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© 2021 The Somerville Times. All rights reserved.
By Jim Clark
Somerville Police officers were dispatched to a Pitman St. location last week on reports of an unwanted party.
Upon arrival, the officers spotted a man, later identified as Laurence Scudder, walking around in the first-floor apartment.
When the officers entered the apartment, Scudder walked past them and left the residence. A tenant of one of the apartments said that Scudder was an intruder and broke into his home.
The victim said he was woken up by the sound of snoring coming from his living room. When he checked what was making the noise, he saw Scudder sleeping on his couch. He then asked Scudder to leave several times, but would not comply. He responded by asking if he could stay because he was tired.
Another resident of the apartment building said that she heard a noise coming from her front hallway. When she opened the door, she saw Scudder standing on the other side of the door. She screamed and slammed the door in his face. At this point, she called police for assistance.
Officers went outside to speak with Scudder, but he refused to cooperate and tell them why he was in the victim’s apartment.
Scudder was placed under arrested on a charge of misdemeanor breaking and entering.
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I am disappointed in the Times for publishing this comical depiction of a resident in need. Mr. Scudder is my neighbor, and your neighbor, too. It is clear the City has failed this man; everyone deserves to have a place to sleep at night, and his arrest did nothing to fix the problem that led to his seeking shelter. If Mr. Scudder were housed, he would not have needed to find a place to sleep the night of July 7. Our unhoused neighbors are exhausted and fighting for survival amidst heatwaves and storm. Let’s have a little empathy — and maybe rethink punishment in favor of community.
First, I wouldn’t fault the Times for running this story. They do this, based on actual police reports, routinely. And I wouldn’t characterize it as comical either. It reads like a straightforward account. The headline might be a little flip, but not much.
Then, I would say if you think that breaking in to a complete stranger’s apartment – whether to sleep or not – is acceptable, then I believe your sense of empathy is somewhat extreme. And lest we forget, he allegedly refused to cooperate with the police.
That said, I would agree with you that much more needs to be done to house the homeless. That goes without saying.
BTW, it’s possible that the arresting officers might have had compassionate motives when they gave the man a place to sleep that night. Something to think about.