“Why don’t I remember this?”

Unless you were one of the 800 people who were forced out of Edmonds Hall, or certainly one of the 30 people who had to go to the hospital, there is a good chance that you have forgotten many of the details of the Tear Gas Incident. Even at the time information was hard to come by. The only Boston Globe article appeared on page 34 - two days after the incident. On the next Monday, The Heights, a weekly publication, ran an in-depth story, but it was overshadowed by the top story - the elimination of beer kegs on campus.

Over that fall semester The Heights was dominated with stories about other issues, such as the presidential election, the Oliver North speech, and that December, the death of BC students in the Lockerbie Scotland terrorist attack. It seems like interest in the tear gas incident, much like the investigation, had run cold.

When fellow alumni hear of the death of Officer Devlin they are shocked and saddened, but also surprised that such a dramatic event, the death of a Boston College Police Officer, had slipped their notice. “Why don’t I remember this?” remarked one classmate. With such a long timeline, Officer Devlin passed away 19 years after sustaining his injury, and such little publicity, it is no wonder why the story has not had much impact on those not directly involved.

I wonder if more people knew about and discussed the incident, would those responsible for Officer Devlin’s death be more likely to examine their conscious and provide a conclusion to this story?

When I was Young and Irresponsible…

I remember a time in my youth when I drove drunk – really drunk, and made it home safe and alive. Another time I remember watching a friend climb a downspout of a three-story building, hang on the gutter with one hand, and then climb down safely.

I remember a friend who had a Christmas tree in her dorm room that was so dry (it had never been watered) that I’m still amazed lasted the season without starting a fire.

Any of those incidents could have easily caused injury and death, but they didn’t and we escaped. Through shear dumb luck we escaped the embarrassment and guilt of having caused injury to ourselves or others.

The person who set off the tear gas in Edmonds has not escaped. His actions caused injury to dozens and ultimately death to a police officer. And while his actions were much more aggressive and had the intent of harming others, it was just as dangerous as my drunken ride across Brighton.

I wonder how I would feel if I found out that that dumb thing I did 20 years ago caused someone’s death. How would I deal with the guilt? What steps could I take to make amends, if possible? Luckily, and it is just luck, it is just an exercise for me.

What would you do?

We would “reopen the case in a second…”

Soon after the incident in 1988 investigators knew where the tear gas canister had been stolen from. They had a composite sketch of a suspect (at left from The Heights) and a description of another. They had set up a telephone tip line where anyone could anonymously call in information. An insurance company was offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible. None the leads provided enough information to charge anyone with a crime.

I recently spoke with someone who is familiar with the Boston College Police Department who said that when it came to the stolen tear gas canister they had a couple people in mind, but not enough information to move forward.

The investigation has run its course, and without additional information it is at a stand still.

While statue of limitations has eliminated the many of the potential charges and civil suits, I am told that charges surrounding the death of Officer Devlin, such as Felony Murder or Involuntary Murder are still possible. And as my contact familiar with BCPD said, if someone came forward with new information they “would reopen the case in a second.”

So the people responsible for the tear gas incident still have a lot hanging over their heads.

"A True Hero and Friend"

There are many tributes and condolences pages on the web to Officer Thomas Devlin, but when I found this letter by Sgt Joe Desmond to The Heights, you could feel the sense of loss as only a friend and colleague could write.

Sgt Desmond writes, "...please remember Tom, his family, friends, and colleagues in your thoughts and prayers. Also remember, the men and women of the BCPD... whose selfless devotion to duty insure and protect the little things in life that we all take for granted.

There is a memorial to Officer Devlin at the Boston College Police Department and a new memorial will be incorporated to the BCPD offices when they are relocated.

The Letter I Couldn’t Stop Thinking About

It was the following letter to the editor in the Fall '07 Boston College Magazine that renewed interest in this event. The sadness of Officer Devlin’s death and hope for accountability for those responsible matched my feelings as well.

Incident Recalled
It was with great sadness that I read of the passing of Officer Thomas Devlin. I was a resident assistant in the neighboring Walsh dorm in September 1988 and recall the great chaos as we tried to move the residents of Edmonds to safety and assist them in finding a place to stay while their building was cleared of tear gas. Perhaps those involved will finally have the courage to come forward and acknowledge the consequences of their actions.
John Kawczynski ’90_

Hopefully renewed interest by many of us will prompt some soul searching on those few.

Truth and Reconciliation… and Justice

While thinking of reconciliation, the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission came to mind. But, after doing a little reading that case doesn’t seem to apply to this case. The TRC seemed more focused on creating an accurate historical record of past human rights violations and bestowed amnesty rather than absolution.

I’ve read that a common criticism of the TRC from victims was that the amnesty eliminated their chance of attaining justice. “Most felt that justice was a prerequisite for reconciliation rather than an alternative to it.”

That raises an interesting question: how are justice and reconciliation tied together? Is one conditional on the other? Or should they be seen as two separate paths, one secular and legal, one interpersonal and spiritual?

