Thursday, May 7, 2015

Silence in Sudbury

Long trail of violence preceded fatal trip for Sudbury couple

That wasn't on my $hift today so I didn't read any of it.

"Sudbury man accused of killing parents in Virgin Islands" by Jan Ransom and Travis Andersen Globe Staff  May 05, 2015

SUDBURY — A week ago, Jane and Kenneth Young and their son, Mikhail, arrived at the Crystal Cove Beach Resort on St. Thomas for a family vacation, authorities said.

Jane Young, a longtime math teacher at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, had retired in January and with this trip “was looking forward to a change,” one neighbor recalled.

By Tuesday afternoon, Mikhail Brian Young, 24, stood accused of the murder of his parents, Massachusetts authorities said.

“This is a horrific crime where the suspect allegedly killed his own parents,” Sudbury Police Chief Scott Nix said in a statement....

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Then came the gruesome discovery, according to earlier reports from the news website Patch.com and a Sudbury police log. Mikhail had been adopted from Russia! 

Must be the town:

"Sudbury seeks lesson on civility in meetings" by Jennifer Fenn Lefferts Globe Correspondent  May 03, 2015

What should have been a routine meeting last spring to choose the next chairman of the Sudbury Board of Selectmen devolved into a heated debate of personal attacks that left many residents shaking their heads in disgust.

Ten days after that May 2014 meeting, the hostile political climate in town continued its downward spiral in the acrimony that has divided this upscale town west of Boston. Over the past few years, there have been accusations of open meeting law violations, suppression of free speech, using private e-mail accounts for political gain, and name-calling.

Recently, a group of local clergy members stepped in.

Heaven help them.

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Residents said tensions started rising in town after a student was fatally stabbed by a fellow student at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School in 2007, according to the report. But many said the biggest trigger took place about three years ago when a group of town officials, including the then-chairman of the Board of Selectmen, met at a local restaurant after Town Meeting and stayed past the allowed closing time — a violation of its liquor license. One of the town employees was involved in a one-car accident after leaving the restaurant and was charged with drunken driving.

The incident turned into a townwide drama that led to calls for a vote of no confidence in a selectman and the creation of a Facebook group called One Sudbury, which has become a place for residents to vent their frustration.

That is what blogs are for. 

Members of One Sudbury successfully pushed a change in the makeup of the Board of Selectmen from three members to five, with the hope that it would lead to a more representative government.

And after more than 8 years, I can claim failure.

But angry exchanges between board members and on social media sites have continued.

The comments section never worked here, and after awhile I became grateful after seeing other sites. Comments have been left; however, I have no way of accessing them and searched the template and layout far and wide for a solution.

“There’s been a lot of brinksmanship, a lot of power-mongering, a lot of personal attacks, and not a lot of open or honest communication,” resident Mara Huston said. “People can have a difference of opinion, but if people are not willing to listen, then we get nowhere and that’s what has happened over the past few years.” 

They are behaving like Zionists! 

As for me, I'm still learning. It's an evolution that never stops, and anyone who claims to know it all should be met with suspicion. I simply give you the way I see things. You need to make up your own mind for yourself. Sorry I'm not omniscient.

To improve communication, the report suggests measures such as holding a retreat for selectmen to get to know one another better, improving the town’s website, hiring a public outreach coordinator, and holding more issue-specific forums.

Viscomi said most residents contacted for the project were “warm and gracious,” though there were some who thought the issues were blown out of proportion and didn’t warrant outside intervention.

Well, you know, there are always some people!!!!

Many townspeople probably were not affected, the report noted, because they aren’t involved in town government or are more focused on work, their families, and outside activities.

You know, worthwhile things that mean something to them rather than wallowing around with scum.

Selectman Robert Haarde said he’s hopeful that officials and residents will take the report seriously.

“We need to start approaching different opinions with curiosity and resist the temptation to assign bad intentions to those with whom you disagree,” he said. “You have to recognize there are two sides and two sets of values and two sets of perspectives.”

Uh-huh, except the truth is the truth and WTC towers can not free-fall into their own footprints due to jet fuel fires. Let's start there.

Simon, who acknowledges having made some now-regretted comments about a colleague, hopes the report will start a positive dialogue. But he worries the incivility will persist on social media platforms, where people don’t interact face-to-face.

