Nine months ago, David had one of his 'Youse gots ta be kiddin' me!' posts here, which seemed to be just another sign the apocalypse was getting closer.
Then, when you realized it was a town in Massachusetts he was referring to, you thought, well, virtue-signaling progressives at work.
There is nothing wrong with American city mayors being bilingual, obviously. In theory, the more languages one speaks, the better, and when one is the mayor of a city that now tops out at 82% Hispanic, it's normal to expect the mayor to speak Spanish.
But, no. It was the apocalypse.
The mayor actually required an English Spanish interpreter...
I can’t believe this is real
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) December 21, 2025
Lawrence, Massachusetts Mayor Brian DePena needed a translator during a Commission hearing because his primary language is Spanish
Again, a Massachusetts mayor needs a translator because he can’t speak proficient English
‘The judge overseeing the… pic.twitter.com/fn431ZQtz1
...‘The judge overseeing the hearing refused to allow the mayor’s personal assistant to act as his translator, citing a serious concern: anything said through a private translator could not be independently verified. Neither the judge nor opposing counsel speaks Spanish, meaning mistranslations, intentional or not, could influence testimony, sway responses, or distort the official record with no way to confirm accuracy.’
...during a council meeting where they were discussing the fate of a buddy of his, Police Chief William Castro. Castro had been stripped of his policing credentials for driving the wrong way down a one-way street and filing a false report after a police chase.
All of this, as David asked:
...Of course, that begs the question: how on Earth did a city in Massachusetts become 82% Hispanic in so short a time?
Wait, WHUT?
Alas, it is true, but it was already a 60% Latino city by 2000.
...As of the 2020 census, Lawrence had a population of 89,143. The median age was 33.0 years. 26.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 10.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.3 males age 18 and over.[78][79]
Hispanic or Latino residents comprised 81.7% of the population, 12.3% were non-Hispanic White, 2.3% were non-Hispanic Black, 1.7% were Asian, 0.1% were Native American or Pacific Islander, and 1.9% of residents identified as mixed or other races.[80
Now, let's be clear. There's Latino and Hispanic-American. I'm kind of afraid we're discussing the former, rather than the latter. That's a problem.
Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña, born in the Dominican Republic but a resident of Massachusetts for over thirty years, has spent so much time in his insular ethnic enclave in the middle of New England that he speaks little to no English, much like the New Jersey woman I posted about the other day. Even as an elected official, he hasn't bothered to put himself out to absorb the tiniest fraction of the language of the country that has given him a home and allowed him 'the pursuit of happiness.'
Mayor DePeña is loyal to his friends in their pursuits, like the buddy who was his chief of staff before DePeña appointed him Lawrence's police chief.
...Castro, who was the Lawrence mayor's chief of staff when he was appointed to the police chief role in October 2023, faced turmoil following a controversial car chase a few months later.
Surveillance video shows Castro engaged a vehicle pursuit in February 2024 through the streets of Lawrence for a suspect wanted for trying to cash a stolen check. At one point, Castro pursued the Mercedes in his unmarked department vehicle onto a sidewalk, and later into oncoming lanes of traffic on a bridge.
Following the incident, Mayor Brian DePeña wrote a letter to the head of the police department's internal affairs unit, saying no further investigation was necessary.
"I believe Chief Castro acted assertively and quickly in an attempt to safeguard the citizens of Lawrence," DePeña said. "I believe his response to be truthful."
Who's your buddy? Who's your pal? The mayor.
...As NBC10 Boston reported, Castro sat at home for nearly a year, collecting a $210,000 salary on paid administrative leave.
Documents the NBC10 Boston Investigators uncovered revealed DePeña had tried to stop an internal affairs investigator from reporting the incident to the POST Commission, writing there was "insufficient evidence" of any wrongdoing.
Mayor DePeña has consistently displayed that he is a great judge of character.
...DePeña's first chief of staff, Jhovanny Martes-Rosario, is currently serving time in federal prison following a conviction of possessing child pornography.
Quite possibly because he is quite that character himself, if you habla what I'm saying.
DePeña might not speak the king's English, but he is rumored to have known how to read the forms to feather his nest.
Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña was arrested by the FBI on Friday morning at his home, three Lawrence city councilors confirmed to NBC10 Boston.
A criminal complaint filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boston charges DePeña with wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors say he fraudulently obtained over $1.5 million in COVID small-business loans and used the proceeds to fund his campaign account, pay personal taxes, and pay off over $880,000 in high-interest mortgages that encumbered various properties he owned in Lawrence.
“Mayor DePeña was elected to be a leader for the City of Lawrence. He was looked up to and trusted by his constituents, but he betrayed that trust through his alleged corruption and lies,” U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said. "Today’s arrest is just another example of our determination to root out fraud by anyone, even public officials and holding elected officials accountable."
If convicted, the mayor could face up to 30 years in prison.
