While multiple commissioners agreed that the book was offensive, with Commissioner Bridget Houston saying that Donahue and husband, Jimmy Steward, have “spread several falsehoods” about the city and its leaders, they shared that their hands are tied.
The First Amendment forbids censorship and prevents any government from interfering with a person’s right to free speech. This includes the ability to publish a book.
Commissioner Krystal Brown sympathized with the frustrations of being the target of various claims, speaking about rumors spread last year when the city was thrust into the international spotlight.
“I understand the inability to, you know, have your hands tied when somebody’s lying on you, when someone’s misrepresenting you,” Brown said. “I cannot fathom what it would do to me if it was someone who I loved that was taken away through an act of violence, especially when a particular group of people openly advocate for anti-violence things.”
Melissa Timberman, speaking on behalf of Heather Williams Sharp, the mother of Spencer Sharp, who was shot and killed in January, said the book was riddled with inaccuracies and falsehoods. She said timelines were inaccurate, leading to an incorrect portrayal of the circumstances leading to Sharp’s death.
“Beth Donahue had a genuine opportunity to shed light on the devastating impact of gun violence in Springfield — the way it rips loved ones away from their parents, children and friends,” Timberman said. “Instead, she chose to demonize victims and their families, replacing compassion with blame. Many cases in the book are only a few months old and have not gone to trial; they’re still pending. These families are in the rawest stages of grief.”
Many of the families protested the book outside Donahue and Steward’s home Aug. 4, which ended with Steward’s arrest on an assault charge.
A video shared with this reporter and the Springfield Police Division appears to show Steward striking a woman and pushing her following a verbal fight with a large crowd of people.
The woman was Tyla Mays, whose 23-year-old nephew KeAntra Mays was shot and killed in a shooting at a large birthday party June 28. Tyla Mays said previously that she was at the apartment building Monday to protest the way in which her nephew, other homicide victims and their families were portrayed in Donahue’s book.
The book discusses a “culture of gun violence” and suggests that children who grow up in environments filled with violence and criminal behavior may internalize these norms, leading to the “intergenerational transmission” of violent conflict resolution and an increased likelihood of committing violent acts themselves.
The book also says that based on research using police data, “an individual’s position within a deviant social network can be a powerful predictor of violence victimization.”
It goes on to name specific homicide victims in Springfield and outline how their own social connections impact their “higher potential for involvement in network activities and, consequently, a greater immediate risk of exposure to whatever is flowing through the network, be it information, illicit goods or violence.”
Donahue is the founder of the Springfield Domestic Violence Coalition, which seeks to use data to inform and prevent the problem it says is pervasive in Springfield. Donahue and the city have clashed about data and facts related to violence in Springfield.
David Rose, father figure of Randy Graham Jr., who was shot and killed in May, and Amanda Greene See, Graham’s mother, begged commissioners to get rid of the book and stop Donahue’s upcoming book Sept. 1.
“This is not fair to us. We’re asking you guys to stand in the gap for us so our people can have a fair trial,” Rose said.
Mayor Rob Rue thanked protesters for being peaceful.
“For what it’s worth, those of you that protested peacefully, thank you. I saw it. Thank you for protesting this foolishness peacefully,” Rue said.
After Rue and other commissioners shared that the city cannot ban or prevent books from being published, Rose became upset and said these were excuses. He was subsequently removed from the meeting.
Donahue did not return a request for comment for this story.
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