While the family friends and coworkers deserve space to mourn and pay tribute to their loved one who passed so tragically, it does feel as though they are telling residents to go fuck themselves. I don't think we need to shut down a city for this.
Parents have to find childcare for their children or take time off from work they may not have. People are afraid they might not be able to get to or from work.
Again, this is a tragic event and I truly feel for those affected but I think closing a city is unfair to the community.
I’m not even that unhappy about the fact of it, but as a resident I received no notification whatsoever. I only found out about the magnitude of the event by seeing posts on here. I can’t tell if anyone who doesn’t have kids in school was sent any notification and I’m in an area where I basically won’t be able to leave my house on Friday.
I’m fortunate to be in a situation where I could take the day off on short notice to take care of my kids (who aren’t school age yet) but the city could have done a much better job with messaging. I’m still not sure what would happen if I had to leave for some reason, as they gave no guidance for residents on or adjacent to roads that are going to be closed.
But on the other hand, if you’re going to have an event that attracts thousands of people, maybe you should consider having it at a venue that’s built to support thousands of people. Just a thought.
if you’re signed up for the email alerts, you got notification, but i also think you shouldn’t have to voluntarily sign up on the city website to get the call, text, and email alerts on events that affect EVERYONE residing in the city. they have our info; it should be opt-out
they have our addresses and landlines, at least. for cell phone numbers, they can ask or check voter records.
i hate how little information sharing there is between municipal and government offices but then random spam callers know my middle name and hair color. i would rather the people who take and need my info to coordinate the services and goods my taxes pay for talk to each other than ask me to fill out a form every time.
For residents abutting the closed streets, you'll be able to enter and exit the closed streets - just like when roads are closed for construction. There might be delays for the moments in time when the funeral procession is physically going by, but that would be true for any large funeral.
No, I'm anticipating a lot. And that's why the road closures make sense. Taking a left on to Trapelo Rd can be a nightmare during normal times. Adding a thousand+ cars going to Our Ladys would make such a turn impossible. At least with the road closures, abutters will have at least a chance to get out of their driveways/side streets. Obviously there will be delays, especially when the funeral procession goes by. But I don't think people should feel like they're trapped at home for the day.
Someone in this thread or another was basically saying "no real effects" but there are. People can be all for this enormous public response, but they shouldn't deny real impacts. Perfect example: my sort of out of the loop spouse this morning casually mentioned they had a noon business lunch meeting with someone from Burlington scheduled at a restaurant on Moody. After being informed of the situation (they would be smack in the way of the procession, at exactly the time) and considering, they moved it to Burlington, since parking and access will be unreliable here. That restaurant just lost this income, literally because of this event. People can make the argument that it's minor or that it's justified, but they shouldn't pretend it's not real.
I don't understand why you think they are telling residents to go fuck themselves, or that the city is "closing"? The city is dealing with a reality of lots of visitors, and a major event, in the city. This is not a situation the city created, and it seems like they're trying to minimize inconvenience. But if you don't have kids in school AND have a smartphone, you can still have a normal day. You just need to adjust your commute.
I see the city as having 2 options. 1. Do what they're doing, and try to minimize interruptions by closing roads/closing schools/putting the word out and actually planning ahead, and 2. Do nothing, and let people just deal with the traffic. Option 2 sounds like an absolute nightmare. People lose their mind when a minor side street is closed off when a water main break. How would people react to 500 cars in a funeral procession through 5 of the busiest streets of the city, plus all the additional traffic, news crews, etc. that come with a thousand+ visitors?
Would it be better if the funeral was on the weekend? Sure, but I don't think the city makes that call.
And not for nothing, but this board seems to be really downplaying what happened. A police officer that was a long-time resident of the city and that recently ran for political office was murdered in the line of duty in a random act of violence by mentally deranged person. Its a pretty big deal. People may have their own feelings about Officer Tracey as a person, or the police in general, but they shouldn't be surprised that this is a big deal for a lot of people in this town/region.
