Introduction of Representative Kevin Honan
The next award is special and I hope that the Honan family all knows
how
coveted it is within our office. The Brian J. Honan award recognizes
what we believe is the complete prosecutor - not only excellent
in the
courtroom but grounded in the community where he or she gains knowledge,
perspective and understanding that informs our work.
To those who knew Brian Honan when he was an Assistant District Attorney
or from his service as a City Councilor, the honor of receiving an
award
that bears his name and spirit goes without saying. To those who maybe
never had the pleasure of knowing Brian, I can only say that this is
the
award to aspire to. Frankly, I can't imagine anyone who didn't know
Brian. Believe me, I served alongside him on the Council and we were
both running for this office. I can tell you from firsthand experience
that everywhere I went, everyone I met, they had already met Brian
- and
to meet Brian was just about all it took to become his friend.
Brian Honan was, simply put, a good man who inspired intense
loyalty because of the way that he approached his life and his job
and
everyone he met. Brian was passionate about a lot of the issues we
dealt with - public safety, housing, education - but what separated
him
from others was that he didn't approach those issues from an abstract
standpoint but from the perspective of how they affected people - his
neighbors, his constituents, and his friends.
His entire life and career were defined by how he cared about
people and how he served them - as a teacher, as a prosecutor and as
an
elected official. This simple award can never inspire people in the
same way that Brian himself could, but it is a living memorial aimed
at
recognizing, educating and moving the hearts and minds of young
prosecutors to pursue their jobs, lives and careers in the same way
that
Brian did.
For the past three years Representative Kevin Honan has honored us
by
presenting this award. Also with us are his sister Clare Coughlin,
Clare's husband Mike, and his mother, Mary Honan. We are so very
honored by your presence. I'd like to invite Representative Honan up
to
say a few words about his brother and to present this year's Brian
J.
Honan award.
REMARKS OF REPRESENTATIVE KEVIN HONAN IN PRESENTATION OF THE BRIAN
J. HONAN AWARD
SUFFOLK AWARDS CEREMONY
MAY 25, 2006
I want to thank you all for having me, my sister, Clare, my
brother in-law, and my mother here for this ceremony. Many of you knew
my brother, Brian. You worked alongside him in the D.A.'s office or
he
served you as a City Councilor. Maybe some of you knew Brian from his
early days when he oversaw parks improvement in Allston-Brighton or,
perhaps, even as a teacher. Before he graduated law school or ran for
public office, Brian was a teacher at Saint Patrick's High School in
Watertown.
However you knew Brian, I ask that you help to keep his
memory alive. I and everyone in my family love hearing from people
whose lives were touched, shaped or inspired by my brother. His was
a
life to be celebrated - and emulated. And it's because of this that
the
many honors created in Brian's name and memory - this one included
- has
such meaning. A library in Allston bears his name, as does as
affordable housing development, and a park. A road race is run in his
name each year that raises funds for the Brian J. Honan Foundation,
one
of many fundraising events that, through the Foundation, support the
various causes and community groups in Allston-Brighton to which Brian
was so dedicated. Each of these honors and awards are poignant because
they all share a common thread - they're places where people come to
live and learn and play. In other words, they are living memorials
through which people can improve their own lives and the life of the
community around them.
And the Brian J. Honan Award which we present here is no different.
It
recognizes people whose public service as a prosecutor reflects Brian's
own, and hopefully it will inspire prosecutors for many years to come
to
approach their public service with the same passion, humor, and
commitment to justice that defined Brian's career. Brian was very proud
of his service in the D.A.'s office and he was very much a modern
prosecutor. Brian saw the connection between the work that went on
in
the courtrooms and its effect on the lives of everyday people. He also
recognized that no matter how talented you might be in the courtroom,
a
prosecutor needs to be directly engaged with the community he or she
serves.
The recipient of this year's award reflects these qualities and values.
He began his career in the Suffolk District Attorney's Office in 1997,
beginning in Dorchester District Court. He worked in Charlestown, the
Boston Municipal Court (BMC) and the Juvenile Unit. He went to the
Gang
Unit in 2001 and in 2004, District Attorney Conley promoted this lawyer
to Chief of the Safe Neighborhood Initiative where he is engaged with
community residents throughout Suffolk County.
Three years ago, District Attorney Conley began speaking very vocally
about the pervasive problem of witness intimidation and the impact
it
was having on the administration of justice; not just on the effect
it
was having on cases, but how entire communities were effectively being
denied their right to fair and equal justice because fear prevented
them
from fully accessing the criminal justice system. Even as new
legislation was proposed, it was and remains clear that there was no
single solution - that new laws would be pointless unless there were
also changes in societal attitudes. We can't rely on the pop-culture
powers that be, so the D.A. began looking for ways to let people who
live in fear in their own communities know that they are not alone.
And it was here that this A.D.A. - someone of deep faith - really
stepped up. He has taken the lead on a program aimed supporting victims
and witnesses and connecting them to individuals within their
communities whom they could turn to for help and support. He named
the
initiative Project Strength and Spirit. Though Project Strength and
Spirit, police, prosecutors, victim-witness advocates and clergy
identify witnesses in the most serious cases and work with them to
address issues of fear and safety that prevent them from testifying.
In
addition, to deal with the immediate problem of gang members packing
courtrooms to intimidate witnesses - and to address the larger issue
of
connecting people in neighborhoods to one another for a network of
support - faith-based and other community residents actually come into
court to show witnesses a friendly face and support for the courage
it
takes to testify. Project Strength and Spirit was piloted on a small
number of cases a few years ago. Today, thanks to this prosecutors
leadership, grant dollars were won to support the program, dozens of
Boston's ministers have been trained, and dozens and dozens more
community residents are participating. Literally, one witness at a
time, one resident at a time, Project Strength and Spirit and this
man
are changing attitudes and making the promise of justice more real.
I am pleased to present the Brian J. Honan Award for Excellence in
the
Courtroom and Commitment to the Communities We Serve to Assistant
District Attorney Kevin Hayden.