The Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association (BPPA) is the largest of the police unions representing police officers in the Boston Police Department . As of 2020, it represents approximately 1,500 officers. The BPPA also respresents Boston Emergency Medical Services personal.
64-392: The BPPA was established in 1965, in response to new collective bargaining laws that allowed municipal employees to unionize ( Mass. Gen. L. c. 149, §§ 178G-N ). As described by the association's attorney, its founding purposes was "to protect the patrolmen against widespread charges of police brutality and to hear civilian complaints." The union successfully negotiated a contract with
128-450: A Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train for more than an hour on Black Friday , one of the biggest shopping days of the year. The protest, led by Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza, was organized in response to the grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson for the killing of Michael Brown . Also in November, Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old African-American boy was shot and killed by
192-448: A Twitter hashtag , a slogan , a social movement, a political action committee , or a loose confederation of groups advocating for racial justice. As a movement, Black Lives Matter is grassroots and decentralized, and leaders have emphasized the importance of local organizing over national leadership. The structure differs from previous black movements, like the Civil rights movement of
256-548: A WikiProject dedicated to coverage of the Black Lives Matter movement was created in June 2020. In 2020, users of the popular app TikTok noticed that the app seemed to be shadow banning posts about BLM or recent police killings of black people. TikTok apologized and attributed the situation to a technical glitch. BLM generally engages in direct action tactics that make people uncomfortable enough that they must address
320-484: A diversity of tactics . Black Lives Matter protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful; when violence does occur, it is often committed by counter-protesters. Despite this, opponents often try to portray the movement as violent. In 2014, the American Dialect Society chose #BlackLivesMatter as their word of the year . Yes! Magazine picked #BlackLivesMatter as one of the twelve hashtags that changed
384-454: A BPPA contract dispute: a phenomenon termed the " blue flu ." Officers complained that the busing plan violated the union contract by changing shifts and overtime schedules. The National Guard was ultimately called in to supplement the depleted law enforcement presence. Many individual members of the BPPA were vocally against the busing effort, and the union's newsletter published antibusing material at
448-811: A Cleveland police officer. Rice's death has also been cited as contributing to "sparking" the Black Lives Matter movement. In December, two to three thousand people gathered at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota , to protest the killings of unarmed black men by police. The police at the mall were equipped with riot gear and bomb-sniffing dogs; at least twenty members of the protest were arrested. Management said that they were "extremely disappointed that organizers of Black Lives Matter protest chose to ignore our stated policy and repeated reminders that political protests and demonstrations are not allowed on Mall of America property". In Milwaukee , Wisconsin, BLM protested
512-477: A much more significant social movement. At the end of the three-day conference, on July 26, the Movement for Black Lives initiated a yearlong "process of convening local and national groups to create a United Front". This year long process ultimately resulted in the establishment of an organizational platform that articulates the goals, demands, and policies which the Movement for Black Lives supports in order to achieve
576-809: A particular city or town. In legal citations, Massachusetts General Laws are abbreviated as M.G.L. or G.L. Provisions in the General Laws are identified by chapter and section, e.g., Mass. Gen. L. c. 93A, § 9 . Chapters are grouped topically by part and title . The parts of the General Laws are as follows: The unannotated official version of the General Laws is published every two years. Two widely used annotated collections are Massachusetts General Laws Annotated (M.G.L.A.) from West Publishing , and Annotated Laws of Massachusetts (A.L.M.) published by LexisNexis . Both are available as bound collections and by subscription online. The General Laws replaced
640-486: A person represented as Managing Director of BLM Global Network has released a statement represented to be on behalf of that organization. Concurrently, a broader movement involving several other organizations and activists emerged under the banner of "Black Lives Matter", as well. In 2015, Johnetta Elzie , DeRay Mckesson , Brittany Packnett , and Samuel Sinyangwe initiated Campaign Zero , aimed at promoting policy reforms to end police brutality. The campaign released