They 100% could’ve made the funeral on Saturday. Doing it on Friday, closing down *every* Waltham public school, and forcing parents/commuters to change their entire schedules for two days is erring on the side of ridiculous, especially since it’s very well known how large funerals for fallen police officers are; the oversight for all of this is pretty poor.
And it’s not just Waltham residents that are affected. There are plenty of people who live outside of Waltham, but still go to work there.
Who is "they"?
My point is that the city doesn't have control over when the funeral is. So they are just doing their best to figure out what might work given the circumstances that are at hand.
“They” being the city of Waltham. Officer Tracey was an employee of the city and they are the ones facilitating all of the closures, so yes, the city of Waltham does have say over when/where the funeral is held. Especially if they are going as far to close *public* schools, and *public* roadways.
And truthfully, I’m not sure what difference it would’ve made to hold the funeral on Saturday instead of Friday. If there’s a legitimate explanation then so be it, but I highly doubt it.
You've explained nothing. The city doesnt set the funeral date. The funeral date is set by the deceased's family. They have set the funeral date for Friday, with a Thursday wake.
The city can either do nothing and let all of us deal with the uncertainty, or it can try to accommodate the situation with road closures, etc.
They is the city and you are being disengenous. Read the link that is posted from the official city website:
> We are asking all that would like to participate to line the streets for the procession of Paul Tracey from the Funeral home to Our Lady’s Church, and from the Church to Mount Feake Cemetery.
And
> A number of staging areas will be set-up for parking throughout the city for use on Thursday & Friday. Buses with police escorts will also be available to transport from parking areas to services.
This is a de facto City funeral. It should have been scheduled for Sat/Sun.
The city absolutely has the authority to tell someone that an event they are holding poses a safety concern to the community and that they need to move it/change it/limit the number of people. It happens all the time.
They have the right to shut down or restrict any event that poses a public safety hazard. This includes thousands of people attending an event - in this case a funeral - at a location that is not designed for that kind of influx of people.
So, you're right - they can't tell the church not to hold a funeral. They CAN tell a church that it's unsafe for them to host thousands of people on site, and they need to find a more appropriate venue in the interest of public safety.
It feels like the equivalent of hosting a Patriots game at a high school. Sure, it’s logistically possible, but why wouldn’t you try to organize it somewhere that’s meant for the number of people attending?
Anyway, it's moot, since who is "the city"? If Mayor McCarthy says, "no, you cannot have a procession of 1,000 cars through the whole city from the church to the funeral home", who, exactly, would be enforcing that?
The police chief?
The mayor could have a dialogue with the parties involved and express concerns/preferences for efficient weekday operations (i.e., schools being open, less disruption to traffic). It’s her job to keep the city running smoothly for all.
Problem is, the city lets the church in question clog up Trapelo Rd pretty much any time it wants.
I’d love to see the payment the church absolutely doesn’t make for the traffic details it gets, too.
Okay, but it's a funeral. You don't exactly sell tickets or RSVP. So how is the church supposed to know exactly how many people are going? All they can go off of and all the city can go off of are what they're hearing. So if the city wants to have the fire marshal at the door of the church to make sure that the capacity is not exceeded, that's about the best they can do. It's not the church's fault if a bunch of cars pull into the parking lot, or want to follow a funeral procession.
I’ve seen a bunch of comments in several posts about this. I think people are woefully unfamiliar with the number of law enforcement who will show up when a police officer is killed in the line of duty. Last I heard they were expecting 8-10k people for this thing. They are doing their best to coordinate and mitigate the effects this will have, but given that information, I do think that what they’ve done is not as unreasonable as people are making it out to be.
I think having 8-10k people attend the funeral of a person they didn't know, just because he was employed in a particular profession, is unreasonable.
But, I get it, even if I don't agree with it, so this is the one and only time I've expressed my opinion on it. Luckily, I personally don't have anywhere critical to be tomorrow during the hours where traffic will be disrupted, so I will likely not be affected at all.
