Dec 20, 2007 1:12 pm US/Eastern
Boston City Councilor Busted For Not Shoveling
ROXBURY (WBZ) ―
Boston
city councilor Chuck Turner said he'd heard the warnings and was willing to pay
the fine, for not shoveling the sidewalk in front of his Roxbury home.
Now he's changing his tune.
After our report Wednesday afternoon in which Turner said
nothing would convince him to shovel, our cameras found him doing just that Wednesday
night.
City law requires all residents to shovel the sidewalk on
their property.
WBZ sent a camera to the homes of several councilors Wednesday - and all of the
sidewalks were clear - except Turner's.
Turner had said he was willing to pay the $50 fine for not
shoveling.
"The reality is that if I have to pay a ticket, I have to pay a ticket. So
I have no problems with city inspectors coming by and ticketing me because I
didn't do it in this particular case."
He told WBZ he knew he was violating the city ordinance, but claimed people in
his neighborhood don't use sidewalks.
"The law is the law, but the reality is the cultural
practice is not to use the sidewalks even when the snow isn't there,"
Turner said.
That's a statement some community activists took offense too.
Jamal Crawford, of Roxbury, was incensed when he heard it,
particularly because he has to walk along un-shoveled sidewalks all the time.
"I'm a 20 year student of African Culture both all through the Diaspora
and particularly here in America.
I've never heard of any kind of cultural significance that I know of myself. If
the inference is that somehow black people, if that's what he meant by it,
don't use the sidewalk, that's definitely not true in my experience," said
Crawford.
Turner later tried to clarify his statement by saying he
meant the "culture of his neighborhood."
Others we talked to said Turner's late effort to shovel
was too little, too late, because he'd already set a bad example.
Carlos Henriquez ran against Turner in the last election.
He says not shoveling isn't just inconsiderate; it's also a put people at risk
when they're forced to walk in the street.
"I know the day that I don't
shovel in front of my house, is the day that those parents and kids have to
walk in the street. With the roads the way they are you're putting these people
at risk," said Henriquez.
Crawford wondered why Turner would be willing to pay a $50
fine for not shoveling, but apparently wasn't willing to pay a neighborhood kid
$10 to shovel.
Rodney Brown, one of Turner's neighbors, wasn't buying the
councilor's excuse. "I'm 72 years old. If I can do it, you can do it
too," Brown said.
Another neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, defended Turner, saying he's
the one who's making sure that his elderly neighbors are plowed out, he has a
great track record and people shouldn't focus on just a few feet of snow.
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