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High school student group holds sexual violence vigil, calls for Cambridge councilor to resign
A student group at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School continued to publicly call for Councilor Paul Toner to resign after he stated he would not do so.
A Cambridge Rindge and Latin School student group hosted a vigil for sexual and gender-based violence survivors Monday evening in protest of Cambridge City Councilor Paul Toner’s refusal to resign after being charged with paying for sex at a Greater Boston brothel ring.
The Title IX Aurelia Advocates (TIAA), a sexual violence advocacy organization at CRLS, held the vigil outside Cambridge City Hall before Monday’s council meeting. Several other groups, including the Cambridge Women’s Commission, the Emma Coalition, Safe Exit, the EVA Center, and Amirah, Inc., joined in.
“Thank you to all who joined us yesterday at the vigil for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence,” TIAA wrote in an Instagram post. “It was powerful to witness our community come together.”
Several CRLS students spoke out at the vigil, including Madeline Nohrnberg, who spoke on behalf of TIAA at council meetings Monday and on March 24.
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“Procuring sex is not a private matter; it is a crime that often involves the exploitation of vulnerable people,” Nohrnberg said at Monday’s council meeting. “Taking accountability does not mean apologizing to the people who you care most about, it is apologizing to everybody who was harmed.”
TIAA previously shared an open statement calling for Toner’s resignation and encouraging the community to “speak out against sexual violence and stand up for survivors.”
At a March 24 council meeting, Toner addressed the allegations, stating that he would not “contest the statements that are being circulated in the community” and refraining to comment further on the details of the charges.
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“I’m ashamed to have my name associated with this case,” Toner said in a statement. “All Americans, including elected officials, are entitled to the right to due process, but some have already judged and convicted me.”
In a letter dated March 26, Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons informed the council that Toner would no longer hold chair and co-chair positions in five of the city’s committees.
“I believe these adjustments will help the Council carry out its important work more effectively and ensure that our committee structure continues to reflect the strengths and expertise of our colleagues,” Simmons wrote in the letter.
Toner will continue to co-chair the Special Committee on Charter Review, according to the letter.
State Rep. Mike Connolly, who represents Cambridge, attended the vigil and showed his support for TIAA.
“Proud to stand with CRLS students and educators, community members and fellow officials at the gender-based violence vigil organized by the Title IX Aurelia Advocates prior to the city council meeting on Monday,” Connolly said on X. “For Councilor Toner to refuse to address the myriad of legitimate public concerns raised by this situation, even as he faces no significant criminal penalties, means that he should not continue representing the City of Cambridge and its residents.”
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