704-416: A professor at Rutgers University , argues that BLM has ushered in a new era of black university student movements. The ease with which bystanders can record graphic videos of police violence and post them onto social media has driven activism all over the world. The hashtag's usage has gained the attention of high-ranking politicians and has sometimes encouraged them to support the movement. On Misplaced Pages ,
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#1733084579463768-588: A shared set of principles and goals. Local Black Lives Matter chapters are asked to commit to the organization's list of guiding principles but are autonomous, operating without a central structure or hierarchy. Garza has commented that the Network was not interested in "policing who is and who is not part of the movement." As of 2021 , there are about 40 chapters in the United States and Canada. The loose structure of Black Lives Matter has contributed to confusion in
832-616: A ten-point plan for reforms to policing, with recommendations including: ending broken windows theory policing, increasing community oversight of police departments, and creating stricter guidelines for the use of force . The New York Times reporter, John Eligon, wrote that some activists expressed concerns that the campaign was overly focused on legislative remedies for police violence. Black Lives Matter also voices support for various movements and causes beyond police brutality, including LGBTQ activism, feminism, immigration reform, and economic justice. The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL)
896-587: Is a coalition of more than 50 groups representing the interests of black communities across the United States. Members include the Black Lives Matter Network, the National Conference of Black Lawyers , and the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights . Endorsed by groups such as Color of Change , Race Forward , Brooklyn Movement Center, PolicyLink , Million Women March Cleveland, and ONE DC,
960-404: Is a decentralized network with no formal hierarchy. As of 2021 , there are about 40 chapters in the United States and Canada. The slogan "Black Lives Matter" itself has not been trademarked by any group. In 2013, activists and friends Alicia Garza , Patrisse Cullors , and Opal Tometi originated the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on social media following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in
1024-535: Is compiled and published annually by the Secretary of the Commonwealth. The vast majority of Session Laws are Acts . A Resolve is most typically used to establish a special commission to investigate a certain issue. General Laws are Session Laws (or sections of Session Laws) that are permanent in nature and of general application. They are codified according to subject matter into a multi-volume publication entitled
1088-516: Is not seen when suspects were armed. A study by Harvard economist Roland Fryer found that blacks and Hispanics were 50% more likely to experience non-lethal force in police interactions, but for officer-involved shootings there were "no racial differences in either the raw data or when contextual factors are taken into account". A 2019 study in PNAS concluded that black people were actually less likely than white people to be killed by police, based on
1152-442: Is violence", " No justice, no peace ", and "Is my son next?", among others. According to a 2018 study, "Black Lives Matter protests are more likely to occur in localities where more black people have previously been killed by police." Since the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013, with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, the movement has been depicted and documented in film , song , television , literature , and
1216-458: The General Laws of Massachusetts . The General Court amends the General Laws by enacting Session Laws which may effect modifications and additions to the General Laws. Not all Session Laws, which apply equally to codified law, are entered into the General Laws. Session Laws that are not codified into the General Laws are called Special Acts , and might include matters affecting an individual or
1280-510: The 2004 Democratic National Convention at the FleetCenter in Boston. The BPPA has negotiated multiple bargaining agreements which resulted in large pay raises for Boston police officers. After the expiration of the 2012 union contract, a tense BPPA contract negotiation went to arbitration . The BPPA ultimately negotiated a contract that resulted in a 25% pay raise over 6 years. Four years later,
1344-572: The 2021 United States Capitol attack , attracted smaller and more passive police presences than peaceful Black Lives Matter protests. In November 2015, a police officer in Oregon was removed from street duty following a social media post in which he said he would have to "babysit these fools", in reference to a planned BLM event. According to a report released by the Movement for Black Lives in August 2021,
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#17330845794631408-584: The Massachusetts General Court . The resulting laws—both Session Laws and General Laws—together make up the statutory law of the Commonwealth. Each bill that becomes law is given a chapter number, assigned sequentially in the chronological order of its adoption – these are the Session Laws . The official publication of Session Laws for any given year is called the Acts and Resolves of Massachusetts , and
