RichardHowe.com – Voices from Lowell & Beyond

Lowell Politics: April 12, 2026

Tuesday’s Lowell City Council meeting covered a variety of topics with a discussion of how the Lowell Police Department interacts (or doesn’t interact) with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents being most important, although I’ll save that until last.

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There was a public hearing and then a vote to amend the city ordinance on fees to make the annual residential trash fee $335 (up from the current $225) with the charge for a non-owner-occupied residence $600 (up from the current $425). This had previously been discussed by the council, but it was still surprising that not a single person spoke at the public hearing, either for or against, and no councilor commented on it before voting unanimously for the fee increase.

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There was some good news on the Lowell High renovation front. Since the start of this year, the council has anxiously awaited firm figures on the cost of unbudgeted remediation in the Coburn Hall building. Several councilors even sprained their fingers while wagging them at the contractors, warning them not to come back seeking more money. Now that interior demolition work has uncovered the areas of concern, they turned out not to be that big an issue and any additional costs will fit within the current budget.

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The complicated intersection of Appleton, Church, Central and Gorham Streets will be getting a much-needed remake. Statistically shown to be extremely dangerous for motor vehicles, cyclists and especially pedestrians, the historic and potentially very valuable buildings that border the intersection have all been at an economic disadvantage due to the challenges and risks faced by pedestrians trying to access them.

Now, the Commonwealth has awarded a $4.7 million grant to the city to make safety upgrades. (On Tuesday, the council formally voted to accept the grant.) A sketch of the intended work shows more pronounced crosswalks and associated signals and safer-for-pedestrian curb layouts as the primary output of the work.

For motor vehicles, when coming in-bound on Gorham/Central Street and turning right onto Church Street, the separated right turn lane that now has the sidewalk on one side and a pedestrian island on the other will be erased. In its place there will be a normal right-turn lane.

Ironically, the current design was a 1980s redesign that was one of several preconditions for the Hilton Hotel (most recently, the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center) coming to downtown Lowell. Before that, Gorham Street was laid out as it is today only it had two-way traffic, and Central Street was a straight shot up the hill to the Back Central neighborhood, with two-way traffic. The Hilton-mandated change created the big sweeping curve on Gorham Street that funnels inbound traffic from Gorham onto Central and then onto Church and onto George right to the hotel. The design purpose was to let cars drive like they were on a divided highway from the Lowell Connector straight to the Hilton Hotel without regard to the densely packed neighborhood the road passes through. This project won’t unwind that “highway in the middle of the city” design that plagues so much of downtown Lowell; it will just make some safety tweaks amid it.

Another roadway change of this new project involves the small stretch of Appleton between Gorham and Central and then on Church from Central to George Street. This is now three lanes wide, but it will be downsized to just two lanes. This should slow the traffic a bit, which will be helpful because after navigating the clogged intersection, drivers feel the urge to accelerate through the straightaway in front of Central Plaza, which creates dangerous conditions for those waiting for the bus or trying to cross the street. Having just two lanes instead of three should slow traffic slightly.

Work on this project is supposed to commence in 2027.

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The issue of ICE and the Lowell Police Department arose with the response to an earlier motion by Councilor Sean McDonough requesting statistics on ICE arrests, detentions and other activities in the city and what, if any, assistance has been provided by the Lowell Police.

The motion response from Police Superintendent Gregory Hudon said there were “no records responsive to this request” and went on to make the following points:

• Immigration enforcement is the responsibility of the federal government and is “not subject to oversight by the Lowell Police Department.”
• When a person requests assistance, the Lowell Police Department does not “routinely question any person about his or her specific citizenship or immigration status.”
• The Lowell Department “routinely cooperates with all our law enforcement partners” such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), however, the LPD has “had no requests to cooperate with ICE.”
• The Lowell Police “are also bound by law to make arrests when a judicially issued federal arrest warrant exists for an individual” and in cases of threats to public safety and to national security.

The Superintendent’s memo also states, correctly, that Massachusetts law does not permit police officers to detain an individual pursuant to a federal civil immigration detainer or administrative warrant.

In the 2017 case of Lunn v. Commonwealth, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that Massachusetts court officers – and by extension, local police officers – do not have the authority to hold a person in custody solely because of a federal immigration detainer. Here’s the court’s reasoning:

Detaining someone against their will constitutes an arrest under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and therefore must be supported by probable cause that a crime has been committed and that the person being held is the one who did it. It doesn’t matter whether someone has said, “you’re under arrest;” the test is whether the person is detained. If the person is not free to leave, then it’s an arrest.

