Skateboarding cop goes viral, a dad joke backfires, and a resident makes an unusual animal complaint
On March 15,
Framingham
police shared a
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THE DOG DID IT
At 11:02 a.m. March 30,
Cohasset
police got a call from a guy on Hull Street who reported that 'the dog locked him out on the deck,' and he had 'no way of getting back in the house or off the deck.' The caller asked if someone could come by and help him out. He said the front door was unlocked, and the dog was friendly. Police responded to the home and were able to let the resident back in his home.
FOOLISH PRANK BY DAD
At 7:09 p.m. April 1 — April Fool's Day, of course — a man in
Hingham
called 911 after he put a smoke machine in his daughter's room as a prank, setting off the fire alarm — and he couldn't get it to turn off. Although there was no fire or real smoke, he was advised to get himself and his family out of the house, just in case. Fire department personnel were dispatched to help the hapless homeowner, and they confirmed that the alarm was accidental.
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BLAME GAME
At 10:47 p.m. April 12,
Cambridge
police responded to White Street for a report of a disturbance between a tow truck driver and an individual who was getting their car towed from private property for a parking violation. The truck driver and motorist each accused the other of doing some pushing. But the tussle didn't last long, and they eventually settled down and peace was restored. Police said they both declined medical attention and didn't wish to pursue criminal charges.
AUTONOMOUS AUTO
On April 8,
Acton
police received a 911 call from a concerned citizen who reported there was 'a vehicle travelling with the wind' on Massachusetts Avenue. The log entry stated that the 'vehicle came to a stop, but was obstructing traffic during the call.' Several officers responded to the scene and located the runaway vehicle. It was then corralled into a parking space and the emergency brake was engaged to keep it in place.
UNHAPPY MEAL
At 12:08 a.m. March 13,
Bridgewater
police
ALL CREATURES, GREAT AND SMALL
The
Dedham
animal control officer recently
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Emily Sweeney can be reached at
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Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Yahoo
Opinion - How to bring down a storied think-tank? Humiliation works.
On April Fool's Day, which feels like a century ago, someone who answered to Elon Musk reportedly gave the CEO of the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars an ultimatum: quit or be fired. A loyal Republican, the CEO had served several terms in Congress and as an American ambassador abroad before heading USAID in the first Trump administration. Yet, in a moment, this man of considerable stature was reduced to ignominy. Neither of us was a direct witness to the Wilson Center drama, but the emotions and the signals colleagues at the center took from this power play evoked communist Poland and resonated with our long combined experience in that country. Authoritarian regimes use humiliation, intimidation and fear as a cudgel, tools of social control. The specific ways these blows are administered differ according to time and circumstances. In this case, it sufficed to humiliate the most powerful person in the organization. Wilson Center staff went proactively silent, even when approached by the press. This was not a lack of courage. Indeed, we believe it was a collective act of kindness. No one wanted to put their more vulnerable colleagues at greater risk while sensitive negotiations were underway to secure severance and health care for people who needed to buy groceries and pay rent. Silence seemed to be a virtue. And that is precisely what authoritarians count on. Uncertainty about the present and the future is what they exploit. Intimidation need not be explicit; indeed, it is often more powerful when victims must guess how far their tormentors are willing to go and are forced to act on limited knowledge. Here is the Polish, 1980s version of how it happens, as one of us, then a Fulbright Scholar in martial law Poland, witnessed. From the street sweeper to the head of a hospital, university, theater or government agency, everyone was forced to navigate a steady state of insecurity, uncertain what provocations could happen in the next day or hour. All of society was made aware that nothing was firmly guaranteed, neither jobs nor status, and especially not human dignity. One day, university presidents were fired. The next day, the regime demanded that professors sign loyalty oaths or surrender their jobs. A respected journalist who dared, in guarded language, to report facts suddenly found himself a taxi driver to support his family. The regime honored the law when it was convenient, flouted it when inconvenient. Poles called it 'uncertain tomorrow.' This is a lesson. Humiliation can be imposed in a variety of ways: required oaths, a shocking fall from grace and position, a strip search, a searched apartment, being forced to stand in line for hours for basic food staples or watching any of that happen to family, friends and colleagues. Whole books have been written seeking to understand how human beings respond to such conditions, whether they accept dependence or take the tougher road of refusal. We do not think our country is Poland under communism yet. At the moment, humiliation is not a feature of every contact with the formal organs of our government, as it was there. On