October 26, 2022
2022-10-26T19:00:00
Chairs for 40. AV setup. PT
66 Leavitt Street
Hingham, MA 02043
Reference Desk: 781-741-1405 x1404
Evening With the Author: Jan Brogan presents The Combat Zone
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
It was the most publicized murder of the 1970s. The victim was Harvard football star Andrew Puopolo, an Italian-American from the North End, then the local headquarters for the mob. Three Black men were charged with his murder in Boston's crime-ridden Combat Zone. Whispers of Mafia revenge grew so loud that many didn’t think there would ever be a trial. There were two. The suspects were tried during the height of the city’s busing violence, and the jury decisions may have said more about the city than the case, leaving the victim’s family to struggle with the very definition of justice. While many in Boston remember the murder, few realize the lasting impact the trials had on criminal justice, as they changed the way juries are selected by ending the once common practice of striking potential jurors based on race or ethnicity.
This event will be held in person at the Library. To join us,
please register online.
Jan Brogan has been a journalist for more than 30 years, working as a correspondent for the Boston Globe, the Worcester Telegram, and the Providence Journal. She has written four mysteries, including A Confidential Source, which is in development to become a television series. She lives with her husband in a Boston suburb.