Dawn Blake Souza's letter of support

The Standard Times
Elm Street
New Bedford, MA 02740

To the Editor:

I am writing to express my support for Mr. Temistocles “Tem” Ferreira, who was arrested in October of 2006 at the University of Massachusetts, in Dartmouth after being stopped by the Massachusetts State Police who were responding to a report of shots fired. The circumstances that led to this travesty of justice have been covered extensively in the Standard Times , but I fear that in the interim time period, they will have been lost, and the injustice will be further compounded when, and if Mr. Ferreira comes to trial next month.

Let me be very clear about one thing: I applaud District Attorney Sutter’s swift and appropriate response to violent crime in our communities, and I appreciate his efforts to make our neighborhoods safer; but I pray that he and his associates will recognize the unique circumstances of this case. There is certainly cause to examine the role that negative stereotyping and, yes, even racial profiling on the part of the police officers may have played that night. I recognize, as well, that the police officers who responded were trying to do the job we all demand of them, and I acknowledge that this requires them to make swift decisions.

Perhaps they overreacted. Perhaps they used poor judgment. Perhaps they had not been adequately trained to deal with issues of racial profiling. I don’t know the answers to those questions because I was not there.

What I do know, however, is what Tem tells me; and because I have known him since he was a young child, and I personally know how his fine parents raised him and his outstanding siblings, I have not one iota of doubt about the veracity of his account of what took place that night.

Like countless other people in our community who support Tem Ferreira, I am gravely concerned that the possibility of losing face, or appearing soft on crime, will cloud the facts and lead to an unjust conviction. Tem Ferreira is a peaceful young family man, a gifted artist, and a graduate student with a brilliant career ahead of him. We cannot afford to take a chance with his life and his future, and I am asking the public to voice their concerns to D.A. Sutter, through Pam Cruz, his Community Liaison. If possible, I would like to see the District Court filled with Tem’s supporters on Friday, November 2^nd at 9:00 A.M. For further information, you can email justice4temblessed@yahoo.com..

Dawn Blake Souza, Dartmouth, Massachusetts 508 524 2001