the other hand, this is a new phenomenon for Americans who have, until now, been spared these specific systematic cruelties, hurled from official positions. Now, in a time that could be a turning point, we need to school ourselves to understand and resist techniques that Trump instinctively grasps, but most Americans may not. In this strange new world of unrecognizable features, societal slides can happen rapidly, facilitated by naivety born of inexperience and denial. It took days to reduce the Wilson Center from an internationally respected think-tank that reveled in its independence and intellectual leadership to a smoldering wreck, soon to be nonexistent. The pace of repeated indignities meant that, within days of April 1, new outrages relegated the Wilson Center putsch to obscurity. As we write, public attention has moved on. In this reality, what is at first unthinkable soon becomes routine. The struggles of the Polish people also offer an alternative of resistance and hope. What Poles sought from the Solidarity movement that coalesced in 1980 and set the stage for the new democracy that began to emerge in 1989 was, first among others, dignity — the antithesis of humiliation. The Poles had to dig themselves out of a deeper hole than is currently our challenge; first the Nazi, and then the Communist regime supported by a powerful, armed neighbor. Even so, they took to the streets. They pursued every possible means of peaceful opposition to confront oppression. At this momentous historical juncture, our assignment as Americans is to find ways to turn our humiliation into action, to reclaim our dignity. Ruth Greenspan Bell, according to her dismissal letter, is, until May 31, a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Janine R. Wedel, a social anthropologist in the Schar School at George Mason University, is the author of 'The Private Poland' and 'UNACCOUNTABLE: How the Establishment Corrupted Our Finances, Freedom, and Politics and Created an Outsider Class.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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PANIC AT THE CARNIVAL Advertisement On the evening of April 25, police figured out what was causing a commotion at the McKinley Carnival at Jennings Beach in Fairfield, Conn. , and it wasn't something you'd expect. 'At one point during the event, a crowd was seen running from the beach area, understandably raising concerns,' police Advertisement THIS LITTLE At 4:57 p.m. on West Bridgewater informed police that there was such a pig in her backyard which she believed had been living under her porch for a week. The pig, which was described as black and white, was last seen running into the woods toward Ash Street. Advertisement MAYBE? On April 9, Acton police got a call from someone reporting that a motor vehicle hit a boulder. The caller reported speaking to the woman who was driving, who said: 'Maybe that's why I have a flat tire.' The driver wasn't hurt, but the caller was concerned that she'd been drinking because of that comment and her demeanor seemed 'off.' Police who arrived at the scene apparently agreed because they ultimately placed the 27-year-old driver under arrest on charges of operating under the influence, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and possessing an open container of alcohol in the vehicle. Emily Sweeney can be reached at
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Skateboarding cop goes viral, a dad joke backfires, and a resident makes an unusual animal complaint
On March 15, Framingham police shared a Advertisement THE DOG DID IT At 11:02 a.m. March 30, Cohasset police got a call from a guy on Hull Street who reported that 'the dog locked him out on the deck,' and he had 'no way of getting back in the house or off the deck.' The caller asked if someone could come by and help him out. He said the front door was unlocked, and the dog was friendly. Police responded to the home and were able to let the resident back in his home. FOOLISH PRANK BY DAD At 7:09 p.m. April 1 — April Fool's Day, of course — a man in Hingham called 911 after he put a smoke machine in his daughter's room as a prank, setting off the fire alarm — and he couldn't get it to turn off. Although there was no fire or real smoke, he was advised to get himself and his family out of the house, just in case. Fire department personnel were dispatched to help the hapless homeowner, and they confirmed that the alarm was accidental. Advertisement BLAME GAME At 10:47 p.m. April 12, Cambridge police responded to White Street for a report of a disturbance between a tow truck driver and an individual who was getting their car towed from private property for a parking violation. The truck driver and motorist each accused the other of doing some pushing. But the tussle didn't last long, and they eventually settled down and peace was restored. Police said they both declined medical attention and didn't wish to pursue criminal charges. AUTONOMOUS AUTO On April 8, Acton police received a 911 call from a concerned citizen who reported there was 'a vehicle travelling with the wind' on Massachusetts Avenue. The log entry stated that the 'vehicle came to a stop, but was obstructing traffic during the call.' Several officers responded to the scene and located the runaway vehicle. It was then corralled into a parking space and the emergency brake was engaged to keep it in place. UNHAPPY MEAL At 12:08 a.m. March 13, Bridgewater police ALL CREATURES, GREAT AND SMALL The Dedham animal control officer recently Advertisement Emily Sweeney can be reached at