In the Lunn case, Lunn had been charged in state court with a state crime. Bail was set but not paid, so he remained in custody, however, the case was soon dismissed for failure to prosecute. In the meantime, a Federal immigration officer sent the court where Lunn was to appear a “civil detainer” which is an assertion by the Federal authorities that the person named is subject to removal from the country and also a request that the state authorities hold the person for up to 48 hours to give the Feds time to arrive and take them into custody. The court officers in this case did just that, with the concurrence of the judge who had dismissed the state charges, and Lunn was soon in Federal custody.

The SJC reviewed Federal immigration law, especially a 2012 US Supreme Court case that held that being in the country illegally is not a crime but is a civil violation. (Crossing into the country without permission is a misdemeanor, but simply being here, for example, if you have over-stayed your visa, is just a civil infraction.) The SJC also found that nothing in Federal immigration law invested state and local law enforcement officials with the authority to hold someone facing civil removal.

While a Lowell police officer has no authority to detain a person pursuant to a Federal civil warrant, an ICE officer does have the legal authority to do that. The logic used by Federal courts is that these arrests are not punitive (which would require criminal due process) but procedural in that it permits the executive branch to enforce laws regarding who may stay in the country.

The Supremacy Clause of the US Constitution establishes that the Constitution and Federal laws are “the supreme law of the land” and take precedence over conflicting state laws. Consequently, the Federal law that permits ICE to make these arrests on the streets of Lowell takes precedence over conflicting state law that would analyze the arrest differently.

Now in normal times, if the Lowell Police was alerted that heavily armed, masked men, were roaming our streets in unmarked vans and grabbing people, there would be a rapid and overwhelming police response including the mobilization of the regional SWAT team. But these aren’t normal times because the de facto policy of the Federal government is not reasonable immigration enforcement, it’s to terrorize and intimidate people of color and anyone who gets in the way of that effort, hence, the masked, heavily armed Federal agents in our midst.

At one point on Tuesday, Superintendent Hudon mentioned avoiding a “blue on blue” incident by which he meant law enforcement officers from different agencies shooting at each other. Although it was never mentioned, I suspect that an incident in Worcester a year ago has also shaped the thinking of many police departments on this issue. In that case, on May 8, 2025, ICE agents detained a woman on a neighborhood street which prompted relatives and neighbors to surround the scene in protest. Worcester police officers arrived and intervened, arresting the 16-year-old daughter of the woman being detained by ICE and another woman. The incident sparked protests against the Worcester Police Department’s role in the arrests and launched an internal city investigation.

While the official policy of the Lowell Police may be to not assist ICE, at least in the absence of a judicial (criminal) warrant, the unofficial policy of the LPD might just be to stay as far away as possible from any ICE activity, both to avoid the risk of shooting at each other but also to steer clear of a repeat of the Worcester incident of last year.

If that’s the case, it’s unfortunate, because the presence of local police officers, even as passive observers when ICE is grabbing people off the streets, could be beneficial. We’ve all seen the power of video in holding Federal authorities to account and in shaping public opinion against the tactics being employed. Local police with their body cameras turned on to record everything would provide important evidence of what was happening in our city and might even keep confrontations from escalating.

But for now, the city’s official policy is essentially, “there’s nothing we can do” which is regrettable, because it deprives our residents of the feeling that at least those in local government are looking out for them. Furthermore, when setting community expectations or even aspirations, for all the “coffee with a cop” get togethers and the “our police force represents our community” demographic statistics, the “thin blue line” cultural allegiance among all those in law enforcement is powerful and will likely prevail in most circumstances.

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Speaking of how to respond to authoritarian regimes, this week in Seen & Heard I reviewed the 2025 movie Nuremberg which is about the post World War II war crime trials of Nazi leaders. I also commented on a YouTube interview of historian Beverly Gage talking about her Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of J. Edgar Hoover; and discussed a New York Times article that compares the current disruption of oil flowing from the Persian Gulf to the “oil shocks” of the 1970s.

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A reminder that this spring’s tours of historic Lowell Cemetery will take place on Saturday, May 2, and on Sunday, May 3, both at 10am from the Knapp Avenue entrance.

When a con cons a con in merrie olde England by Marjorie Arons-Barron

The entry below is being cross posted by Marjorie Arons-Barron’s own blog.