All DePeña can repeat is 'God bless you' as he leaves the courthouse with his attorneys, causing a frustrated reporter to finally ask,
WHAT ARE YOU BLESSING US FOR?
OMG
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 16, 2026
A reporter asks Massachusetts mayor (who’s from Dominican Republic) for comment after he was arrested for allegedly stealing over a million dollars of covid relief money and his staff answered “he doesn’t speak English.”
How is this real pic.twitter.com/h74XIBV7UX
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts' press release on the arrest is an extensive recounting of this fraudulent horror. I've just grabbed some juicy numbers highlights.
...According to the charging documents, in 2020 and 2021, Depena applied for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDL”) for Tenares Tire Services Inc., a tire sales and automotive services business he owned in Lawrence. During COVID, the U.S. Small Business Administration offered taxpayer-funded EIDLs to eligible small businesses experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the pandemic. The interest rate on EIDLs was 3.75%, and the loan use was limited. A business could only use EIDL proceeds as working capital to alleviate economic injury caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Working capital did not include funding a political campaign, paying personal taxes, or paying off mortgages.
...While the hard money, high-interest loans were still outstanding, and while his campaign continued to struggle financially, Depena allegedly caused a request for a second EIDL modification in October 2021. On Oct. 27, 2021, the SBA approved a modification that would increase the loan by $1,154,400, bringing the total Tenares Tire EIDL to $1,654,400.
On Nov. 30, 2021, $1,154,188 in EIDL funds were electronically deposited in the Tenares Tire account and Depena allegedly transferred the entire amount to one of his personal accounts – which had a balance of only $1,401 – the same day. It is alleged that Depena allegedly used $42,112.96 of the EIDL funds for his mayoral campaign, writing checks to the campaign for $10,000 and $32,112.96. The first check was deposited in the campaign account on Dec. 2, 2021, when the account allegedly had been overdrawn for approximately 20 days.
Finally, it is alleged that Depena used $883,293 of the EIDL funds to pay off his debts to the hard money lenders. On Dec. 9, 2021, Depena bought a $538,109.03 treasurer’s check and used it to pay off one of the loans. On Dec. 18, 2021, he bought a $345,184.13 treasurer’s check and used it to pay off the other loan.
According to the charging documents, as of Aug. 5, 2026, Depena had made only 16 payments on the Tenares Tire EIDL. The outstanding principal balance was approximately $1,654,420.
Your tax dollars - poof.
As I said, he might not habla Anglais, but holy smokes, he sure knew how to work the numbers. It's amazing how quickly they can learn that and not English.
What was hilarious in the press scrum leaving the courthouse was DePeña's feisty little lawyer, roostering up over the 'racist' reporters quizzing the 'no comprendo' mayor about resigning as DePeña climbed into the hot red Dodge the lawyer was driving.
The barrister told the press across the car's roof, 'Hey guys? If it's gonna be like this, you're not gonna be happy with the *bleep* I bring.'
Even crazier angle of Lawrence Mayor, Brian DePeña leaving court. Watch until the end, his lawyer accuses the press (who he just threatened) of racism because he isn't white. DePeña speaks no English and is being charged with stealing $1.5M in covid funds.
— Lee Kuan Yimby (@LeeKuanYimby) August 17, 2026
Info on Lawyer ⬇️@wbz https://t.co/ICI3Jcpkw0 pic.twitter.com/9PRtPWWOma
Judging by the derisive 'Ooohs!' from the press, I'd have to say they weren't impressed, even less so as the tiny lawyer then drives straight into the car parked in front of him.
Talk about an exit for effect.
But that pretty much sums up the entire sad Lawrence/DePeña saga, doesn't it?
One clown after another. With nothing but Americans' tax dollars blown time and again in these foreign enclaves that are amazingly adept at adapting to certain lucrative aspects of our culture while utterly rejecting the responsible civic side that makes American life possible for everyone.
These communities have been aided and abetted by Democratic officials in nearly every single instance.
Mayor DePena and Governor Healey, just a week ago in South Lawrence. #mapoli pic.twitter.com/bs5YtrqUeM
— JohnFGately (@johnfgately) August 14, 2026
It would be impossible for them to exist and thrive without the blind eye being turned.
As the US Attorney for MA noted in her press release, the good old days for the state are over. Besides the federal government at the national level spooling up on these massive fraud cases, her office has begun targeting the long-running problem in Massachusetts.
...On March 26, 2026, United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the creation of the Benefit & Voter Fraud Team, a district-wide initiative established in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered across Massachusetts. The Team is led by two senior federal prosecutors serving as Fraud Coordinators, whose mission it is to aggressively investigate and prosecute misuse of taxpayer-funded benefits in Massachusetts.
This is a good start.
It would help if someone spoke English.
Editor’s Note: We voted for mass deportations, not mass amnesty. Help us continue to fight back against those trying to go against the will of the American people.
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