At 10:09AM on June 9, the New Art Center (NAC) in Newtonville received a bomb threat for the first time since its opening almost a half-century ago. The threat indicated that bombs were placed on the roof at 61 Washington Park and that the building would “go boom” at 11AM. Although the threat did not specifically reference the public Drag Queen Story Hour event that was scheduled to start at 11AM, the NAC suspected that was the catalyst and immediately reported the threat to the Newton Police Department.
Newton Police and Fire Departments responded promptly, searched the facility, and cleared it for use. The NAC then informed family members present of the threat, indicated that the show would go on, and offered them the choice to stay or leave. At least 30 families chose to stay. The event proceeded safely.
Emily O’Neil, the NAC’s Executive Director, said that the threat made the NAC community recognize the vulnerabilities it has as an organization. She wants to make sure that the NAC staff feels safe in the facility and within their programs. While this is the first time that the NAC has received a bomb threat, there have been protests surrounding earlier Drag Queen Story Hours there, as well as against a drag queen presentation in Newton North High School last year. The NAC has been presenting this Drag Queen Story Time event for over two years, and in June of 2023, protestors stood outside the building making comments. There were also comments on social media objecting to the values the NAC upholds as an organization that is focused on equity and equality. Despite the backlash that many of these story time events receive, Emily O’Neil wants to continue to host more LGBTQ+ events in the future because the NAC believes in creating ways for the community to come together, have conversations, and celebrate the queer community.
“We look forward to welcoming Missy Steak back to the New Art Center in June of 2025, if not sooner,” She said, “We will celebrate Pride Month next year and all year long.”
Newton Police explains
Lieutenant Amanda Henrickson, who leads the Newton Police Department’s Community Service Bureau, states the Department is categorizing this threat as a hate crime given the timeframe of the threat in proximity to the Drag Queen Story Time event and given the language that was used in the threat. While the investigation is still ongoing, Lieutenant Henrickson says that, based on the evidence found, the email originated from a carrier that is operating outside of the U.S. In an incident involving a phone call or an email, the Police Department goes through legal mechanisms to try and find the origin of the threat. Lt. Henrickson said that if the threat is outside of the state or country, however, the Newton Police would not be able to follow up.
“On behalf of the Police Department, we take all threats of hate or bias that are reported to the police department very seriously,” she said. “We want our community members to feel safe coming and participating in events that are hosted by our community. So if they have anything they would like to report or if they ever feel that they don’t feel safe in a situation, we want to encourage them to call, and for us to respond if that’s necessary.”
Missy Steak reflects
The protests of drag queen presentations in Newton last occurred in 2023, and although Missy Steak has heard of other drag queens facing these kinds of threats recently, she expressed that she was “dumbfounded” that these threats reappeared now. Throughout this season, her work had not received any backlash, so she had not anticipated any pushback during this event. She was happy, however, that the NAC decided to continue the event and that families who traveled to be there stayed and were able to have a great time.
“I genuinely believe that if I met a drag when I was a kid, it would have saved my life,” she said. “Seeing yourself in others, especially when you are young, is so vital. To see them thriving, loved, and respected can change your whole future. It took me a very long time to get to this point of acceptance, and I aim to help others have an easier journey.”
Chloe Yu is a Fig City News intern and a rising sophomore at Emerson College.
