Crime

“Boston Proud! Boston Stro-ong!": The Celebration in Watertown

Watertown celebration
Onlookers applaud first responders departing after their successful operation to capture 19-year-old bombing suspect Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev on April 19, 2013 in Watertown, Massachusetts.

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

WATERTOWN, Mass.—It’s like a Fourth of July parade here, except this time the people genuinely mean it when they’re clapping for the cops. The police cars are leaving the area one by one. As they go, they drive through a gauntlet of people at the corner of Mt. Auburn and Kimball. A line of locals, most of whom appear to be wearing Boston sports apparel, stand on both sides applauding, clapping, and yelling. A guy in a Red Sox cap and Red Sox pullover, who looks like he may have already had a few celebratory drinks, speaks for the crowd: “Yeah, let’s go, baby! Yeah, Boston!”

There are two women applauding heartily, both wearing red. The first, who’s wearing a Jason Varitek Red Sox T-shirt says, “They’re amazing.” The second: “Oh my God.” The first replies: “Oh my God is right.”

A man in a Bruins T-shirt and a backwards cap asks a state policeman if there’s any way he can shake his hand. The cop pauses for a second, walks over to him, looks him in the eye, and salutes him. He then does the same to the man’s friend.

“Boston proud! Boston stro-ong!” Bruins guy yells, eliciting roars of delight from about 150 people.

People are also chanting: “USA! USA! USA!”

Read more on Slate about the Boston Marathon bombing.