1472-598: The United States federal government deliberately targeted Black Lives Matter protesters in an attempt to disrupt and discourage the Black Lives Matter movement during the summer of 2020. According to the report, "The empirical data and findings in this report largely corroborate what Black organizers have long known intellectually, intuitively, and from lived experience about the federal government's disparate policing and prosecution of racial justice protests and related activity". In 2014, Black Lives Matter demonstrated against
1536-505: The visual arts . A number of media outlets are providing material related to racial injustice and the Black Lives Matter movement. Published books, novels, and TV shows have increased in popularity in 2020. Songs, such as Michael Jackson 's " They Don't Care About Us " and Kendrick Lamar 's " Alright ", have been widely used as a rallying call at demonstrations. The short documentary film, Bars4Justice , features brief appearances by various activists and recording artists affiliated with
1600-753: The "liberation" of black communities across America. In 2016, the Ford Foundation announced plans to fund the M4BL Movement for Black Lives in a "six-year investments" plan, further partnering up with others to found the Black-led Movement Fund . The sum donated by the Ford Foundation and the other donors to M4BL was reported as $ 100 million by The Washington Times in 2016 (equivalent to $ 127 million in 2023 ); another donation of $ 33 million (equivalent to $ 42 million ) to M4BL
1664-446: The 1950s and 1960s. Such differences have been the subject of scholarly literature. Activist DeRay McKesson has commented that the movement "encompasses all who publicly declare that black lives matter and devote their time and energy accordingly." In 2013, Patrisse Cullors , Alicia Garza , and Opal Tometi formed the Black Lives Matter Network. Garza described the network as an online platform that existed to provide activists with
1728-571: The 2016 contract negotiation also went to arbitration and further increased that pay hike, retroactively approving back-pay for a 29% raise between 2010 and 2016. Other city unions agreed to an average six-year raise of 12% over the same period. In December 2023, the union and Boston mayor Michelle Wu reached an agreement for a new contract. Yawu Miller of the Bay State Banner described it as being, "the first [contract] in which [Boston] city officials have managed to secure significant reforms from
1792-596: The BPPA has strongly lobbied, and sometimes litigated, state and city lawmakers around various policing-related legislation. In 2016, the BPPA sued to prevent the adoption of body-worn cameras. The BPPA was a vocal critic of state and municipal police reform legislation passed in the aftermath of nationwide protests against racial injustice in summer 2020 . The union is not a member of the Greater Boston Labor Council. The BPPA's newsletter, Pax Centurion , came under scrutiny in 2012 for publishing material that
1856-645: The Black Lives Matter movement. During the Labor Day weekend in August, Black Lives Matter organized a "Freedom Ride", that brought more than 500 African-Americans from across the United States into Ferguson, Missouri , to support the work being done on the ground by local organizations. The movement continued to be involved in the Ferguson protests , following the killing of Michael Brown . The protests at times came into conflict with local and state police departments, who typically responded in an armed manner. At one point
1920-399: The Black Lives Matter movement. The film is an official selection of the 24th Annual Pan African Film Festival . Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement is a 2016 American television documentary film, starring Jesse Williams , about the Black Lives Matter movement. The February 2015 issue of Essence magazine and the cover was devoted to Black Lives Matter. In December 2015, BLM
1984-798: The General Statutes, which are abbreviated as G.S. when cited in lists of local-option statutes accepted by cities and towns. The Massachusetts Constitution expressly grants to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court the power to review and interpret these laws. Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter ( BLM ) is a decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism , discrimination , and racial inequality experienced by black people and to promote anti-racism . Its primary concerns are police brutality and racially motivated violence against black people. The movement began in response to
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2048-675: The National Guard was called in and a state of emergency was declared. Also in August, Los Angeles Police Department officers shot and killed Ezell Ford; BLM protested his death in Los Angeles into 2015. In November, a New York City Police Department officer shot and killed, Akai Gurley, a 28-year-old African-American man. Gurley's death was later protested by Black Lives Matter in New York City. In Oakland , California, fourteen Black Lives Matter activists were arrested after they stopped
