While officials at Town Hall refused further comment on the situation, more information has been learned about the First Amendment auditor who paid a visit last week, which led to a town employee pulling a fire alarm.
Last Friday, so-called “First Amendment auditors” visited Town Hall to film the building and public employees. A confrontation occurred when the auditors entered the office of public health nurse Simone Carter and started asking basic questions. After asking the individuals to leave, Carter walked to the hallway and pulled the fire alarm, leading to an evacuation of the building.
The auditor in question was Joshua Abrams, creator of the YouTube channel “Accountability for All.” The video he posted of the fire alarm incident in Town Hall has garnered more than 63,000 views since it was posted on Monday.
According to reporting from Boston.com, Abrams has been conducting these audits since at least 2019. He claimed in a previous interview with the Independent that the goal of his visits is education and that he does not intend to get negative reactions. Coverage of other audits Abrams has conducted calls those assertions into question, however.
An incident in 2023 at the Lexington Public Library involved Abrams and an associate badgering a library patron who did not want to be filmed until an altercation occurred. And according to the Lowell Sun, Abrams hurled expletives and insults at an employee in Lowell’s Engineering Department during another audit that same year.
Abrams also reportedly has a criminal history. Boston.com reported he pled guilty in October 2020 to two counts each of unarmed robbery and witness intimidation and one count of armed assault to rob. Those charges were related to a string of robberies that occurred in Lowell two years prior.
In addition, he pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest during the Straight Pride Parade that took place in Boston in 2019.
Abrams’ visit to Hopkinton has led to a cautious response from Town Hall. While Town Manager Elaine Lazarus provided a statement on the matter to the Independent earlier this week, other departments have been instructed to decline comment.
Health Director Shaun McAuliffe stated in a text message that the town’s legal counsel and public relations company recommended his department refrain from the discussing the matter. However, McAuliffe expressed support for town employees.
“The municipality and their staff have done nothing wrong,” he stated.
Carter has not responded yet to direct inquiries, other than to share that she has been the target of harassment via her private Facebook page.
The Hopkinton Police Department also has not responded to requests for comment.
When I worked at the HP Library there were rumors of similar visits to libraries in Massachusetts. We were told that this group would ask all sorts of questions related to services while sticking a phone in your face while recording your response. If you didn’t cooperate or became angry it was said that they would blast out the recording through social media and complain of first amendment issues within a public institution. Sounds like a misguided setup to me that has been going on for a while.
So in other words if you were professional and did your job and respected their rights the auditors would end their questions and leave. got it
Thanks Dan for identifying the real problem here!!!
A 1st amendment audit should not cause somebody to get in their feelings and commit a crime and for the person that published this people’s past do not define them or give someone a excuse to committed crime against them
Simone Carter rocks!
A medical office should be expected to have an appropriate level of professional courtesy, and to follow HIPPA Standards. When individuals enter said office, without permission, and commence filming, potentially revealing medical information in violation of HIPPA, it is most appropriate that they be asked to leave.
If they don’t, and given a number of under age kids were present in the area, it is appropriate that someone take whatever actions are required to remove individuals refusing requests to leave, especially when said individuals are perceived by the person responsible for HIPPA ‘security’, as posing a possible, if unknown, threat.
Well done Simone Carter!
My concern having built similar offices in office facilities I have never done so where there is an unlocked door that is open to the public and unmarked with a n Authorized Access Only or similar. This in itself is questionable.
Then it would make sense they wouldn’t have a giant window allowing every visitor to look at all the records right?
HIPAA (two As) – Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Standard 64.310(a)(1) establishes that covered entities must implement policies and procedures to limit physical access to protected information while ensuring that information systems and the facility or facilities in which they are properly authorized access is allowed. In the absence of any physical security controls or an “authorized personnel only” sign, this office is no different than any other one in that building and therefore recognized as a public space. Whoever the HIPAA officer is in Hopkinton obviously did not have the foresight to implement controls properly to safeguard information.
Or the “auditors” could make an appointment and provide an agenda beforehand, just like in the private sector. Antigovernment types love harassing public employees just trying to do things for the common good.
Gov’t employees should act professional at all times. Auditors or any member of the public…do not need to make an appointment to enter a PUBLIC building. Laws’ are Laws…if you break a law, you should be held accountable. Feelings do not trump people’s rights ! These auditors do not go into any restricted areas, and gov’t employees need to understand, that they work for the public and are on our dime.