No one is forcing you to have read this far.

“It’s certainly a worthwhile project,” he said. “It will speak loudly to those people who were civil to begin with, but for those who were uncivil, I’m afraid it will fall on deaf ears.”

What?

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RelatedHarvard researchers suggest dialogue to calm conflict in Sudbury

I'm done talking for today, and it is time for me to silently retire.

NDU:

"Details of Sudbury man’s violent history emerge; Fearful mother once sent Mikhail Young to a local hotel because she feared him" by Jan Ransom Globe Staff  May 08, 2015

SUDBURY —Mikhail Young was in and out of the court system with most cases dismissed, but in 2012, according to court records, an employee at the Red Roof Inn in Framingham was walking toward the front office when she spotted Young standing outside the hotel urinating on the wall, the police report states.

Now who wasn't listening?

The employee yelled, “What are you doing?” and Mikhail turned toward her, exposing himself. The employee told police she was shocked and appalled.

Officers found Young with another man in room 139. Police said that they could smell alcohol on his breath, that his words were slurred, and that he could not stand straight. A bottle of vodka sat atop a desk in the room, the report states.

No marijuana?

Officials at the Red Roof Inn did not respond to a request seeking comment.

Young admitted to police he was on probation and was not supposed to be drinking. Court documents revealed Young had received treatment for alcohol and substance abuse in 2011. The report also states that he told police he was taking medication for back pain and bipolar disorder.

All the more reason not to be drinking, and here we go again with the pharmaceutically-assisted killings.

Young called his mother and broke down crying when she arrived, officers said, describing him as “very passive and needy toward her.” But his mood quickly changed once police began telling his mother about the accusations and after she began sharing some of her concerns with officers.

Young became agitated and began swearing at his mother, until police separated the two, the report states.

Young, who told police he did not want to go to jail and worried that he had violated probation, threatened to kill himself. Police transported him to Framingham Metro West Hospital for a psychological evaluation, the report says.

Young’s violent streak coupled with substance abuse should have been a red flag, one specialist said yesterday.

“When a person has a serious mental illness and he or she is not being treated, they begin to get involved in substance abuse,” said Timothy O’Leary, deputy director at the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health. “The struggle with parents is that they love their son, they love their daughter, and they don’t want to send them into homelessness. But the reality is, if a kid has schizophrenia or is bipolar and they’re not getting any form of treatment, they can become a danger as conditions deteriorate.”

That leaves me scared and speechless about who is out there.

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UPDATE:

"Sudbury man accused of killing parents fighting extradition to Virgin Islands" by Maria Cramer Globe Staff  May 14, 2015

FRAMINGHAM — The lawyer for the man accused of killing his parents earlier this month said he plans to fight extradition to the Virgin Islands, where authorities said he committed the crime.

Mikhail Brian Young, a 24-year-old Sudbury resident with a long history of violence, according to court documents, stood in Framingham District Court on Thursday as his lawyer told a judge that many factors stood in the way of Young’s quick return.

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The family was in St. Thomas to celebrate Kenneth Young’s 73d birthday. His wife, Jane Young, who recently retired as a teacher at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, was 66.

Young, who was adopted along with his sister from Russia, stabbed Kenneth and Jane Young in the couple’s rental vacation home, according to authorities in the Virgin Islands. Police said they have surveillance footage of him leaving the unit alone on May 2, when he booked a ticket back to Boston. A maid discovered the crime scene on May 4.

Young’s lawyer, Stanley Norkunas of Lowell, said authorities have yet to show any evidence linking Young to his parents’ killing.

“He is grief-stricken,” Norkunas said.

Massachusetts law requires that the governor of the Virgin Islands issue a warrant for Young’s arrest and police in the Virgin Islands must show probable cause that he committed the crime before Young can be extradited, Norkunas said.

Norkunas said state law also requires that Young understand the rendition process. Norkunas said that he wanted his client to meet with a professional who can assess whether Young has the ability to comprehend what is happening to him.

Norkunas said Young had been prescribed antipsychotic medication over the years.

Court documents have stated that Young suffered from bipolar disorder and that his parents repeatedly sought restraining orders against him.

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Another hearing is scheduled for June 4.