2112-465: The Patrolmen’s union." Under the terms of the contract, it was agreed that officers would lose the option to use arbitration to appeal firings or other disciplinary measures if they are convicted of certain crimes. The contract also saw the union agree to allow pay details of the department to be made public, and for their to be more strict outlines on when officers are permitted to take medical leave . It
2176-670: The Teachers' Union, the NAACP , and some local police officers. In April 2021, an investigation by the Boston Globe revealed that the BPD and BPPA were aware of credible child sexual assault and molestation allegations against BPPA president Patrick Rose as early as 1995. Documents released by the Boston Police Department reveal that, after a brief punitive suspension to administrative duty, Rose
2240-481: The city of Boston in 1968. Despite the repeal that same year of a Massachusetts law which forbade law enforcement unions from affiliating with outside labor organizations, the BPPA did not follow the lead of other Massachusetts police unions and did not pursue affiliation with the AFL–CIO . In 1975, efforts to integrate Boston schools via busing were complicated when hundreds of Boston police officers called in sick due to
2304-464: The coalition receives communications and tactical support from an organization named Blackbird. Following the murder of George Floyd , M4BL released the BREATHE Act , which called for sweeping legislative changes surrounding policing; the policy bill included calls to divest from policing and reinvest funds directly in community resources and alternative emergency response models. On July 24, 2015,
2368-473: The death rates in police encounters. The authors later retracted the paper because although "our data and statistical approach were appropriate for investigating whether officer characteristics are related to the race of civilians fatally shot by police," the paper had been "cited as providing support for the idea that there are no racial biases in fatal shootings, or policing in general" whereas in fact their analyses "are inadequate to address racial disparities in
2432-511: The deaths of numerous African Americans by police actions, including those of Dontre Hamilton , Eric Garner , John Crawford III , Michael Brown , Ezell Ford , Laquan McDonald , Akai Gurley , Tamir Rice , Antonio Martin , and Jerame Reid , among others. In July, Eric Garner died in New York City, after a New York City Police Department officer put him in a banned chokehold while arresting him. Garner's death has been cited as one of several police killings of African Americans that sparked
2496-556: The donor coalition focusing on "movement building" and led by Texas oil fortune heir Leah Hunt-Hendrix , a member of the Democracy Alliance, had donated more than $ 200,000 to the BLM movement by 2015. According to The Economist , between May 2020 and December 2020, donations to Black Lives Matter related causes amounted to $ 10.6 billion (equivalent to $ 12 billion in 2023 ). The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation , one of
2560-605: The findings of Ross and Fryer, and concluded that overall rate of death was a much more useful statistic than the rate of death in encounters. Black Lives Matter protesters are themselves sometimes subject to excessive policing of the kind against which they are demonstrating. In May 2020, in addition to police, 43,350 military troops were deployed against Black Lives Matter protesters nationally. Military surveillance aircraft were deployed against subsequent Black Lives Matter protests. Observers, such as U.S. President Joe Biden , have noted that violent far-right mobilizations, including
2624-554: The first African American police chief in Ferguson, Missouri. He acknowledged that he faces such challenges as diversifying the police force, improving community relations, and addressing issues that catalyzed the Black Lives Matter movement. According to a study from the Bureau of Justice Statistics from 2002 to 2011, among those who had contact with the police, "blacks (2.8%) were more likely than whites (1.0%) and Hispanics (1.4%) to perceive
Boston Police Patrolmen's Association - Misplaced Pages Continue
2688-401: The hashtag, and the average had increased to 3.7 million a day. The 2016 shooting of Dallas police officers saw the online tone of the movement become more negative than before, with 39% of tweets using the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter expressing opposition to the movement. Nearly half in opposition tied the group to violence, with many describing the group as terrorist. Khadijah White,
2752-495: The issue. BLM has been known to build power through protest and rallies. BLM has also staged die-ins and held one during the 2015 Twin Cities Marathon . Political slogans used during demonstrations include the eponymous "Black Lives Matter", " Hands up, don't shoot " (a later discredited reference attributed to Michael Brown ), " I can't breathe " (referring to Eric Garner and later George Floyd ), "White silence
