Boston, Massachusetts – The sunny summer morning of July 13th was bright and blue-skied, a perfect day for a run, a bike ride, a tour, or, a rally.
Hundreds of motorcycles were parked along Beacon Street across from the State House, a crowd swiftly accumulating behind them. Duck boats, cars, and buses rumbled by as “God Bless the U.S.A.” by Lee Greenwood rang out from loudspeakers set up before the State House gates, the people singing along and waving American flags.
The “Take Back Our State” rally was summarized by the classic song, reminding us of how lucky we are to have the inalienable right to stand up for what we believe in, and to never forget the men and women who fought for that freedom.
To an outsider, this oddly peaceful, respectful start to a conservative rally would seem out of place in the heart of the model New England blue state.
When the wife of a Massachusetts Motorcycle Association member was asked why she was attending the rally, she expressed her anger. “Why? Because we are absolutely disgusted with the policy of the Registry of Motor Vehicles, for the corruption that has allowed this to go on. And Charlie Baker is responsible.”
Over a thousand people gathered at the State House to advocate for governmental accountability, stricter law enforcement, and to call for an independent audit of the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV), which ultimately failed to protect seven motorcyclists, five of which were veteran Marines, killed in a crash last month.
“They were there for us,” said featured speaker Jeff Kuhner, conservative radio host and activist. “Now it’s time for us to be there for them.”
On the evening of June 21st, bikers from the Jarheads Motorcycle Club (MC), a New England motorcycle club comprised of current and retired Marines and their spouses/girlfriends, were leaving dinner in Randolph, New Hampshire, headed for a fundraiser where they would receive a “Blessing of the Bikes”. According to witnesses, a truck and trailer, which was driving erratically, swerved over the double yellow line, jackknifed and wiped out the motorcyclists. Seven of the riders were killed, three seriously injured. At Saturday’s rally, Jarheads MC president and crash survivor, Manny Ribeiro, recited the names of the fallen and the crowd bowed their heads in a moment of silence.
The truck driver was identified as Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, a 23-year-old man from Ukraine who recently obtained a green card and permanent resident status in the United States, according to the Boston Herald. Zhukovskyy was arrested three days after the accident and has been charged with seven cases of negligent homicide, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
Prior to the fatal accident, Zhukovskyy already had a lengthy history of vehicle-related infractions and drug abuse. Where’s the accountability?
One observer at the rally remarked, “He should’ve had his license revoked right then and there…They didn’t do it, now seven hardworking, taxpaying Americans are dead, and he is alive, and we are paying for it.”
So why, with this kind of record, was he permitted to drive? Where’s the accountability?
Aidan Kearney, president of Turtleboy Sports and a speaker at the rally, did not place all of the responsibility for the crash on the 23-year-old. “It was a group effort,” he asserted to the ardent crowd rallying on Beacon Hill. “Had just one person in the chain done their due diligence and done their job, [the Fallen Seven] would be here with us today.”
Zhukovskyy was hired as a truck driver, even with all his arrests, because the Massachusetts RMV neglected to act upon both written and electronic warnings from the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles after his May OUI arrest. Upon the resignation of RMV registrar, Erin Deveney, tens of thousands of out-of-state communications and infraction notices from as far back as 2011 were discovered collecting dust in 53 mail bins at RMV headquarters. Who should be held accountable for this?
“Accidents happen all the time,” said the humble Mr. Ribeiro, who hesitated to politicize the Jarheads and the Fallen Seven. “This was no accident. This was one hundred percent avoidable…three to four years ago, this was avoidable.”
He went on to emphasize the “collateral damage” left behind by the tragic accident and asked that we, the People, never forget it. “Keep the support going, hold people accountable. Do your due diligence when it comes time to elect these officials.” And to cheers from the crowd: “Make sure they are working for us.”
Because this scandal has proven they are not.
Former State Representative Geoff Diehl, who was also in attendance, revealed that the RMV only spends about 10 percent of its annual revenue, $60 million, out of $600 million. This makes it impossible to believe that the government agency couldn’t afford to ascertain that “people with drivers’ licenses in [Massachusetts] should have them suspended, or that illegals shouldn’t have drivers’ licenses”. Where is the accountability?
It was just plain incompetence, or “dereliction of duty,” as put by Mr. Ribeiro.
In addition, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker (R) did little more than admit that the RMV made a mistake; he spent the weekend that New England spent mourning the loss of the Fallen Seven in London, at a global warming conference, and attending the Red Sox v. Yankees game at the London Series.
“That’s how little of a priority Charlie Baker considers these seven innocent people who were tragically killed,” Mr. Kearney said.
Governor Baker was not seen at the event at the State House, nor at the Celebration of Life at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough held later that afternoon. None of the major news media organizations were seen at the rally, either.
Boston Broadside, a conservative monthly newspaper, sent videographers and photographers to the event and printed accurate quotes, headlining the rally on their website. Yet major Boston news organizations either refused to cover the event or published misleading stories, including the Herald and the Globe. Local news Channel 7 made a short, two-minute video that featured few words from the speakers. The New York Times misrepresented the event, stating the crowd was made up of “about 300 people who held signs that read ‘Secure Our Borders’ and ‘Trump 2020.’” Yes, those signs were present, but so were signs begging the Massachusetts state government for safe roads for our children and an independent audit of the RMV. Nothing was said at the rally concerning President Trump.
Towards the conclusion of the event, Mr. Kuhner summarized the rally’s goals: “What we want is government accountability. We want to do honor and justice to those seven men and women who died on that fateful day…we want a real independent audit of the RMV. We want to know what they’re hiding from us, and the American people.”
Still, speakers at the rally predicted this media cover-up.
Mr. Kearney believed that if there were people “walking around in MAGA hats…yelling ‘white power’, there would be every media outlet in the country down here…Media has no interest in covering this rally because this rally is powerful, organized and respectful.”
These three qualities do not fit the frame that the media has created for conservatives as a whole.
As a student photojournalist, my research and observations have led me to agree with Manny Ribeiro, Jeff Kuhner, and Aidan Kearney. The Massachusetts state government needs to take ownership of their mistakes by taking action. Real change, including consequences for those who ignored their duty to protect We the People, would be the first step in restoring citizens’ faith in the Baker administration. Over and over at the rally, concerned citizens articulated their frustration with Governor Baker’s lack of compassion and sympathy regarding the Fallen Seven and their loved ones left behind.
Our message for Governor Baker and the state RMV is: Where is the accountability?
At time of publication, Governor Baker’s office had not returned this reporter’s calls concerning possible serious or fatal accidents related to the 53 bins of suspension notices at the Massachusetts RMV.
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