Community rallies around Big D’s Neponset Cafe

Community rallies around restaurant after pride flag stolen

The owners of a downtown Canton restaurant has received a massive outpouring of community support via social media following an incident of vandalism and theft that appeared to target a rainbow flag that had been hung in support of LGBT Pride Month.

Vandals removed the pride flag shown on the left outside Big D’s. (Facebook photo)

In a post on the Everything Canton Facebook page, Donna Titus, longtime part owner of Neponset Café (Big D’s), voiced her dismay over the forced removal of the flag and also shared photos showing the resulting damage to the building. Noting that she is a member of both the Canton community and the LGBT community, Titus said she doesn’t understand why someone would do such a thing.

“I have been at Big D’s for pretty much most of my life — 46 years this year and I still can’t believe after that many years dealing with the public, people still amaze me,” she said.

Titus asked members of the page to contact the restaurant if they had any information regarding the act of vandalism. Her post received hundreds of “likes” and comments of support, and the incident also garnered widespread media coverage.

Christine Smith, who launched the Canton MA Rainbow Project to encourage residents and businesses to display the pride flag throughout the month of June, said that she was saddened to read Titus’ post. “Only a coward would do something like this,” Smith wrote. “Thank you so much for flying the flag. I am so sorry this happened.”

Investigation continues into hotel attack

Canton detectives continue to work different leads in the investigation into a violent attack against an unidentified female victim that occurred at the Homewood Suites on Royall Street last Monday evening, June 4. Police Chief Ken Berkowitz said the attack was not random and expressed confidence that the investigation would be solved.

When officers arrived they found a substantial amount of blood in a stairwell and an elevator and determined that the suspect and victim had fled the scene. After canvassing area hospitals, police were able to locate the victim, who had admitted herself into Boston Medical Center with a serious injury. While they initially believed that the victim was stabbed in the chest, they later determined that she had been “severely beaten” and had stabbed the suspect in defense.

Canton police requested assistance from the State Police Crime Scene Services to process the blood. Police are still in the process of reviewing surveillance footage from Homewood Suites. Anyone with information is asked to call the CPD at 781-828-1212 or the Criminal Investigations Unit at 781-828-5285 …

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