EVERETT, MASS. (WHDH) - Hundreds of students walked out of school to protest at City Hall in Everett Monday, calling for accountability in the wake of a city councilor and an aide to the mayor resigning over racist messages.
“There are members of the City Council who don’t know how to filter themselves and have a lot of ideas that we’re not going to support,” said senior Nicholas Pereira. “We came here to speak our voice and educate people on what’s right and wrong, because what they’ve done is wrong.”
City Councilor Anthony DiPierro announced his resignation after private messages with racist imagery were made public, and Mayor Carlo DeMaria said his director of communications was also resigning. In a statement, DiPierro suggested others beside himself should resign as well.
“I take full responsibility for my actions, and encourage others who participated in this hurtful, insensitive banter, to also do the right thing and step down from their positions in city government,” DiPierro said.
Monday afternoon, the mayor announced his director of communications is also resigning in the wake of what he called inexcusable conduct that violates the public trust.
“They’re over here making remarks that shouldn’t be made they … they should be held accountable and it starts at the head office,” said senior Ismael Zamor.
Everett Public Schools Superintendent Priya Tahiliani said she wants more to be done.
“There are systemic issues that have allowed for these kinds of things to go on for quite some time,” she said. “I think there are a lot of systems that need to be revisited because these things don’t happen overnight.”
Tahiliani said that not everyone who was involved with these comments has resigned so she is calling on more city officials to step down.
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