Special Report: Examining Civil Forfeiture Laws In Mass.

Also: Major commuter rail delays after car falls onto tracks; your voter guide for Boston's preliminary mayoral race ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  [Donate [WBUR]]( [View in Browser](  [WBUR]( August 18, 2021 Good Morning Boston, ☁️ Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. Slight chance of showers in the afternoon. Our investigative team has been working hard for months, looking into the controversial civil forfeiture system in the state. It's [today's must-read]( but first I wanted to give you a little background on why. - First thing's first, let's talk about how civil forfeitures actually work. In Massachusetts, it’s easier than in any other state in the country for police to seize your money or property on just the suspicion of drug activity. And once money is seized by police, prosecutors can hold onto it for decades, even if drug charges are never filed. - This is happening a lot in Worcester County. The investigation below, conducted with ProPublica, found District Attorney Joseph D. Early's office regularly stockpiles money for years – sometimes decades – before notifying people about how they can fight to get the money back. But the DA says he's following the law. - This report took our investigative team some time because there's no public data around conviction rates tied to forfeiture cases. So, we created it! And the team found that of the hundreds of people who lost money and property to the Worcester DA’s office through forfeitures in 2018, nearly one in four had no related drug conviction or drug charge. That's why some civil rights advocates are calling the legal system “a stain on our identity." This is a story you don't want to skip. [Read it here]( or below. In other local news: - If you commute in and out of Boston's South Station, you'll want to give yourself some extra time to get to work this morning. There are significant commuter rail delays after a [car went off the road]( fell about 40 feet and landed on the MBTA's track below in a two-car accident this morning. Four people were taken to the hospital. If you take the Fairmount, Framingham-Worcester, Needham, Franklin and Providence-Stoughton lines, check the MBTA's [website]( for updated delay times. - Employees who cared for residents at the state-funded Holyoke Soldiers Home early in the pandemic have filed a class action civil rights lawsuit against five former administrators. At least 77 military veterans who lived at the home died of COVID-19 last year. The employees are now seeking damages, alleging that management did not provide a physically or mentally safe work environment. - Feeling lucky? The Powerball is adding one drawing a week. The state lottery will take place on Mondays, starting next week, in addition to Wednesdays and Saturdays. P.S.– Today's newsletter is jam-packed with good stuff so I wanted to take a moment to highlight all our voter guide information below for Boston's preliminary mayoral race coming up on Sept. 14. And if you don't live in the city and can't vote, our quiz about Boston's mayors is still really fun. Be sure to check it out! — Meagan McGinnes [@meaganmcginnes]( newsletters@wbur.org The Rundown [1.](url)[It's Easy For Police To Seize Money. Worcester's District Attorney Makes It Hard To Get It Back]( In Massachusetts, under a system called civil forfeiture, police can confiscate property they suspect is part of a drug crime and prosecutors could hold it indefinitely, even when criminal charges have been dismissed. Trying to get one’s money back is so onerous, legal experts say it may violate due process rights. [Read more.](   #%23%23[Twitter](  #%23%23[Facebook](    2. [Voter Guide: Everything To Know About Boston's Preliminary Mayoral Race]( A preliminary race on Tuesday, Sept. 14, will winnow the field of seven candidates down to two contenders. The next mayor will be decided in a general election race on Tuesday, Nov. 2. [Read more.]( - Quiz: [How Much Do You Know About Boston's Mayors?]( How To Vote: [How To Vote By Mail In Boston's Preliminary Election]( 3. [Afghanistan War Vets Speak Out On U.S. Withdrawal]( More than 700,000 American troops served in Afghanistan from 2001. And many are crestfallen seeing the images coming from Kabul: the Taliban taking power, and Afghan residents dying to flee the country. [Read more.]( - Listen: [Afghan Interpreter Living In Massachusetts Fears For Safety Of Loved Ones Left Behind]( 4. [A Tropical Storm Is Adding To Haiti's Misery Following A Devastating Earthquake]( UNICEF estimates that more than 84,000 houses were damaged or destroyed in the quake and 1.2 million Haitians have been affected by the disaster. To make matters worse for the tens of thousands of Haitians who lost their homes in the earthquake, heavy rain and winds from Tropical Storm Grace pummeled the region Monday night and much of the day on Tuesday. [Read more.]( - FAQ: [What We Know About The Situation In Haiti, 4 Days After The Massive Earthquake]( - Listen: [Dr. Paul Farmer Weighs In On Haiti's Earthquake Recovery]( - Help: [Here's How You Can Support Earthquake Relief Efforts In Haiti]( 5. [Mass. Won't Release School-Level COVID Data This Fall. That Has Some Parents Worried]( "It’s almost like the train is just driving and the train is going to derail and we’re like 'Should we fix the breaks or slow it down?' 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