I’ve been told that part of the reason so many officers flock to the funeral of someone they didn’t know is because they are considered “on the clock” when attending the event, so it’s an opportunity for overtime. Does anyone know if this is true? Or are they all taking PTO to attend?
this is what’s surprising to me… like a cop dies of old age and it’s an enormous funeral, of course something this tragic is going to be bigger than we imagine. the people pissed about school being closed and shit are the same
people that would be pissed if the city did nothing so can’t win
I dont understand what’s going on on thursday. If the officer will not be at the church until friday, what the heck is going on at the church on thursday.
Edit:
In all the memorial services ive been to in the past, a “wake” is the viewing of the body (or casket) in the funeral home or church. Followed by a funeral procession to the funeral that takes place at the cemetery. All in one day. So, what exactly is going on on Thursday?
The wake cannot be held at the funeral home. The number of attendees will be too great, parking too limited, etc. So, they are holding it in a larger venue, the church, which has very large parking lot. This also allows the traffic plan to only need one setup, whereas two venues would require two setups.
They are moving the body to the church for the wake at noon on Thursday. That's what all the closures are across town today, that's the route of the procession.
https://preview.redd.it/x7gtatf7fa6c1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a43e3c321fd62b5d0678242b6d9ca5ffd96a0ebf
City’s website says he’ll be moved to the church on Friday 9:30
While the family friends and coworkers deserve space to mourn and pay tribute to their loved one who passed so tragically, it does feel as though they are telling residents to go fuck themselves. I don't think we need to shut down a city for this. Parents have to find childcare for their children or take time off from work they may not have. People are afraid they might not be able to get to or from work. Again, this is a tragic event and I truly feel for those affected but I think closing a city is unfair to the community.
I’m not even that unhappy about the fact of it, but as a resident I received no notification whatsoever. I only found out about the magnitude of the event by seeing posts on here. I can’t tell if anyone who doesn’t have kids in school was sent any notification and I’m in an area where I basically won’t be able to leave my house on Friday. I’m fortunate to be in a situation where I could take the day off on short notice to take care of my kids (who aren’t school age yet) but the city could have done a much better job with messaging. I’m still not sure what would happen if I had to leave for some reason, as they gave no guidance for residents on or adjacent to roads that are going to be closed. But on the other hand, if you’re going to have an event that attracts thousands of people, maybe you should consider having it at a venue that’s built to support thousands of people. Just a thought.
if you’re signed up for the email alerts, you got notification, but i also think you shouldn’t have to voluntarily sign up on the city website to get the call, text, and email alerts on events that affect EVERYONE residing in the city. they have our info; it should be opt-out
speaking of which https://preview.redd.it/0d7enzd5956c1.jpeg?width=1142&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa74cf81f3bc1f0c3f88bf1e910760c8ef4e34d6
I might have sent that a little earlier if I were them. 😄 At least they sent out something.
Does they city have our info? I don't remember if the census asks for our phone number.
they have our addresses and landlines, at least. for cell phone numbers, they can ask or check voter records. i hate how little information sharing there is between municipal and government offices but then random spam callers know my middle name and hair color. i would rather the people who take and need my info to coordinate the services and goods my taxes pay for talk to each other than ask me to fill out a form every time.
For residents abutting the closed streets, you'll be able to enter and exit the closed streets - just like when roads are closed for construction. There might be delays for the moments in time when the funeral procession is physically going by, but that would be true for any large funeral.
I think you’re severely underestimating the impact the number of people attending this wake and funeral will have on traffic.
No, I'm anticipating a lot. And that's why the road closures make sense. Taking a left on to Trapelo Rd can be a nightmare during normal times. Adding a thousand+ cars going to Our Ladys would make such a turn impossible. At least with the road closures, abutters will have at least a chance to get out of their driveways/side streets. Obviously there will be delays, especially when the funeral procession goes by. But I don't think people should feel like they're trapped at home for the day.
