Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has been forced to submit texts and emails about her so-called “enemy list” and may even have to testify in court after an accused gunman’s attorney demanded to know why he was one of those named.
The Democrat has been asked to hand over the evidence after a judge agreed to make it part of a discovery in a case against a North End restaurateur accused of firing a gun at a business rival, according to the Boston Herald.
Wu, 38, said last month that Boston police asked her to catalog the names of her most outspoken critics in response to growing concerns about her safety.
Beantown’s first female mayor’s press secretary confirmed that her administration sent a list of names to police after she had been “harassed and physically intimidated by individuals for several months” outside her home and at city events.
Now the lawyer for Patrick Mendoza – the restaurateur accused of shooting a man outside the Modern Pastry on July 12 – is demanding to know how he ended up on Wu’s enemy list, claiming it could help his defense.
Michelle Wu’s administration will have to hand over communications about her “enemies list” after accused shooter Patrick Mendoza’s lawyer, who is one of the names mentioned, has demanded access to these documents
Mendoza is charged with assault to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, witness intimidation and three counts of unlawful possession of weapons
“I want to know who made the list, what it was for and why it was sent to the Boston Police Department,” attorney Rosemary Scapicchio told police. Boston herald.
“I’m trying to get the information because it could be exonerating for my client.”
On Friday, the judge accepted Scapicchio’s request and ruled that Wu’s administration will have to hand over all communications about the list.
The order also means that Wu himself may have to testify under oath in court.
Mendoza is charged with assault to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, witness intimidation and three counts of unlawful possession of weapons.
Monica’s Trattoria owner, 54, is being held in Nashua Street Jail after Boston Municipal Judge Paul Treseler deemed him too dangerous to bail, according to the Herald.
CCTV footage shows the moment a man on a bicycle, reportedly Mendoza, pulls out toward cars parked along the sidewalk as he fires a gun over his shoulder at a man wearing a baseball cap just a few feet away.
He shoots while on the bike, before dismounting and walking towards the alleged victim, aiming the gun at his head.
The dangerous exchange took place on busy Hanover Street, in Boston’s North End.
CCTV footage shows the moment a man on a bicycle, reportedly Mendoza, pulls out toward cars parked along the sidewalk as he fires a gun over his shoulder at a man in a baseball cap just a few feet away
“I want to know who made the list, what it’s for, and why it was sent to the Boston Police Department,” said Mendoza’s attorney Rosemary Scapicchio.
Wu, 38, said last month Boston police asked her to catalog the names of her most outspoken critics in response to growing concerns about her safety
As Mendoza’s case unfolded, Wu’s government admitted to making an “enemies list” after it was discovered in an email dug up in a public records request by her political opponents.
Her press secretary Ricardo Patron explained why the names were put together.
The list was created in response to a request from the Boston Police Department after the mayor was harassed and physically intimidated by individuals for several months outside her home, during town celebrations such as the annual coffee hours at the neighborhood park, and at other public events. ,” he said in a statement.
The request came after many of the individuals on the list repeatedly obstructed the Dorchester Day Parade to harass Mayor Wu and her family and staff, shouting through megaphones at her and her children for nearly 90 minutes as they marched in the parade , despite being asked to. parade organizers to leave the parade route.”
Notable names on the list of 15 people include several local restauranteurs who have sued Wu’s administration for being biased against Italians and whites.
Shana Cottone, a former Boston police officer who was fired for her stance against vaccine mandates, is also named, along with local city council nominee and fierce critic of the mayor Catherine Vitale.
Monica’s Trattoria owner, 54, is being held in Nashua Street Jail after Boston Municipal Judge Paul Treseler deemed him too dangerous to bail
Wu is Boston’s first female and first non-white mayor. She was elected in 2021
Others on the list include several anti-vaccine activists who have protested at Wu’s home.
Revelations about the list led to comparisons between Wu and disgraced former President Richard Nixon.
Nixon, a Republican, notoriously had an “enemy list” during his presidency, a list of names for labor leaders, sitting congressmen, and even famed liberal actor Paul Newman.
Multiple lists were revealed during the investigation into the wiretapping of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate office complex in 1972, along with the subsequent cover-up, which ultimately led to his firing.
Wu is Boston’s first female non-white mayor. She was elected in 2021.