The nearly brand new children’s park at the Bradley School was the victim of an arsonist recently. You have to wonder, who would set fire to a kid’s playground next to a public school? What kind of monster or monsters could do such a thing? How little humanity does one have to possess to pour gasoline onto a kid’s park and then set it ablaze?
Boston police and arson squad fire officials are busy investigating this incident which confounds us to no end and which disturbs us as well.
Enter Suffolk Downs and Mr. Richard Fields, the man who would own a casino at his track if he makes the cut with the Gaming Commission that will be empowered by the expanded gaming legislation, which has passed the House and is now under discussion in the Senate.
It was announced yesterday that Suffolk Downs and Mr. Fields will contribute $40,000 to the re-making of this small park that means so much to so many parents and their young children in the neighborhood.
By every stretch of the imagination, this is an incredible act of generosity. No one but Suffolk Downs and Mr. Fields stepped up to the plate to pay for the re-make of this park.
Some residents of this neighborhood will consider Mr. Field’s contribution a way to engender himself to the neighborhood, which will be impacted by the casino.
This is partly true. It is also true no one else made a motion to make this kind of generous donation that remakes a torched kid’s park.
Some will say Mr. Fields does these types of things to get what he wants. Part of this is true, also.
But the greater measure here is not so much what Mr. Fields is trying to do, rather, it is about his willingness to be generous to a community that he might be impacting.
Furthermore, if and when a casino locates at Suffolk Downs and Mr. Fields is the owner, it is this type of generous act, which will undoubtedly be replicated, as part of his make-up is to give back to the community where he owns and manages a substantial business entity.
We believe that Suffolk Downs and Mr. Fields in this instance deserve a great deal of thanks for jumping right up and doing the right thing for a bunch of East Boston residents and school children.
This is indicative of the kinds of charitable things that Suffolk Downs and Mr. Fields are capable of and which will be probably repeated time and again if Mr. Fields gets his casino at his track.
Over the decades, Suffolk Downs has been a great neighbor and a charitable one. A casino will add to that mix quite effectively.
In the meantime, we all owe Suffolk Downs and Mr. Fields a debt of gratitude.