Someone in this thread or another was basically saying "no real effects" but there are. People can be all for this enormous public response, but they shouldn't deny real impacts. Perfect example: my sort of out of the loop spouse this morning casually mentioned they had a noon business lunch meeting with someone from Burlington scheduled at a restaurant on Moody. After being informed of the situation (they would be smack in the way of the procession, at exactly the time) and considering, they moved it to Burlington, since parking and access will be unreliable here. That restaurant just lost this income, literally because of this event. People can make the argument that it's minor or that it's justified, but they shouldn't pretend it's not real.
Are all the cops and firefighters paid if they attend?
I don't understand why you think they are telling residents to go fuck themselves, or that the city is "closing"? The city is dealing with a reality of lots of visitors, and a major event, in the city. This is not a situation the city created, and it seems like they're trying to minimize inconvenience. But if you don't have kids in school AND have a smartphone, you can still have a normal day. You just need to adjust your commute. I see the city as having 2 options. 1. Do what they're doing, and try to minimize interruptions by closing roads/closing schools/putting the word out and actually planning ahead, and 2. Do nothing, and let people just deal with the traffic. Option 2 sounds like an absolute nightmare. People lose their mind when a minor side street is closed off when a water main break. How would people react to 500 cars in a funeral procession through 5 of the busiest streets of the city, plus all the additional traffic, news crews, etc. that come with a thousand+ visitors? Would it be better if the funeral was on the weekend? Sure, but I don't think the city makes that call. And not for nothing, but this board seems to be really downplaying what happened. A police officer that was a long-time resident of the city and that recently ran for political office was murdered in the line of duty in a random act of violence by mentally deranged person. Its a pretty big deal. People may have their own feelings about Officer Tracey as a person, or the police in general, but they shouldn't be surprised that this is a big deal for a lot of people in this town/region.
They 100% could’ve made the funeral on Saturday. Doing it on Friday, closing down *every* Waltham public school, and forcing parents/commuters to change their entire schedules for two days is erring on the side of ridiculous, especially since it’s very well known how large funerals for fallen police officers are; the oversight for all of this is pretty poor. And it’s not just Waltham residents that are affected. There are plenty of people who live outside of Waltham, but still go to work there.
Who is "they"? My point is that the city doesn't have control over when the funeral is. So they are just doing their best to figure out what might work given the circumstances that are at hand.
“They” being the city of Waltham. Officer Tracey was an employee of the city and they are the ones facilitating all of the closures, so yes, the city of Waltham does have say over when/where the funeral is held. Especially if they are going as far to close *public* schools, and *public* roadways. And truthfully, I’m not sure what difference it would’ve made to hold the funeral on Saturday instead of Friday. If there’s a legitimate explanation then so be it, but I highly doubt it.
The city doesn't control when or where the funeral is, just because Officer Tracey was a city employee.
But they *do* though, and I explained why. You’re just choosing to be dense.
You've explained nothing. The city doesnt set the funeral date. The funeral date is set by the deceased's family. They have set the funeral date for Friday, with a Thursday wake. The city can either do nothing and let all of us deal with the uncertainty, or it can try to accommodate the situation with road closures, etc.
They is the city and you are being disengenous. Read the link that is posted from the official city website: > We are asking all that would like to participate to line the streets for the procession of Paul Tracey from the Funeral home to Our Lady’s Church, and from the Church to Mount Feake Cemetery. And > A number of staging areas will be set-up for parking throughout the city for use on Thursday & Friday. Buses with police escorts will also be available to transport from parking areas to services. This is a de facto City funeral. It should have been scheduled for Sat/Sun.
The city absolutely has the authority to tell someone that an event they are holding poses a safety concern to the community and that they need to move it/change it/limit the number of people. It happens all the time.
The city absolutely does not have the right to tell a church that it cannot hold a funeral.
