A little over two weeks have passed since vandals exploded a Rainbow Times newspaper box in Salem, Massachusetts, and the state fire marshal office is standing by its “up to $5,000” offer to reward anyone who brings them information that helps identify the culprits.
Anyone with such info should call Massachusetts’ Arson Hotline at (800) 682-9229, says the state fire marshal. They can also call Salem Police Detective Kevin St. Pierre at (978) 744-0171, extension 179.
According to the police report, a group of seven individuals put the explosive device inside the Boston-based LGBT newspaper’s box at approximately 1:19 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 23, setting off a blast heard a mile away.
“There are two individuals here who are actually placing the explosive in the newspaper box. The entire inner layer was blown to pieces,” said a police spokesperson.
The newspaper’s publisher Gricel M. Ocasio said in a press statement the Times has reported ten previous incidents of vandalism to boxes in Salem over the past three months. However, Ocasio adds, “We, at The Rainbow Times, will not be censored. We will continue our diligent work and we will not be silenced by ignorance or hatred.”
A new box was installed at the same location less than a week after the incident. According to an August 28 report in The Salem News:
Publisher Grisel M. Ocasio and editor-in-chief Nicole Lashomb were among the speakers at the new display box’s unveiling Sunday, in an event called “Reclaiming Salem MA,” at the corner of Washington and Essex streets. Mayor Kim Driscoll, police Chief Mary Butler, and other city officials and LGBT advocates filled the intersection, offering words of support alongside silent declarations of love in the form of rainbow flags and signs.
“We will not be silenced,” said Ocasio Sunday. “We are here to stay.”
Ocasio encouraged all those present — more than 100 onlookers — to think of the new box as their own.
“When something like this happens, we stand strong,” said Driscoll. “To anyone watching, don’t do it again.”
Driscoll said in her remarks that the Rainbow Times newspaper boxes have consistently been the subject of vandalism. The targeted box was recently moved to the Washington Street intersection, in full view of a street camera.
Steve Harrington, executive director of nAGLY, the North Shore alliance of LGBT youth, distributed flags at the event. Last week, the organization and the city strung 10 rainbow flags across Washington Street, overlooking where the previous newspaper box stood.
“Just in case anyone had any doubt about where the city stands, this is how we fight,” Harrington said.