2816-705: The killing of unarmed black Americans relative to unarmed white Americans" by police. The study found that unarmed African Americans had 3.49 times the probability of being shot compared to unarmed whites, although in some jurisdictions the risk could be as much as 20 times higher. The study found that 2.79 more armed blacks were shot than unarmed blacks. The study also found that the documented county-level racial bias in police shootings could not be explained by differences in local crime rates. A 2019 study by Cesario et al. published in Social Psychological and Personality Science found that after adjusting for crime, there
2880-490: The killings of Trayvon Martin , Michael Brown , Eric Garner , and Rekia Boyd , among others. BLM and its related organizations typically advocate for various policy changes related to black liberation and criminal justice reform . While there are specific organizations that label themselves "Black Lives Matter", such as the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation , the overall movement
2944-658: The largest protest movements in the country's history. Despite being characterized by opponents as violent, the overwhelming majority of BLM demonstrations have been peaceful. The popularity of Black Lives Matter has shifted over time, largely due to changing perceptions among white Americans. In 2020, 67% of adults in the United States expressed support for the movement, declining to 51% of U.S. adults in 2023. Support among people of color has, however, held strong, with 81% of African Americans, 61% of Hispanics and 63% of Asian Americans expressing support for Black Lives Matter as of 2023. The phrase "Black Lives Matter" can refer to
3008-468: The main organizations coordinating organizing and mobilization efforts across the reported raising $ 90 million in 2020 (equivalent to $ 106 million in 2023 ), including a substantial number of individual donations online, with an average donation of $ 30.76 (equivalent to $ 36.21 ). Black Lives Matter originally used various social media platforms—including hashtag activism —to reach thousands of people rapidly. Since then, Black Lives Matter has embraced
3072-458: The movement initially convened at Cleveland State University where between 1,500 and 2,000 activists gathered to participate in open discussions and demonstrations. The conference in Cleveland, Ohio initially attempted to "strategize ways for the Movement for Black Lives to hold law enforcement accountable for their actions on a national level". However, the conference resulted in the formation of
3136-629: The police killing of Dontre Hamilton , who died in April. Black Lives Matter protested the killing of John Crawford III . The Murder of Renisha McBride was protested by Black Lives Matter. Also in December, in response to the decision by the grand jury not to indict Darren Wilson on any charges related to the killing of Michael Brown , a protest march was held in Berkeley , California. Later, in 2015, protesters and journalists who participated in that rally filed
3200-494: The police: empowering residents in communities of color to hire and fire police officers and issue subpoenas, decide disciplinary consequences and exercise control over city funding of police. Politico reported in 2015 that the Democracy Alliance , a gathering of Democratic-Party donors, planned to meet with leaders of several groups who were endorsing the Black Lives Matter movement. According to Politico , Solidaire,
3264-532: The press and among activists, as actions or statements from chapters or individuals are sometimes attributed to "Black Lives Matter" as a whole. Matt Pearce, writing for the Los Angeles Times , commented that "the words could be serving as a political rallying cry or referring to the activist organization. Or it could be the fuzzily applied label used to describe a wide range of protests and conversations focused on racial inequality." On at least one occasion,
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#17330845794633328-654: The probability of being shot." Another study found that such conclusions were erroneous due to Simpson's paradox . According to the paper, while it was true that white people were more likely to be killed in a police encounter, overall black people were still being discriminated against because they were more likely to have interactions with the police due to structural racism. They are more likely to be stopped for more petty crimes or for no crime at all. Conversely, white people interact with police more rarely, and often for more serious crimes such as shootings, where police are more likely to use force. The same paper also backed up
3392-483: The shooting death of African-American teen Trayvon Martin . Black Lives Matter became nationally recognized for street demonstrations following the 2014 deaths of two more African Americans, Michael Brown —resulting in protests and unrest in Ferguson, Missouri —and Eric Garner in New York City. Since the Ferguson protests, participants in the movement have demonstrated against the deaths of numerous other African Americans by police actions or while in police custody. In