Clearly, the person who tear gassed Edmonds in 1988 would first have to gain enough strength on their internal and spiritual path before they could walk the judicial path that waits.

Discuss your thoughts reconciliation vs. justice.

Researching Reconciliation

I found an interesting article describing the process of Confession, or now referred to as The Sacrament of Reconciliation. Sandra DeGidio writes that the Catholic sacrament is a process of conversion, confession and celebration.
Conversion, the first step, is an internal and deliberate decision to change ones value system. “Unless we can see that our values, attitudes and actions are in conflict with Christian ones, we will never see a need to change or desire to be reconciled,” writes DeGidio.

I would imagine that the person who dropped the teargas must realize what harm they have done and want to change that part of their life. Few want to think of themselves as a killer. It must be hard to ignore that part of ones personal history. How does one rid themselves of that part of their character?

Is the first step to internally admit their culpability and decide to do something about it? Like come forward and acknowledge the consequences of their actions.

“It felt as if a chemical was spilled on my face.”

The initial Boston Globe story of the incident in 1988 has three themes running through it; the incident would not be seen as prank, but a crime; the powerful and caustic nature of the tear gas caused pain and burned the skin of the students and first responders; and security at the dorms was loose and easy for “strangers” to get into the building.

Students living on the second floor where the tear gas canister was detonated literally jumped out of the windows to escape. Firefighters suffered burns on the back of their necks and around their faces.

Boston Fire Captain Matthew Corbett seemed angry. He was quoted saying, “ This is a serious crime. It’s outrageous. A person can get a 20-year sentence for this.”

The third theme, that “anyone from outside” or “strangers” could easily get into the dorm implies that the suspect was not a BC student.

Was the second floor of Edmonds a random location for an outsider to play a prank on college students? Or did someone knowing let him in?

Post your recollections, and start a discussion about the lasting effects of that night.

Culture of False Alarms

Was there a culture of people who enjoyed pulling false fire alarms in the Boston College dorms? I remember my freshmen dorm, Keys North, experienced dozens of nighttime false fire alarms over the course of the year. While the vast majority of us living in the dorm were terribly annoyed by them, someone, or a collection of individuals, must have enjoyed causing a disruption in people’s night.

Was it a power trip they enjoyed? That they, singularly, caused dozens of people to wake up and stand outside in the dark. Was it the thrill of doing something wrong and illegal, and getting away with it, that was their motive? Did they think it was a practical joke, where the only thing the victims lost was a good night sleep? And is there anything more fun than playing a joke on someone, except playing a joke on a hundred people at the same time?

Do people who pull false alarms laugh and tell their friends? “Hey, guess what? I just woke up Walsh for the second time tonight.” Or do they expect to feel scorn and disapproval from their peers, and stay silent?

You may believe that someone who pulls a false alarm is deviant from the rest of the student body, and maybe so. But why were there false alarms after false alarms in seemingly every dorm, every year. Why was there a collection of individuals who thought it was fun / acceptable to pull and run?

Out of this mindset came one person who wanted to go one step further, be more audacious and aggressive, thoughtless and destructive. Could he ever have imagined that this one insular and sophomoric act could have such terrible consequences?

Overview of the Boston College Tear Gas Incident

When someone comes forward and accepts the responsibilities of their crimes, what benefit do they get in return? Is the loss of a comfortable lifestyle and a prison term too expensive to offset the peace of mind that comes with acknowledging the consequences of a crime committed almost 20 years ago that led to a police officer's death?

One evening in the fall of 1988 someone threw a tear gas grenade in the hallway of a nine-floor dormitory at Boston College. The powerful, military-grade tear gas quickly flowed into the building's air conditioning system, forcing 800 students to evacuate. Twenty-four students, five Boston College Police Officers and two Boston Firefighters were taken to the hospital.

To some the incident was just a sophomoric and dangerous prank - like a false fire alarm except with the added inconvenience of the smoky tear gas. To authorities it was a serious matter, and an official arson investigation was launched. However little evidence was produced; the tear gas canister had been stolen from a military depot, and a description of a possible suspect: a young man with a "military style hair cut." The suspect was never identified, although some people wonder if the perpetrator was a Boston College student. In the almost twenty years since then he hasn't come forward to admit to his crime.

Boston College police officer Thomas Devlin had been one of the first emergency responders to enter the building. The military-grade teargas caused burns on more than sixty percent of his lungs. He spent the next 19 years fighting viral lung infections, and died in 2007. In 2008 his name was added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial as a law enforcement officer who had died as a direct and proximate result of a personal injury sustained in the line of duty

Boston College is considered a leading Catholic university in the United States. Demographically its 140,000 alumni are financially well off compared to most Americans. The university's billion-dollar endowment speaks to how the alumni are fiercely loyal to the school, its Catholic tradition and each other. It troubles some alumni that there may be one of their own who, while may have only intended a disruptive prank, caused the death of police officer, has never had the courage to come forward and acknowledge the consequences of their actions. In a community where so many find reconciliation to be one of the 7 tenants of their faith, they wonder why he has not done so.