Police were called to South Lawrence East School around noon on Tuesday after a report of traffic problems tied to dueling groups of supporters and critics of a recall effort against Mayor Brian DePeña. Officers spoke with both sides, warned them not to block traffic, and stayed on-site, but the situation did not escalate into anything more serious.
According to NBC Boston, recall supporters were inviting people in cars approaching the polling place to sign the recall petition, while supporters of the mayor urged voters not to “sign into hate.” The outlet reported that both sides calmly continued their work once police made clear that blocking traffic would not be tolerated.
Wendy Luzón, who is part of the recall movement, said the effort was active at polling places across the city and that everything was being carried out peacefully and in an orderly manner. She described recall representatives as being present at every precinct, available to let voters sign the petition or simply learn more about the process, and attributed the day's friction to the passion both sides bring to the fight. By her account, the day had been calm overall, with only minor incidents.
Mayor's Backers Push Back
José Anciano, a mayoral supporter at the scene, offered a different framing, saying the legal matter against DePeña should be left in the hands of the courts and that the mayor's administration was doing its job. He said people should not offend each other or call on others to fight, and argued there was hate directed at the mayor that he considered wrong. DePeña himself has described recall organizers as people who are full of hate.
DePeña was arrested over the summer and now faces charges in both federal and state court. He has denied the allegations in both cases and said he will not resign, a position the station's report also notes.
How the Recall Process Works
Lawrence city officials have certified more than 100 signatures needed to start the recall process, according to WBUR. Under the city's charter, at least 100 voters may file an affidavit with the city clerk naming the official and stating the grounds for recall, and an elected official whose term exceeds two years with more than 12 months remaining can be targeted, per the City of Lawrence City Charter.
From there, the petition must be returned within 30 days of issuance and signed by at least 15% of the voters registered at the preceding city election, the charter states. Reporting differs on exactly how many signatures that threshold represents: WBUR has put the number at a minimum of 7,078 Lawrence voters, while The Boston Globe has cited a figure of around 6,500. If the petition is certified as sufficient and the official does not resign within five days of notice, the city council must order a recall election held 65 to 90 days after certification — a vote that would let residents decide whether to remove the mayor before his term ends.
A City That Has Tried This Before
Lawrence has been here before. The Boston Globe reports that earlier recall pushes against former mayors William Lantigua and Dan Rivera both died before reaching the ballot because organizers could not collect enough signatures, including an attempt against Lantigua in 2011. Two city councilors have separately told GBH they expect DePeña to face a recall election, though neither said they were ready to support one outright.
For now, the fight is playing out curbside, with recall volunteers and mayoral loyalists working the same intersections outside the city's polling places. Tuesday's episode outside South Lawrence East School showed how quickly that competition can draw a police response, even as officers and witnesses on the scene described the overall atmosphere as tense but controlled.