3456-403: The summer of 2015, Black Lives Matter activists became involved in the 2016 United States presidential election . The movement gained international attention during global protests in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin . An estimated 15 to 26 million people participated in Black Lives Matter protests in the United States, making it one of
3520-561: The threat or use of nonfatal force was excessive." According to The Washington Post , police officers shot and killed 1,001 people in the United States in 2019. About half of those killed were white, and one quarter were black, making the rate of deaths for black Americans (31 fatal shootings per million) more than twice as high as the rate for white Americans (13 fatal shootings per million). The Washington Post also counts 13 unarmed black Americans shot dead by police in 2019. A 2015 study by Cody Ross, UC Davis found "significant bias in
3584-539: The time. A 1975 federal report of the United States Commission on Civil Rights found that "The Boston Police Patrolmen's Association seriously undermined its ability to help implement [school desegregation] by publicly opposing court-ordered desegregation." In 2004, BPPA members were joined in protest by other city labor unions after two years without renegotiation of a BPPA contract. The demonstrations became national news as they interfered with preparations for
3648-504: The world in 2014. From July 2013 through May 1, 2018, the hashtag "#BlackLivesMatter" had been tweeted over 30 million times, an average of 17,002 times per day. By June 10, 2020, it had been tweeted roughly 47.8 million times, with the period of July 7–17, 2016 having the highest usage, at nearly 500,000 tweets a day. This period also saw an increase in tweets using the hashtags "#BlueLivesMatter" and "#AllLivesMatter". On May 28, 2020, there were nearly 8.8 million tweets with
3712-624: Was "hostile toward racial and religious minorities." The editor, Officer James Carnell, was criticized by many including the Boston police commissioner. Multiple advertisers cancelled their arrangements with the newsletter in response. In 2020, BPPA president Michael Leary wrote a letter to the Boston Teachers' Union denouncing programming to promote racial justice in local schools. Leary referred to Black Lives Matter as an "antipolice organization" that "inaccurately demoniz[es] police as racists who kill innocent people." The letter drew criticism from
3776-526: Was "no systematic evidence of anti-black disparities in fatal shootings, fatal shootings of unarmed citizens, or fatal shootings involving misidentification of harmless objects". However, a 2020 study by Cody Ross et al. criticizes the data analysis used in the Cesario et al. study. Using the same data set for police shootings in 2015 and 2016, Ross et al. conclude that there is significant racial bias in police shooting cases involving unarmed black suspects. This bias
3840-494: Was a contender for the Time magazine Person of the Year award, coming in fourth of the eight candidates. A number of cities have painted murals of "Black Lives Matter" in large letters on their streets . The cities include Washington, D.C. , Dallas , Denver , Charlotte , Seattle , Brooklyn , Los Angeles , and Birmingham, Alabama . On May 9, 2016, Delrish Moss was sworn in as
3904-560: Was approved unanimously by the Boston City Council on December 13, 2024. In March 2024, a similar contract was reached by Wu with the Boston Police Detectives Benevolent Society. During the 1988 United States presidential election , the BPPA made headlines by endorsing Republican presidential candidate George H. W. Bush instead of the then-governor of Massachusetts, Michael Dukakis . In recent years,
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#17330845794633968-747: Was reinstated to full duty in 1997 after the BPPA sent a letter to BPD seeking information to assist them as they "consider[ed] whether to file a grievance" regarding Rose's suspension. Rose then went on to molest five other children during his next 23 years on the force. In April 2022, Rose pleaded guilty to 21 counts of child rape and sexual assault, for which he was sentenced 10–13 years in prison. In 2021, former president Thomas Nee pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds. Nee admitted to submitting false and fraudulent overtime slips from 2015 to 2019 which allowed him to collect $ 16,642 for overtime hours he did not work. He
4032-481: Was reportedly issued by the Open Society Foundations . In 2016, M4BL called for decarceration in the United States , reparations for harms related to slavery , and more recently, specific remedies for redlining in housing, education policy, mass incarceration and food insecurity. It also called for an end to mass surveillance, investment in public education, not incarceration, and community control of
4096-550: Was the fifteenth current or former BPD officer charged in connection with an investigation into overtime abuse at the department's evidence warehouse. Since its founding in 1965, the BPPA has had 10 presidents: Official website General Laws of Massachusetts The Massachusetts General Laws is a codification of many of the statutes of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts . The Commonwealth's laws are promulgated by an elected bicameral ("two-chamber") legislative body ,
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