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In a strongly worded letter written to the countys lead prosecutor, the Worcester Patrolmens Union said it will never endorse District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. again after his office dropped charges against more than a dozen people arrested during Black Lives Matter protests in the city last summer.

The Worcester District Attorneys Office dropped charges this month against 17 people who were arrested, including four Clark University students. First Assistant District Attorney Jeff Travers noted after a careful review of the case, authorities found insufficient evidence to prosecute the charged crimes.

Daniel Gilbert, president of the New England Police Benevolent Association Local 911, said Early will never receive another endorsement from the police union or another vote from him and his family. The police union head was ashamed and disappointed by the decision to drop the charges against the protesters, he added.

I write to you to express my disdain and disgust at your decision to drop criminal charges against those who were involved in a riot in June. More than disgust, I want you to know that I am ashamed and disappointed that you have knowingly chosen to turn your back on those of us that have always had your back, Gilbert wrote in his letter to Early.

In a statement about the protest over the summer, Early said he opted to recuse himself from the case due to a conflict he has with Clark University.

The prosecutor noted his office decided to drop the cases against the 17 defendants after a careful review of the evidence by its senior first assistant and first assistant in charge of appeals. Early stated he fully supports his offices decision to drop the charges.

Each and every case was individually reviewed at length with every piece of video, written and testimonial evidence considered before any prosecutorial decisions were made in these matters. It was determined that these misdemeanor charges lacked sufficient evidence for trial, Earlys statement said.

Protesters took to the streets of Worcester the night of June 1, 2020, a week after the killing of George Floyd at the hands of a law enforcement in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Following a largely peaceful rally, demonstrators marched downtown, where they clashed with police in the citys Main South neighborhood.

Police claimed the group assaulted officers with flares, fireworks, rocks, concrete, bottles and other debris. Gilbert noted the demonstration also led to the vandalization of buildings, including Worcester City Hall and a number of businesses.

One officer who was in his police cruiser on Hammond Street had to stop traffic from entering Main Street - so that those walking could avoid being hit by cars, Gilbert said. The officers cruiser was eventually surrounded by those involved in the riot that then started shaking the marked police cruiser with the officer still in the vehicle.

Law enforcement, meanwhile, used smoke grenades and pepper ball rounds to disperse the crowd and arrest participants in the demonstration.

When confronted with large protests that contain individuals who employ indiscriminate violence, police officers have the extraordinarily difficult task of restoring order, distinguishing perpetrators from protesters, and charging those responsible with crimes, Travers said in his statement about the charges being dropped. The events of June 1, 2020 were such an occasion when police were presented with violent and dangerous conditions and placed themselves in harms way. The majority of these cases involved the application of an 18th Century law that courts have struggled to apply in a modern context.

According to Early, none of the defendants were arrested for throwing bricks, rocks, concrete, bottles or anything else at officers.

No one was charged with destruction of property whatsoever, he stated. No one was charged with shooting flares, fireworks or surrounding a police cruiser. There was no case involving an assault on a Worcester police officer that was dismissed.

The district attorney added he was elected to the position to ensure justice is carried out in our criminal justice system.

That is the mission our office carries out every day, Early said. Sometimes this requires making decisions that are unpopular to some, but we have to be independent in our determinations and I always will be.

There are several cases that are still pending based on other sets of facts, including one that resulted in a plea, one that is pending and a third that was federally indicted, according to Early.

In the wake of the disorder that followed the largely peaceful protest and after the arrests of 19 demonstrators, including the four college students, Clark announced it would sever ties with the Worcester Police Department.

The university later hired a Worcester law firm to conduct an independent review of the events. After examining videos, photographs and interviews, the firm found none of the four students who were arrested acted violently and police acted improperly when arresting the individuals.

The report accused a Worcester police officer of pinning his knee on the back of student Sarah Drapeau, who told the officer she had lung issues and was in pain. According to the firm, the officer acknowledged Dreapeus pleas but didnt move. Drapeau also claimed police called her a fat [expletive] and said welcome to the real world.

The Worcester Police Department announced in July it would conduct its own investigation into the actions of its officers during the arrests of the Clark students on June 1.

In his letter, Gilbert said the decision on the part of Earlys office to drop the charges against the protesters showed a lack of will to stand up for public safety has endangered police officers. The police union head claimed it wasnt the first time.

He pointed to the case of Jorge Zambrano, who in 2016 shot and killed Auburn police Officer Ronald Tarentino Jr. The man had a long criminal history, though, having served seven years in prison for cocaine trafficking. He was arrested again five years ago for assaulting a police officer.

Months before the fatal shooting of Tarentino, Zambrano was arrested on domestic assault and resisting arrest charges but later released on $500 bail. A Massachusetts Trial Courts review later found no fault on the part of the judges who were involved in the mans cases.

However, Gilbert faults Earlys office for offering Zambrano probation instead of keeping him in prison. Auburn Police Chief Andrew Sluckis Jr. said in 2018 the suspect could have been held for violating pre-trial probation in another case before the officers death, but he wasnt.

While free, he murdered Auburn Police Officer and hero Ron Tarentino. Rons funeral was well attended by political folks pledging support for police officers where are they now? Even after that we gave you our support - but again, you are turning your back on us, the Local 911 president said. How many police officers need to be murdered for you to support us?

Gilbert recalled how when Early was initially running for district attorney, he went to the NEPBA 911, looking for an endorsement, which he received along with support from the national chapter of the union.

I noticed that you still have these accolades listed on your website, Gilbert wrote. I can tell you that you will never receive another endorsement from the NEPBA and further will never receive a vote from me or my family.

Editors Note: This story has been updated to note the charges were dropped against 17 people who were arrested.

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Worcester police union says it will never endorse DA Joseph Early again after charges dropped against 2020 Bl - MassLive.com