Lady arraigned in assault on Melrose metropolis councilor’s husband

A Melrose girl accused of assaulting a neighborhood metropolis councilor’s husband in December was arraigned Friday and certain received’t face hate-crime costs regardless of her alleged use of anti-Muslim language throughout the confrontation, in line with officers.

Authorities say Joan Ditomaso was arraigned on assault and battery costs Friday morning, six months after she allegedly shouted Islamophobic feedback at Melrose Metropolis Councilor-at-Giant Maya Jamaleddine, town’s first Muslim elected to public workplace.

Jamaleddine mentioned Ditomaso verbally accosted her earlier than shoving her husband at a fuel station on Dec. 3, when the couple’s youngsters had been current. Jamaleddine’s husband captured a part of the heated alternate on digital camera, and the video has since been shared on social media.

Based on the couple, Jamaleddine was sitting within the household automotive with their youngsters when Ditomaso allegedly rolled down the window of her automobile and advised Jamaleddine, who wears a hijab, to “return to your individual [expletive] nation.” Jamaleddine’s husband overheard the comment and confronted Ditomaso whereas filming her license plate, in line with officers.

Video reveals Ditomaso approaching Jamaleddine’s husband earlier than allegedly shoving him. One other girl is heard shouting, “Freedom of speech!” earlier than Ditomaso twice yells an expletive, “mom f—er,” on the man.

The Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MA) referred to as for a hate crime investigation, calling it an incident of racist harassment and assault.

NBC Boston reported that Jamaleddine’s lawyer and CAIR-MA Authorized Director, Barbara J. Dougan, mentioned of the fees, “We’re disillusioned {that a} clerk Justice of the Peace determined to not cost the defendant with a civil rights violation. However we respect the clerk’s resolution, and we will likely be focusing our consideration on the assault and battery case.”

Days after the Dec. 3 incident, the Melrose Human Rights Fee and Mayor’s Workplace launched a press release, saying, “Merely put, these racist, Islamophobic assaults don’t have any place in our metropolis or anyplace. We should name out these acts and stand with our residents who’re the topic of those assaults.”

On her marketing campaign web page, Jamaleddine describes herself as “a mother, spouse, and advocate, and a proud Lebanese-American.”