A Massachusetts mayor has been served a harassment prevention order after a mother stormed the stage at a high school graduation ceremony screaming accusations at him in front of the graduating class — in a confrontation that has triggered a state police investigation and a formal restraining order prohibiting him from coming within 100 yards of a student.
The dramatic scenes unfolded at Brockton High School on Saturday as Mayor Moises Rodrigues addressed graduates of the city, located around 45 miles south of Boston. Video captured the moment an unidentified woman in a red minidress and large hoop earrings ran toward the stage during the mayor’s speech, repeatedly shouting: “You know what you did to my daughter! You know what you did to my daughter!” Two officers intercepted her before she reached the stage and escorted her away. Brockton police confirmed she faces no charges for the disruption, according to WCVB.
The nature of the accusation has since become clearer. A clerk at Brockton District Court told The Enterprise that the complaint stemmed from an interaction the mayor had with a student during a school parade on 22 May. Rodrigues acknowledged the interaction in a statement, saying: “At the Huntington Day Parade, someone brought to my attention that I interacted with a student that made the student uncomfortable. The School Department is looking into the matter.”
That statement was issued before events moved significantly. The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office told WCVB that Rodrigues was served a harassment prevention order — a form of restraining order — on Monday, the day after the graduation. The order prohibits him from coming within 100 yards of the student involved. Rodrigues had told The Enterprise on Saturday, the day of the ceremony, that no restraining order existed against him and that he would not have attended if one had been in place.
A spokesperson for Massachusetts State Police told WCVB that troopers assigned to the district attorney’s office “are investigating a formal complaint made by a student and their parents to the Brockton Public Schools regarding Mayor Moises Rodrigues.” The specific nature of the alleged conduct that prompted the complaint and the restraining order has not been publicly disclosed.
Rodrigues said that although the order had not been finalised by the day of the graduation, he chose not to hand out diplomas to students as he did not know the identity of the student involved and did not want to cause further distress. A two-party hearing between Rodrigues and the complainant family is scheduled at Brockton District Court on 22 June. A special Brockton School Committee meeting has also been called for Wednesday to address the complaint — a meeting Rodrigues chairs in his dual role as both mayor and committee chair.
