“Island” Under Siege, Four Milton Students Assaulted - Volume 10, Number 6

By Marshall Nam

Last Friday, four Milton Academy students were assaulted by local residents in two separate and unrelated incidents. The assault, together with last week’s vandalism of the Arts Center, has sparked concerns in the boarding community, leading faculty and students both to question the role of the Academy in the town of Milton. 

The first of the two incidents occurred around five o’clock Friday evening. Enan Stillman (III) and Ben Davies (III) were returning together from the Star Market in Mattapan, a common shopping stop from Milton students. They were attacked from behind by three assailants estimated to be in their late teens or early twenties. Even though no violent action occurred, both students had their bags stolen, and also the items that they had bought while at the supermarket. Enan’s wallet was taken as well. Coincidentally, the assault occurred in the same area where two other Milton students were harassed at gunpoint earlier this year. 

The second assault occurred later that night, less than a mile from the Academy. Andy Schell (I) and Gregg Mosson (II) were walking up Randolph Avenue from the T when they encountered a group of six to ten white teenagers, several of whom were from the Milton Public High School. The group had just come from a party nearby and several were probably under the influence of alcohol. The group shouted vulgarities and wanted to know if Schell and Mosson were Academy students. Moments later, Mosson received a badly broken nose, while Schell suffered a few chipped teeth. 

As a whole, the Milton community, although concerned about the incidents, felt relatively untreated as targets for attack. When asked if he felt he was in danger because of the assaults, Benjie Deford (III) replied, “No I really don’t feel more threatened myself.” Another student pointed efforts by the Academy to reduce potential attacks by providing transportation between common areas such as between the two campuses, to the Star, and to the North Quincy T stop.

One of the questions raised by the incident was whether or not, in the later incident, the students were attacked because they were from the Academy. The general consensus of the student body was that they were. As Dave Killen (II) put it, “Milton students, Milton boarders especially, aren’t really a part of the town of Milton.” Mosson himself disagreed with the idea, “I don’t think [we were attacked] only because we were Milton Students...it was just extra [incentive].” Schell felt shocked by the incident, feeling that security should have provided visible and available measures to transport kids across unsafe areas, as well as increased patrolling. It has long been known that Milton/Town relations have never been extremely friendly, and minor incidents between Milton and Milton High students have occasionally happened during much of the history of the Academy.

Another concern uncovered by the incident was the role of security in the attack. Leroy Berryman, (Director of Milton Security) was notified almost a full day after the attack, following a long chain of information. He was notified by Ted Wade, (Business Manager) who was in turn notified by Burch Ford (Dean of Students) who received the information from Peter Cassidy (Lower School Faculty) who had been the first person to talk to the two students and arranged for them to go to the Milton Hospital. Student opinion on the security’s role in the affair was mixed. Many students felt that since Security’s role in the community is to protect Milton students from harm, that Security should be immediately notified if any breach in safety occurs. Those against the idea questioned Security’s effectiveness as a force, whether notifying Security would serve any purpose. Keenan Forbes (II) felt that “Security should spend less time chasing down students in the graveyard, and more time ensuring the safety of the entire community.

Berryman voiced feelings of frustration towards the ignorance of the student body concerning the abilities of security. He described several instances in the past where Milton Students had been harassed by local residents. After security reported the incident to the Milton Police, the perpetrators were apprehended within the hour. He also pointed out that Milton Students can call Security at any time and get a ride to Milton Academy if they feel threatened. They can be reached 24 hours a day, at 698-3110, and Leroy himself is open to suggestions on how to improve Security measures. Berryman dells that Security’s role in the community is too vague and unestablished. When incidents such as the ones that occurred on Saturday are reported, that he should be among the first to be notified. He also feels that security should be more visible in the community, as well as possess a twenty-four hour manned security station so that students have somewhere to go when a breach in security occurs. As he put it, “Somebody’s got to decide what we’re here for… we’re basically just unlocking doors for kids to get book bags...If things are going to be changed, somebody’s got to tell me.”