Middlesex DA Shows Solidarity With Slain Prosecutors

Black ribbons were donned by the staff of Middlesex District Attorney’s Office as they joined prosecutors in Massachusetts and across the country in signifying their solidarity and compassion for prosecutors who have recently been killed in Texas.

“Everyday the staff of the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office protects and serves our communities by standing up and speaking for victims without a voice,” said District Attorney Gerry Leone in a press release Thursday. “Prosecutors and all law enforcement in the Commonwealth make our communities safer while at times putting themselves in harms way on behalf of others. Our thoughts today, as we continue to fight for justice, remain with those families who have lost loved ones in these horrible tragedies around the country.”

Two Texas prosecutors have been killed in the last two months, prompting security to be tightened for district attorneys in Texas, according to the Huffington Post. One of those district attorneys was shot 20 times in his home, according to the Huffington Post.

In wearing Black Ribbons, the staff of the office, will also be remembering their own fallen colleague, Paul McLaughlin, a former Middlesex Assistant District Attorney and Assistant Attorney General who was killed on September 25, 1995 by a gang member for his work in the streets of Boston as a Safe Neighborhoods Initiative Prosecutor.

District Attorney Leone will wear a white ribbon painted black to both honor the fallen prosecutors and remind men to stand up against violence against women. The White Ribbon Campaign is a domestic violence prevention effort created by Jane Doe, Inc. It urges men to pledge to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women.