During the Boston Marathon on Monday, a significant police presence converged on a portion of the course between Centre Street and Grant Avenue, where a group of spectators organized by the Pioneer Run Crew, the Trailblazhers, and Live Fit Army — members of the Boston Running Collaborative — was cheering on the runners. Social media posts show the police holding bicycles in a cordon between the spectators and the runners. The incident was reported on social media and went viral nationwide due to an assertion that the police action was disproportionate and influenced by the race of the spectators involved. Runner’s World has published initial coverage. There is also coverage in Buzzfeed News, the Boston Herald, and late Tuesday evening, the Boston Globe.
CBS Boston interviewed a resident who lives on the race course (who declined to be named, and had his face obscured) who said that the group was too loud. “It was drowning out the crowds. It was literally so loud it was vibrating the house.”
Jean-Marc Remy (who goes by Mike Remy) was at the event, and his video was used in the viral posts. He describes his first-person experience in this five-minute post on his Youtube channel:
Fig City News spoke on Tuesday evening with Remy, who said that it has been a whirlwind for him in the previous 24 hours. “We felt the enforcement at this location was in contrast to other spots on the course.” When asked about the comment made by the Newton resident about extreme noise, Remy responded, “Mission accomplished — the event had a DJ, but most of the noise was from the people — we were out there to support the runners.” He believed a permit had been obtained for the group’s tent, which had been at this location in previous years.
Remy was born in Haiti, grew up in Hyde Park, and moved to Billerica to raise his family. He said he has never run the Boston Marathon since his pace is currently about 30 minutes too slow to qualify. “I just wanted to show my friends what Marathon was about.” He wished there had been clearer communication on the rules with regard to the rope lines. “We are all runners and would never do anything to impede the runners on the course or jeopardize their races. Find a marathon that doesn’t have family members hugging their family members or running a few steps with them down the course.” While appreciating the concerns about security, Remy highlighted the Tour de France, which has spectators that regularly crowd into to a narrow lane for the cyclists. You can hear an extended interview with Remy on a Rambling Running podcast recorded Tuesday morning. In this podcast, Remy notes that an equal number of police lined up behind the group on the carriage road as in front of the group.
The Newton Police released this statement to Fig City News Tuesday afternoon:
“The joint objective of the Boston Athletic Association and the Newton Police Department is for everyone – runners and spectators – to have a great Marathon Day, a safe day, and a joyous day for all.
After being notified by the B.A.A three times about spectators traversing the rope barrier and impeding runners, the Newton Police Department responded respectfully and repeatedly requesting that spectators stay behind the rope and not encroach onto the course.
When spectators continued to cross the rope, NPD with additional officers calmly used bicycles for a short period to demarcate the course and keep both the runners and spectators safe.”
The spokesperson said that while the bike detail had members from multiple jurisdictions, the Newton police had command of the unit. The police also provided two cell phone videos of spectators venturing out onto the course to cheer on runners with large banners. Contacted on Wednesday morning, the Mayor’s office has not of yet released a statement on the episode.
Kristin Barral of Roslindale was with the running group throughout the event. She said the episode began with a Newton Police officer approaching the area, appearing to surveil them. She said that soon thereafter, more officers arrived. When asked why they were there, the officers said they had received a complaint.
As a marathoner running the race last year, Barral found that it was common for kids to be in the streets giving oranges to runners. Barral, who is white, said the running group was there in part to support runners who had received Marathon entries through the BAA’s Boston Running Collaborative and that members of the steering committee for that BAA program were present. The collaborative’s goal is to “concretely address barriers to walking, running, and a healthy lifestyle.”
Barral said it felt like selective enforcement, with reports of similar groups farther back on the course doing the same thing without causing the police to form a barricade. “If you could have seen the joy in the faces of the runners when cheered by the group,” she said. Conversely, she said it was disheartening to see how demoralized the group felt once the police line formed. She said the police initially stayed for 15-20 minutes before leaving and then returned for the duration of the event. Her connection to the running group was having participated in the “26.True” marathon organized by the group that runs in Boston itself, compared with the Boston Marathon, which has only a small portion of the race in the city.
Fig City News photographed Des Linden just before Noon on Monday as she was being showered with confetti from both sides by the group involved. They can be seen venturing out onto the course beyond the rope lines, halfway between Centre Street and Grant Avenue. Linden went on to finish 5th among American women in this year’s race. Commenting about the confetti canon experience, Linden said later in the day in her Instagram story, “Best party on the course.”
Olympian Kara Goucher, who finished 3rd in Boston in 2009 and 5th in 2011, provided Fig City News with her reaction and perspective on the incident (prior to seeing the police video):
“I wasn’t there but it was sad to see it. It’s such a celebration for our running community and from what I have seen and read, that cheer group was treated differently than all others. I absolutely respect and appreciate the police, but I also know that these things do happen and we need to have these uncomfortable conversations if we ever want things to change for the better. We all want running to be inclusive, and we need to do a lot better.”
Prior to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, it was common for spectators to narrow the course with their enthusiasm to cheer on the racers. A series of motorcycles typically brushed back such incursions before the lead runners arrived and then periodically throughout the race. Since the 2013 bombing, security on the street perimeter has been significantly tightened, with hard barriers covering more of the course, working back from the finish, and with rope barriers throughout.
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Correction: Earlier versions of this article indicated the police statement was received on Monday afternoon. It was received Tuesday afternoon.
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