PRESS RELEASE (March 31, 2025): Public Safety Means Everyone is Safe

In all honesty, I never thought that as a candidate for Peabody City Councilor – at Large I would have an occasion to make a public statement regarding due process and the rule of law. The initial plan was to release a statement on reducing traffic through increased school bussing and a proposal for increasing multi-family housing in Peabody. But then Rumeysa Ozturk, a PhD psychology student at Tufts University, was unjustly detained by federal agents and denied due process before being flown out of New England.

            This happened less than 15 miles from Peabody.         

Ms. Ozturk detained on the streets of Somerville

The behavior of federal officials is outrageous and extreme. Ms. Ozturk committed no crime. The basis for her detention appears to be the fact that she is not a citizen and she expressed an opinion that the current administration finds objectionable. No person, regardless of citizenship or immigration status, should be denied due process of law. And, no person should be subject to arrest and deportation simply because they espouse an unpopular opinion.

            Public safety is a key plank of my campaign. That, of course means keeping the crime rate low, but it also means doing what we can to keep our immigrant communities safe. Approximately 17% of the population of the City of Peabody was born outside the United States.[1] Every single one of those people—whether a citizen or not—is an important part of our community. We deserve a city government that is committed to defending our most basic liberties and our immigrant friends and neighbors. If elected, I will advocate the city explore ways to monitor local immigration efforts and document the effects of deportations. Where possible, I believe the City should oppose attempts to deport students and other non-criminal immigrants.

            Tristan R. Brown

            Candidate

            Peabody, City Council-at Large          

www.planforpeabody.com.  

For more information about the campaign, please contact info@planforpeabody.com. You can join our email list at www.planforpeabody.com.

[1] Source: Peabody, MA, DataUSA, https://datausa.io/profile/geo/peabody-ma/.