By CHRIS COLLINS
(Greenfield, MA) — Members of the Franklin County Beacon Hill delegation are denouncing what they say was a racist attack by an FRTA bus driver on an African American man and his two sons last Thursday.
Senators Jo Comerford and Adam Hinds, and representatives Natalie Blais, Paul Mark and Susannah Whipps issued the strongly-worded statement on social media in response to the alleged attack on Erik Rudder and the two juveniles after they exited an FRTA bus on Greenfield’s Main Street.
“In response to yesterday’s tragedy and in the wake of the horrors of the last weeks, the Franklin County delegation has pledged to redouble our efforts for racial justice — because words are simply not enough to express our grief and outrage. Only action matters now,” wrote Comerford in a Facebook post as part of the announcement.
Steven Connell, 38, of Gill, was arraigned in Greenfield District Court on Friday on charges related to the incident, where he allegedly veered the FRTA bus he was driving off Main Street, nearly hitting Rudder, his two boys and a bystander. Connell claimed that one of the juveniles was making hand gestures that indicated he had a gun, and he attacked Rudder in an attempt to apprehend him. No gun was found.
Read the combined statement here 