sullivan, Dangel would no longer be serving in that set the building on fire, and the fire capacity. department was notified. Thomas Leetch, the president, confinned the bank's Firefighters arrived at 7:05 a.m. recent decision, stating thatit was "the best thing to clear the and forced open the front door. In air." running a hose into the building, Captain Gilmore of Engine 42 dis­ Merchants pleased .cove.red Qupenter lying on his back in one of the warehouse aisles. He The merchants in the block of stores reported receiving was unconscious and one of his hand-delivered letters this week that rescinded the rale shoes was lying Oeside him. --~•-toteViveCarpenter at the increases. They expressed pleasure at the tum ofevents, and scene were unsuccessful, although were optimistic about the prospect of direct nego~tions some had thought his breathing was with the bank. restored. He was transported to St Liz McGurrin, ownerof McGurrin 's Gift Shop, said the Eliz.abeth's hospital where he ar­ change is dramatic. "It's an all together different atmos­ rived at 7:52 a.m., and was declared phere," she said. "We're very pleased that the original letter dead from smoke inhalation at 8:10 was rescinded, and we're looking forward to working with a.m. the bank." The Action Bearing Company, after it was gutted by fire Sunday morning. Continued on page 14 Tim Babbin, manager of Ace T.V. and Video, echoed Derek Szabo Photo Continued on page 4 Murphy breaks into the open Vietnamese community By Scott Rolph awaited political break from Dukakis, Murphy said she acted to fill a vacuum of Lieutenant Governor leadership on the current seeks identity in new society Evelyn Murphy said she deficit that she feared sharply disagreed with would otherwise have lin­ By Scott Rolph Governor Dukakis' lat­ gered until June. est proposal to eradicate "I felt the responsibility the state's $500 million for getting some momen­ deficit, but refused to tum and some attention to disassociate herself from this after it stopped at the her boss, saying in a 35- end of January, and con­ minute interview with tinue to get the heat up, the Journal Monday that with some hope that we can she shared his commit­ get something through the ment to progressive, lib­ legislature in the next eral values couple of weeks," she said, The week after she referring to stalled legisla­ launched her own budget tive action on the Fiscal proposal, which was Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Year 1990 budget. widely seen as her long- Murphy. oerekSzaboPhoto Continued on page 7 Wilson Monkey Educating Fired Business Parents Page2 Page7 Page9 The school Helping Hands of An E.S.L. program committee fired Allston trains at the Hamilton superintendent capuchin mon­ School opens lines Laval Wilson keys to assist the of communication Tuesday, ending disabled in between students, his contentious leading independ­ parents and tenure. ent lives. teachers. School Committee fires Wilson r ·JNSiDE: ~ Newsbriefs ...... :2,3,4 . Editorial ' · LetterS. ;• .~ ......... l .... 5 , Vote marred by charges of racism Police ..i !~'.=; ... ~.JL .. 6 •·• Local 5Cene ...........7 After a lengthy and fractious meeting, a was very important." HistorlcalPage ........ 8 bare majority of the School Committee voted Wilson himself called for Schools Page ........ 9 Tuesday night to dismiss Superintendent the public discussion, how­ Sports •.: ......... ;.... 10 Laval S. Wilson nearly a year and a half ever. before his contract was due to expire. The vote came several Arts ...... ~ ......... 12, 13 Just before 11 :30 p.m., after five commit­ days after members submit­ Business Scene .. 14 tee members walked out in protest, the eight ted evaluations of the Real Estate .......... 15 remaining members voted 7-1 to buy out the superintendent's perform­ Calendar .............. 16 remainder of Wilson's contract rather than ance over the last six Obituaries ............ 17 keep him in office. It is unclear when months. While Wilson re­ Wilson's dismissal will go into effect. ceived average marks on ten \.Help Wanted ....... 1~ The members who walked out of the meet­ programmatic goals, several ing charged racial malice in the decision, with members voiced frustration with his management style and JohnGradycallingit"alynching."Fourofthe his alienation of support groups. "I think probably the thing protesting members are black and left the I feel the angriest about," said Bowman, "is there's a lot of meeting with their fists raised, chanting good will about education in this city .. and he has failed "Selma, Selma, Selma," in reference to the to capitalize on that good will." dismissal of a black superintendent there. Earlier in the meeting, the committee agreed to follow Allston-Brighton representative Rosina Bowman's call for a line-by-line analysis of the school "Kitty" Bowman argued that the charges of department budget, and voted to devote the coming week­ racism were unfair. "I don't agree that there's end to that task. a racist motivation," she said, "and I would Faced with Wilson's recommended cuts to meet City strongly argue that if Wilson was not a black Hall's $361 million dollar allocation for the coming fiscal man, he would have been fired a long time year, the committee decided to evaluate the entire array of ago." programs and expenditures before opting for cuts. Wilson's Bowman still worries, though, that the proposals included cutting central department and commit­ committee's decision will be racially inter­ tee staff, discontinuing student support services, reducing preted, fueling lingering anger from the after-school sports programs, and eliminating Kindergarten Stuart case and stop-and-search investiga­ 1 and Early Leaming programs. tion. "I'm very concerned that people might The committee also voted to reaffirm their support of try to exploit this situation and will further more lenient attendance and tardiness policies, which are al­ undermine our efforts to provide a quality ready on the books and are viewed as necessary steps toward education." curbing drop-outs. One specific proposal banned schools There had been a move to discuss from locking doors one half-hour into the day, thereby Wilson's contract in a closed executive ses­ preventing tardy pupils from attending. sion rather than the public forum. "For the The School Committee fired Laval S. Wilson Tuesday, and the vote best of the city," Bowman said, "to allow the drew cries of racial prejudice from the committee's black members. By D~niel Hurewitz superintendent to leave in grace and dignity Derek Szabo Photo C.C.C.D. seeks Flynn's support for zoning reforms The Coalition for Community Control of poration, had been negotiating with the Development, who last week pulled their coalition and the city council on behalf of zoning reform legislation from the City the mayor. Coalition members and council­ Council calendar, sent a letter to Mayor ors reported that Gillis had been lobbying Raymond Flynn this week requesting his against the legislation, and several coalition direct input on the legislation. members expressed frustration over the According to C.C.C.D. director Judy difficulty of scheduling meetings with Gil­ Branfman, the coalition sent a letter to Flynn lis. requesting a meeting with the mayor within Branfman said that the coalition plans to the next two weeks. A letter in support of the continue to work for the legislation, which is legislation is also being sent to the mayor designed to reform the method and the from At-large Councilor Rosaria Salemo. make-up of the Zoning Commission and potential. So they Branfman said that "we think that we're Zoning Board of Appeals, as well as to offer don't prepare. They close to having something that the mayor neighborhoods the opportunity to elect don't know what's can sign on to," and expressed a willingness advisory neighborhood councils. ''We're expected. So they to work out points of disagreement going to put it forward one way or another," For some don't bother to Up until this point, Don Gillis, who last said Branfman.