Boston Mayor Apologizes To Men Falsely Accused of 1989 Murder

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On Oct. 23, 1989 Alan Swanson and Willie Bennett were accused of murdering a white woman named Carol Stuart. The men had absolutely nothing to do with her death, yet Stuart’s husband Charles Stuart told police that a Black gunman attempted to carjack them and ultimately shot Carol in head and him in the chest. The couple was expecting a child and was leaving a birthing class at the hospital when the attack occurred.

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Charles survived, but Carol Stuart died in the hospital the following day. Their child only lived for 17 days. Charles’ description of the gunman lead the Boston Police Department on a reign of terror in the Black community including racist “stop and frisk” tactics. Ultimately, it would be discovered that Charles Stuart orchestrated his wife’s murder and used Black men as his scapegoat. Boston has been long known for hateful acts against Black bodies, and this case inflamed those bigoted behaviors.

Source: MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images / Getty

According to the Associated Press, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu issued Swanson and Bennett a formal public apology on behalf of the city.

“We are here today to acknowledge the tremendous pain that the city of Boston inflicted on Black residents throughout our neighborhoods 34 years ago,” Wu said, handing both families a written apology.

“The mayor’s office, city officials and the Boston Police Department took actions that directly harmed these families and continue to impact the larger community, reopening a wound that has gone untended for decades,” she added.

You can watch the full press conference in the video below.