Community Corner

Letter: Governor Needs to Reconsider Secure Communities

Citing the death of Matthew Denice, state Sen. Richard Moore (D-Uxbridge) sent a letter to Governor Patrick Monday, urging him to enlist Massachusetts in the Secure Communities program.

The following letter was sent by state Sen. Richard T. Moore (D-Uxbridge) to Gov. Deval Patrick on Monday:

Dear Governor Patrick:

Something MUST be done about drivers operating without licenses! This weekend, Milford was the scene of a horrific crash that took the life of a terrific young man. , age 23, a recent graduate of Framingham State University who worked his way through college, was killed in one of the grizzliest events on the highways in recent years!

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I will not call the event an "accident." When a man who is reported to be under the influence and driving without a license ran over and dragged Matthew Denice, refusing to stop and ran from the scene, it is clear that the streets are not safe! The accused — — is reported to be an illegal alien. Sadly, he is not the first illegal alien to be driving without a license and, in all probability, without driver training. What will the do to support local and state police to make our streets safe?

Fortunately, in this case, it appears that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement will help to prevent the accused from fleeing to a country out of our reach so that he can stand trial for vehicular homicide and a long list of related crimes. While it's not clear that the Secure Communities Program would have helped to prevent this tragedy, your agreeing to enlist Massachusetts in the program would, at least, be official recognition that we must take steps to protect the public from those who flout the law.

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I would urge you in the strongest possible terms to put your Administration behnd efforts to take seriously, the need to enforce our traffic laws, and to make our streets safe in Massachusetts. The people of Milford are in shock and mourning over the senseless loss of a promising young life. Once again, what can be done to assure the people of Milford — and Massachusetts — feel safe on their roads and in their neighborhoods?

Sincerely,

Richard T. Moore

Moore is state senator representing the Worcester and Norfolk district.


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