A camping trip for a Somerville couple took a terrifying turn at Shawme-Crowell State Forest on the night of June 23.
Clementine L. Hess and Mori E. LaVictor were settling around their campfire at about 9:30 PM when loud thumping noises erupted from the woods surrounding their campsite.
Initially, the couple attributed the noises to falling branches due to the windy night and sought shelter under their canopy tent. However, their sense of security was shattered when “a big rock came tumbling down toward us and into our campsite,” Ms. LaVictor reported. The rocks were approximately the size of footballs.
“I had started to think this didn’t feel like just random branches or things because it was from all sides,” Ms. LaVictor said, suspecting something more sinister.
At first, Ms. LaVictor thought a child might be responsible for the rock-throwing but soon felt targeted, speculating that their pride flag could have made them a target.
For about half an hour, rocks pelted their campsite. The couple then shouted at the unseen assailant and called the ranger station. “I was really mad, and I was trying to embarrass them and say, ‘I know you’re throwing rocks at us, you can’t do this. This is a hate crime,’” Ms. Hess said.
The ranger station informed them that police were already in the forest due to a medical emergency but would check on them afterward. Meanwhile, a ranger was dispatched to the site but could not locate the individual responsible for the rock-throwing.
The couple felt the ranger was dismissive of their concerns. Ms. Hess expressed frustration, saying, “He didn’t seem worried or anything. I felt like he wasn’t taking our concern seriously.” She added that despite the ongoing medical emergency, she feared for her and her partner’s lives.
“They’re not showing themselves, and they’re just this faceless person in the woods throwing giant rocks at us. I don’t feel safe,” Ms. Hess stated, questioning the intent behind the rock-throwing and fearing further escalation.
The Shawme-Crowell State Forest rangers and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), which oversees the land, did not comment on the incident.
The couple then called the state police. Dispatchers took the incident seriously, and while waiting for an officer to arrive, rocks were thrown two more times. Ms. Hess saw a person in a white or gray T-shirt running away and tried to chase them but only heard an unintelligible shout from the fleeing individual, who had a deep voice.
When the officer arrived, he inspected the campsite but could not find the suspect. “You shouldn’t have to take your pride flag down because of this…that’s not right,” Ms. LaVictor recalled the officer saying.
Lieutenant Sean Quirk of the Massachusetts State Police said their Hate Crime Awareness Response Team reviewed the incident but found insufficient information to initiate an investigation.
Feeling unsafe, the couple left the campsite at 11:30 PM and stayed at a hotel. They returned the next morning to follow up with the rangers, who were more understanding and issued a refund for the night’s stay.
Ms. LaVictor noted they had displayed the pride flag for Pride Month representation, lamenting the apparent hate-driven attack. “It feels like that’s a hateful thing to do, and it’s kind of hard not to put two and two together when there’s a pride flag,” she said.
Ms. Hess expressed a mix of rage and fear, feeling more vigilant and fearful after the incident. Ms. LaVictor voiced her sadness over the growing hate in the country.
Sandwich For All member Gretchen Mulroy commended the couple for speaking up, noting that many similar incidents go unreported. She emphasized the need for state representatives to encourage policy changes and education to prevent such incidents in state campgrounds.
“I hope that I can take that fear and use it for good, standing up for other people who are being discriminated against,” Ms. Hess said.