Hogwash Bill. Yes they are “annoying but they have every right to do what they do. It’s not. “Just like in. Private sector” it’s the public sector. I can go in that office right now and without an appointment. With your logic you have to make an appointment so the city doesn’t violate HIPPA. Get it together
She still broke the law pulling the fire alarm
If the medical office is a public building paid for by tax dollars, and the person filming is in a public access area, NO you cannot compel them to leave based on videoing alone.
Wow. You must enjoy the taste of boot leather. Enjoy it!
Fire her and the cop! She broke the law and the HIPPA laws. He ignored it and tried to cover it up! Horrible reporting by trashing the victim.
Well done. Break the law and have your Facebook friend Sgt cover your back. Show the corruption in the government. Make the people of the community pay for your crimes. If I walked up to a fire alarm and pulled it I would have no doubt that cuffs would be involved. Should I come and test that theory to see if there is equal justice for all?
Simone carter does not rock. Ed Harrow is just another town official that has no idea how the law works. The only one that could have violated HIPPA regulations is simone carter. Protecting personal or medical information is the responsibility of the person holding the information. It is impossible for a citizen to violate any HIPPA regulations. Any private or medical information that is visible from public is a violation.
Illegally pulling a fire alarm is the only activity that endangered anyone that day. She wasted emergency resources and taxpayer money on this selfish act. Termination is the only acceptable action.
Regardless of the auditor’s personal history, the fact remains that a crime was committed and no action was taken by the police due to the fact that the violator was one of theirs. I’ve watched the video and I think the fellow was polite and minimally aggressive. Asking questions you aren’t comfortable with is no reason to put citizens in danger by activating a fire alarm. The only problem I see are the actions of the police department. The divide widens.
Correct.The corruption in Hopkinton seems to have no limits.From cover-up a rape by one of their own to blatantly breaking the law by pulling a fire alarm with no criminal charges to the violator.
What law says you have to filmed against your will?
The first amendment actually
Easy: the Constitution’s First Amendment protects the act of recording public officials in a public space as a form of free speech.
I believe The Plain View Doctrine would be one. If it’s out in public, it can be viewed and thus filmed. If you’re standing in a public place, you can (and most likely will) be filmed. Josh was standing in a public building, in an area designated for the public.
The 1st Ammendment of United States Constitution literally gives every citizen the right to record whatever their eyes can see in public. This is the same document that we built our country on. If you don’t like it, you probably shouldn’t be living in the US.
so you did nothing wrong, eh? what a crock. and whatever those auditors did before is IRRELEVANT!
So let get get this right. A guy walks into a public office, into an office with an open door, doing something protected under the 1st amendment, asks questions of a public worker who has a tizzy and breaks the law by pulling a fire alarm. Now this local rag and Health Director Shaun McAuliffe take the side of the law breaker? Regardless if this guy has a record or not what he did was legal and protected. The fact that this writer now tries to assassinate this guys character shows you what a bootlicker and how biased he is. The town and the cops of this town need to do their jobs and fire this lunatic woman and file charges. Per the Commonwealth of Ma. Section 13: False alarms of fire
Section 13. Whoever, without reasonable cause, by outcry or the ringing of bells, or otherwise, makes or circulates or causes to be made or circulated a false alarm of fire shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars, or by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than one year.
Why exactly was this “follow-up article” written? Or should I say, what does Josh Abram’s well-covered past have to do with your town official breaking the law by deliberately pulling a fire alarm absent any fires (except the ones in her head)? You mention him “hurling expletives” in a video record well over a year ago. Did he hurl expletives the day your town’s nurse decided to pull that alarm, replete with a smirk on her face?? The answer is no.
Your initial article was non-biased, informative, and fact-filled. This one is lacking journalistic integrity and must have been written just for clicks and views, Nick. Very poor indeed.
Wow, so this so called ‘journalist’ who wrote this article and this town’s government are fine with having a corrupt system with two sets of laws. ‘Rules for thee, but not for me’. These public servants can do whatever they want and act above the law, as there are no consequences for them. Sickening.
If I pulled the alarm, I’d be arrested, probably a little jail and paying fines for sure. Guess this newspaper values the opinions and donations from the poorly trained town workers and the 11 people who read it than actually reporting the unbiased news. And you wonder why the media today are so poorly rated and mistrusted.
This town has taken the US Constitution and basically wiped their butt with it. So glad I don’t live in there.
You are all moon bats Simone you were wrong should not be fired but educated. How could you write an article attacking a man who survived the wrath of drug addiction to become a viable human. You may not agree with first amendment audits but they are so important to hold all within the Constitution Of The United States. We have so called free speech bashing each other over politics,race ,religion,social economic status. Enough . We as citizens of Hopkinton all know someone ,someone’s child,or relatives who have lost the battle with addiction.
