Posted on 01/18/2015 12:22:15 PM PST by Impala64ssa
Mayor Martin J. Walsh has fired a 25-year-old city youth worker after learning the Roxbury woman was among 11 protesters who chained themselves to 1,200-pound, concrete-filled barrels in Milton on Thursday, snarling morning rush-hour traffic and stalling at least two ambulances, the Herald has learned. As mayor, you have to make tough, difficult decisions. This is not a difficult decision, Walsh said. This was not based on the fact of this woman protesting. It was based on the fact of putting the public safety of other people at risk.
Nelli Ruotsalainen, a part-time youth communication specialist for the Boston Centers for Youth and Families, was noncooperative and pled the Fifth at her City Hall hearing yesterday, after which a Labor Relations committee recommended she be terminated, according to city officials.
Walsh said he fully supports the right to demonstrate but these protesters crossed the line and endangered and disrupted peoples lives. The mayor said he was particularly upset that the protesters jeopardized the life of an 83-year-old car crash victim whose ambulance had to be rerouted from Boston Medical Center to a Brockton hospital.
You cant put people in harms way like that, he said.
A separate group of 18 protesters blocked traffic by creating a human chain of bodies linked together with pipes, ropes and chains on I-93 in Medford. All 29 protesters were arrested and arraigned Thursday.
A press release they sent out claimed that while none are African-American, they were supporting Black Lives Matter, an activist group that has staged rallies in response to police killings of unarmed black men in Ferguson, Mo., and Staten Island, N.Y.
Ruotsalainen, a Finland native, could not be reached for comment yesterday. She pleaded not guilty in Quincy District Court to seven charges: trespassing, throwing glass on a public way, willfully obstructing an emergency vehicle, conspiracy, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and throwing an object on a public way.
The mayor said the contract employee called her supervisor Thursday morning requesting an unpaid personal day.
She was not terminated because she protested, because if you take a personal day you can do what you want on that day. She was terminated because of the risk of public safety. ... The way the events unfolded (Thursday) really bothered me, Walsh said.
First Amendment lawyer Harvey Silverglate said protesters rights to free speech go out the window when they cause such massive disruption and municipal employees have fewer such rights than regular citizens. Even an ordinary citizen, he said, could not be protected from that kind of disruptive activity.
Cute but stupid. Pass.
I like stories with happy endings.
MHZNetworks runs a Finnish PI show that sort of gives a view into parts of the culture.
You fired a part time employee?
Well, you’re so strong.
She can’t be the only asshat in the employ of your city.
It’s like 100 lawyers at the bottom of the sea.
AKA “It’s a start”...
Makes you wonder if she was in charge of teaching the youts how to make BAD decisions
More like a dimnished point, with no line or superfice.
Just nothing solid....
But, I do like marshmallow creme. ...
If any injury occurred to those who needed the ambulances, the “protestors” should be charged with a crime. If anyone died, they should be charged with felony murder.
Were she black she’d have been let off the hook.
Dumb HONKY = fired
Well, not really. Now she’ll go on welfare and continue costing the tax payers of MA $. Then again its pretty hard to feel bad for the tax payers as they seem quite happy w/ liberals in charge. LOL, guess you were right...they richly deserve each other. Never mind ;)
Should sue her and the people who organized it.
Useless welfare job.
That is an interesting point. If someone lost their job, lost wages, any other number of consequences as a result of their protest... would be interesting if someone would sue, what the courts would decide.
God bless him. Looks like it would have been a very difficult decision for me. I mean, just on the surface...
Is that her in the pic? Maybe the position was created for her...
He “sacked” her. It says so.
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