VICTIM IS VICTOR

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
and there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.” (Luke 18:1-5)

In the words of The Beatles’ “A DAY IN THE LIFE”: “I read the news today, oh boy...” Well, Saturday morning I read the front page of the MetroWest Daily News (Framingham, MA) and it really WAS an “oh, boy!”. The story was about the results of Framingham resident Norma Shulman and her victory over the Massachusetts State Police in Woburn Superior Court. I’m amazed that I did not even know anything about her story until it hit the papers just a couple of weeks ago. In 2007, Norma Shulman attended the Boston Marathon as a spectator along the route in Natick. It’s a familiar spot...the site of the historic Henry Wilson Shoe Shop on Route 135. Norma had stepped slightly off the curb. Now, to be fair, that IS a big “no-no” with the Boston Marathon. The race route is from curb to curb. I have attended MANY Boston Marathons in Framingham. I do not step off the curb, but I’ve honestly seen hundreds of spectators step off the curb over the years.

There are always a lot of law enforcement officers present throughout the race. You’ll always see a lot of State Police motorcycle cops. Well, that day, State Police Sgt. Dennis Bertulli hit Norma Shulman and in an instant knocked her over like a rag doll. Amazingly, Bertulli did not stop. He just kept on going. Shulman went to the hospital. She was a bit bruised and banged up, but had no serious injuries. Her medical bills came to around $1000. Shulman repeatedly tried to get the State to pick up her medical bills and to admit at least SOME fault in the incident- with NO success.

Something STRONGLY in her favor is that the entire incident of Shulman being struck was caught on the WBZ-TV channel 4 video coverage of the Marathon. It’s been posted on youtube and has had thousands and thousands of hits. Again, I’m shocked that the public knew virtually nothing of this incident until just a couple of weeks ago. Shulman says she suffered humiliation and various personal problems as a result of this incident. Some may snicker, but not me. While Shulman HAD stepped partially off the curb and that DOES make her partially at fault, it does not excuse the cop at all. It would SEEM that he could have avoided hitting her. Even if NOT, the cop absolutely SHOULD have stopped to have checked things out...to have been prepared to render aid to the woman...to make sure she was not seriously hurt. In my humble opinion, the cop was guilty of leaving the scene of an accident. The jury specifically found the cop guilty of “negligence” and awarded Norma Shulman $15,500 in damages.

I know Jim Rizoli is a very controversial figure in Framingham; well when you’re a Holocaust denier, you’re GOING to be a controversial figure! I don’t often agree with Rizoli, but he sent a Letter to the Editor into the paper that I agree with 100%. Rizoli stated that if the State Police had just APOLOGIZED to the woman and covered her medical bills, this whole thing would probably have been over with.

In case any reader thinks I’m the kind of person who has a chip on his shoulder against police officers, that’s not true. My father was a career law enforcement professional. If anything, I tend to lean heavily on the side of law enforcement. But I also know that IF my father had hit someone with a motorcycle like that, he would NEVER have just ridden off. NEVER!

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, especially the State Police, wanted Norma Shulman to just shut up and go away. She WAS partially in the roadway. That channel 4 video was very embarrassing and incriminating toward the State Police. The whole thing was very bad publicity. But it was one simple female older woman from Framingham with no clout, against the Massachusetts State Police. Almost four years went by. She suffered sleepless nights, depression, fear, bad memories. The message of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was:

“MOVE ON” and “GO AWAY”.

She and her attorney did all they could to pursue justice. At times it must have seemed like a lost cause. I guess most people WOULD have just gone away. When you’re a Norma Shulman and just won’t let something go, you become an annoyance to friend and foe, alike. You make everybody uncomfortable. While everybody praises the emperor’s new wardrobe, you are the one yelling, “But he has no clothes on!”...and nobody’s paying attention.

Kudos to Norma Shulman. The good guys won...OOPS, I mean the “good gal” won!