The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson is a mystery set in London in 1749. It is a romp, filled with colorful characters, set against the well-detailed urban landscape of the Georgian era. The plot is full of surprises, twists and turns. It is a beautifully crafted page turner.

A well-mannered beautiful widow in her thirties, Hannah Cole, owner of a luxury confectionery shop in London, is hard-working, businesslike, and caring. But, were there other sides to her?  An elegant gentleman, wealthy, experienced, cosmopolitan and philanthropic, William Devereux, extends a hand to her. But what of his intentions? What hidden secrets do they have? And how do these principal figures play off the many colorful characters making their way in a city noted historically for its gentry and its rogues, the pretentious and the petty thieves, its orphans and its drunkards.  Her late husband, Jonas Cole, was a hardworking shopkeeper, a dedicated public servant in his parish and a devoted husband. But was he?

And then there is Henry Fielding. Yes, the author of A History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, and of Joseph Andrews, novels that changed the course of English literature. Shepherd-Robinson presents Fielding as himself, when he is earning his living as a magistrate.  He is dealing with pimps and prostitutes, con men, murderers, gamblers and informers. As he did in real life, he is an advocate for reform of the judicial system and a proponent of a formally trained police force.  Fielding in the novel had a flawed past, as he had had in real life. As we read about Fielding in the novel, we recognize the mix of roguishness and forgiveability we read long ago in Tom Jones.

The Art of the Lie is a battle of wits and the principal characters’  interior struggles with their own feelings. It’s a crime mystery and a rich, atmospheric, historic portrait of 18^th century London (if you love the West End of London, you’ll feel right at home.) Most of all, it’s a fast, fun read, and I’m happy to recommend it.

Buttercups and Birthdays

Buttercups and Birthdays

By Leo Racicot

I started to say there are no more bakeries here in Lowell but there are a couple downtown I’ve yet to investigate. Growing up, I guess I was spoiled for choice; there was Price’s on Chelmsford Street where the family and most Lowellians went for their baked goods. There was also the wonderful Yum Yum Shops, one next door to Chelmsford Market Basket (DeMoulas), further up on Chelmsford Street, and my favorite Yum Yum, in the heart of Cupples Square. Also, just up the street from us on Broadway Street, near where the Kathryn Stoklosa Middle School now stands, was Zipp’s Bakery. Most people don’t remember Zipp’s but I was a regular customer;  close enough for me to walk or ride my bike to. Zipp’s donuts were so big, one could feed a family of five. They were that grand. Zipp’s had the best raspberry sticks, I can still taste their freshness, their tangy-sweet combination of flavors. I never wanted them to end, wished the whole day could be taken up eating one. Also, still part of my olfactory memories is the distinct smell of Zipp’s as I got nearer and nearer to it. I could smell its baking ovens as soon as I hit Muldoon’s Oil at the corner of Broadway and Mount Vernon. Some places you never forget and I have never forgotten Zipp’s, miss it to this very day.

Getting back to Yum Yum. It had a confection called buttercups. Buttercups (sometimes called chess squares) were flat cake-like sweets cut into squares. Because at that time, I had no idea what they were, what they were made of, I liked the mysterious nature of them. Sinking my teeth into a fresh buttercup was like no other taste sensation — totally satisfying. The delights of them are still deeply embedded in my taste-memory bank. Once Yum Yum Shops disappeared, so did buttercups. Now-and-then, I’d stumble across them in a stray bakery or two but they were never as good as Yum Yum’s and I haven’t seen them sold anywhere in years. Most people nowadays don’t know what I’m talking about when I ooh and ah over them. They seem to have been strictly a sweet of the 1950s and ’60s.

Every birthday, we went with Marie to either Price’s or Yum Yum for our birthday cakes. Since we knew there was no birthday fairy who, like Santa Claus, was going to surprise us with cake and ice cream on the day itself, as that day approached, anticipation was high and moved on up to motor speed for the day when Ma and Marie would say, “Let’s go get your birthday cake!”  Piled high in front of us — the birthday boy or girl got to sit on a special higher chair — were bowls and bowls, veritable mountains of potato chips, peanuts, popcorn. Of course, I loved the frosting part of the cake, could never get enough of it. As I age, I find myself scraping the gooey, too-sweet slab off of a cake or a cupcake as fast as I can; one of the necessities of aging. I much prefer, and my system can tolerate better, the not overly sweet cakes baked by the Asian Bakery on the corner run by Betty Chiu Leung. At 50 or 60 dollars a pop, I convince myself they’re well worth the price for their delectability and decorative look, pleasing to the eye as well as to the taste buds.