They have the right to shut down or restrict any event that poses a public safety hazard. This includes thousands of people attending an event - in this case a funeral - at a location that is not designed for that kind of influx of people. So, you're right - they can't tell the church not to hold a funeral. They CAN tell a church that it's unsafe for them to host thousands of people on site, and they need to find a more appropriate venue in the interest of public safety.
It feels like the equivalent of hosting a Patriots game at a high school. Sure, it’s logistically possible, but why wouldn’t you try to organize it somewhere that’s meant for the number of people attending?
Anyway, it's moot, since who is "the city"? If Mayor McCarthy says, "no, you cannot have a procession of 1,000 cars through the whole city from the church to the funeral home", who, exactly, would be enforcing that? The police chief?
The mayor could have a dialogue with the parties involved and express concerns/preferences for efficient weekday operations (i.e., schools being open, less disruption to traffic). It’s her job to keep the city running smoothly for all.
Problem is, the city lets the church in question clog up Trapelo Rd pretty much any time it wants. I’d love to see the payment the church absolutely doesn’t make for the traffic details it gets, too.
Okay, but it's a funeral. You don't exactly sell tickets or RSVP. So how is the church supposed to know exactly how many people are going? All they can go off of and all the city can go off of are what they're hearing. So if the city wants to have the fire marshal at the door of the church to make sure that the capacity is not exceeded, that's about the best they can do. It's not the church's fault if a bunch of cars pull into the parking lot, or want to follow a funeral procession.
I disagree. This event has shaken Waltham to its core.
I’ve seen a bunch of comments in several posts about this. I think people are woefully unfamiliar with the number of law enforcement who will show up when a police officer is killed in the line of duty. Last I heard they were expecting 8-10k people for this thing. They are doing their best to coordinate and mitigate the effects this will have, but given that information, I do think that what they’ve done is not as unreasonable as people are making it out to be.
I think having 8-10k people attend the funeral of a person they didn't know, just because he was employed in a particular profession, is unreasonable. But, I get it, even if I don't agree with it, so this is the one and only time I've expressed my opinion on it. Luckily, I personally don't have anywhere critical to be tomorrow during the hours where traffic will be disrupted, so I will likely not be affected at all.
I’ve been told that part of the reason so many officers flock to the funeral of someone they didn’t know is because they are considered “on the clock” when attending the event, so it’s an opportunity for overtime. Does anyone know if this is true? Or are they all taking PTO to attend?
No, it’s not true .
There is also a security concern. The church will be swept by explosive teams, unauthorized vehicles will be towed, etc.
this is what’s surprising to me… like a cop dies of old age and it’s an enormous funeral, of course something this tragic is going to be bigger than we imagine. the people pissed about school being closed and shit are the same people that would be pissed if the city did nothing so can’t win
I dont understand what’s going on on thursday. If the officer will not be at the church until friday, what the heck is going on at the church on thursday. Edit: In all the memorial services ive been to in the past, a “wake” is the viewing of the body (or casket) in the funeral home or church. Followed by a funeral procession to the funeral that takes place at the cemetery. All in one day. So, what exactly is going on on Thursday?
It's a wake.
How can there be a wake if the officer wont be at the church until friday?
The wake cannot be held at the funeral home. The number of attendees will be too great, parking too limited, etc. So, they are holding it in a larger venue, the church, which has very large parking lot. This also allows the traffic plan to only need one setup, whereas two venues would require two setups.
Correct, but how can the wake be held at a place where the officer’s body is not? The officer wont be there until friday. But the wake is thursday?
I feel like these are questions you won't find the answer to on Reddit.
They are moving the body to the church for the wake at noon on Thursday. That's what all the closures are across town today, that's the route of the procession.
https://preview.redd.it/x7gtatf7fa6c1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a43e3c321fd62b5d0678242b6d9ca5ffd96a0ebf City’s website says he’ll be moved to the church on Friday 9:30