‘ Disgraceful ’ : Advocates Want Drive-Thru Holiday Light Show Moved From Former Waltham Mental Facility

WALTHAM (AP) — A battle is underway in a Boston suburb over whether it is appropriate to hold a joyous holiday celebration at the site of a now-closed institution where developmentally disabled children were once abused, neglected and warehoused under deplorable conditions. The Waltham Lions Club drive-thru Greater Boston Holiday Light Show, a fundraiser for the service organization, is planned for the site of the Walter E. Fernald Developmental Center. Calling use of the site “disgraceful,” a coalition of disability rights advocates has asked Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy to pull the club’s permit and find an alternate site for the event scheduled to run from Nov. 27 to Jan. 3. The problem is not with the Lions, who “do amazing work,” said Alex Green, an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School and an activist who took part in a protest Friday to try to get the city to change its mind. “We understand everybody needs a boost like a light show right now,” said Green, who also launched an online petition to get the city to change its mind. “Our only argument is this is not the place for one. This is a site with an enormous amount of torment in its history.” The Fernald Center, which moved to Waltham in the late 19th century, became a place where the developmentally disabled, including those with cerebral palsy and Down syndrome, were shut away from a society of which they were deemed unfit to be a part. Walter Fer...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Boston News Syndicated CBSN Boston Waltham News Source Type: news