Benefit concert supports Somerville 5

Historic Hibernian Hall in Boston’s Roxbury community rocked to hip hop sounds, dance and political poetry on March 25 for a benefit concert entitled “The Fight for Justice.” Some 150 mostly African-American, Latin@ and Asian youth came out to support the Somerville 5 and raise funds for their legal defense.

Four of Somerville 5 with friends on stage. Foreground from left: Marquis Anderson, Earl Guerra, a friend, Isiah Anderson and Calvin Belfon. WW photo: Liz Green

The evening was an exuberant and defiant display of a community determined to fight back against police brutality and racial profiling. The Somerville 5 are five Black high school youth who were racially profiled, beaten and arrested by Medford, Mass., cops last April. They were framed and charged with numerous crimes.

Calvin Belfon, Jr., Isiah Anderson, Mar quis Anderson and Earl Guerra, four of the Somerville 5, emceed the event. The benefit concert included local artists Reflect and Strengthen, United Roots, Optimus, Catch 22 and Trayce, Bamboo, Nucleus, DJ Metaphoric, Urban Essence and Cassandra Clark-Mazariegos, who organized and produced the entire event.

Rapper Optimus of Boston’s popular hip hop group the Foundation, referring to the police crackdown on mostly Black youth, shouted from the stage, “Stop the occupations!”—including the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Imani Henry of the International Action Center took the stage and thanked the Somerville 5 for their courage. He linked their fight against racial profiling and police brutality to the growing movement of youth of color in oppressed communities opposing the war and budget cuts, declaring, don’t have to be scared of the word ‘revolutionary.’”

Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner, Bishop Filipe Teixeira of the Catholic Church of the Americas, and Minister Rod ney X of the Nation of Islam were among those who took the stage to express solidarity and support. Bishop Teixeira told the audience that he had witnessed police brutality on the way to the concert: “I saw some young Cape Verdeans being stopped by the police. Some day America will change! If the new immigration law is passed, I could be jailed just for helping someone.”

Calvin Belfon Sr., father of Calvin Jr. and of Cassius Belfon, the fifth defendant (who could not attend because he had broken his leg playing basketball that day), let the audience know the depth of his family’s experience with the police: “What it took me 18 years to build up, it took those cops 10 minutes to tear down. We can stop racial profiling!”

Minister Rodney X of the Nation of Islam gave strong support to the youth, declaring, “We know they are innocent. It is the police officers who committed the crime. If they were white they would have been treated differently.”

The first Somerville 5 trial is docketed for May 15 in Cambridge, Mass. To reach the defense committee, contact iacboston@ iacboston.org, (617) 522-5526.