To Ed Harrow please understand the law before you comment on it HIPA is a requirement of the medical profession they and they alone are required to protect it. I didn’t see you get upset when are police chief an SB member released rape victim personal information. If you even watch the video the auditor backed out of the room . It was Simone’s charge to protect the sensitive information. The Constitution is the protection of all the rights of all citizens! You have done a great service to protect the turtles of Hopkinton and for that I appreciate you. We are all expected to live within the Law and the Constitution of the United States. It would be great if people would also live within the Ten Commandments.
Hi Steve – thank you for your comments!
Re the second sentence: Then, and no offense, you weren’t paying attention.
Re HIPAA – It would appear that Simone, a medical professional, was doing exactly that.
Re Turtles – 🙂 Thank you kind Sir!
Carter was NOT protecting medical records as she had them out in the open where anyone could see them. Her office is public. But now the lawsuit is going to hurt you and Carter and anyone else involved in the coverup. What Carter did at the very least cost a lot of money with the first responders response, the interruption to the work day and the events that were in progress at Town Hall.
Your initial reporting on this incident was fair. This follow up report is a HIT PIECE plain and simple. You may not agree with the tactics of these auditors, you may find them annoying, you may not even agree with the First Amendment, but what Ms. Carter did that day was CRIMINAL. What the auditor did was NOT CRIMINAL. There were MANY actions Ms Carter could’ve taken including just SHUTTING HER DOOR, but she chose to make it a spectacle. And now Nick Schofield has decided to make a name for himself writing this hit piece, perhaps to appease some prominent folks who do not like the Constitution. Folks, our rights are being eroded day by day in the name of “public safety”. Just watch whats happening in England and you will understand.
The majority of people in Hopkinton, across the political spectrum, are with our town officials. The out of town troublemakers did something we couldn’t do ourselves. They brought us together. Thank you fellas but you can go back to your trailer park now. Bubye ……
You are wrong the out of towner did what you should and can do and force your government to be transparent. If one of us went to that office and they refused service so you got mad and pulled fire alarm we would be arrested. They should be held to a minimum the same standard.
We don’t troll our own people for clicks and likes around here. We have better things to do unlike you.
I found the article disappointing and believe it falls short of the standards set by mainstream media. It lacks the depth and rigor in journalism and news gathering exemplified by Mr. Abrams. You had it right the first time!
I’m Steven Mathew Snow proud of my given name family has bee in Massachusetts since 1638 yet my rights are the same as people who became citizens yesterday. That is the freedom we all share. People that are not proud of their name or are afraid of consequences of using their name are weak . Be proud of yourself your name and story is relevant.I try so hard not to hate I definitely have opinions yet putting a name to a comment is important .
Corruption and cover up. It is plain and simple, the law was broken by an employee and should face the appropriate action. This town is lawless leave the to it.
This is hilarious. Y’all are cooked.
I saw the video in question and this Nurse was 100% justified in pulling the fire alarm. Her door was closed, without knocking he opened it and was acting like a creep. She was alone in this office and justified in fearing her safety and the safety of the students in the down the hall. Mr. Abrams has a long history of going into town halls, not to celebrate the first amendment, but to harass hard working public employees who are simply trying to do their jobs. It is time YouTube put a stop to this nonsense by cutting off their ad revenue and demontizing this non-sense. This way Mr. Abrams and the rest of these clowns can go back to doing what they do best and that is being low-life felons.
Terrible journalism. If anyone else had done what she did , they would have been arrested. This is a prime example of the government covering for their own. If she thought there was a problem, she should have called 911 and let the police handle it. Oh wait, she did. And almost immediately went and pulled the fire alarm. She is dangerous and entitled and put people in danger and wasted tax payers money. And now more tax payers money is being wasted covering this up.
As far as being independent they are no where close.
Gaslighting a victim of a tyrannical government employee who is literally exercising his 1st amendment right.
You are blaming the victim who is simply exercising the same right that allows you to earn a living. At the same time covering for PUBLIC SERVANT who is funded by tax dollars who violated the law and the constitution. By wasting more tax payer funds to kick a journalist out of a TOWN HALL. The definition of public forum!
You should be thanking Josh for fighting for the right that literally gives this joke of a newspaper the right to exist.
SHAME ON YOU
Josh has always been open about his past and has nothing to do with this Nurse pulling a fire alarm because she wasnt getting a response fast enough!! What a smug witch FIRE Her!
Really disappointed in how the nurse handled the situation and wasted town resources.