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Date: 12/27/2022
SHUTESBURY – Incidents of destructive graffiti prompted Police Chief Kristin Burgess to field a class in graffiti art for the town’s youth. That counter-intuitive move, an effort to promote a positive connection between local kids and the police, incensed one resident so much that he “bullied” parents into keeping their middle schoolers from taking part, according to Burgess.
Burgess shared that resident claimed the classes are illegal.
“According to Webster’s, it does say it is an illegal activity,” Burgess told the Select Board last week. “Thank goodness we don’t follow the laws of Webster’s Dictionary. If I did, if I ever caught any one of you doodling, I might just have to arrest you.”
Burgess sought a vote of support from the board for the classes that drew a lot of interest from those interested in spray art. The chief received 10 or 12 emails and telephone calls about the class with local artists Joan Green and Bobby Brown. Brown and Green are well-known in the art world for their spray painted works.
Two kids showed up for the first session on Dec. 3. Burgess was disappointed. Then she heard a resident had intimidated some parents.
“I received a couple of phone calls from parents telling me that they had heard that a certain resident in town was going around and speaking that graffiti is illegal and the Police Department should not be encouraging or sponsoring anything that is illegal,” Burgess said. “They feel this person will call them out, and the word was ‘bully,’ and I tried to explain to them this is not an illegal activity. This is an artistic outlet. We’re going to have an art show.”
The Select Board, sans Rita Farrell, who was not present, offered support for the community policing initiative through a unanimous vote. Christine Robinson, a local teacher and town constable, helped facilitate the class. She shared her frustration over the antagonism.
“I just don’t understand why we have these beautiful projects and programs and people don’t appreciate it,” Robinson said. “I know, working as a seventh grade science teacher, that when I made connections with my kids there were less problems ... so again, connection is the key.”
Resident Mary Lou Conca didn’t hold back in her praise for the program.
“My son is a graffiti artist,” Conca said, “and I say kudos to your program. I thank you for it.”
Another resident, Susie Mosher, spoke to the silliness of supposing the chief of police would enlist children into illegal activities. She also brought the focus onto the reasoning behind the effort: the overwhelming preference for community policing efforts Burgess was hired to initiate.
“The Select Board has chosen Kristen because she is a professional police chief and they trust her and they support her,” Mosher said. “The town survey showed that we want community policing [and so] having opinions that are causing strife in this town … it is … not supportive.”
As Burgess told the board, the art class was an effort to deepen the reach of her department into the community, to create connections with more residents who are not adults. Adults are easier to connect with over security matters and other more typical public safety activities. Burgess said middle schoolers are in a particularly tough place, developmentally, and it is harder to connect with them.
“I just want to create mutual trust with the community, especially with our youth,” Burgess said. “The middle grades … they’re very vulnerable at that age. … They’re still trying to figure things out, who they are, who they want to be, how they want to represent themselves.”
Burgess, hired to institute community policing programs, saw the graffiti class as a next step after the successful “sand for seniors” effort begun last winter. This winter’s art class will culminate in an art show. That show will also not be the last such non-traditional policing effort.
“This is just the beginning,” Burgess said. “We want to do other projects with art. I had a lot of adults reach out and say I want to do something like that. I think that’s wonderful.”
Town Administrator Rebecca Flores, who attended the meeting with the chief and board, saw the artwork produced after the first class took place in the community room at Town Hall.
“I had the opportunity to help put the artwork away and it is wonderful,” Flores said. “I can’t wait to have the art show.”