It was very stupid for these two kids to bring toy guns to school, but they are still kids. They are 12 and 13. Arresting and charging two kids with developing brains for doing something stupid will not help anyone. #Holyoke #Massachusetts #mapoli
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When i was 10 my friend brought a bunch of m-80s to school. We blew them up at recess while the teachers were out back smoking. Then we played kickball.
jun 18, 2025, 7:31 pm • 0 0 • view
Also what's up with this headline, @westernmassnews.com? "2 teens arrested after gun call at Holyoke school" — except they were 12 and 13 (not "teens") and they had toy guns. Both factually inaccurate and alarmist. How about "Holyoke police arrest 2 kids for allegedly bringing toy guns to school"?
jun 18, 2025, 6:17 pm • 5 1 • view
Also, the story does not say the race of the two children who were arrested, but the #Holyoke Police Department has a history of racist and violent policing, including violence toward students — and Holyoke cops are free to use force without fear that they will be held accountable.
jun 18, 2025, 6:29 pm • 1 0 • view
According to data from the state, the school the two boys attended is only 10 percent white, with 80 percent of students identifying as Hispanic/Latino. Maybe I'm wrong, but I suspect these boys were not white, and I wonder whether the police would have arrested two white kids for having toys guns.
jun 18, 2025, 6:44 pm • 1 0 • view
I'm trying to request reports about these arrests, but the Holyoke Police Department does not have an email address for its records access officer on its website, which is a violation of state law. Instead, it says you're required to sign up for an account and use a web portal to request records.
jun 18, 2025, 6:56 pm • 1 1 • view
I found the city clerk's email address and sent my records request to her instead.
jun 18, 2025, 7:03 pm • 1 0 • view
Apparently the mayor and police chief of #Holyoke are both advocates for racist "broken windows" policing, so it's no surprise we're seeing cops arresting and criminally charging children for playing with toy guns.
jun 20, 2025, 3:27 pm • 0 0 • view
has anyone found out the race of the kids yet?
jun 20, 2025, 3:29 pm • 0 0 • view
I'm waiting on a response to a public records request, but they were most likely Latino.
jun 20, 2025, 3:39 pm • 0 0 • view