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My birthday party, age 7 or 8

Yum Yum Shop interior

Clara Zipps Bakery

Price’s Bakery

Betty Chiu Leung

Buttercups

Seen & Heard vol. 14

Seen & Heard: Vol. 14

Movie Review: Nuremberg – This 2025 historical drama is now on Netflix. It’s about the war crime trials of German leaders that were held at the end of World War II in the German city of Nuremberg. The movie stars Russell Crowe as Hermann Goring, who ranked just behind Hitler in the Nazi hierarchy, and Rami Malek as a US Army psychiatrist assigned to assess Goring and the dozen other defendants for their competency to stand trial, their risk of suicide, and to covertly obtain information about their defense strategy. In supporting roles are John Slattery as the warden of the jail in which the defendants are held, and Michael Shannon, as US Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson, who was the lead American prosecutor. At first, I had a hard time separating what I thought were the dramatic liberties that had been taken with the story, but in my subsequent reading, I was surprised to learn the movie hewed closely to what actually happened. Even with my (unfounded) skepticism, it was an excellent film, especially Crowe’s performance. Knowing now that it was mostly accurate made my memory of the film that much better. Although not completely clear from the movie, after the war, the psychiatrist, Douglas Kelley, published a book, 22 Cells in Nuremberg: A Psychiatrist Examines Nazi Criminals. His conclusion: there was nothing unique about the Nazi defendants. They were all mediocre, narcissistic men, who latched on to a charismatic leader (Hitler) to advance their own standing, and were willing to say or do anything to stay in the good graces of that leader. Kelley argued that these types of men exist in every society, even in America, and that the same thing could happen here. Published in 1947, his downbeat message was not what Americans wanted to hear and the book was poorly received, although looking back from today, it seems remarkably prescient. 

YouTube Author Interview: America’s Bookclub: Historian Beverly Gage – Hosted by philanthropist David Rubenstein and produced by CSPAN, America’s Bookclub features Rubenstein interviewing American historians about the books they have written. A recent edition featured Beverly Gage, a professor of history at Yale, who won the Pulitzer Prize for biography for her 2022 book G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century. Gage explained that her field is 20th century American history and that Hoover’s career, which began under President Calvin Coolidge and ended under Richard Nixon, spanned much of that period and was deeply involved in the Cold War which was a dominant circumstance of that era. She talked much about Hoover and her writing process. She also said her next big biography will be of Ronald Reagan, not because there are a lack of Reagan biographies, but because the Cold War was also dominant throughout his political life, including the end of the Cold War, so his biography would allow her to tell the full story of that conflict. Because writing a big biography takes a decade or more, she fit in a shorter project in honor of the US 250th birthday. That book, This Land is Your Land, describes visits to 13 historical sites in America ranging from Independence Hall in Pennsylvania to Disneyland in California. Here’s a link to the interview: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MycpJL6uUQ&t=1988s

Newspaper Article: “70s Oil Shocks Altered Global Finance. Will This One?” New York Times, March 29, 2026. In my recent book chronicling the history of Lowell, I repeat the oft used phrase that in Lowell, the Great Depression came early and stayed late. I usually set 1978 as the pivot point when things changed, but more likely it was a year or two later. An event that extended the city’s economic plight was the twin oil shocks of the 1970s. The first happened in 1973-74 in the aftermath of the Six Day War; the second in 1978-79 with the Iranian Revolution. I was in high school during that earlier episode (Bishop Guertin in Nashua) and recall having Christmas vacation extended a week and then having all Mondays off in January and February, all to conserve heating oil. In the later oil crisis, there was gas rationing – if your license plate ended in an even number, you would only get gas on an even numbered day of the week and vice versa for odd numbers. I also recall spending the summer of 1978 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, for ROTC training camp, and worrying about access to gasoline during my 750 mile drive back to Lowell that August. It turned out not to be an issue but it was a cause for concern. The article cited above reviews both of those crises and their consequences. Besides squeezing the US with oil shortages, the embargos also fueled further inflation that wracked the US economy in that decade which forced the incredibly high interest rates (18% home mortgages) of the early 1980s that were needed to tame inflation. But the oil shortages also strengthened the US dollar as the world’s currency which caused billions to flow to oil exporters in the Middle East. That countries like Saudi Arabia are now central to global finance is a direct result of those oil shocks of the 1970s. The article also invites readers to speculate how the global system of finance and commerce might be fundamentally reordered if the current war drags on.